How to Launch an Affiliate Email Marketing Campaign

Affiliate email marketing is really catching on, and it’s no wonder why. I mean, who wouldn’t want to earn some cash while catching some Z’s? I know I would!

Imagine this: You promote a popular fitness product through email, and every time someone buys it through your link, you earn a commission. Sounds exciting, right?

That’s why more and more people are doing affiliate marketing on the side. 

If you can crack the code on your affiliate email campaign, those dreams of making money while you sleep could become a reality sooner than you think. Stick with us, and we’ll walk you through exactly how to make it happen.

What Is an Affiliate Email Marketing Campaign?

An affiliate email marketing campaign is a tweak to your usual email strategy. Basically, you keep your regular automated email sequence and but mix in some new ones to promote your affiliate links.

Typically, people discover and click those affiliate links while exploring your site, such as in a product review or recommendation. Consider this example from a fitness blog:

Let’s say there’s a fitness blog called FitLife. FitLife collaborates with trusted fitness brands and includes affiliate links in their workout routine articles.

But with an affiliate email campaign, your affiliate links go straight to your readers’ email inboxes.

The writer might be promoting two affiliates here: FitBit (a fitness tracker) and DailyBurn (an online fitness program). If a reader clicks and makes a purchase through these links, the writer earns a commission.

Since these emails likely reach thousands of readers, those commission earnings start to add up.

But remember, it’s just a twist to your email strategy, as we mentioned. So, all the important elements in your email sequence remains unchanged. You still need to build trust, provide value to your readers, and deliver engaging content.

For now, understand this: if you’ve been growing your email list and have affiliate partnerships (or are interested in establishing some), you might be sitting on a goldmine.

Why Use Email for Affiliate Marketing?

I’ve been using emails to promote affiliate products since I started my online business. Although the conversion rate has decreased in recent years, it remains an effective strategy. Here’s why:

1. Engagement: Email lists let you actively connect with your audience. Social media offers a similar advantage, but it’s not as reliable due to algorithm changes and platform popularity shifts (remember Myspace?).

2. Immunity to Platform Hiccups: Unlike social media, email campaigns aren’t affected by algorithm tweaks or platform shutdowns.

3. Quality Leads: People on your email list aren’t strangers. They willingly shared their email after seeing your content. They’re not as cold as the traffic from pay-per-click ads.

Email campaigns are a perfect fit for affiliate marketers because they let you engage with folks already interested in your niche, content, and business.

So, if you’re only putting affiliate links in blogs and YouTube descriptions, you’re missing out on big earning opportunities.

But fear not!

We’re about to show you how to launch a successful affiliate email marketing campaign.

How to Launch an Affiliate Email Marketing Campaign

Starting affiliate email marketing might seem tricky if you’re new, but don’t fret; I’ll break it down for you. Before we dive in, keep this in mind:

Avoid sounding pushy. You’re not just selling; you’re sharing to spark interest and encourage purchases.

In affiliate email marketing, your job is to naturally discuss products as a satisfied customer, not like a salesperson.

Keep your emails friendly and casual throughout your campaign to build a connection. Otherwise, you risk high unsubscribe rates or getting marked as spam.

Now, let’s explore some top tips for affiliate email marketing.

1. Look for an Email Provider That Supports Affiliate Links

Before anything else, make sure your email provider allows you to include affiliate links in your emails. Some email automation services are concerned about their own email delivery rates.

So, it’s essential to verify if your provider permits affiliate links. If not, or if you’re seeking a new email provider for your affiliate campaigns, here are some top options:

A. MailChimp

Mailchimp is always at the top when it comes to email marketing platforms. It’s famous for its user-friendly software, which makes creating automated email campaigns easy and appealing.

With MailChimp, you can:

• Create custom autoresponders
• Utilize analytics and email tracking, plus Google Analytics integration
• Access professionally designed email templates
• Segment your audience

Plus, you can easily collect email leads by using MailChimp’s opt-in form on your website.

B. AWeber

AWeber has everything you need to start your affiliate marketing email campaigns. With its simple drag-and-drop editor and landing page builder, you can craft captivating emails and boost your subscriber list.

It offers helpful features like:

• Subscriber segmentation
• Autoresponder follow-ups
• Embeddable sign-up forms

While AWeber excels in its landing page builder, it does have fewer templates and customization options compared to other platforms.

C. Drip

Drip is a powerful customer relationship manager (CRM) with robust email marketing capabilities. It even has a “Product Recommendations” feature that supports affiliate links.

Drip allows affiliate links, as long as your emails aren’t too spammy. It’s a good idea to reach out to their support team to confirm before launching your campaign.

Drip offers straightforward yet powerful options for publishing email campaigns. You can either send a single email blast, set up a series of emails to send over time, or create a campaign that follows a specific automated workflow (we’ll delve into that shortly).

D. GetResponse

GetResponse is another option for affiliate email marketing. It’s a very powerful, versatile and user-friendly newsletter tool. It offers features such as:

• Autoresponders
• Advanced analytics for tracking leads and campaigns
• Customizable templates

2. Choose the Right Affiliate Programs to Promote

Before you start promoting affiliate links left and right, take a moment to pick the right ones. Here’s what to look for:

Relevant to Your Audience

Stick to affiliate products that match what your audience signed up for. If your followers expect cooking tips, don’t surprise them with random offers for sneakers. Keep it logical, like offering knives on a cooking website.

For instance, if you run a fitness blog and your audience is interested in healthy eating, promoting affiliate links for fitness equipment or meal prep tools would likely resonate well.

Evergreen Products

Focus on products that stand the test of time. This means you won’t have to constantly update your content. If you’re promoting holiday specials, create separate campaigns for them, but keep your main content evergreen.

For example, if you’re in the tech niche, promoting evergreen products like productivity software or ergonomic desk accessories ensures your content stays relevant year-round.

Profit Potential

When choosing which products to promote, consider the commission rates and effort required.

Low-ticket items may offer high commission rates, but with a typical email click-through rate of 2.6%, you might need thousands of clicks just to earn a small amount like $100.

Instead, focusing on high-ticket items, like online business courses or software, can be more profitable. Even with fewer clicks, the higher commissions per sale make it worthwhile.

3. Make Your Emails Personal

Making your emails personal helps you connect better with your audience.

For instance, let’s say you’re promoting a fitness product through affiliate marketing. Instead of a generic subject line like “Check Out Our Fitness Gear,” personalize it with something like “Sarah, Reach Your Fitness Goals with Our Exclusive Gear.”

A study by Campaign Monitor found that emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened.

This is even more important for affiliate emails.

Personalized emails usually create a friendly and helpful tone, rather than sounding like a sales pitch.

4. Incorporate Affiliate Links into Your Email Series

Don’t overload your email sequence with affiliate links. Why? Because:

• Your audience might get annoyed with constant product promotions.
• Email providers may penalize you if your emails have low engagement due to too many affiliate links.

What’s the solution?

• Integrate affiliate product emails into your existing sequence.
• Gently include affiliate links within relevant content.

Make sure your emails:

• Deliver the promised content and value.
• Offer diverse content in each email.
• Stick to a consistent sending schedule.
• Focus on educating and nurturing rather than just selling.

As your email list grows, new subscribers will see your affiliate offers, potentially earning you passive income. Once you automate lead generation from your website traffic, you can enjoy a steady stream of revenue.

5. Monitor Your Affiliate Email Campaigns

Your affiliate email sequence is running smoothly, and commissions are coming in. But to keep the momentum going, it’s essential to stay actively involved.

Here’s what you should do:

• Let’s say you’re promoting a variety of fitness products through email. Tag and track your subscribers based on their interests and interactions. For example, segment subscribers who are interested in weight loss products separately from those interested in muscle-building supplements.
• Use audience segmentation to tailor your emails accordingly. Send targeted emails promoting weight loss products to the relevant segment and muscle-building supplements to the appropriate segment.

To stay on top of things:

• Keep an eye on key performance indicators (KPIs) for your email marketing campaigns. Monitor metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns.

It’s better to be safe than sorry. Tracking your campaigns ensures ongoing success and maximizes your commissions.

6. Take Advantage of Holidays

When major holidays like Christmas approach, people are already in a shopping mood, making it a prime time to promote your offers.

For example, if you’re an affiliate marketer for a clothing brand, you can create a special holiday campaign featuring festive outfits and gift ideas.

Remember:

• Avoid bombarding your subscribers with too many holiday-themed emails to prevent overwhelming them and risking unsubscribes.
• Keep your holiday campaigns separate from your regular email sequences to maintain organization and clarity.
• Once the holiday season is over, remove these campaigns from your sequence to avoid confusing your subscribers.

Taking advantage of holidays can boost your affiliate marketing efforts and increase your commissions.

7. Prioritize Providing Value

While the goal of affiliate marketing is to earn money, it’s crucial to prioritize providing value to your audience.

• Focus on offering valuable content rather than just promotional material. Your audience wants content they find useful and engaging.
• Utilize various types of media, like videos, images, audios, and podcasts, to nurture your leads and build trust over time.

Remember:

• Building trust and connection with your audience takes time and effort, but it’s worth it in the long run.
• By consistently offering value, your subscribers are more likely to reciprocate with affiliate commissions.

Prioritizing value ensures a mutually beneficial relationship with your audience and increases your chances of success in affiliate marketing.

8. Re-engage Your Leads

Keeping your click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate (CR) high requires re-engaging your leads.

For instance, suppose you’re promoting a fitness program through email marketing. You notice that some subscribers haven’t interacted with your emails for a while. You can create a special “fitness challenge” email series and resend it to these inactive subscribers, encouraging them to join the challenge and re-engage with your content.

Here’s how:

• Identify leads with consistently low engagement rates and resend them relevant emails or special offers.
• Utilize automation tools like SureTriggers to streamline the process and save time.

Re-engaging with your leads not only helps maintain engagement but also increases the likelihood of conversions.

9. Use Social Proof & Facts

Boost your emails by including social proof and factual information. Share success stories of people who have used the affiliate product you’re promoting.

For example:

• Highlight testimonials or case studies showcasing the benefits of the product.
• Provide statistics or facts to back up the product’s effectiveness.

Wrapping It Up

With the right tools and strategies, you can leverage your mailing list to promote affiliate products and see your commissions soar.

To launch a successful affiliate email campaign that drives results, remember to:

1. Personalize your emails to build a strong connection with your audience.
2. Incorporate affiliate links strategically within your email sequences.
3. Track the performance of your campaigns and make adjustments as needed.
4. Take advantage of holiday seasons to capitalize on increased consumer interest.
5. Prioritize providing value to your subscribers by offering valuable content.
6. Re-engage inactive leads to maintain high engagement rates and boost conversions.
7. Use social proof and factual information to reinforce the benefits of your affiliate products.

If you need more guidance, sign up for my online business coaching.