Using mailing lists in affiliate marketing

Using mailing lists in affiliate marketing
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ProTraffic

ProTraffic.com is a site with expert content about traffic arbitrage.

Many affiliate marketers are convinced that mailing lists are something from the prehistoric period and are morally outdated. However, not only is this traffic source alive and well, it can generate great results if used right. In this article we are going to talk about this traffic source, how to collect the email database, and how to stay in the red using mailing lists.

According to Mantis Research, email marketing is still on: 59% of the respondents agree to receive personalized content by email, and only 12% are against it.

Even though nowadays most people communicate via messengers and social media, mailing lists are still a great driver of sales: according to Statista, 4.26 billion people use email, and the email marketing total revenue stands at 10.89 billion USD.

Many affiliate marketers are convinced that mailing lists are something from the prehistoric period and are morally outdated. However, not only is this traffic source alive and well, it can generate great results if used right. In this article we are going to talk about this traffic source, how to collect the email database, and how to stay in the red using mailing lists.

According to Mantis Research, email marketing is still on: 59% of the respondents agree to receive personalized content by email, and only 12% are against it.

Even though nowadays most people communicate via messengers and social media, mailing lists are still a great driver of sales: according to Statista, 4.26 billion people use email, and the email marketing total revenue stands at 10.89 billion USD.

Contents

Advantages and disadvantages of mailing lists in affiliate marketing

Let’s start with the positives:

  • Easy tracking of performance indicators: mailing services provide detailed statistics;

  • High automation levels: you can set up variative funnels with separate email chains for different audiences and situations;

  • Mailing lists are inexpensive: you only need a mailing service and well-designed messages;

  • It is easier to build up a trusting relationship with your audience, increasing loyalty;

  • The target audience can find the email with the offer that interests them at any time;

  • The relevant and fresh database of your audience will give you a great ROI;

  • Mailing lists can be the main or an additional traffic source useful for setting up cross sales and letting your clients know about new offers.

And what are the downsides?

  • The client base will inevitably burn out over time, and email open rates will go down;

  • Many people distrust mailing lists due to the prevalence of spam;

  • Service rules might prohibit advertising certain affiliate products via mailing lists;

  • You should be extra careful when drafting emails, as even a single wrong word might be the reason for your email going to the spam folder;

  • You should agree on using mailing lists for promotion with your partners. This traffic source is harder to monitor, so some advertisers might be against it.

Mailing lists will work with most vertical markets, but make sure to carefully read the mailing service rules to know about any potential restrictions; it is obviously better to stick to clean niches. The most popular vertical markets today are:

  • Education and infobusiness: free educational materials, checklists and advice;

  • Almost any goods: motivate clients with discounts, gifts and special offers;

  • Finances: banking, investment, brokerage, loan approvals with a focus on trust-building;

  • Nutrition: clean health offers with a wow effect for a carefully assembled audience;

  • Services: home improvement, design, tours, primed with useful content and cases;

  • Gambling and betting: careful funnels targeting easy-money seekers;

  • Dating: find the right offer for romantic guidance; avoid adult content;

  • Sweepstakes: raffles and lotteries that drive engagement.

The inside workings of mailing lists

Email marketing has seen few changes over the years. As before, everything is done in the usual steps: collecting the database, setting up the mailing service, developing the sales funnel, testing and analysis. However, if you use ages-old selling tricks, chances are they won’t work: you need a contemporary approach. Let’s see what you should pay attention to.

The address database

Here you can choose one of two options: buy a ready-made database or collect it yourself. The first way is easier, but is illegal in many localities, as you should be able to collect user information only with their consent. Moreover, the quality of such databases is questionable. You can go two ways:

  • Free databases: no quality and almost zero chances to earn;

  • Paid-for databases: higher quality but often outdated and hard to verify.

You can also use special services that check email addresses for validity, but they also cost money.

A database that you create yourself is much more reliable. There are many ways to collect the data for it, the main ones are:

  • Add a form or popup on your website, use lead magnets like materials or promo codes;

  • Use a dedicated landing page with traffic from social media and messengers;

  • Reuse a high-quality niche database for similar future offers;

  • Collect via social media communities, personal pages, ads or specialized bots.

Choosing a mailing service

While you can always start from scratch, it is usually too costly. For affiliate marketing you’ll need a professional mailing script on a dedicated server or VDS (up to $5000+). An easier option is to rent script and VDS ($50–100/month for up to 10,000 emails/day). Another simple option is a ready-to-go mailing service with templates, e.g.:

  • GetResponse: an e-CRM with automation, from $15/month.

Choosing a mailing service
  • SendPulse: free CRM, landing constructor, SMTP, pushes and up to 3 chat bots; from €4.55/month.

Logging into Google

Creative materials and other nuances

Nowadays you need to be careful when drafting emails. Bad formatting, long texts or no structure easily kill conversion and send you to spam. Use the following trends:

  • Minimalism: everything in a single image with only essential info and clickable links.

Minimalism. Everything needs to be in a single image.
  • User experience: unboxing video or client review.

User experience: an unboxing video or a client’s review.
  • Pictures of people: faces attract attention; use short text and clear CTAs.

Pictures of people.
  • Stylish design: emails as mini landing pages with well-placed blocks.

Stylish design.
  • Interactive materials: polls, quizzes and option choices.

Interactive materials.
  • Gamification: draw attention and learn audience preferences.

Gamification

Modern mailing lists

Today your focus is not finding new subscribers, it’s working with the audience you already have. Let’s talk about the main points:

  • Keep emails short and light to avoid spam filters;

  • Understand spam filter triggers (e.g. missing unsubscribe link);

  • Regularly clean your database of inactive or spam-flagged addresses;

  • Use adaptive design: test on mobiles and keep width ~600px on web;

  • Build variative funnels based on user reactions; use surveys to segment;

  • Conduct A/B tests to discover what resonates;

  • Craft compelling subjects and snippets;

  • Personalize whenever possible;

  • If using a new domain for mass emails, warm it up first.

Indicators and metrics of a mailing list

These are the main indicators and metrics of a mailing list:

  • OR (Open Rate): % of opened emails;

  • CTR: % of users performing the target action;

  • CR (Conversion Rate): % completing the action after landing;

  • ROI: income minus mailing costs;

  • FR (Forwarding Rate): % of emails forwarded;

  • BR (Bounce Rate): % of undelivered emails;

Conclusion

Mailing lists are an old-fashioned traffic source that still can be used in most marketing niches today. It’s almost impossible to invent something radically new here, but this is also an advantage: trends can change, but the mechanism has stayed the same for years.

Today mailing lists are not too popular, yet this is also an advantage for beginners in affiliate marketing, as the competition here is lower. Furthermore, according to the latest research, this traffic source won’t become history any time soon. Even if your main focus is elsewhere, it is still prudent to collect a database of email addresses and use it to drive additional income.

Advantages and disadvantages of mailing lists in affiliate marketing

Let’s start with the positives:

  • Easy tracking of performance indicators: mailing services provide detailed statistics;

  • High automation levels: you can set up variative funnels with separate email chains for different audiences and situations;

  • Mailing lists are inexpensive: you only need a mailing service and well-designed messages;

  • It is easier to build up a trusting relationship with your audience, increasing loyalty;

  • The target audience can find the email with the offer that interests them at any time;

  • The relevant and fresh database of your audience will give you a great ROI;

  • Mailing lists can be the main or an additional traffic source useful for setting up cross sales and letting your clients know about new offers.

And what are the downsides?

  • The client base will inevitably burn out over time, and email open rates will go down;

  • Many people distrust mailing lists due to the prevalence of spam;

  • Service rules might prohibit advertising certain affiliate products via mailing lists;

  • You should be extra careful when drafting emails, as even a single wrong word might be the reason for your email going to the spam folder;

  • You should agree on using mailing lists for promotion with your partners. This traffic source is harder to monitor, so some advertisers might be against it.

Mailing lists will work with most vertical markets, but make sure to carefully read the mailing service rules to know about any potential restrictions; it is obviously better to stick to clean niches. The most popular vertical markets today are:

  • Education and infobusiness: free educational materials, checklists and advice;

  • Almost any goods: motivate clients with discounts, gifts and special offers;

  • Finances: banking, investment, brokerage, loan approvals with a focus on trust-building;

  • Nutrition: clean health offers with a wow effect for a carefully assembled audience;

  • Services: home improvement, design, tours, primed with useful content and cases;

  • Gambling and betting: careful funnels targeting easy-money seekers;

  • Dating: find the right offer for romantic guidance; avoid adult content;

  • Sweepstakes: raffles and lotteries that drive engagement.

The inside workings of mailing lists

Email marketing has seen few changes over the years. As before, everything is done in the usual steps: collecting the database, setting up the mailing service, developing the sales funnel, testing and analysis. However, if you use ages-old selling tricks, chances are they won’t work: you need a contemporary approach. Let’s see what you should pay attention to.

The address database

Here you can choose one of two options: buy a ready-made database or collect it yourself. The first way is easier, but is illegal in many localities, as you should be able to collect user information only with their consent. Moreover, the quality of such databases is questionable. You can go two ways:

  • Free databases: no quality and almost zero chances to earn;

  • Paid-for databases: higher quality but often outdated and hard to verify.

You can also use special services that check email addresses for validity, but they also cost money.

A database that you create yourself is much more reliable. There are many ways to collect the data for it, the main ones are:

  • Add a form or popup on your website, use lead magnets like materials or promo codes;

  • Use a dedicated landing page with traffic from social media and messengers;

  • Reuse a high-quality niche database for similar future offers;

  • Collect via social media communities, personal pages, ads or specialized bots.

Choosing a mailing service

While you can always start from scratch, it is usually too costly. For affiliate marketing you’ll need a professional mailing script on a dedicated server or VDS (up to $5000+). An easier option is to rent script and VDS ($50–100/month for up to 10,000 emails/day). Another simple option is a ready-to-go mailing service with templates, e.g.:

  • GetResponse: an e-CRM with automation, from $15/month.

Choosing a mailing service
  • SendPulse: free CRM, landing constructor, SMTP, pushes and up to 3 chat bots; from €4.55/month.

Logging into Google

Creative materials and other nuances

Nowadays you need to be careful when drafting emails. Bad formatting, long texts or no structure easily kill conversion and send you to spam. Use the following trends:

  • Minimalism: everything in a single image with only essential info and clickable links.

Minimalism. Everything needs to be in a single image.
  • User experience: unboxing video or client review.

User experience: an unboxing video or a client’s review.
  • Pictures of people: faces attract attention; use short text and clear CTAs.

Pictures of people.
  • Stylish design: emails as mini landing pages with well-placed blocks.

Stylish design.
  • Interactive materials: polls, quizzes and option choices.

Interactive materials.
  • Gamification: draw attention and learn audience preferences.

Gamification

Modern mailing lists

Today your focus is not finding new subscribers, it’s working with the audience you already have. Let’s talk about the main points:

  • Keep emails short and light to avoid spam filters;

  • Understand spam filter triggers (e.g. missing unsubscribe link);

  • Regularly clean your database of inactive or spam-flagged addresses;

  • Use adaptive design: test on mobiles and keep width ~600px on web;

  • Build variative funnels based on user reactions; use surveys to segment;

  • Conduct A/B tests to discover what resonates;

  • Craft compelling subjects and snippets;

  • Personalize whenever possible;

  • If using a new domain for mass emails, warm it up first.

Indicators and metrics of a mailing list

These are the main indicators and metrics of a mailing list:

  • OR (Open Rate): % of opened emails;

  • CTR: % of users performing the target action;

  • CR (Conversion Rate): % completing the action after landing;

  • ROI: income minus mailing costs;

  • FR (Forwarding Rate): % of emails forwarded;

  • BR (Bounce Rate): % of undelivered emails;

Conclusion

Mailing lists are an old-fashioned traffic source that still can be used in most marketing niches today. It’s almost impossible to invent something radically new here, but this is also an advantage: trends can change, but the mechanism has stayed the same for years.

Today mailing lists are not too popular, yet this is also an advantage for beginners in affiliate marketing, as the competition here is lower. Furthermore, according to the latest research, this traffic source won’t become history any time soon. Even if your main focus is elsewhere, it is still prudent to collect a database of email addresses and use it to drive additional income.

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