Kim Kardashian. LeBron James. Mark Cuban. What do these three celebrities all have in common? They’re social media influencers. These individuals are able to change people’s minds, opinions, and even shopping habits with a simple tweet or social media post. Now, with the innovative Amazon influencer program, these influencers and others like them are able to promote their favorite products (and get rewarded by doing so).
But what exactly does it mean to be an Amazon influencer? And do you have to be a top-tier celebrity to have access to this opportunity? Not necessarily. All you need is a healthy number of social media followers and an interest in promoting and recommending your favorite products. Here, we’re looking at what exactly it takes to become an Amazon influencer and how this unique program can expand your online Amazon store.
What Is A Social Media Influencer?
Love it or hate it, but social media is here to stay. While Facebook was only started back in 2004, social media platforms and applications have truly revolutionized how we communicate, stay in touch, form opinions—and even shop. If you use one (or more) of the many social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tik Tok, you’ll probably already know all about social media influencers and how powerful they really can be in shaping public opinion.
According to the Digital Marketing Institute, a social media influencer is someone who “has established credibility in a specific industry, has access to a huge audience, and can persuade others to act based on their recommendations.” Essentially, social media influencers leverage their popularity into dictating popular opinion. In recent years, companies have come to see the potential of social media influencers and now often incorporate them as a critical part of their digital marketing strategies.
What Is An Amazon Influencer?
Now, the question still remains: what does all this influencer stuff have to do with Amazon? While being the world’s largest online marketplace, Amazon isn’t exactly considered a form of social media. So, how do these social media influencers leverage their social currency on the Amazon platform?
Enter the Amazon influencer program. The ecommerce giant has developed a unique way to integrate the power of social media influencers with online shopping through Amazon. This program enables social media influencers to set up their own online storefronts (complete with a personalized URL) where they can market, recommend, and promote their favorite Amazon products.
Essentially, this becomes a curated storefront that expresses the individual style and tastes of the influencer. Followers are then able to visit the storefront and make purchases. And here’s the best part: Amazon influencers then receive a portion of the sales for each transaction that occurs through their storefront.
How To Become An Amazon Influencer
Most of us are familiar with some of the top influencers out there. Celebrities and athletes like Kim Kardashian or LeBron James certainly qualify as influencers as any tweet or Instagram photo will instantly reach millions of devoted fans. These individuals, of course, could easily become Amazon influencers.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t. Technically, anyone can become an Amazon influencer if you have enough reach and social media followers. While Amazon hasn’t revealed the exact number you need to gain entrance into the Amazon influencer program, some estimates suggest that you’ll need somewhere between 10,000 to 500,000 to get admitted. If you have a large following on one or more social media platforms, then it’s surprisingly simple to set up your Amazon influencer page.
The Amazon influencer program essentially works in three simple steps:
1. Create your storefront.
Here we go. To see if you’re eligible to set up an Amazon influencer account, there’s a simple ‘Get Started’ button that will let you begin your journey. Amazon looks at the number of followers you have across your social media platforms (in addition to other engagement metrics) to see if you qualify.
2. Share products.
Once your storefront and custom URL are set up, you can begin sharing as many products as you’d like. Generally, most Amazon influencers share and promote products that align with their niche or industry. For example, if you’re a health and wellness influencer, you might promote your favorite exercise gear, healthy foods, or health supplements. It’s all about connecting your audience with your favorite products.
3. Get rewarded.
Here’s the sweet part. When Amazon customers browse your selection of recommended products and make purchases through your storefront, you’ll earn a percentage of that sale (on qualified purchases). This allows influencers to generate revenue from their social media reach through the promotion of certain products.
And that’s it. In three easy steps, you can begin generating revenue through sales on recommended products on your storefront. Of course, to get all this started, you’ll need quite the social media following. If you’re new to the world of social media, it’s probably a good idea to start with building up a following.
Conclusion – What Is An Amazon Influencer?
Do you think you have what it takes to become a top Amazon influencer? The Amazon influencer program allows social media influencers to tap into the wealth of the Amazon marketplace by setting up their own storefronts with unique URLs. In these online storefronts, influencers can leverage their reach and appeal to promote their favorite products—no matter your niche or industry. If something is for sale, you know that Amazon has it.
When users make a purchase through the influencer’s storefront, the influencer then receives a portion of the sale (on qualified purchases). Essentially, the Amazon influencer program offers up a new—and effective—revenue stream for social media influencers. Not only that, but it provides a new digital space for them to interact with their followers and connect them to their favorite brands and products.
If you have a large social media following and you’re interested in taking advantage of Amazon’s huge online marketplace, you’ll definitely want to check out the Amazon influencer program.
Follow Techdee for more!