B2B Affiliate marketing is a popular marketing strategy that has been around for decades. It involves promoting a product or service through an affiliate program, where affiliates earn a commission for each sale or lead, they generate. While this channel is commonly associated with B2C (business-to-consumer) businesses, B2B (business-to-business) companies can also benefit from this marketing strategy and have been for decades. In this blog post, we will discuss B2B affiliate marketing and how businesses can leverage it to drive sales and increase revenue.

B2B Affiliate Marketing Guide for businesses.

What is B2B Affiliate Marketing?

B2B affiliate marketing is the process of partnering with other businesses to promote your products or services. Instead of targeting individual consumers, B2B affiliate marketing focuses on businesses that may be interested in your offerings. It is a win-win situation for both parties involved. The affiliate earns a commission for each sale they generate, while the business gains new customers and increases revenue. So why aren’t all businesses taking advantage of this channel? Many are not exactly sure how it works.

How it Works

B2B affiliate marketing works in the same way as traditional affiliate marketing. A business creates an affiliate program that allows other businesses to sign up and promote their products or services. The affiliates receive a unique link or code to share with their audience. When a customer clicks on the link and makes a purchase, the affiliate earns a commission.

Though they are set up essentially the same the difference is the type of partners the brand will work with as B2B brands will always want to target other businesses. These types of partners are very specialized such as Hello Alice who focuses on helping small to medium businesses grow. You can also check out DDIY, which also specializes in helping businesses.

Another difference is the type of platform used. B2B affiliate programs will want to join a network or take advantage of a platform like PartnerStack that is built explicitly with B2B partnerships in mind. Other platforms have the capability though their publishers may be more focused on B2C. Make sure you do your homework when choosing a platform.

B2B affiliate marketing can also be done in several ways. For example, a business may partner with a complementary company in their industry to promote each other’s products or services. Alternatively, a business may work with an affiliate network that connects them with potential affiliates.

Benefits of B2B Affiliate Marketing

1. Increased brand awareness: By partnering with other businesses, you can reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness.
2. Cost-effective: It is a very cost-effective way to promote your products or services. You only pay a commission when a sale is made, which means you don’t have to spend money on advertising or marketing campaigns.
3. Increased sales: It can help you increase sales by reaching new customers and generating more leads.
4. Improved SEO: It can also improve your SEO by increasing the number of backlinks to your website.

B2B Affiliate Marketing Platforms

Tips for Success

1. Choose the right affiliates: Partner with businesses that have a similar target audience and complementary products or services. It is key to work with partners that also target businesses in the category, industry, size, and demographic you are seeking. As seen in my example above DDIY caters to all-size businesses while Hello Alice is very straightforward, they help small to medium-sized businesses grow. The target audience is easy to see here.
2. Offer competitive& customized commissions: To attract affiliates, offer competitive commissions that incentivize them to promote your products or services. Be open to offering a rev-share % and a $ dollar amount to customize payouts for partners. B2B partnerships are limited so it is better to be open and diverse in your ability to work with them.
3. Provide marketing materials: Provide affiliates with marketing materials such as banners, images, and email templates to make it easier for them to promote your products or services.
4. Track your results: Use analytics tools to track your results and measure the success of your affiliate program. Without constantly measuring results you cannot make necessary changes to grow your B2B affiliate program. Plus, if tracking goes down you want to be on top of it right away!

B2B affiliate marketing is a powerful strategy that can help businesses increase sales and revenue. By partnering with other businesses and offering competitive commissions, businesses can reach a wider audience and generate more leads. If you’re a B2B business looking to expand your reach, consider implementing an affiliate program to take advantage of the benefits.

Looking for someone to launch or manage your affiliate program? Contact me and watch your affiliate channel GROW!