I always wondered how to use an email list to grow my affiliate business. I had joined several email marketing lists when I started affiliate marketing back in the early 2000’s. Some of them would just send out a single line of text with a link in it. “Hey check this out it’s HOT” – or some shit like that!
I quickly learned that every singe email of theirs was to a product they wanted me to buy. No value in their emails, just spammy sales links wanting me to purchase something.
I of course tried this too when I started out, to no avail. So desperate was I to make that first affiliate sale that I tried pretty much everything. The problem with this approach is that there’s no trust there. Everyone is doing this so the discerning consumer quickly learns to unsubscribe and find their products (and information) elsewhere.
How To Use An Email List To Grow Your Affiliate Business – Patience
One mentor of mine taught that you should do the opposite to this spammy approach. Instead of trying to sell to your subscribers on every single email, connect with them instead. Ask them a question “How come you joined my email list?”
Some will of course ignore this email, but often I’ve had replies. This is really quite helpful because it allows you to connect with subscribers and find out what their particular problem is. Often too, subscribers will delve into their individual circumstance.
This is helpful when starting to understand your customer avatar. With a well defined customer avatar, you can more easily attract the kind of people you want to deal with (and those that will buy from you because your product can help them). You can also more easily relate to them when you understand your subscribers and this helps you craft more relatable and useful email messages.
You also want to help your subscribers with something through your emails. If you do this successfully, and your emails are designed to help instead of sell, you’ll build trust. It’s also a much more rewarding way of interacting that “Hey Joe, click here before this page is gone FOREVER!” or some other sales crap like it!
How To Use An Email List To Grow Your Affiliate Business – Slowly Slowly
Of course this takes time but your emails will work with or without you being there. Once set up your email messages are automated. You’ll want to ram those products down your audience’s throat in the beginning because you want to prove that affiliate marketing can actually work for you.
But because this is what a lot of marketers do in their emails, you’ll stand out by not doing it. Build trust instead and focus on long term service over short term sales. Recently I made a sale from someone who was on my list for 5 years!
Now I wouldn’t want to have to wait five years before a subscriber bought something typically. But it illustrates the point of relationship building. Not everyone is ready to buy when they sign up to your email list. But to keep them opening your messages, provide value and make them worth opening.
If all your messages just say “Click here quickly before this deal is GONE FOREVER”, how soon do you think your subscribers will stop opening them?
A good analogy is with a sales person in a shop. When you visit a shop to browse, and the sales assistane is hovering round you, desperate to sell something, it’s off-putting. You leave the shop if it becomes uncomfortable!
The same is true with email marketing messages which only show the sender as someone who wants to gain, rather than help. You will quickly unsubscribe from them.
Answer Questions Your Audience Already Has
Often your subscribers will have a heap of objections already in their minds:
- I’m too old for this business
- This is going to be too pricy
- I’m not technical minded, will that be a problem
- Is this guy trustworthy?
- Is there a money back guarantee?
- Will the product work for me?
Have a think of the ten most popular objections your audience might have about your product. Then craft an email (or emails) which handle/s those objections. Often your subscribers won’t want to break radio silence! They won’t necessarily want to show up with their objection as they might feel shy or silly. By handling the topic through your email messages, you get their attention because you’re talking about them and their fears and objections.
A money back guarantee for example is definitely worth mentioning if your product carries one. It lets someone know they can change their mind if they don’t like the product once they get it. As with my recommended course, if for any reason you’re not happy, email support and get your money back within 30 days.
Digital products in particular are sometimes difficult to understand. So a 30 day money back guarantee lets someone test it with no obligation.
Exacerbate The Pain
Of course it’s much easier to sit on the sidelines and never take any action when on someone’s email list, no matter how hard they try! That’s ok because it’s those who are pretty motivated to take action who actually do something and buy from you.
But there’s often some motivation for NOT taking action too, whether that is comfort or fear. People make the decision to buy something when their desire to buy is no longer inhibited by their counter desire/fear.
These could be things like:
- I could buy the product any time, it’ll still be there tomorrow
- I don’t really need it, or it’s not right for me
- I’m afraid it won’t work for me
- I don’t want to be conned out of my money/ maybe it’s a scam?
- My job is not so bad, I’ll wait another year then buy it..
For time bound decision making there’s always tomorrow. That’s why many marketers with an email list will use countdown timers. When the timer reaches zero, the product is gone! Or the price goes up! That removes some objections and financial motivation kicks in.
For a business related product, such as an online business from scratch, for example, the motivation might be to escape their employer. Often I’ll mention my own personal motivation for escaping employment – the thought of another 10 years doing the same thing. That’s a strong motivation for someone who hates their job!
Often the thought of not taking action (therefore having to keep turning up to a job with no escape route) is enough to push someone over their resistance barrier. By juxtaposing what they could have, with what they have now (using your product), you can create a strong motivation through your messaging and help them overcome any resistance to taking action. There’s lots of great books on this topic such as Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and Influence by Robert Caldini.
Summary
So there’s many ways in which you can become more effective with your email marketing campaigns. Stand out by being of actual service.
With so many marketers spamming their emails out with affiliate links, when someone is helpful, you’ll know it. Sign up to a few email lists of people in your business topic/niche and decide for yourself which ones are worth opening over the longer term. This will give you an idea about how to come across in your own emails.
I’m still on a couple of email lists of people who I personally find useful. They don’t spam out affiliate links and instead they provide real value through their emails – helping first, selling later. Start by building trust by delivering value. When you can do that consistently, people will trust you and then they are more likely to buy from you if you’re offering something which is useful to them and is a good fit.
Make sure you stand by the product/s you are selling and they are the best products in your niche.