Social Media Marketing? - DO NOT continue without reading this!

Sylvester Adonike

Thu, 21 Nov 2024

As Charles dealt with the reality of his WhatsApp crash, he pondered on what he could have done differently.

Charles has been selling for a long time on WhatsApp and the has made long-time customers who have also turned into friends they've come to trust him so much that they buy new products that are relevant to them without objections.

They were loyal repeat customers.

The saddest moment of Charles's life happened when he woke up one Monday. This is after he has had multiple conversions with new prospects he wants to sell to over the weekend and many of them have promised to buy the next day. Charles has taken Sunday night to make a list of those new prospects ready to buy, so he can create a broadcast reminder and follow-up strategies for them.

He slept with smiles of a promising and substantial income from this recently had WhatsApp class but to his horror, he woke up Monday morning. Just as many of us would do, he stretched out for his phone and unlocked it.

Guess what he did next?

He clicked on the green app called WhatsApp and what he got was the home page that said "Agree to terms and conditions."

Charles who was half asleep and awake became fully aware of his environment. His eyes were wide open and his hands trembling. You could almost feel his pain from the gaze on his phone, he was muttering "No, no, no."

He has gone on to miss potential sales as he did not have a backup of these contacts saved to his devices, as the traffic was driven to his WhatsApp group, and he has to start all over again.

This is the marketing strategy of many people, even the big affiliates. You'd think this is sustainable in the long run but the truth is, the unexpected can happen with social media and you don't want to put yourself in Charle's position.

The solution?

Email Marketing.

I know what comes to your mind when you hear email marketing and some of them could be - 

• It is expensive
  
• It is time-consuming
• It can be slow as you need either an action or a response.
• It is for big companies.
• It can be technical.

I do understand all these and I can categorically tell you that these are not true, and this is because I have used the same method to drive in millions of sales. Now, if you know me, you'd know I'm not to brag about these things online, I choose to teach and have people replicate the results and these results speak for themselves.

This is not to say you should not use social media.

Heck no!

Social media is the main and most important traffic source and I know you've also had your fair share of the national sales cake from there, but when it comes to nurturing and retaining, it is not just enough. Truth is anything can happen at any time with these platforms and if you've not already established some kind of relationship with your prospects via email, you'll be losing out on a lot.

What should I do?

You should make sure that alongside WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Thread etc you are using an email platform, and contrary to what you may think, it is not that expensive, with the money you spend on Milkshakes (if you are like me), you can comfortably get monthly to a yearly subscription. Personally, I like to subscribe to yearly plans (except for my video hosting which does not have longer plans) because it lets me plan and budget better but this does not mean it will work the same for you.

I have used different platforms for scouting, prospecting and marketing and I can only sum email in three words - EMAIL IS KING.

Why?

Here are my top 6 reasons -

1. Establishing and Nurturing Relationships:

Email marketing serves as a powerful vehicle for building and nurturing relationships with your audience. Unlike other channels, emails provide a direct and personal line of communication. Through carefully crafted messages, you can connect with your audience on a deeper level, establishing trust and credibility.

Affiliate marketing is not just about making a one-time sale but rather cultivating a long-term relationship with your audience. By consistently delivering valuable content and relevant offers through email, you create a sense of loyalty that goes beyond a single transaction.

2. Targeted Communication:

One of the key advantages of email marketing for affiliates is the ability to segment and target your audience effectively. Understanding the different needs and preferences of your subscribers allows you to tailor your messages accordingly.

For example, if you are promoting various products or services as an affiliate, you can create specific email campaigns for different segments of your audience based on their interests. This targeted approach increases the likelihood of engagement and conversions, as your subscribers receive content that resonates with their individual needs.

3. Driving Conversions:

At its core, affiliate marketing aims to drive conversions, and email marketing is a proven catalyst in this process. When strategically implemented, email campaigns can prompt your audience to take the desired action, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a webinar, or downloading a resource.

The beauty of email marketing lies in its versatility. You can leverage various types of emails, such as promotional campaigns, newsletters, and drip sequences, to guide your audience through the buyer's journey. By incorporating compelling call-to-action buttons and persuasive copy, you can gently guide your subscribers towards the conversion point.

4. Building Authority and Expertise:

Successful affiliate marketing goes beyond promoting products; it involves positioning yourself as an authority in your niche. Email marketing provides a platform to showcase your expertise, share valuable insights, and establish yourself as a trusted source of information.

Consider incorporating educational content into your email campaigns, such as tips, how-to guides, and industry insights. This not only adds value to your subscribers but also enhances your credibility as an affiliate. Over time, this perception of authority can significantly impact your audience's decision-making process, leading to increased conversions.

5. Maximizing Lifetime Value:

The lifetime value of a customer is a critical metric for any affiliate marketer. Email marketing plays a pivotal role in maximizing this value by keeping your audience engaged over the long term. Through a well-crafted email strategy, you can continue to provide value, share new offers, and encourage repeat purchases.

Implementing loyalty programs, exclusive discounts, and personalized recommendations through email campaigns can foster a sense of exclusivity among your subscribers. This exclusivity, in turn, encourages them to remain loyal to your recommendations and affiliate offerings.

6. Analytics and Optimization:

Email marketing provides valuable insights through analytics that enable you to measure the success of your campaigns. By tracking metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, you gain a comprehensive understanding of what resonates with your audience.

This data-driven approach empowers you to optimize your email campaigns continually. A/B testing subject lines, content variations, and sending times can help you refine your strategy over time, ensuring that you deliver the most effective messages to your audience.

You should get started today and one of the best platforms to use (as this matters a lot) is Affisend. Now I have used many email platforms and I have come to believe this is my best option yet in terms of authenticity, deliverability and of course, pricing. You can also give this a trial here (this is an affiliate link) with no payment needed and see the magic of ease in email marketing.