affiliate website promotion

anyone tried email campaigns?

[yourpc1596]

I have a website Im working on that at this point is primarily affiliate based. I was wondering if anyone has tried using email campaigns? If so could you give me some suggestions on which reputable companies I could use. I do not have my own email list yet so I want to use an Opt-In email service. Thanks... Dale

[eljefe3]

In years past I tried some opt-in services and never recouped the cost. I don't know how this would be much better today than then, but perhaps ask the opt-in company for a small test sample to see the response. If the list is truly that good, the company shouldn't object.

[danay]

Our email marketing agency runs campaigns for several affiliates and advertisers every day wiht millions of names fmor our databases. You have to figure out a few metrics to be successful and that takes some testing.

For instance, if your product is a health & beauty type offer, then you want lists with those types of buyers behaviorally or list demographic.

Then you have to figure out what the delivery to click to conversion rate is on your product and on that specific list and others.

Only when you know those metrics can you begin to gauge what lists will be successful for your campaign.

I've seen so many people go in blindly and presume that a list can bring them conversions. It's based on several factors:

1. price point
2. email creative
3. landing page creative
4. list vertical
5. proper targeting
and the list goes on forever.

For instance, if your email creative does not compell people to click on it, then even the most targeted list will fail to bring you conversions.

Good luck!

[affygal]

I am deciding between opt-in email blast and purchasing recruiting software. The problem I see with opt-in lists is that you have a third party doing the emailing for you (most list brokers do not give you the email addresses of the potential affiliates) Recruiting software allows you to have the database of names on your computer and provides you with vital stats of each. If anyone has recommendations to make as to which recruiting software they use or have used, I'd be intersted to hear about it.

[eljefe3]

Added- in years past when I purchased opt-in addresses these were very targetted and landed on the exact (appearance looking and acting) pages that regular website visitors would land on but with results not coming close to website visitors who used a SE to find my site. Maybe the "opt-in" list was bombarded by other marketers (resold many times by the same people who own the list) like myself and had been spammed out....who knows.

In the future I would want to have double opt-in subscribers and also want to know how many emails had been sent to these subscribers over a period of time by said opt-in company.

[danay]

Eljefe, I agree with you about the frequency your target lists have had with a similar offer. For instance, a subscirber list for an online pet lover's mag can be hit several times by a pet health insurance offer. However, sending competing offers during the same week is a big no no.

Those are things that need to be communicated when doing an email media buy and something you can add to the insertion order. It is a tough business and an easy one to lose money in. On the upside, it's still a great way to grow your own database and still quite inexpensive if you know what you're doing.

It's like DRTV advertising. You can either lose a ton of money or mak a ton of money. That's why media buyers in all media types get paid so much money, they know how to leverage the risk and hwere to take it. Mind you, they've also lost alot of money for clients based on bad choices.