Are Affiliate Links Allowed in Facebook Messenger?

The amount spent on affiliate marketing is well into the billions and is thought to reach up to $8.2 billion in the next couple of years. Affiliate programs are easy to partner with and can make up a significant amount of passive income, but what are the limitations? Are they allowed in Facebook Messenger, for example?

Affiliate links are allowed in Facebook Messenger to a certain degree. As with Facebook or Instagram posts, there are a number of restrictions in place. For example, Facebook will remove your access if they deem your posts inappropriate or believe you are sending too many messages to followers.

In this article, we will explore what affiliate links are and how they can be useful. We will also discuss the restrictions when using affiliate marketing in Facebook Messenger and how to use it correctly.

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What Are Affiliate Links?

Affiliate marketing is the process of promoting another company’s product or service through your website or brand platform. If one of your followers or users purchases said product or service using your link, you get a commission from the company.

As an affiliate partner, you will receive a unique link to the company’s product or service in almost all cases. You can add this link to your website or platform for your audience to click.

You will earn a commission after the following steps have been taken:

You become an affiliate partner for a specific company or website.
The company assigns you a unique affiliate link that connects to you only.
You promote a particular product or service using the link given to you by the company.
Your audience can click on the link and is directed to said product or service.
Through clicking your link, a cookie will be stored on their device, recognizing that this specific user has gained access through your unique link.
Whether they make the purchase immediately or later in the day, you will be allotted a predetermined commission.
Commissions are generally paid out once or twice a month.

Some companies will store their cookies, or small data files, for 24 hours, where others will hold them for much longer, allowing your unique link to be active for longer. For example, WPEngine will allow up to 180 days of cookie storage. In this case, your user can come back to the service page up to six months later, and you will still get credit for the referral.

Free 5 step guide to start affiliate marketing fast

Finding Relevant Links

The key to using affiliate marketing effectively is to promote the right things to your audience. For example, if you are running a fitness blog, you would gain more potential clicks from promoting work-out wear over website software.

Finding your niche is critical, and you should have your own website. Although you can use social media to promote affiliate links, having your own website increases your visibility and legitimacy. You can add affiliate links in blog posts, using reviews of specific products to encourage trusted clicks.

A few examples of finding relevant links include:

A fitness blogger might look to promote dietary supplements or work-out equipment.
A cooking website that offers recipes can promote specific tools that will help to make a particular dish.
A travel blogger may do well to promote a compact bag with plenty of pockets and anti-theft openings.
A website dedicated to IT would benefit significantly from the promotion of time-saving software.

By tailoring your affiliate links, you should see more clicks and more commissions.

Free 5 step guide to start affiliate marketing fast

Affiliate Links on Facebook

Before looking into using affiliate links on Facebook, read over their guidelines to know their rules and specifications for advertising on their platform.

A general rule of thumb is that you can include affiliate links in your Facebook posts, but you will have to declare that it is as such. You can do this by including a simple “#ad” or stating that it is an affiliate link through which you might receive commissions.

Another essential rule is that you are not always permitted to include affiliate links in Facebook ads. Facebook seeks out repeat users and does not allow links to anything that may be seen as unprofessional or dishonest.

Some companies, such as the Amazon affiliate program, do not allow you to use Facebook ads. Always check with your affiliate partner for their guidelines, in addition to the social media platform you may be using before posting anything, including affiliate links.

Indirect Marketing

A great way to promote your content, gain more traffic, and use your affiliate links, is to post links to your website. Rather than trying to make direct sales, you can divert your audience to relevant content, such as a specific product review page. Having the unique affiliate link on this page will make your promotion appear more honest.

You should be posting multiple times per day in order to stay active and engaged, but all of these should not be promoted posts. Add in affiliate posts with general posts and images so as not to overwhelm your audience with sales.

Affiliate Links in Facebook Messenger

Using affiliate links in messenger is allowed through Facebook’s guidelines. However, Facebook has strict policies on the quality of the links, along with the quantity. They will shut down your page if you are constantly spamming your audience with ads and promotions.

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It is estimated that fewer than 10% of your Facebook followers will see your posts. Engagement is critical when looking at affiliate marketing, and, as such, you should be aiming for all of your followers to see your content.

One way to help with engagement is to post plenty of content frequently. Posting multiple times per day will increase your reach and bring in more post engagements. But a better way to ensure your followers see your content is by using Facebook Messenger.

Some benefits of using Facebook Messenger include:

Being able to message a brand often makes them feel more trustworthy and can improve the chances of a sale.
Facebook Messenger is the second most popular global messaging app behind WhatsApp in terms of active monthly users.
Many people have become blind to banner ads and will often scroll by without taking in any information, where Messenger ads usually gain more attention.
It is believed that fewer than 1% of businesses actively utilize Facebook Messenger, making it less saturated with competition.
It is straightforward to use for both the company and the user.
Chatbots are a great way to engage 24/7.
People are more likely to send a message than call a customer service number for help.

Rather than sending posts to your followers, using chatbots is an effective way to use Facebook Messenger. These are AI that can be installed to communicate with followers in certain circumstances. For example, they can be used to answer questions and even set appointments.

In terms of affiliate marketing, chatbots can be deployed to make suggestions to followers. Should you have a post containing a specific product or service under which a user comments or likes, the chatbot can be prompted to offer suggestions for something similar. Within these suggestions, you can input affiliate links.

Conclusion

You can use affiliate links within Facebook Messenger, provided you clearly state your involvement with the product or service. This can be a quick sentence declaring that it is an affiliate link through which you might receive a commission or by adding the word “AD” to the copy.

When using Facebook Messenger to promote affiliate links, always be sure to read both Facebook’s policy rules and its partner company. By not following guidelines, you can be ejected from the program, and in some cases, banned from using Facebook.

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