There are two main types of affiliate marketers, those who have a list and earn from it, and those who do not. If you’re in the latter group, there’s still time to build your own list but if not, read on to learn why lists can be so profitable for you and what steps you can take to start building your own list.
WHAT IS AFFILIATE MARKETING?
Affiliate marketing is a revenue-sharing business model which rewards affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate’s promotional efforts. It is an online technique of promoting other people or company products and services on your website to earn money.
WHAT IS AN EMAIL LIST AND WHAT CAN IT DO FOR YOU?
A list is a group of people who have agreed to receive emails from you, for example, news about your product or service, offers, and other things that may be of interest to them. It can be a very profitable revenue source for you. A well-built list is worth so much more to an affiliate marketer than any number of website hits that are worth nothing in and of themselves. A well-built email list that is professionally presented can be a very valuable asset and as your business grows it will likely outstrip website traffic for returns considerably.
You can build a subscriber or customer list in several ways, such as by collecting them at the point of sale or signing up new people to your newsletter. This article will focus on building a list from scratch and how to approach this.
HOW TO BUILD AN EMAIL LIST FROM SCRATCH
If you’re just starting out online or seeking to build your list for the first time following a content marketing campaign, there are multiple ways to go about it. First off, think of what you want your list’s purpose to be–grow sales? Connect with customers? Or do both? Whatever answer lies at the end of that question is what you should refer to when choosing the method of list building that you’re going for.
Here are a few ways to build an email list:
1. BLOGGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Use these platforms to showcase your expertise in a particular niche. That way, people will be interested in what you have to say and are likely to join your list. Remember: quality wins over quantity so even though more social media followers doesn’t necessarily equal more email subscribers, it’s still a useful metric to factor in.
2. CONTENT MARKETING
If your content is a little more involved (such as an eBook, for example) then you can use it as part of a lead magnet.
What’s a lead magnet? It’s something free that you give away to new subscribers–either in exchange for their email address or for a small payment.
Lead magnets are popular because they encourage sign-ups without the user feeling like they’re being sold to.
3. CONTENT GIVEAWAYS
If your content is something you want people to read, why not give it away? People will share, link, and discuss your work if they like it and that’s great for your list. If they sign up for your list, even better.
4. REFERRALS
Your current customers are likely to spread the word about your business which can result in new leads joining your list. It also helps you build a stronger relationship with past clients who have enjoyed your work.
CONCLUSION
Email has been the most trusted and direct way of building a relationship with your customers. These days we live in a world where people don’t want to be bothered by anyone except themselves or companies that are relevant and useful to them. This only proves why you should have an email list to build trust amongst your target audience as they will want to hear from you.
Peter Abraham