
Facebook has an extensive reach across Southeast Asia (SEA) region, making it a prime platform for affiliate marketing. According to DataReportal, Facebook’s usage and penetration in the region in 2023 looked as follows:
- In 2023 Indonesia had around 176 million Facebook users, making it one of the largest markets for the platform in the world.
- The Philippines had about 84.5 million social media users, and Facebook was the dominant platform with a reach of over 75% of the population.
- Vietnam had over 70 million Facebook users, contributing to its significant penetration in the SEA region.
- Malaysia also had high Facebook penetration. 89% of internet users were active on the platform.
- Thailand’s Facebook penetration also remained robust, with more than 50 million users.
Facebook is particularly attractive for advertisers and affiliate marketers in SEA because of its strong mobile user base and relatively low traffic costs. This article covers some of the successful affiliate strategies that we have seen on Facebook across the region.
Strategy #1: Create Your Own Facebook Groups for Niche Communities
In Southeast Asia, community and trust are key to successful affiliate marketing. Facebook groups, especially niche communities, offer a natural space to build that trust and introduce products organically.
Successful affiliates often create groups that focus on specific interests or needs. For example, tech-related groups focused on gadgets are very popular in Indonesia. Thailand and Malaysia have some very large groups centered around skincare and beauty.
Before you allow affiliate links, the group should become a helpful and active source of information and opinion exchange. Let the members share tips, advice, and information relevant to the group’s focus. Build trust. This way, when you eventually introduce affiliate links, they’ll feel more genuine and welcome.
While building your group, you can use polls and surveys to drive engagement. Polls are an excellent way to learn more about your audience’s preferences. For example, you could ask group members what features they look for in a product, then use their responses to tailor your affiliate product recommendations.
With this strategy, it is very important to stay consistent in engaging with the group members by asking questions, sharing relevant news or trends, and contextually offering affiliate product suggestions that solve their specific problems.
Strategy #2: Use Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads can be a powerful way to scale your affiliate marketing efforts across Southeast Asia. The media cost is relatively low, and depending on the commission levels and conversion rates, Facebook ads can deliver positive ROI for the affiliates. Some of the common tactics to increate conversion rate can be:
- Localized targeting: use customized imagery and ad texts that target specific countries within SEA.
- Language-specific ads: translate ads into the local language. Even in English-speaking countries like Singapore or Philippines, localized creatives can increase engagement and credibility.
- Lookalike audiences: leverage lookalike audiences to reach potential customers similar to those already engaging with your content across SEA markets.
- Test different ad formats, such as carousel ads, video ads, or lead generation ads, to see what resonates best with each market and audience.
Strategy #3: Leverage Facebook Stories and Live Streaming for Real-Time Engagement
Facebook Stories and Facebook Live are a popular tool for affiliate marketers in the region. With Stories and Lives, they can quickly showcase products and promotions in a less formal, more engaging way. Since these formats are time-sensitive, they create a sense of urgency and often convert very well.
The content types that work well here are quick product demos and personal recommendations. It is also useful to add interactive elements like polls or question stickers to engage the audience before presenting your affiliate links.
Strategy #4: Automate Engagement with Facebook Messenger Bots
Meta’s messenger apps – Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp – are widely used in SEA, making them powerful tools to engage with people. As a page admin, you can set up a Messenger bot to automatically respond to inquiries, recommend products, and share affiliate links.
Strategy #5: Offer Exclusive Facebook Promotions
One way to increase conversions is by offering special discounts or promotions exclusive to the Facebook followers. People love a good deal, and promoting an exclusive offer will give them extra motivation to purchase through the affiliate links.
Time-sensitive deals, like flash sales or “12.12” holiday offers tend to be highly effective. These offers can be promoted through a combination of posts, Stories, and Messenger blasts to reach as many people as possible and maximize the reach.
Affiliate marketing on Facebook across Southeast Asia requires a focus on building trust and offering value. Whether you’re leveraging Facebook groups, ads, Stories, or Messenger bots, the key to success is consistency and genuine engagement. By tapping into localized strategies and respecting the diverse cultures across SEA, affiliate marketers can unlock Facebook’s full potential in driving sales and growing their business.
Have you tried any of these strategies? Share your experience in the comments, or reach out if you’d like to discuss how to grow your business with affiliate marketing in Southeast Asia!