Almost every day I come across a story about how an algorithm update has demolished someone’s website traffic or how someone’s TikTok or Instagram account was shut down for whatever reason. Even recently when a top affiliate marketer was banned from a popular affiliate program. This stuff happens all the time so it is essential that you bullet-proof your business by building your email list. The Jonathan Montoya 3 day challenge is a great place to start to learn how to master email marketing and build a long-term online business.
It took me a long time to take email marketing seriously. I was quite content with sending traffic straight to the affiliate offer I was promoting. I was letting all of the leads I was attracting slip right through my fingers!
As an affiliate marketer, you’re going to be putting in a lot of effort to create a steady flow of traffic. It is a waste to send them directly to an affiliate link instead of a sales funnel to grow your email list.
Once someone clicks on your affiliate link, they are lost to you forever regardless of whether they make a purchase or not. That is why I want to share why an email list is pure gold for your online business.
Table of Contents
An Email List is a Traffic Source You Can Control
With all the risk involved with sourcing traffic from various platforms, your online business must focus on growing your email list. I enjoy blogging so it is something that I’ll continue to do for generating organic traffic.
However, I am no stranger to Google algorithm updates. I’ve had my websites affected and have dealt with significant traffic loss. It would be foolish of me to rely 100% on blogging for traffic.
Social media traffic is a popular option for many affiliate marketers. The risks are no different on those platforms either. I’ve heard stories from top affiliates who have had a TikTok account banned or have lost their Instagram account.
That is why any traffic that I generate is sent directly to my sales funnel. My sales funnel is where I collect a visitor’s email address and grow my list.
People Don’t Tend to Buy Right Away
Another reason why you should build an email list is that most people do not buy the first time you’ve introduced them to a product you’re promoting.
When they’ve subscribed to your email list, you have the opportunity to promote that product or any other anytime you want. Sometimes it may take a subscriber a week before they buy or two years before they buy.
Some may never buy. The point is, at some point, a percentage of your subscribers are going to decide to make a purchase. With a large enough email list, it is possible to make sales every day.
That is the power of email marketing!
Why You Should Send All Traffic to Your Email List
Regardless of how you source traffic (organic or paid), it requires your time, effort, and money. It is in your best interest to hold on to any of the leads you generate.
Not all leads will sign up to your email list. But those that do are giving you their permission to reach out to them via email at any time. That is a great lead!
It is a common beginner mistake to send all traffic straight to an affiliate link. That’s because most beginners are focused solely on making a commission.
They are not focused on building a long-term online business. Sending traffic directly to an affiliate link does not guarantee a sale and any sales that you make will cause your income to fluctuate greatly.
An email list can help ensure that you have a steady income coming in from affiliate marketing. Treat your business like a real business because it is.
Nurturing an email list is one of the best ways to grow your affiliate income.
How Often to Email Your List
Speaking of nurturing your email list, you’re probably wondering how often to email your subscribers. There are varying opinions about this. Some marketers will email every day while others may email once a week.
The choice is up to you and you may want to test out what works best for you. I do my best to send an email every day. I don’t go more than 1 to 2 days without sending an email.
There are two good reasons why I do this:
- I will stay top of mind for my subscribers
- Everyone is ready to buy at different times
If you go too long without emailing your subscribers, they may forget that they’ve signed up to your list and mark your messages as spam.
You’re also leaving money on the table by not emailing often. You never know when someone is ready to buy and your email may be the reason why they choose to take action.
If you can’t or don’t want to send an email that often, try to be consistent by sending a message at least once per week. Also, keep in mind that not all of the emails you send need to be about making a sale.
There is an art to writing emails so I do recommend learning how to do so. Practice makes perfect. If you need inspiration, subscribe to other affiliate marketing email lists.
Pay attention to how the emails are written and how they use a call-to-action (how they recommend affiliate products.)
Monetizing Your Email List
When it comes to what you’re promoting to your email list, there are no limits. However, it is important to make sure the products you’re promoting are related to the niche of your target audience.
I focus on one high-ticket affiliate offer when I monetize an email list. That is the main offer that I’ll promote consistently. Other affiliate offers will be related. For example, recommending a software or service that is related to your niche.
Another helpful tip is to find affiliate programs that have recurring commissions. That is a great way to create a steady monthly income that is predictable.
Software companies tend to have affiliate programs that offer recurring commissions.
My Recommended Email Marketing Software
I’ve tried dozens of email marketing software over the years and the one I’m currently using is GetResponse. I have used AWeber, ConvertKit, and email marketing software that was built into sales funnel software.
Most email marketing software is easy to use and will get the job done. Some have better features than others. What I like most about GetResponse is that they seem to be affiliate marketing friendly. Some email marketing software companies do not favor affiliate marketers.
Another reason is that I like the automation features offered. For example, I have set up automation to purge my list of inactive subscribers. It saves me from having to do it manually and I always know my list is filled with subscribers who open my messages.
What About a Sales Funnel? Do You Need One
Unless you have a background in web development, you’ll probably need to use some type of sales funnel software. A sales funnel is a simple 2-page website (it can be more than two but for beginners, two is fine) that includes an opt-in page and a thank you page.
The opt-in page is your landing page with a form that your visitors can input their email addresses. Usually, you’ll offer some form of free incentive in exchange for their contact information.
This free incentive is referred to as a lead magnet. A lead magnet can be a free eBook, a video, an audio file, or an email course. Whatever the lead magnet is, it should offer something of value related to your niche.
Some internet marketers don’t bother with a lead magnet but I have experienced that more people subscribe to my lists when I offer one.
A few popular sales funnel software include:
- Clickfunnels
- Funnel Freedom by Jonathan Montoya
- Kartra
- Systeme.io
In Conclusion
Don’t hesitate to begin building your email list, even if you are a complete beginner. As you become better at generating traffic, send that traffic to your sales funnel and grow that list.
Traffic sources come and go but an email list is a traffic source you can control. You’ll never have to worry about your business suffering when you’ve lost a traffic source.
An email list can provide peace of mind and can help create a long-term online business providing a steady income online. As an affiliate marketer, that is the ultimate goal.