Could list-building cost you affiliate revenue?

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Hello,

Would love to get some thoughts on this...

I have website that's doing well as an Amazon Affiliate. Visitors arrive via long-tail product-focused search terms and the conversion rate is decent.

I've never attempted to build an email list on this site for fear that it might reduce the CTR for my Amazon links. (they download a goodie and get distracted, so they don't end up clicking through to Amazon).

For a number of reasons, I'd like to build up an email list -- but in a way that doesn't distract visitors from clicking through to Amazon.

Anyone else have experience blending list-building on Amazon Affiliate sites?

Any advice on how to go about this?

Any tools you can suggest to use? (I'm thinking of exit-intent popups as well as sidebar opt-in boxes that don't re-direct to thank you pages).

Thanks in advance!
#affiliate #cost #listbuilding #revenue
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  • Profile picture of the author Ged3
    Hi Papercut,

    I can understand your reluctance to create a list if it reduces your income.

    What you should find is that once you have a list you will get more traffic to your Amazon site - although as an Amazon affiliate you are not permitted to direct link to the product itself - just your site.

    You can build up a better relationship with your subscribers with a list and they will often look out for any recommendations you may have as you can create a sequence of emails with products you recommend.

    In the long run you should make a lot more as you could have subscribers coming back to your site for months or even years, that you would have lost after just one or two visits without a list.

    The only thing you can really do to prove to yourself if it is more profitable or not is to try it over a period of two months or so.

    If it is more profitable - stick with it - if not stop using it
    Hope this helps.

    Ged
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  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    A couple of options:

    1. Add an "exit pop" to your pages containing an email squeeze form that opens when someone tries to leave your page.

    2. Create a page on your site that has Amazon products and use this page as a "thank you page" where people are redirected after signing up for your email list. At the top say something like "Thanks for subscribing...here's my favorite deals".
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  • Profile picture of the author discrat
    Yep, building a substantial and quality List is essentially like having a 'push button' at your disposal to get immediate traffic on tap
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  • Profile picture of the author Ged3
    That's right Discrat,
    every time you send it out you know you are going to make x amount!

    Ged
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  • Profile picture of the author DIABL0
    If you are satisfied with your existing conversions then I would implement as you already suggested, as it won't interfere with your existing traffic.

    In the long run, it should improve your ROI because no matter how good your conversion rate is, most of your traffic is leaving. So anything you can do to bring them back is a plus.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by Kurt View Post

    A couple of options:

    1. Add an "exit pop" to your pages containing an email squeeze form that opens when someone tries to leave your page.

    2. Create a page on your site that has Amazon products and use this page as a "thank you page" where people are redirected after signing up for your email list. At the top say something like "Thanks for subscribing...here's my favorite deals".
    If you go with option 1, make sure it doesn't pop when someone clicks one of your Amazon links or to another link on your site. For your purposes, the best option would be one that adds a thin, invisible bar at the top of the browser window, and uses that to trigger the pop when people go for the back button.

    I like the second option a lot.

    Another way to possibly capture a buyers list is to add a 'bonus', like a checklist or tip sheet, and ask people to put in their receipt number when requesting the bonus. The field for the receipt number doesn't actually do anything, so people could put in anything as long as they put in something. But your visitors won't know that.

    (I learned this trick from Paul Uhl, aka 'myob' here on the forum. It works, not just for Amazon but for any program that doesn't give you customer info.)
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    • Profile picture of the author Kurt
      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

      If you go with option 1, make sure it doesn't pop when someone clicks one of your Amazon links or to another link on your site. For your purposes, the best option would be one that adds a thin, invisible bar at the top of the browser window, and uses that to trigger the pop when people go for the back button.

      I like the second option a lot.

      Another way to possibly capture a buyers list is to add a 'bonus', like a checklist or tip sheet, and ask people to put in their receipt number when requesting the bonus. The field for the receipt number doesn't actually do anything, so people could put in anything as long as they put in something. But your visitors won't know that.

      (I learned this trick from Paul Uhl, aka 'myob' here on the forum. It works, not just for Amazon but for any program that doesn't give you customer info.)
      I think having some type of offer on email "thank you" pages is a lost opportunity...and Paul's suggestion looks like a good suggestion. Just hook it up to a autoresponder/email service and have the download link emailed automatically.
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