Almost every internet marketing expert will tell you that the majority of your sales will come from building your own opt in email list and then sending them offers over and over again. (don't forget to give them value too) While this was very true a few years ago, it doesn't work anymore. I did this test over and over in the past year. I have built my list to well over 600+ subscribers. The only people that joined my opportunity were the ones that opted into my list and bought RIGHT AFTER they opted in to my list (They become COLD after a day and just WON'T BUY). No one joined or bought anything with 5-30+ emails follow ups. People were not even opening the emails and I had a lot of bounces. OK, so since they were not joining me in a business opportunity or buying any of the products, I decided to send people to my website and provide them with a link there. I have a: Picture of myself I tell them my real story of how I struggled online in my first 5 years. I offer them a solution for making real money online. The conversions were higher. When a prospect comes to your website, THEY ARE HOT and ready to buy. So my conclusion is this: You don't have to build a small or large list to do really well with affiliate marketing.
hmmmm.... that is an interesting perspective. While I agree you don't have to build a list to do well with affiliate marketing, I think you may be missing additional monetization opportunities for those that have already purchased from you. If they have made a purchase, you now know they: have money or at least credit (you may not know how much, but you know they have some) are comfortable purchasing online what they're interested in purchasing online If you know those three things, your list can be an extremely lucrative source of revenue. They may not purchase from you again, but you can certainly promote related products and earn revenue off of those. I agree that the days of "THE LIST" as the cornerstone of affiliate marketing are gone. That being said, not having a list seems like a big missed opportunity imo
Oh my, I don't like lists! A lot depends on your niche. For example, what if you are an affiliate marketer and use only Amazon as your source of income. Many search for a particular purchase of a particular product, buy it and never need that again. What would you mail them? My coaching partner makes a full time living as an Amazon affiliate, a very comfortable living and has never used a list. She capitalizes on the major Holidays! I put those that buy my product in a group on Facebook where they can ask questions, get support, get to know me and my other clients and so forth and so on. When I come out with a new product, they find out in the group and that converts for me far better than any list I have ever used. Groups on Facebook Rock! The fact that you don't have to have a list to make good money at affiliate marketing is a major selling point on my products. Mass marketing is not what it used to be in my opinion. I can't stand it. There I said it!
My personal opinion is that I HATE email spam. I won't ever sign up to opt-in lists because invariably the list owner will sell the names to even worse spammers. When I get spam emails, I attempt to opt out, and I'll do whatever it takes to get myself OFF the lists. Over the years I've had to stop using email addresses that became too spammy with junk mails that I couldn't stop. I've heard many people say 'the money is in the list' but I couldn't imagine myself being the person that I so much despise. The is money begging on a street corner and especially if you cut your child's leg off to make them look even more pathetic but I'm not going to earn my living that way.
The strategy you outlined is an excellent example of what "connecting with people" is all about. You use: Your photo - so visitors can put a face to your name. Your story - so visitors can relate to your struggle. Your solution - so visitors can have a way to emulate your success. And the great news is, it's working. Now if, on top of that, you had a way to follow-up directly with those people who converted, you would have a better shot at making them repeat customers and increasing the dollar amount they spend with you. And as marketers, we are encouraged to never limit the ways we can make money. (Don't leave money on the table) In any case, it is obvious that the same strategies work better for some people than for others. This could be due to reasons peculiar to a certain niche, or a person's marketing experience and skill. But at the end of the day, the methods that earn you the best results are the ones you ought to stick with, refine and scale up. Hermas
Promote Clickbank products that are related to your niche. If your niche, as your name suggests, is in the auto industry, place links to automotive products on your web site. You can also write articles or blog posts promoting those products. If you have a "contact us" form on your site, redirect your customers to a thank you page. On that page you can place links to products your customers may find valuable. If you do have a "list" that you send information to, place a link in the email, or suggest a product that you find interesting.
