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[Amy Ely]

Do you currently send emails and newsletters to your affiliate base? Are you looking for ideas to improve the content, open rates and general engagement with your affiliates? Then grab your headphones and tune in to this helpful podcast.

Merchant ABCs hosts Deborah Carney and Vinny O’Hare joined Kim Salvino and Amy Ely of buy.at to discuss ideas on how merchants can create engaging and efficient affiliate newsletters.

Topics include:

• Using subject lines, content and a format that is helpful and appealing to affiliates
• The pros and cons of using HTML vs text, personalizing messaging, and including tracking code
• The importance of understanding legal & illegal practices when communicating with affiliates

Key takeaways:

• Use subject lines that make sense – don’t title “monthly newsletter” when you can include key words that relate to the information in the email
• Consider addressing recipients by name and making the messaging personal
• List main topics at the start of the email to immediately engage recipients on points of interest
• Think about including code (that works!) when mentioning the great creative available for your program – if you have their attention, make their life easier by allowing for a quick copy/paste
• Don’t bother telling affiliates about sales that started yesterday and end tomorrow
• Engage affiliates beyond your program details, ask them what they need from you, share helpful industry stats, discuss topics with them on forums, in social media, etc.
• Include contact details at the close of each email
• Test before you send! Test before you send!!!

Helpful statistics:

• In a recent survey of 7,000+ affiliates from Affiliate Benchmarks, they listed weekly as the most preferred frequency of affiliate program newsletters
• Further, affiliates listed direct personal email, newsletter email, and network email as the top three preferred ways to receive information from advertisers they work with

Listen to the podcast here: Create Engaging and Efficient Affiliate Newsletters – Merchant ABCs #26