If you're just starting out, rest assured that the phrase is true. Not only does the list provide you with plenty of monetization opportunities, but it's also one of the few safe havens for saving money online.
Facebook may ban your ad account, Google may change its SEO rules , but your subscribers will still be on your list no matter what.
In this post, we will look at netherlands phone number library several tips on how to achieve the best results with the powerful combination of email and affiliate marketing .
1. Receive your inbox
If you want your subscriber to read your email, you need to make sure they see it first. The quest for a high inbox opt-in rate has three parts, let’s take a look at them.
affiliate email marketing
Source: MxTool
Domain. Make sure the domain you'll be sending your emails from isn't blacklisted. You can use tools like MxToolBox to check. If you've just purchased a domain, you'll be fine. But if you're taking over an existing domain, make sure it's not a spam hub.
Platform . Only use the best email marketing services, they will protect you from spammy behavior and they have IPs that will increase your deliverability rate . These two things go hand in hand. The fact that the email platform may have some rules and limitations ensures that you are a whitelisted sender. Be very careful with lesser known services.
Email – Too many links or “spam trigger” words (casino, free money, viagra, etc.) will significantly increase the likelihood of being flagged as spam.
Keep these three categories in check and your chances of reaching the inbox will improve dramatically.
2. Generate trust and authority
When you start getting good amounts of new subscribers, it's very tempting to start selling right away. You're already counting in your head that 1000 new subscribers a month with 1% conversion x affiliate commission = a great addition to your business.
Don't do that.
Sure, in some fast-paced funnels you can start sending out affiliate links right away, but your list will lose interest pretty quickly and your open rate will plummet.
A more profitable strategy is also a long-term one. Send a couple of emails with real value. Make your subscribers see you as an authority in the field. If you provide real value in the first email, there is a much higher chance that the same subscriber will also open the second and third.
What may seem like basic knowledge to you, perhaps immensely valuable to a newcomer? This authority building can be as simple as sharing some valuable tips in email to more complex tasks like organizing an event using a webinar platform for your subscribers. You can check out the best webinar software on the market today.
Once your authority is built and trust is established (since you've been providing real value for quite some time), you can start asking your followers to make a purchase or check out a service you like. The percentage of those who will do so will be noticeably higher.
3. Plan your sales funnels
Source: Unsplash.com
Source: Unsplash.com
Continuing from the previous section – plan your funnel . Make sure you have a roadmap of what your email sequence will look like. What will the subscriber receive immediately after entering the email? What will they receive tomorrow? What content is planned for this week?
You don't need to prepare emails for half a year, but make sure you have at least a week's worth of content. So, let's say between 1 and 3 emails, depending on your business niche.
This email chain will allow you to establish authority and trust with your subscribers , as they will receive valuable information from the moment they subscribe. No one will have to wait for you to sit down to write an email.
In this sequence, you will also have the opportunity to plan what and how you plan to sell to your audience. Depending on which of the profitable niches you are in, the monetization strategy should already be in place when writing the email chain.
4. Personalize your emails
All good email marketing platforms will allow you to personalize your emails. To do this, you should ask for personal information when visitors choose to sign up. Don't go overboard, ask for only the information you need. In practice, it will probably just be the first name,
Keep in mind that with each new field you ask your visitors to fill out, the overall opt-in rate will decrease. In many cases, you will see the form asking for email only.
Personalization isn't just about saying "Hi Steven" at the beginning of the email, but also about the content, seasonality, upcoming holidays, etc. During the COVID pandemic, many emails circulating mentioned illnesses and potential business problems it may cause.
It's not that the sender cares much about our well-being, they are there to build rapport and find a problem they can relate to, further building a relationship with the readers.
5. A/B test everything
It may seem like the new headline you just sent out is blowing everything else out of the water. So you cross headline optimization off your to-do list and that’s it. Wrong.
There is always room for improvement. When I first got an average open rate of 12% many years ago, I thought it couldn't get any better. I let it run for a while, then read a post about headline tips, made a couple of changes, and turned that 12% into 25%. There is always room for improvement.
When A/B testing, don't be afraid to try a couple of settings that are completely different. Changing "Hello" to "Dear" won't do much in terms of conversion. But changing the entire narrative of your email will go a long way.
Take a “gladiator approach” to your testing. Have two templates, pick the best one, and keep using it until a different template works better, and so on. Over a couple of months, you’ll go through a lot of variations, but with each round, your email sending metrics will improve.
If you want something, don't be afraid to ask for it. When you want your subscribers to click somewhere, fill out a form, or take any other action, ask them to do it.
Don't rely on them to figure it out or gently suggest it somewhere at the end of the email. Be upfront about it. Make the call to action very clear and repeat it several times in the body of your email (depending on the length of the course, of course).
Being clear, transparent and honest about your intentions will always benefit you in the long run.
7. Don't send "too many emails" with your list
If your subscribers sent your email with the promise of a “5-Day Crash Course in Creative Writing,” sure, go ahead and send one email a day. But in the vast majority of cases, these tactics won’t benefit you. If you promised your subscriber that you’d send them a link to a downloadable report, send it immediately but don’t bombard your followers with emails. All you’ll do is get marked as spam and people will unsubscribe.
That said, if you send a welcome email and the next email is going to be sent in 5 weeks, no one will remember who you are and why they are receiving your email. It's all about finding the right balance.
The final sending frequency will depend on the type of business you have. For example, you would send emails to B2B customers less frequently than B2C customers.
Keep in mind that as your email marketing plans develop, it may happen that a group of subscribers are on several of your email lists. This has to be kept in check, as it would be counterproductive if you sent a full list, a special product blast, and a holiday email to a subscriber on the same day.
8. Take advantage of the exit page
Many marketers completely ignore the use of the Unsubscribe page – that’s a mistake. To keep your list constantly growing, you need to make sure there are enough entries and minimal exits – subscriber retention plays an important role here.
If someone on your list decides to unsubscribe, they will click the appropriate link in your email and that will take them to the unsubscribe page, where they will confirm that they wish to be removed from the list.
This exit page is the last chance to persuade your follower to stay with you. Most marketing automation platforms will allow you to customize that page.
Try letting them know about a new piece of content you have in mind or promise that your subscribers will receive a discount for lessons you're creating now on one of the online course platforms . Or you can move those who clicked "unsubscribe" but didn't finish the action, to the list you won't be emailing as often.
Just do what is relevant to your business niche to ensure the subscriber reconsiders.
9. Expand the list from within
When it seems like all the parts of a successful email marketing part of your business are in place, consider using an unorthodox approach to growing your list. For example, strategies like using referral marketing can be valuable additions to your content stream and can also generate new subscribers.
The idea behind referral contests or giveaways is pretty simple. You promise your audience something in return for their action – in this case, someone submitting their email via a unique subscriber link (or just an ID).
10. Talk to your affiliate manager
Don't hesitate to reach out to your affiliate manager and ask them what their top 5 campaigns are in terms of email traffic. You'll usually get a couple of tips telling you that these particular ones work well with email lists of various types.
If you show good volumes, you can also contact an affiliate program manager (within the company itself) and ask for a special offer for your subscribers. In many cases, you will be able to get a bonus that you can present to your list, which will give you more authority and conversions.
