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Hobby Niche: Tips to expand your affiliate team

One of the best ways to start an online business indeed is to do something you like. When you begin to implement the affiliate marketing strategy to your hobby business, you’ll quickly discover that finding affiliates ...

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One of the best ways to start an online business indeed is to do something you like. When you begin to implement the affiliate marketing strategy to your hobby business, you’ll quickly discover that finding affiliates is not an easy task. Is your niche too narrow? Or do you have trouble identifying your prospective influencers?

Don’t worry, this post will show you how to expand the affiliate team for your eCommerce company. Whatever hobby niche you’re in, art, crafting, painting, music, knitting, etc, you will explore the ultimate guide in this blog post.

Let’s get started!

1. Convert customer to affiliate

Customers are always the best sellers if you know how to leverage them. As long as they’re satisfied with your product/service, they’re willing to refer it to their friends, relatives, or family, word-of-mouth will earn your company a million dollars.

There are many approach tactics that you can use to convert your customers into affiliates, such as sending emails with signing-up bonuses and surprising deals to attract them or automatically turn them into affiliates with UpPromote Post-Purchase Popup.

To activate the feature after adding the app to your Shopify store, go to UpPromote Dashboard > Choose Grow affiliates tools > Click Convert customers to affiliates > Switch on Active and the feature is now ready to go.

You can also modify the popup to show once or several times, and assign consumers to the appropriate programs based on your preferences.

2. Affiliate management agency

Hiring an affiliate management agency can help your business strategize and implement the right tactics that meet your goals.

Why should you engage with affiliate management service companies rather than those who merely recruit affiliates? Because an affiliate recruiting firm will just handle the affiliate recruitment process, and those affiliates sometimes may not be the best fit for you.

Working with an affiliate management firm, on the other hand, appears to be a better option because they will be in control of everything, from planning from expand your affiliate team and monitoring campaigns. You will be able to save time and effort thanks to them.

However, you’re confident in your ability to plan out tactics, execute, manage affiliates, an affiliate recruitment agency is a more affordable alternative.

The top three affiliate management agencies I suggest are:

3. Look for influencers through social media

Instagram

People are spending time on Instagram like crazy, with roughly one billion monthly active users and in 2020, there were more than six million brand-sponsored influencer posts on Instagram. That’s why Instagram is a palace for any merchants to extend their affiliate team numbers and find prospective influencers for their brand.

It’s not simple to find influencers if you don’t have any specific techniques or ideas on how to use this platform.

Here are some strategies that you can use to spot the right influencers.

Hashtags

Instagram hashtags are a great place to explore potential influencers. By listing some related-brand keywords, you can easily find them.

These tables are some popular keywords hashtags of popular hobbies, take a look:

Hobby hashtags

#hobbies #myhobbies #hobby #hobbyideas #myhobby #passionate #quarantinelife #quaratine #hobbylove #hobbytime #newhobbies #hobbiest #quarantinehobbies #coolhobbies #expensivehobbies #instahobbies #toysandhobbies #healthyhobbies#oneofmyhobbies #hobbiesareimportant #hardcorehobbies #weirdhobbies #oldhobbies #infohobbies #lockdownhobbies #winterhobbies #nohobbies #funhobbies

Painting hashtags

#hobbypainter #hobbypainting #paint #paintings #painting #painter #paintingoftheday #paintingart #paintcorrection #paintfurniture #abstractpaiting #paintingminis #paintofinstagram #paintparty #oilpainting #watercolorpainting #paintjob

Photograph hashtags

#hobbyphotographer #hobbyfotografie #hobbyfotograf #hobbygraphy #hobbyphotographie 

#hobbyphoto #hobbyfotograaf #photography #photo #photooftheday #photoshoot #photographer #photoeveryday #photogram #photos #photodaily #photoday #photosession #photograph

 

Cooking hashtags

#hobbybaking #hobbybaker #hobbycooking #hobbycook #cooking #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphotography #homemade #foodstagram #yummy #delicious #foodlover #foodblogger #chef #cook #dinner #healthyfood #tasty #instagood #homecooking #love #kitchen #lunch #foodies #cookingathome #foodgasm #eat #baking #cheflife

Aquarium hashtags

#aquariumhobby #seattleaquarium #dubaiaquarium #aquariumphotography #newportaquarium #aquarium #aquariums #freshwateraquarium #plantedaquarium #saltwateraquarium #aquariumfish #aquariumlife #reefaquarium #natureaquarium #seaaquarium #sealifeaquarium

Farming

#hobbyfarming #farming #agriculture #farm #farmlife #farmer #nature #farmers #harvest #organic#farmingsimulator #farminglife #photography #agri #agriculturelife #gardening #countrylife #caseih #agricultura

Sport hobby

#hobbyhorse #hobbyhorsing #horse #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #rider #equestrianlife #pony #horselover

#hobbybykings #hobbytouring #cycling #cyclingtips #cyclinglife #instacycling #roadcycling #roadcylist #stravecycling

#soccer #football #futbol #fifa #futebol #sport #sports #championsleague #soccerlife #fussball #soccerskills

Animal hobby 

#hobbycat #cat #dogs #pet #pets #animal #nationalpetday #animals #petofinstagram #wildlife #petstagram #bird #cuteanimals #animallovers #instapet #of #animalphotography #animalofinstagram #petsagram #petlover #zoo

Beauty hobby hashtags

#hobbynails #paintedhair #beaty #beautiful #makeup #style #skincare #hair

Crafting hobby hashtags

#hobbycraft #crating #handmade #diy #doityourself #fun #arrtist

Suggested profile

If you have any niche influencers in mind, go to their Instagram account and look for a section where Instagram suggests comparable profiles for you to get a big list of possible affiliates.

#1 Go to the Instagram account of the influencer you want to follow. Then click Follow.

#2 Click the “Arrow” button next to “Follow” or “Following.”

#3 Instagram will suggest profiles that are similar to your ideal influencer’s profile. Above their Instagram post, you can see the suggested profiles.

#4 To see all of Instagram’s suggested accounts, select “See All.”

Now you’ll find a list of ideal influencers.

Youtube

Micro-influencers, also known as KOLs, has amassed a following of people who value their knowledge and opinions on specialized issues. They frequently develop things about which they are passionate. It’s more of a community than an audience that follows them on social media.

Here are some reasons why you should collab with them:

  • In comparison to celebs and macro-influencers, micro YouTubers have fewer baggage and demands
  • They have a smaller following, so they can readily interact with their followers
  • Give your followers a personal touch
  • They are less expensive since they are not celebrities
  • It’s a lot easier to get in touch with smaller YouTube influencers. You may discover them on Youtube, which is a promising and valuable resource.

A micro-influencer has a better success rate in terms of return on investment as a result of these factors.

First, you can check the influencers through Youtube with the keywords related to your brand

 

Otherwise, you can seek help from the Youtube influencers platform which you can filter your industry influencers with numbers of views/ engagement/ likes, country, social accounts, etc.

Some platforms that you can look into are

  • Famebit (acquired by Google)
  • Upfluence
  • Fiverr

Tips to approach influencers

Make sure it’s a match between you and your influencers

You’re seeking influencers that are passionate about your hobby niche. These are the people that create highly shared content and have a large number of social media followers as well as a high degree of site interaction.

For instance, it sounds impossible if you work with influencers loving gardening work while you’re selling anime merchandise.

Make sure it’s a match by asking yourself these questions:

  • Will the influencer use and enjoy my product?
  • Is their target audience similar to mine?
  • Is the content of this influencer in line with my objectives?
  • Do I perceive this influencer as a good fit for my brand?
  • Is it possible to collaborate with this influencer?

Build relationships with them

Building a relationship with influencers entails reaching out to them. Once you’ve figured out who the right influencer is, start getting to know them.

Hundreds of emails proposing partnerships are sent to influencers, and the greatest are choosy about who they collaborate with. Follow their postings on Instagram and Twitter, as well as their blog, before approaching them. When possible, please like, comment, or share.

When you send a personal collaborative message, make them feel unique and explain why they were chosen so that they understand how much you care about them. As a result, talks will become more natural and fun.

>> Read more: Successful influencer outreach tactics for eCommerce sellers

4. Find influencers on Google

Never underestimate the power of Google to locate prospective influencers for your affiliate team expansion in your market. They provide more useful customized search choices than you could ever think, such as changing locations and searching for certain queries.

Before you start looking for them, make a list of a few keywords that are relevant to your industry and represent your brand awareness and target.

  • Checking the top list of hobby influencers on Google

By listing a list of related industry keywords, you can easily conduct a Google search to check for the top influencers.

Depending on your location, Google will bring back suitable results with the most popular influencers in your region that may need your brand’s needs.

They can be influencers from Youtube, social media such as Instagram, or Facebook, depending on the research or the popularity of the platform that the influencers own in your areas.

"Find

Protip: If you are targeting a specific region, you can change the location setting on your Google search by going to Settings (bottom-right corner of Google page) > Search Settings > Region Settings and choosing the region that you want.

  • Make use of search operators

Google’s search operators can help you narrow down your search and find more relevant influencers in the industry. Crafting, dancing, music, reading, gardening, cooking, photography, board games, and so on are all niche items.

Operator Purpose Example Search
“  ” Ensure that each result has the precise phrase (not just synonyms) inside the quote marks “crafting” influencers
OR (all caps) Show results for one or both search terms (these two operators are interchangeable) crafting OR DIY influencers
( ) Organize your search words into groups and manage how Google searches (crafting OR DIY) influencer
Remove it from the search if you don’t want to see results for a keyword with a dash before it Crafting influencers -instagram
site: Only display search results from web pages hosted on a single website. site:instagram.com crafting influencers

 

5. UpPromote Marketplace

Many devoted affiliate solutions come together with various affiliate partners, making the affiliate recruiting process go faster.

The UpPromote Marketplace is where you can grow your affiliate team. All you need is a Shopify website and UpPromote installed on your store. Then you may go to the Marketplace to look for high-quality affiliates.

On UpPromote Marketplace, there are two ways to get affiliates for your hobby online store:

  • Displaying your hobby affiliate program on the Marketplace so that affiliates may see if they are eligible to join.
  • Otherwise, you can look for possible partners ahead of time. This will provide you access to a list of affiliate profiles from which you can choose the best affiliates to welcome to your affiliate program directly.

Go to UpPromote Marketplace > Find affiliates > Filter Toys and Hobby to get your results. It will display a wide range of possible industry partners related to many hobbies, including their brief biographies, industry involvement, language/location, and social media channels, such as Instagram or TikTok followers.

6. Niche Blogs

Bloggers can become excellent affiliates if they already have the following trusting them. This factor will send warm leads to your doorstep if the proper blogger endorses your product and adds an affiliate link to your website.

For example, if a person’s hobby is crafting and DIY and they already have a pretty large like-minded audience who enjoy DIY projects.

And if you’re a merchant with a boho crafts business, you can team up with him/her to generate leads and clients for your company.

Leveraging these well-established sites as a jumping-off point for your affiliate marketing is a good approach to get started.

What is the best way to locate affiliates using a blog search?

It’s all about employing the appropriate keywords to find niche bloggers to become your affiliates.

  • Begin by looking for generic industry-related keywords. Then, to filter down the pool, go for more precise hobby keywords.

You can go to Google and search for “hobby-related keywords + blog”, or “hobby-related keywords + expert” then you will get the result like this:

Sometimes, Google will not respond to a direct single blogger, instead, it will offer you a list of the best bloggers in your field.

After choosing ideal bloggers, start to “stalk” them by browsing through their blog:

  • Have they done affiliate work before? Did they add any products to their blogs?

It’s time to individually contact affiliates once you’ve compared possible affiliates and highlighted your choices. Find the best approach to contact them by looking at their About page, Contact page, or social media sites.

Remember, this message is an excellent chance to interact with your potential affiliates and demonstrate the advantages of being your affiliate partner (How would the collaboration benefit them? What role does (or will) their content play in your brand?)

Protip: those bloggers (or influencers) may have not tried your product/ service yet, don’t forget to send them the sample and let them experience your product. I’m sure they will come up with the best ideas to promote it.

Final words

Are you ready to find the best affiliates for your business? Remember to choose affiliates that have comparable target audiences to yours, create a detailed application process, and thoroughly evaluate each potential affiliate.

Some affiliate systems can also help you manage affiliate recruiting, allowing you to build a high-quality affiliate network. Get started with UpPromote today if you want to get started quickly and effortlessly.

On UpPromote Marketplace, you can grow your affiliate team, manage your affiliate team at your fingertips, and simply track and analyze their performance. UpPromote is a one-stop-shop for affiliate marketing.

Huy is an extremely meticulous and strict young man. He always sets high standards for himself and those around him. Huy's exacting nature is exhibited in his attention to the smallest details, and he never accepts carelessness or oversight. For him, everything must be done as perfectly as possible. He is also very strict, not only with himself but with everyone around him. However, in the end, Huy just wants everything to reach its greatest level of perfection and excellence.