When it comes to email marketing, that old saying, “the money is in the list” is true. Anyone who subscribes to your list is already a potential customer. If you send them consistent quality content that keeps them hooked, then you possibly have a repeat customer.
Seeking out random customers requires advertising or hours of daily posting on social media, which often costs money. An entire audience of targeted customers that you have already recruited provides a higher ROI (return on investment.)
Building a large email list of targeted subscribers is part of a long term marketing strategy to generate sales for life. This brings to mind another commonly used phrase in affiliate email marketing, “Build it and they will come.”
How to Create An Email List for Affiliate Marketing
Here are the steps to creating an email list for affiliate marketing.
Build A Website
There is no real point in creating email marketing campaigns unless you can use the message to point them to your website.
The website is also where you are going to collect emails using a signup form. These pop ups allow customers or members to grant you express permission to send them an email.
Express permission is for new signups. You can also use express permissions to market other websites you own.
This request to send emails to a customer usually takes the form of a pop ad. However you can ask people for express permission to join your email account on any page with content.
Marketing new products or services to someone who has already signed up with you is called implied permission. This is called bum marketing. However, for implied permission, like bum marketing to work, you need to have quality leads with contact details already in place.
Sometimes affiliate marketers are provided with content, web pages or even turnkey websites with built-in signup forms optimized with affiliate promotions and the offer to become a rookie affiliate marketer.
Post Seed Blogs On Your Website
A seed blog post is one that is long, informative and geared to be of great interest to your target audience. It is an information resource that your email subscribers will want to come back to review, again and again.
You should create several articles or blogs to act as bait to get your readers to sign up with you. This targeted content can also be used as an email marketing campaign or cta social media post.
Sign Up With An Email Provider
You can’t be a good email marketer without a good email service provider. Often your website comes with its own email address, but it may not be able to handle thousands of targeted subscribers or automated emails.
However, if you have a branded affiliate product and intend on building a huge list of thousands then you might consider getting a company email domain to give your organization a professional look.
Most affiliate marketers use their dedicated email providers account to create automated drip emails. These digital products allow you to create a prepared email flow that keeps you in touch with your entire audience.
Deploy an Optin Widget
When you design a website, this is usually just a widget that can be installed onto a WordPress blog, Microsoft Power website or any other type of landing page or web page.
Signup widgets are a mainstay of affiliate marketing and should be a plug-in on all blogs and sites. It is your most valuable tool for getting more subscribers. You might have direct access to sign ups in your affiliate agreement.
The rule is that no visitor should be allowed to leave your website without being presented with a pop up that asks them to join your email list.
Create Content With Affiliate Program Links
There are two ways for a digital marketer to approach writing value content. The first is to write a short and sweet line or two that acts like bait to make your customer click on your affiliate link.
The second, more old school way, is to write a long and drawn out story about your life, like a diary entry, but with a call to action at the very end. This type of email content creates interest in your latest product and establishes yourself as an expert in your niche.
Always Add Share Buttons
Add share buttons to social media to your emails and watch your roster of new subscribers grow as readers recommend your post to others.
This is the type of viral marketing that spreads the word about your website. You don’t have to spend a dime on advertising, as your subscriber already has an existing relationship with you.
Tips for Building a List For Affiliate Marketing
Here are tips to save you time as you build lists with scroll pop ups and the so called express permission.
Keep the Opt In Form Short
Keep your signup short and sweet. The more information that you request, the more they will suspect you of “farming” their personal details for resale.
The best pop up format to use is a simple request for their email and a user name. If your offer is more complicated you can also use a scroll format.
However, you can also get them to sign up by offering exclusive content such as an ebook, or even the opportunity to promote affiliate products. These personalized calls to action can be part of drip campaigns meant to attract new sign ups.
Provide Valuable Content
Never ever just “go through the motions” when sending out email campaigns. Valuable content is timely, informative and original. It is never plagiarized or spun from another site.
If your content seems stale, fake or off-the-mark in any way, your client will not trust you to opt out.
Be Consistent
Whether you are sending out emails on a daily, biweekly or monthly basis, your opt-in subscribers will want to know when to expect their next message from you.
Consistent contact with your customers builds loyalty, and keeps them coming back to you. If they see erratic messaging, such as three in one week and then nothing for three months, they are likely to opt out.
Add Teasers To Your Emails
Have subscribers anticipating your next email by leaving a little teaser about “what’s coming up next time.” at the conclusion of each.
Make sure that this teaser always describes something exciting, such as “I have a secret just for you.”, or “I have some good news.” You are an online sales person who motivates with automated email flow.
Summary
The key to long term success with email marketing is patience. As long as you are marketing exclusive content to a large captive audience you should see results.
Is email marketing dead? It is not a great way to make money overnight, but more of a long term strategy to use pop up ads, exclusive marketing content and affiliate links to compound sales.
