Do you monetize your email campaigns? If not, how can you do so effectively, and to what degree of effectiveness?
The monetization of email campaigns is a strategic choice that we make on a case by case basis for each of our clients based on their needs, audience, and goals. As this can be a very intimate connection opportunity, we believe in approaching it both thoughtfully and with a very defined intention. Whether it’s a traditional media publisher or a retailer, we know the value this connection represents to their business as it’s one of the few channels in which a brand can reach and engage their audiences without having to consider any third-party noise.
If monetizing your email marketing is a no-brainer for you then here are a few ways to accomplish it.
Native Advertising
The fastest and the easiest way to monetize your email list is through ads. Not just any ads, though. Because you need ads that align with your long-term goal of becoming a valuable resource for your customers and potential customers. With native, programmatic advertising, you can literally monetize your email newsletter from day one.
Paid Subscription Model
If you’re wary of ads in newsletters, one of the best ways to monetize is by creating premium content for your subscribers and to charge it on a timely basis. The greatest challenge fellow publishers face with this email marketing monetization model is providing their subscribers something of value they can’t get anywhere else. Providing a sneak peek of the premium content in your email newsletter can increase the number of your paid subscribers. However, make sure you have enough freebies to establish yourself as an expert. If you aren’t confident you can pull it off, it’s best to avoid this due to the high risk of subscriber defection.
Build Trust
Newsletter content that builds trust in you as an expert in your field eventually pays huge dividends in ROI. Personalize your content for your target audience and their needs, and your recipients will be more likely to open your emails and read your content.
A-List Content
To create the newsletter content you need to become an industry influencer, or thought leader, you might need some extra help. You might, for instance, need to partner with a content marketing agency or hire an in-house team to create the kinds of top-quality content that position you as a leader in your field.
Affiliate marketing
Instead of selling your own products and services, another way to monetize is to go the affiliate route: sell someone else’s products and services and get a commission. Affiliate marketing is a long-standing practice where the key is to choose brands that will appeal to your audience (in other words, cross-sell products and services they will likely buy).
Sell your stuff
You can always sell something, particularly if you develop a quality product or service internally. Feel free to mention these solo ads in your newsletter, whether it’s an announcement, launch date, a reminder, special sale and so on. Just be careful of email fatigue — your readers are there for the content you deliver, not sales pitches.
Contact us today to learn more or to get support monetizing your email campaigns.