If you’ve been doing or looking into affiliate marketing for more than a minute you’ve probably seen a lot of conflicting ideas about email. Some marketers are going to profess that email is the most important thing for you to have, whereas others might tell you that email is dead. Keep in mind that most of these posts are coming from people hoping to sell a product or service to you so they aren’t going to give you the full picture. My goal with this article is to help paint the big picture of email marketing and how it fits in with an affiliate business.
Let’s address the claim about email being dead first. It’s not dead. It is used effectively by marketers and companies. For some, it is the largest source of revenue. For others, it may be a small part of their strategy and some don’t use it at all. The most important thing is to determine whether or not it fits into your business plan. Let’s look at the pros and cons of using email for your marketing efforts.
Pros and Cons of Email Marketing
Pros
- Targeted Campaigns: You can send direct, personalized messages to your niche or even segments of your niche, increasing your engagement and conversion rates.
- High ROI: Email is relatively expensive compared to other forms of marketing and it is easy to scale as your list grows without significant cost increases.
- Analytics: Email platforms allow you to track open rates, clicks, and conversions which allow you to optimize your strategies.
- Relationship Building: People buy from those that they like, know, and trust. You build this easily by sending them value into their inbox.
- Automation: Email tools allow you to save time and ensure consistent communication.
- You Own the List: You put the work in to gain their trust of giving your email which can’t be taken away from you, whereas you can potentially get locked out of a social media profile
Cons
- Deliverability Issues: Spam filters and invalid email addresses can impact your sender reputation.
- Content Fatigue: Inboxes are flooded with messages every day and if you aren’t consistently sending value it often leads to unsubscribing.
- Compliance: Anti-spam regulations like CAN-SPAM and GDPR can be complex and require careful management.
- Resource Intensive: It takes time, effort, and technical knowledge to craft personalized, high-quality emails.
- Initial Setup Costs: Robust email platforms come with subscription costs and a learning curve to set up the automations properly
I do feel it is worth the effort to build a list for your affiliate marketing business. With proper training, like that you get at Wealthy Affiliate, the learning curve can be flattened quickly. Keep it simple at first and focus on growing your list and providing value and you can’t go wrong. The first aspect is building it, so let’s look at how to do that.
Building a Robust Affiliate Email List
A strong email list is the backbone of successful affiliate email marketing. It can fuel your campaigns and drive your affiliate strategy forward. But how do you build one that’s both effective and ethical? I’m here to help you with that.
The landscape of digital marketing has changed quite a bit and one of the biggest changes is a customer’s willingness to give out their email address. When the internet was first going, all you really had to do was ask people if they would like to get your newsletter. People are a lot more skeptical and discerning now and are more guarded with their email addresses. This means that you need to give them something valuable in exchange and continue to deliver value to them.
One way you can do this is to leverage content marketing. Creating high-quality, relevant content attracts potential subscribers who are interested in what you have to say – and sell. This content could be blog posts, videos, podcasts, or even social media updates that provide value and entice visitors to subscribe for more exclusive content that you offer through email.
The most popular way marketers build lists is with lead magnets. These are essentially gifts offering value in exchange for contact information. It should be valuable enough that they would pay for it. Think about what your audience might like – an exclusive report, a discount code, or an email course. Choose something that resonates with you and your brand, and watch those subscription rates climb.
Your list isn’t just about the number of subscribers, though. The quality of those subscribers is far more important to your bottom line. The best way to do this is by maintaining a consistent message and offer. Do not stray from the promises you made when they signed up to your list by sending them content or offers that aren’t relevant to them. I’m sure you’ve experienced this where you’ve given your email address to someone because they said they’d deliver X, but then they sent you Y. Stay on target or the trust you have worked so hard to build will fade.
With these approaches in line, you can establish a strong foundation for your affiliate email marketing endeavors. Do not expect your first attempts to build a list to bring in millions of customers who can’t wait to buy what you are offering. This is a process that takes time to develop your skills to write emails that convert.
Crafting Engaging Emails That Convert
Another thing that has changed drastically since the advent of the internet is the average attention span of people. You have 8.25 seconds to grab someone’s attention. This means the subject and first line of your email is by far the most critical. The subject line must provide a compelling reason for the reader to open it. A great subject line acts like a personalized invitation to your reader. It’s the first impression and, just like in face-to-face meetings, it counts for a lot.
Personalization can boost open rates. Use your subscriber’s name, mention past purchases, or acknowledge their interests. These simple touches can make your emails feel like they’re just for the reader, building a connection that elevates your affiliate links from noise to noteworthy. When you know your niche, you are aware of their problems and interests. Make a promise in your headline that they resonate with to get them to open the email.
Now that they’ve opened the email it is time to deliver on that promise. Keep it focused and offer encouragement, insights, tips, or news related to the products you are promoting. This is the value that you are giving them and keeps it from sounding salesy.
Don’t worry too much about getting perfect with every single email. Instead, A/B testing comes into play as a powerful method to learn what works best. Since subject lines are the most important, test 2 different versions to see which one performs better, then you can test email formats and calls to action. This experimentation helps you understand your audience better and fine-tune your approach for maximum impact.
Now, automation might seem daunting, but it’s our next focus. Once you’ve crafted an email that resonates, you can always adjust your approach down the road using automation tools. That’s the strategy I like to leverage. By thinking ahead about automated sequences, you can create timely touchpoints that keep your audience engaged and ready for your affiliate offers.
Maximizing Affiliate Revenue Through Email Automation
Automation is a game-changer for boosting affiliate revenue. In essence, automation lets you send the right message, to the right subscriber, at exactly the right time, without needing to push the button each time. To do this you are going to need a software service such as Aweber or MailerLite that specializes in email. Another alternative is to go with a full marketing suite such as Systeme.io which includes funnels, courses, blogs, memberships, and affiliate programs in addition to email.
This is useful to send follow-up value to subscribers who received a lead magnet from you. The more people see your brand and content, the more likely they are to buy from you. The automation can be as simple as sending 1 email with an offer, to a string of 7 emails or more. I heard one marketer share on a podcast that they wrote 730 emails so their new subscribers would receive a new email a day for 2 years. The most common recommendations are 3, 5, or 7 when they sign up for your list or lead magnet and then either a daily or weekly newsletter.
It is up to you to craft what this looks like and how it fits in with your business. Take this aspect seriously, because there is a lot of money for you to make through your emails. A great strategy is going to include analytics and tweaking your campaigns based on the data which is what we are talking about next.
Analyzing and Optimizing Your Email Marketing Efforts
What’s the point of sending out those emails if you’re not going to make sure they’re hitting the mark?
You can track a few key metrics that will give you insights into your campaign’s performance. Open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and the overall ROI are the primary ones you should keep an eye on. These figures will tell you a lot about your audience’s behavior and preferences.
Your emails are a goldmine of data. Use this to your advantage! By analyzing how subscribers interact with your emails, you can make informed decisions to refine your strategy. Perhaps your subject lines aren’t catchy enough, or maybe the call-to-action buttons need to be more prominent – these are just a couple of things you could discover.
Collect feedback whenever you can. If you’re unsure why your results look a certain way, don’t guess. Instead, reach out directly to your subscribers or run surveys to get their input. This hands-on approach not only provides clarity but also helps build a stronger relationship with your audience.
Staying on top of the latest trends and technology is non-negotiable. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow, so keep educating yourself. Whether it’s new regulations to adhere to, fresh design trends that boost engagement, or innovative software tools that offer deeper insights – always be in the know.
Remember, the affiliate marketing world is dynamic, and a lot is happening very quickly. Your first attempt doesn’t need to be your last. In fact, you can always adjust your approach down the road. That’s the beauty of digital marketing – it’s flexible and ever-evolving. I really hope that you’ll take these insights and not just park them somewhere, but put them to active use to see your affiliate efforts thrive.
Cheers to your success!
Ryan