Why use email and what is affiliate email marketing?

Wondering why and How to launch an affiliate email marketing campaign for beginners in order to boost your affiliate revenue? Then continue reading this article about affiliate email marketing for beginners with TORO Advertising!

With over 4 billion daily email users and revenues estimated to reach almost 11 billion USD by the end of 2023, the rise in popularity of email marketing and its ever-growing potential ensures that this is a highly effective marketing channel. This type of affiliate tactic is an effective way to connect with potential customers, create new leads, close sales and build brand loyalty, and more! Email marketing also offers one of the highest ROIs of all forms of marketing. Want to make the most of this winning marketing strategy? To help you get started with affiliate email marketing, we will explain what is affiliate email marketing for beginners, how to launch an affiliate marketing campaign in only 9 steps. Are you ready? Let’s go! 

Email is a great medium to boost your affiliate revenue, as one of the very few promotion mediums that allows you to communicate directly with your target, which gives you the chance to make it very personal to your audience with 1 to 1 marketing, or group segmented marketing. Whenever you want to promote a product or service, you are one click away to reach your audience! This makes it ideal for affiliate email marketing, which is the promotion of affiliate products via email in exchange for a commission, either through direct links, or by using intermediary landing pages. So, instead of converting your audience directly on your site, you guide them through an email funnel that takes them to an affiliate product pitch.

5 Benefits of email affiliate marketing

Although affiliate email marketing has been around for a fair few years, it is far from outdated and it is widely used by publishers and affiliate networks – If it works, why change it? There are lots of reasons to try out this affiliate marketing channel. Here are the top 5:

#1 Increased conversions, sales and revenues: You are communicating directly with your list of subscribers, who have signed up willingly and are already interested in receiving your emails, which means they are already warm leads that are likely to convert. This also means that, if done right, email marketing can be a highly effective tool for generating sales and to boost your affiliate revenue. 

#2 Highly targeted and personalized: With email marketing you can segment your subscribers based on their demographics, interests, behavior, or purchase history on your site, which allows you to send very personalized and targeted messages, which can help you generate better quality clicks and conversions. Also, email platforms offer plenty of personalization options, such as [firstname], or dynamic content that will change depending on location, device, etc.

#3 Cost-effective: Compared to other marketing channels, email affiliate marketing is generally more cost effective – You can reach a larger number of subscribers with one single message, without needing to spend money on paid media or advertising. 

#4 Increased brand awareness: Every time you send an email, your audience will be seeing your brand name, logo, etc. Because you are now including affiliate links that could end up with a juicy commission, you will most likely email more regularly, which can also help keep you on top of your subscribers’ minds. This will help you build a stronger relationship with them. Also, by consistently providing high-quality content and recommendations, you can position yourself as a trustworthy authority in your industry 

#5 Track and measure performance: Because email marketing platforms provide a variety of metrics and analytics tools, you can see exactly how your campaigns are performing, which can help you make data-driven decisions and improve the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Additionally, you can A/B test different texts, images and design templates to see which convert better.

With that in mind, let’s have a look at how you will set up your first affiliate email marketing campaign!

Step-by step process how to launch your affiliate email marketing campaign and boost your affiliate revenue

Now, let’s get into this guide How to launch an affiliate email marketing campaign for beginners to boost your affiliate revenue. Setting up your affiliate email marketing campaign involves the following 9 steps:

#1 Find an email platform that allows affiliate marketing

First step to build your affiliate email campaign is registering with an email marketing service provider. Of course, remember that you need to choose an email provider that allows you to include affiliate links in your emails!  – You could look into popular email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or AWeber.

#2 If you don’t have one already, build a strong mailing list

Build an email list of subscribers who have opted in to receive communications from you. Offer a valuable incentive, such as a free ebook, course, or discount, to encourage people to subscribe to your mailing list. 

Tip! Is it a good idea to buy email list for affiliate marketing in LATAM or Spain? Although you can buy an email list for affiliate marketing from online vendors, this is not a recommended practice and not truly how to get email list for affiliate marketing in LATAM, Spain, or really, any other GEOs. First of all, even though it is not illegal to buy mailing lists, it may be illegal to use them to send marketing content. Second, even if you now have a list of subscribers to send emails to, you do not know their validity. And lastly, remember that one of the main points that make affiliate email marketing a powerful tool, is the possibility to send highly targeted content to a subscriber base that is already interested in your content – There is no way you can check your subscribers’ interests if they come from a list that you are buying online!

#3 Choose affiliate products that you’d want to recommend to your audience

Select affiliate products or services that are relevant to your subscribers’ interests and needs. When looking for these affiliate products, it is important to look for high-quality products, attractive commission rates, and a good track record. Also, ensure that the products align with your niche or industry. A bullet-proof way to ensure quality and great commission rates is to find a reputable affiliate network that will hand-pick the best affiliate products for you. There are hundreds of affiliate networks out there, so it is key to check that your selected network covers all bases: 

– Excellent and dedicated support 

– Worldwide coverage

– Wide range of offers 

– Variety of verticals and conversion flows

– Top EPC and highest CR

– International Account Managers

Want to test out TORO’s affiliate and publisher services? Sign up now!

#4 How to write an email for affiliate marketing as a newbie

Now, we will tell you how to how to write an email for affiliate marketing as a newbie in order to boost your affiliate revenue: Write engaging content that provide value to your subscribers. Create content that educates, entertains, or solves problems for your audience – Offer insightful content such as tips, advice, industry news, or exclusive discounts, etc. Incorporate storytelling, personalization, and clear CTAs. Also, be transparent about your affiliate links and make sure your audience knows that you may earn a commission – Transparency is key! If you have a loyal subscriber base that follows you for your content, they will most likely be happy that you make enough profit to continue producing the content that they love. 

Important! It is key to follow the laws and rules while sending emails: To send emails, you must first get approval from your recipients. “Implied consent” refers to the fact that you already know the recipient. A permission request requires explicit authorization, showing that you do not know them and must get their explicit approval before emailing. Getting “explicit consent” is necessary when you wish to build an affiliate marketing mailing list. 

#5 Insert your chosen affiliate links

Strategically place your affiliate links within your emails’ content. Highlight the benefits of the product or service and explain how it addresses the subscribers’ pain points or needs. Use persuasive language and make it easy for subscribers to click on your affiliate links. But remember the point above and do not make it overly promotional. Here are a few tips for good balance from some popular email service providers:

• Mailchimp’s advice is to ensure that your focus message isn’t centered around affiliate links, because a purely promotional email won’t offer any real value.
• ConvertKit suggests that you will achieve great results if 70-80% of your email content is about your own services and about you, and ca. 20-30% is related to affiliate marketing. 
• MailerLite advises for your offer to be related to your content and meet your subscriber’s expectations.

#6 Segment your email list for better targeting

Remember one of the main benefits of affiliate email marketing? You can segment your audiences in order to send them content that is relevant to them. So, how to get your email list for affiliate marketing to work in your favor? Divide your email list into segments based on your subscribers’ interests, demographics, or purchase history. That way, aside from sending them very targeted content and increasing the chances of conversion, you will also avoid sending irrelevant offers that could bother your subscribers, potentially making them opt out or mark you as spam.

#7 Schedule your email campaign

It is now time to determine the frequency and timing of your email campaigns. Plan a schedule that strikes a balance between staying top of mind with your subscribers, and also not overwhelming them with too many emails – Remember: You want to keep them engaged without annoying them and ending up in their spam folder! So don’t overdo it! Consistency is key, so develop a regular email cadence that works for your audience.

#8 Track and analyze performance

As mentioned earlier, email platforms give you plenty of analytics and metrics tools for you to track performance. Monitor metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and revenue generated. Then analyze the data to optimize your campaigns and improve your results over time.

#9 Test and optimize for the win!

Now, onto the last step on how to launch an affiliate email marketing campaign for beginners: Experiment with different email subject lines, content formats, layouts, affiliate links placement and CTAs to see what resonates best with your audience. Conduct A/B testing to compare different versions of your emails and refine your approach based on the results.

Final thoughts

We hope that this article about how to launch an affiliate email marketing campaign for beginners with TORO has been useful! Remember, building a successful affiliate email marketing campaign takes time and requires building a strong relationship with your subscribers. Focus on providing value, personalization, and relevant offers to maximize your conversions and maintain a positive reputation with your audience. Are you getting started with affiliate marketing? Do you want more tips on how to launch your affiliate email marketing campaign, or want more information about our affiliate programs? Get in touch with one of our account managers now!