Sending Emails: Another Piece of the Puzzle is Solved! Building the Skills For Affiliate Marketing Success!


Happy Saturday!

Welcome to my blog.

I actually wrote this post yesterday right after attending the 6 am class with Dean.

Each week, we have a Zoom session where Dean teaches us the next step to take on the proven path.

Each week is dedicated to learning a skill set that is a vital component of being an affiliate marketer.

It’s like getting pieces of a puzzle. Slowly putting it together one piece (week) at a time.

You would think this makes the process less overwhelming: learn a skill set, have a week to practice it, and allow yourself to make mistakes, knowing customer service is just a click away.

However, for me it’s overwhelming, I am so eager to get to the finish line, I think I should be doing more, and I forget about the importance of the journey, the trial and error, playing and learning. 

Does this happen to you?

Your mind is looking at the end picture, trying to figure out how to get all the steps done faster to get to the finish line. I keep getting this lesson over and over, SLOW DOWN, life is the journey, enjoy it, and savor every moment. 

My mind shift needs to change. I need to look at each week not as steps to a final destination. But, a way of self-development. 

We are learning an important skill set each week. 

I need to spend enough time practicing it so that I am good enough to do it over and over on my own and show others how to do it.

In the spirit of this, I sent in my blog, RookietoRichesRide.com, and my opt-in Funnel to the team for review.

I got a ton of constructive criticism! 

If you want to see me playing around and trying to address the feedback, watch my video: 

Glen pointed out a huge mistake on my blog: I made a spelling error. I was so embarrassed. Usually, I check everything 1000% times; how could I overlook this?

But as Dean pointed out today, you are human, and you are going to make mistakes.

There is still more to fix, but for now, “Beta then better!” This is my motto this year!

Fixing it was packed with challenges, and WordPress doesn’t have the customer service aspect that affiliate systems have, so let’s say I struggled a bunch, but thanks to leverage – getting someone to show me how to fix it -it’s finally fixed!  

So, without further ado, let me tell you about everything I learned today! 

Emails: Another Piece of the Puzzle is Solved!

Now that we have learned how to set up a digital asset (blog), and a way to capture people’s emails (opt-in funnel)  it’s time to start thinking about: once you get someone on your email list, how do you build a relationship? What is the best way to communicate with them? How are you going to make offers? 

Today’s class started with a lesson on how to send regular / broadcast emails on the Affiliate Systems platform. 

There are two main kinds of emails: (1) One-off broadcast emails and (2) Automated follow-up emails. 

Today, we only learned how to create one-off broadcast emails. This is where you create an email, select the group or people you want to send it to and send an email either immediately or scheduled at a specific date and time. 

Dean was kind enough to set up a template in our platform for us. It is a very plain email, with no logos or pictures. 

In fact, Dean and the team do not recommend adding buttons or images, as these can sometimes result in the email getting marked as spam.

I am working hard to have a good sender reputation, so I am gonna go with the super plane white email with no bells or whistles. 

Dean also reminded us that the platform doesn’t autosave. I am so used to Google Docs that I sometimes forget about the horrible pit in my stomach and the frustration that comes with looking at all my work disappear – just like that. 😭

I think we can all relate and have at least one time where we wished we backed it up or pressed save – I know I have had a few.

So, depending on the platform you are using, this might be good advice – ALWAYS HIT SAVE!

For emails, and blog posts, I always draft the in Google Docs, just in case.

Another really important tip that Dean shared today is to always preview your email, send a test to yourself, and read it!

As you saw earlier with my blog blunder, it is so easy to make mistakes, here it’s coming up again the universe is for sure telling me again, and from Dean’s mouth: “Don’t rush take your time.” 

I use an AI tool that is really useful. You can use it directly on their platform or connect it to popular apps like Google Docs, Gmail, and Canva. It’s called Grammerly! 

Grammarly is an AI tool. It’s not like CHATgbt it doesn’t generate content or increase your writing output, but it can definitely elevate your writing skills. It is really good at catching grammar and spelling errors. While you are writing an email it will highlight spelling mistakes, make suggestions on rephrasing a paragraph for readability, and point out punctuation mistakes! It also detects discrepancies between passages and can identify potential plagiarism.

Although it didn’t catch my blog blunder, I really love Grammarly!

Watch me play around with Grammerly by clicking here!

After we learned how to send the one-off broadcast email, we learned how to check your emails and reply using the Affiliate Systems Platform.

Another really important lesson Dean shared today was the importance of consistently checking your emails and responding. 

Do not ignore replies, you are putting in so much work to get people on your list, so don’t leave them hanging. 

Engage in conversation, someone reaching out is an incredible opportunity to build a relationship, and, that is what this is all about!

Your email list is a VIP club, and you want a small number of regulars that you have provided value to, every time you invite them to an event (send an email)  they eagerly open and respond to your  RSVP!

As I have told you in my blog post, “ In The World Of Affiliate Marketing, The One Who Knows Their Numbers Is The One Who Finds The Treasure!

 Looking at the numbers, and in this case, emails have been something I resist. 

I don’t know why my body cringes at the fact, but it does, and it is something I just have to learn to enjoy. 

I think my email fears steam from Zoho. I have an account with them, and I get a ton of spam and it is so overwhelming that it takes hours to clear out and find the emails I need to respond to. Watch the video below – that amount of spam is obnoxious, do you agree? 

Isn’t that insane? It’s a known issue, I get it, but I love that one day soon, I will be able to move all my other business stuff over to the Affiliate System Platform and have a one-stop shop with amazing customer support!

The last thing Dean showed us in regards to emails is how to find the numbers

You guessed it, it is important that we check that our emails are successfully getting delivered, the open rate, soft and hard bounce rate, unsubscribe, and spam statistics. 

In essence, we are reviewing our good sender reputation scorecard – it’s like being back in school, your teacher handing you your report card! 

This is the homework assignment for the week; wish me luck!

  • Ensure you have opted in and confirmed as a subscriber on your email list
  • Send a broadcast email to yourself 
  • Reply to your own email once received and see it in the conversations section
  • Reply to yourself via the conversation area 
  • Start thinking about a traffic strategy; what are you willing to do

Did you catch that last bullet point, “Start thinking about traffic? 🤯

Yes, you guessed it, Dean gave us a brief introduction to traffic, to prepare us for what’s coming next week! 

Currently, the traffic strategy is to consistently post on our blogs and do something called “blog hopping.”

“Blog Hopping” is basically creating a network of blog friends. Posting comments and sharing blog posts you like, and hoping that others will post comments on your blog and share your blog with others. You can do this with social media as well, it’s an organic traffic strategy, and one I am currently learning.

But in the weeks ahead, we are going to learn about additional strategies to start generating traffic! 

Don’t miss my blog post next week, where I share everything I learn about Traffic! 

If you are following along week by week, it’s time for you to send your first broadcast email, even if it’s just to yourself (lol), and start thinking about your traffic strategy. I would love to hear what you are thinking about pursuing – Facebook Lead Ads, YouTube, TikTok – please comment below! 

Let’s ride from rookie to riches together! 

To our Success,

Alison Blaire 

 

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ALISON BLAIRE

28 Responses

  1. Hi Alison

    I do like the purple and the layout improvements, but what I REALLY like is the way you do your videos, both the content (good to see how you are stuff, not just be told that you have done it) but also the clever way you caption it.

    You did ask for feedback, so for me personally, I think I would have preferred to see this broken down into a couple of different blogs, there is just so much here to take in. All good stuff though, well done

    1. Thank you so much Tony for your feedback and kind words I really appreciate it, and will try and break things down and give more digestible bite sizes versus the entire buffet going forward : )

  2. Thanks for the recap of your week of piecing more of the puzzle together. Another good tip for reading your content and getting it checked over is to have an email buddy who can proof read your content. A second pair of eyes can do wonders in that regard.

    Now you asked for it…I have mixed feelings about traffic. While I seek to bring newbie marketers in through my opt in pages for my newsletter on one domain, I end up sending them to the order form for a free book on another domain. Then on that other domain I bring in folks through my Facebook Lead Ad; put them through an automated email sequence; then give them opportunity to opt in to my Newsletter on the first domain. Mixed feelings…mixed domains…I’m gonna have to figure the best path forward soon lol.

    1. Robert, I think. keep it simple is the best advice; the easier it is for people to get on your list and see your content the better, and having everything in one place might make it easier for you as well.

  3. Hi, Alison! I’m learning that I need to enjoy the step in my business I’m currently working. I, too, am always looking ahead. It’s important that I give value to what I’m doing at the moment and eagerly approach it rather than think about the next part of my day or later in the week. A hunch: I think if I focus on being glad about what I’m doing, this will just fall into place.
    I’m a huge fan of Grammerly, too!
    Best of luck to your week!

    1. I love your words Nakina, “I think if I focus on being glad about what I’m doing, this will just fall into place.” I 100% agree, if you find the joy in it, it becomes fun instead of a task on your to do list! Have a wonderful week, see you next Saturday!

  4. Hey Alison!
    Loved your post, and especially your idea! I have to agree with Glen, I like the purple much better! I can also really relate to what you said about wanting to move faster, but as you also said, we need to slow down! We need to learn each step, and practice each thing so we can get better. It will all come in time. We need to build a strong foundation for our business, so it will stand the test of time! Keep up the great work!
    Kelli

    1. Hi Kelli,

      Thank you so much for your kind comment, I’m glad you like the purple! I’m thrilled to hear that the post resonated with you, I totally agree “we are building a strong foundation, that will stand the test of time”!

  5. Alison, I love your blog this week! Your personality just shines right through… despite some hiccups along the way, it still reads fun and snazzy! I love you sharing your videos as you’re learning these new tools. Also.. like you, I can get a smidge overwhelmed too, especially when I feel like I’m behind on a very long list of things I’m trying to do to get this online business thing off the ground, like you! Thanks for the reminder to slow it down a bit. Quite timely.

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and support! I really appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and for your encouragement. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the videos I shared while learning new tools. It can be intimidating to make these videos, but I believe that we grow and improve by stepping outside of our comfort zones!

  6. Hey Alison

    The yellow car looks awesome against the purple as a background colour! I like it.

    I have experienced feeling overwhelmed before too, I think we all experience it from time to time.
    I find if I go away for a little while and have a think about what is giving me that feeling I can re-sort my mind, breaking things down and then writing them down in the order I should be doing them. If I think about all I need to do in one big lump it is huge and causes the overwhelm.

    It is great you recognise for yourself what will work well for you to overcome it.

    Great decision to send your blog and opt-in form in for review. Constructive criticism from those with a wealth of experience offers so much value and adds to your learning and furthers your progress as well as making sure your website/blog and opt-in form are presented in top form for your visitors.

    I love that you made a video! Very cool idea.

    I use Grammarly too – I don’t struggle with spelling as such but it is a fantastic tool to have and use, I love that it offers me alternatives when I am typing.

    Your post has been an informative read with a lot of value contained.

    Well done!

    I wish you a great week ahead and look forward to reading future posts!

    1. Karen, thank you so much for your kind words and feedback! I’m glad you liked the color contrast of the yellow car against the purple background. It’s always great to hear positive feedback on design choices.

  7. Hello Alison, funny you mentioned auto save and saving , in the beginning of the training I forgot to save and lost the whole week haha . Hopefully no one hides the last puzzle piece lol. I look forward to reading your future post have a great day.

    1. Oh no, it is the worst feeling when all of a sudden, hours of your work are gone in a flash. I think we all learn this lesson at some point: always hit the save button and back it up! I have a feeling Dean is eager to give us all the puzzle pieces, I don’t think we will have to search too hard for all the puzzle pieces. Thankfully, we will just need to keep going to learn each one and how they all fit together!

  8. Alison, that was a really great blog full of lots of information and value thank you. Firstly to be honest I personally prefer the yellow nothing wrong with the purple but I didn’t have a problem with the yellow but that’s just the Personal choice I guess. I really like these short videos that you do that not only show what you are doing, but it also teaches the viewer what to do what needs to be done. I also received lots of these DMarc emails as well. I think it’s just part of this new world of new email rules which we may just have to live with. I had a few issues with the emails this week and it wouldn’t put the contact name into the email and after quite a few hours of playing around with it I managed to sort it out in the end and that’s the whole point of this is to try and play and just work through it and then the end you learn lots of things and it gets done. You’re doing great keep going I’m loving the videos. Thanks, Atif

    1. Thanks for the kind words, Atif. I also liked the yellow, but the purple seems to resonate with others more. But like I have been saying, beta is better; I am sure I will play with the aesthetics more in the future, but for now, I want to focus on my video and content skills! I’m glad you got your email issues sorted out. I think this journey has a lot of obstacles, but as long as we stay focused and determined, we will overcome them all!

  9. Hi Alison,
    Keeping patient and taking time in the journey is challenging for most. It’s like holding back from your favourite unhealthy food…not easy 🙂
    However, there is a reward when we are able to discipline ourselves and keep from trying to move ahead to fast.
    I try to remind myself to keep things simple and create a business in a healthy way, not overwhelmed, that includes blog writing and email writing.
    Great post! Look forward to your next posts!
    Denny

    1. Denny, that is the best analogy: “It’s like holding back from your favorite unhealthy food…not easy.” I had some health issues come up last year and had to give up ALL of my favorite foods; for some reason, it was easy to just make the choice to choose life and health over eating foods that I thought I loved that were unhealthy. When the stakes are high -life and death- it’s easier sometimes. My ability to make this huge change has not only helped me become healthier and overcome a lot of health issues but has also taught me how powerful my mind is and my ability to do anything! Keeping things simple is great advice, and can definitely help avoid the overwhelm.

  10. Email seems so easy in theory. It has been with us for decades. We live with this tool and use it every day, right. But using it correctly can make a real difference. What to write, how to write, when to write, etc. Hey, I really liked your video review of Grammarly. I want to know how you did that so well. And, I love the look of your blog site – well done!

    1. Thanks, Ernie, for your kind words; I will have to make a video on my process, that is a great idea! I actually use a few different methods depending on what I am trying to create. For the Grammarly video, I used Loom. Check it out. It is a pretty great tool!

  11. It’s great that you have the awareness to ask yourself to slow down. I wish I had that level of awareness in my younger days.

    In the grand scheme of things, if you are trying to build a business that will last for the next 10 years, then taking a few more weeks to lay a strong foundation for your business is a wise decision.

    It is way better than rushing to the finish line, only to realize that the foundation is shaky and you have to start all over again. It’s a lesson I learn the hard way.

  12. Hi Alison, I think yellow was fine, in the end, it’s your blog that shows your personality.
    Good post with a lot of information, you could split them into 2 different posts. And I like your videos.
    What software did you use to do the captions in the first video? I may need that as English is not my first language. Hence I also use Grammarly to check for spelling errors.
    Now removing unwanted emails is my daily task, I unsubscribe a lot. But I also check, what headlines catch my attention. This can be helpful when I start sending mine.
    All the best, Tom

    1. Thank you, Tom, for your feedback; I really appreciate it. For the captions I either use Instagram if the video is less than 1:30 or Veed. I really like Veed because you can edit the subtitles. I use the free version, so it puts the Veed logo on the right, but I am okay with that. Glad you like it!

  13. Alison,

    It’s great to see you honing your craft and improving on your blog. We have to remember it’s a journey not a sprint. It is vital that we go one step at a time. I know, like myself you want to sprint. However, remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. The hare sprinted and the tortoise took his time. Who won the race? The tortoise did of course.

    I like the Grammarly suggestion. It is a big help! I am very poor at grammar due to being dyslexia so anything that aids in this area is a plus for me.

    Know your numbers. Whether it’s a business or a personal goal, you cannot be successful without tracking and knowing your numbers. I have been told to take the emotion out of my decision making and let the numbers tell the story and make the decision. The only saying, “The numbers never lie”.

    A lot of business fail because the loose sight of their numbers.

    Thanks for a pleasant blog experience.
    CJ

    1. Wow CJ those are powerful words, ” Take the emotion out of my decision making and let the numbers tell the story and make the decision.” It is important, and for some can be so hard, to approach the numbers and take emotions out of the decision making.

  14. Alison,

    Sounds like you are doing fantastic and taking the lessons (not mistakes, I like the positive angle instead haha) in stride. Thanks for the recommendation for Grammarly! It is something I am going to look into for myself. I’ve a big, big reader – have been my entire life – and it has kind of created for me a tendency to write in a very, uh, verbose manner. As I write my own blog posts, I have to constantly ask myself if I am writing at too high of a reading comprehension level or using too many words. Maybe Grammarly can help check to make sure I am writing in a more approachable, readable manner.

    AK

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