You've probably heard of affiliate marketing and even know that it can be a great source of income. But have you ever wondered if this type of online business model could work with e-mail marketing? This article will show you how easy it is to incorporate affiliate links into an email campaign. And we'll share nine awesome tips on making these types of promotions successful.
Yes. You can use any form of HTML or text formatting within your email message to include an affiliate link. There are several different ways you can do this, but one popular method is by using inline images. To embed an image inside an email, simply paste the URL of the image between two brackets (like [img]http://mylink/image.jpg[/img]). Then, make sure that the "alt" attribute contains the value of the name of your product along with the word "Click here". For instance, "click here" would look something like this:
[img]http://mylink/image.jpg[/img]
This process works just as well when creating a plain text version of your email. Simply add your affiliate link at the end of each line, separated by spaces. The only difference is that instead of inserting an embedded picture, you'd need to insert a hyperlink. That's all there is to it. If you're looking for more information about email marketing, check out our guide on how to create an effective email newsletter.
If you want to learn more about other methods of promoting products through email marketing, read up on the following strategies below.
There are many ways to market your affiliate links, including social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., forums, blogs, newsletters, directories, search engines, paid ads, etc. As long as you find a legitimate platform where people spend time, then you should be able to drive traffic to your website via those mediums.
Here are some examples of things you might try:
Social Media - Facebook Ads, Google AdWords, LinkedIn Sponsored Updates, YouTube Advertising, etc.
Blogs & Forums - Blogging sites, Reddit, Quora, etc.
Directories - EzineArticles, Dmoz directory, etc.
Paid Traffic - Pay Per Click advertising, PPC networks, etc.
Affiliates - Referral programs, Commission Junction, LinkShare, Awin, Shareasale, etc.
Search Engines - Bing, Yahoo, Ask.com, etc.
The important thing to remember is that no matter which strategy you choose, you should always focus on driving qualified leads to your site first before trying to sell anything. Without paying attention to this step, you may end up wasting money on spamming techniques that don't convert sales.
Now that you understand the basics of why email marketing is so powerful, let's talk about how you can take advantage of that power to increase profits. Below are four basic strategies that you can implement immediately to boost your affiliate commission rates.
1) Increase Your Email List Size
One of the most common mistakes new marketers make is not building their list fast enough. They think they can wait until they reach 100 subscribers to start sending them valuable content. However, you won't see results unless you send regular messages to your subscribers every week. So, you must build your list quickly because you never know who among your readers might join later. After you hit 50 subscribers, consider adding a welcome series to your subscriber list. It doesn't hurt to offer freebies to attract new customers either. In fact, I recommend offering a few free bonuses to encourage signups. Once you exceed 200 subscribers, you can begin focusing on increasing the quality of your content rather than quantity. At this point, you can also start testing out additional promotional tactics.
2) Use Promotional Tactics Throughout Every Part Of Your Marketing Campaign
Once you've built up your list, you should continue to nurture it throughout your entire marketing effort. Don't stop once you've reached 10,000 subscribers. Continue sending useful content regularly, especially during holidays or special occasions. You can leverage seasonal offers and holiday discounts to help generate buzz around your brand. Another tactic is to provide exclusive deals to your subscribers. These kinds of incentives allow you to stand apart from the competition while boosting your conversion rate.
3) Focus On Quality Over Quantity
It takes quite a bit of effort to produce high-quality content. Instead of spending hours writing articles and videos, you could hire someone else to do it for you. You can pay $10-$25 per hour for freelance writers depending on whether you prefer short pieces or full blog posts. Just keep in mind that outsourcing isn't going to cut down on your workload. Writing good copy requires time and practice. Remember that quality overcomes quantity.
4) Optimize Your Website Through Landing Pages
When you build landing pages for your affiliate program, you can track everything from clicks to conversions. Plus, you can set up rules to automatically redirect visitors to specific pages based on their behavior. Allowing users to browse freely without having to click multiple times will reduce bounce rates and increase overall engagement. When designing your page, you should also ensure that it provides answers to frequently asked questions. People often ask themselves "why am I signing up?" or "what am I getting?". Make sure that your page addresses both of these concerns.
We mentioned earlier that it depends on your goals. Do you want to make quick cash off of your efforts or do you want to turn your passion project into a sustainable business? If you want to become rich overnight, then you need to target massive lists of potential buyers. The same applies to anyone who wants to grow their audience organically. If you want to make big bucks, you should focus on small niches with less competition.
For example, if you run a fitness center, you should avoid targeting baby boomers since they already exercise regularly. Also, avoid selling weight loss supplements since the majority of people already lose weight naturally anyway. Instead, go after young men and women who are still developing muscle mass. Or maybe you own a restaurant near college campuses. You should avoid targeting millennials too since they tend to eat at home more often. Go after parents whose kids attend school nearby.
In addition to choosing the right niche, you should also pick a reputable affiliate network that has lots of resources available to its members. Some of the top choices include Clickbank, ShareAsale, Rakuten, Amazon Associates Program, Commission Junction, JVZoo, Linkshare, and others. Each one has hundreds of thousands of merchants to choose from and millions of potential partners. With the exception of commissions, most of these companies charge standard transaction fees.
So, if you decide to give email marketing a shot, you must remember that there are no magic bullets here. Just follow the steps above carefully and you should succeed eventually. We hope that you found the tips helpful. Now that you're ready to launch your affiliate marketing adventure, please feel free to visit the next section. We're happy to answer any further questions you might have.
Are you looking forward to a lucrative affiliate market but not sure how to make it happen? Or perhaps you want to take advantage of this industry in its full swing and see some profit on the side yourself? If so then I am here to tell you that email marketing can be one of the most effective ways to generate leads and sales through affiliates.
So if you're ready to dive into email affiliate marketing, let's look at why you should use it and how to set up a campaign correctly...
There are many programs out there - all claiming to have the "best" platform or product. In reality they may just differ slightly in their methods of payment processing or other features. For instance, PayDotCom has both PayPal and Google Checkout options available. However, when comparing these two services (PayPal versus Google Checkout) we found that PayDotCom had better customer service than Google Checkout. Plus, the fees were lower with PaydodCom. So which would you choose? It depends on your preference. But generally speaking, PayDotCom seems to offer the better solution overall.
The biggest reason you'll need to consider is that you will be promoting products that aren't necessarily yours. This means that if something goes wrong with your account, you won't be held responsible. And since you don't own the product being promoted, you probably don't care about getting paid either.
One thing to keep in mind though, is that even though PayDotCom pays instantly upon completion of each transaction, sometimes they might charge a small fee due to their bank clearing process. You can avoid this by simply setting up recurring payments for your customers. Otherwise you could end up paying extra fees before seeing any money back.
For those who prefer credit card transactions over direct payouts, PayPal offers a great alternative too.
This is really simple. Just find someone else offering a similar product and link them to your website where they can purchase it directly. The only difference between you and the person selling the product is that you get commission for sending traffic his way. There are several different types of affiliates. Some sell physical goods such as books, DVDs, etc., while others sell digital items such as software downloads, e-books, courses, etc. Either way, once the sale is made you receive a portion of the profits based on the terms of your agreement.
As mentioned above, the main benefit of choosing affiliates is that you don't risk losing money because you don't actually hold onto the merchandise. That said, you still earn cash commissions regardless of whether the people purchasing the item buy it right away or decide to wait until later. Many companies also allow you to refer new members to join the business. Doing this ensures that you continue earning income after the original member makes a purchase. So basically, you're making money off referrals without having to provide anything tangible in return.
It doesn't matter whether you're working for a company, a brand, or another individual. As long as you've got a website with content that relates to your niche, you can start building relationships with potential buyers today. Then when it comes time to sign up them, you can send links straight to your site where they can make purchases immediately.
You'd think that email marketing would be dead already. After all, isn't everyone tired of receiving spam messages every day? Well, maybe not. Email is still a powerful tool for businesses large and small. Let me explain further...
When you create a list of subscribers, you're creating a relationship with them. When you build trust and loyalty within your audience, they become willing to listen to your emails. They know they'll be hearing from you regularly and they're far less likely to unsubscribe compared to people who never hear from you again.
Think about it. How often do you check your inbox? Every day? Once per week? Maybe twice a month? Probably not very often. Yet, if you sent out a promotional newsletter daily, you'd probably see much higher engagement rates. People tend to open and read emails quickly so you can expect that people will respond to your newsletters faster than regular mail.
And finally, email marketing allows you to customize your message depending on the recipient's interests. You can personalize everything from subject lines to body text. Plus, you can include special discounts for first responders, veterans, students, senior citizens, new moms & dads, etc.
In addition to helping you reach your target audience, email marketing provides a lot of flexibility for advertisers. You can choose exactly when during the day your ads appear. Since most consumers read online news articles throughout the morning hours, you can schedule your ad to run around 10am-12pm instead of 5pm-8pm. By doing this, you increase the chances that readers will click on your ad.
Finally, email advertising helps you track results. With tools like Aweber and MailChimp, you can easily identify which promotions worked well, which ones didn't work, and learn valuable lessons along the way.
Here are some tips to follow when developing a successful email marketing strategy:
Make sure to focus on quality rather than quantity. Don't waste your efforts trying to convince 100 people to subscribe to your mailing list. Instead, focus on reaching 1 high value subscriber per 1000 prospects.
Don't forget to add social media sharing buttons to all of your blog posts. This keeps your audience engaged and increases the likelihood that they'll share your content with friends.
Remember to optimize your landing pages. Make sure your calls-to-action (CTAs) stand out clearly and encourage visitors to take action. Include compelling headlines and images.
Create automated drip campaigns. These allow you to send targeted messages to certain groups of individuals over time. Think about scheduling weekly or monthly emails in order to maintain consistent communications.
Use autoresponders. An auto-responder automates your entire sequence of events. Your subscribers will automatically be notified whenever you publish a new post or update your status, allowing them to stay up-to-date on the latest developments.
Take advantage of mobile devices. Sending information via email is still one of the primary forms of communication used across platforms including desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Keep things fresh and interesting by providing helpful resources related to your topic. Also, try to incorporate videos into your messaging because they load extremely fast.
If you're considering starting an email marketing campaign, remember that it takes time and effort. Setting up a system that works can take weeks or months to perfect. Before you go ahead and implement your plan, however, take note of the following three important steps before you begin:
Research your competitors' practices. Find out what kind of strategies they employ and how they manage their lists.
Check out free trial versions of popular email marketing solutions. Try to find out what features they offer and how easy they are to navigate.
Review the policies of various providers. Look for guarantees, refunds, and cancellation provisions before signing up.
Now that you understand the basics behind email marketing, you're equipped to launch your own successful campaign. Remember to always put your audience first and strive to improve your reputation among potential customers.
If you're a newbie in the world of affiliate marketing and want to know how to use email marketing effectively, then this article will help you out. There's no doubt that email marketing can be used as an excellent tool if done right. But there's also no denying that it has its own flaws. And one of them is that it's not very effective when promoting affiliate products or services. However, there are strategies you can use to make sure you maximize every click on your emails without giving up too much traffic to other channels.
Let me explain why email marketing isn't quite so ideal for affiliates who want to sell digital products online. For starters, most people prefer reading articles over getting their inboxes flooded with promotional messages from different companies. Plus, they don't have time to read lengthy emails anyway. They would rather check their phone notifications first before even opening their laptops to see what's going on. So unless you're able to create content that gets shared widely at social media sites, sending mass emails might just end up being counterproductive.
So which type of affiliate marketing is better than email marketing? Let's look at some pros and cons of each method and find out whether email marketing really works well for affiliate marketers.
There are two main types of affiliate marketing methods - direct sales and referral programs. In both cases, you'll need to market a product or service offered by another company. The difference between the two lies in the way you approach it.
Direct sales means selling directly to customers (as opposed to selling to retailers). This usually involves having physical contact with potential buyers. If you're planning to go down this road, you should probably opt for offline promotions instead of trying to reach people via email.
Referral programs work differently. You'll earn commissions based on referrals made by existing clients and/or partners. That way, you won't actually interact with prospects face-to-face. Instead, you'll send emails to them inviting them to signup for whatever product or service you offer. Since these aren't direct sales, we classify them as indirect affiliate marketing techniques.
But let's say you've got a list of subscribers ready to buy any product or service you put forward. How exactly do you convert those individuals into paying customers? Read our guide about converting leads into profits to learn more.
In order to increase conversions when using email marketing, remember to keep things simple. Don't bombard readers with lots of information. Keep it short and sweet. People often say "I'm bored" after receiving long emails because they feel overwhelmed by all the details. It's easy to lose sight of the bigger goal and focus only on making the message sound interesting enough to grab attention.
Keep your tone casual and friendly. Avoid sounding overly formal. The idea here is to ensure that you're creating positive emotions among your audience. This makes them more likely to take action and follow your link. Remember that you shouldn't push hard and force them into buying anything. Most people hate feeling pressured or tricked into doing something against their will.
Make your subject line catchy but not misleading. Your title should include keywords related to your niche. Also, try to avoid using words that might trigger spam filters since these could lead to low open rates.
Try to include relevant images within your text body. These days, many websites come equipped with image editing tools that allow users to quickly add photos to posts. Some may argue that adding pictures doesn't always improve conversions but it does depend on the kind of person you target. After all, most people nowadays love visuals. And if you're targeting millennials, chances are they'd appreciate seeing cool graphics or videos.
You can also embed YouTube videos in your HTML code. Just make sure that you don't violate copyright laws while doing so since you wouldn't want to risk facing legal troubles later. Lastly, consider including polls and surveys in your email campaign. Polls and quizzes give visitors the chance to express themselves freely and show off their opinions.
Nowadays, there are tons of free apps available that you can easily integrate into your email templates. You can use them to display graphics, animations, buttons, and call-to-actions.
Lastly, you can also ask questions regarding your topic in your emails. This gives people the opportunity to share their thoughts about your product or service. Ask yourself what benefits they think your product offers. What problems did they encounter when trying to solve similar issues? Then make sure to address these concerns in your next email.
As mentioned earlier, you can still use email marketing to promote affiliate links. But there are certain guidelines you must adhere to. Otherwise, your emails might not stand out from others and become invisible to your targets.
For instance, it's important to mention the name of the website where you found the product or service you're offering. Doing this shows prospective buyers that you understand the importance of credibility. When someone clicks on a link that says "buy my eBook," they expect to visit a reputable site that sells quality products. They wouldn't mind clicking again once they realize that you're trustworthy.
It's crucial to tell your recipients that you're affiliated with the company behind the product or service you're offering. Make sure you clearly state this fact whenever possible. Even though you're building trust with your readers, you still don't want them to suspect that you're pushing the wrong stuff.
Avoid asking for money upfront. Instead, request payment upon completion of the sale. This ensures that you don't run afoul of anti-fraud regulations. Plus, it allows everyone involved to reap rewards.
Also, don't forget to provide clear instructions on how to purchase the product or service you're advertising. Many people will ignore such requests due to lack of interest. But if you can persuade them otherwise, there's nothing stopping you from collecting a commission.
The answer depends on several factors. First, you need to decide which strategy you want to pursue. Do you plan to build a list of loyal followers who eventually turn into profitable customers? Or do you want to generate immediate cash flow through paid ads?
Then you'll need to figure out what sort of budget you can allocate to each channel. A lot of affiliate marketers start out small and gradually expand their efforts until they hit critical milestones. Others tend to rely heavily on paid ads initially and slowly switch to organic methods.
Another thing to bear in mind is that email marketing requires patience. It takes months, sometimes years, before you start generating meaningful results. To succeed, you need to invest time and effort into nurturing relationships with your audience.
That said, email marketing can definitely help your business grow faster. As long as you stick to proven strategies outlined above, you should be fine. Just remember to measure everything carefully. Analyze data regularly and adjust accordingly.
When choosing between direct sales and referral programs, it's worth noting that you generally make more money from direct sales. On top of that, you can set aside larger chunks of revenue to pay back investors sooner.
While referral income is typically lower compared to direct sales, it comes with fewer risks. Not only is it less stressful, but it's easier to scale up with little financial investment required.
However, if you're looking for ways to boost earnings through email marketing, you can still achieve great success in the process. All you need to do is apply the aforementioned tips and tricks properly.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.