Managing Affiliate Sales on Facebook

Facebook a social networking site, is growling rapidly. Current with over 43 million users, it is a great resource potential for savvy affiliates.

And Facebook is right in there willing to help.

Shareasale CEO Brian Littleton says Facebook provides an opportunity for affiliates to build a "powerhouse brand".

Creative affiliates are developing viral Facebook applications with affiliate offers embedded in them. And they are certainly making money according to Brian, who is in an excellent position to know what top performing affiliates are doing. On his blog, he says...

" I think that it is entirely feasible that a whole new generation of online users will not even use the WWW at all, but will perform all tasks online specifically on Facebook. To them, being "online" will mean being on Facebook... not being on what we consider to be the web. This new generation will grow up online not knowing who the powerhouses on the web are... they will recognize only the powerhouses on Facebook specifically. What does this mean for you as an affiliate or developer? That means that you have an opportunity to build up a powerhouse brand if you develop a quality application on Facebook."

Facebook, doesn't have as many problems as number one social networking site, MySpace. This is mainly because of the new Facebook Platform, launched in May 2007, which enables developers to create applications that interact with core Facebook features. As of writing, there are more than 4,500 applications FaceBook users can choose from.

Facebook Applications

For ideas on how affiliates are generating revenue on Facebook, join the site, and scan the applications directory. For example:

ILike, an Internet music company based in Seattle, introduced a Facebook application called the iLike Tool, which lets users post clips of their favorite songs. It has been added to the pages of 8.6 million of Facebook's users. ILike makes money on advertising and commissions when users buy concert tickets or download songs from iTunes.

Amazing Giftbox, is using the Amazon.com ECS Search API. "Select anything you like from Amazon.com, and AM make it into a virtual gift you can send to your friends. They also created the Amazing Wishlist application, also using the Amazon associates program.

TripAdvisor offers a "Where I've Been" world map. You stick virtual pins in it to show your friends where you've been, where you've lived and where you want to go.

Fafarazzi.com has an application that allows Facebook users to send each other photos of celebrities, to reflect their mood.

StyleFeeder, a shopping recommendation service, launched an application in June that has since been installed by 45,000 people.

....and there are many, many more good examples.

But not all applications succeed. Fortunately, it is easy to add or remove applications from your page - so try a few out, and if they don't work for you, try something else.

More Facebook Resources

• I love Facebook - ShareASale Blog
• In Facebook, Investing in a Theory - NY Times
• The 101 Best Facebook Applications
• The Facebook Economy - Tips on what works and what doesn't - CNN Money
• Popular Facebook Applications
• Facebook Platform - Facebook
• Amazon E-Commerce Service (ECS) - Amazon
  

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