One feature of our MyAffiliateCoach program that our students tend to really enjoy are our one-on-one sessions each week. Each student gets an our or so with myself or another instructor to discuss and answer questions about their specific program, obstacles and challenges. These are great sessions and I think people really get a lot of value out of them.
Today, one of our students asked a great question, so I thought I’d share my answer. “Jamie, should I use my companynamehere.com email address to communicate with affiliates or should I use the affiliates network’s email system solely?”
That is a great question. First let me say that you need to be checking your network email box and answering those emails daily at least. Affiliates do contact you through that area and you need to be sure your are prompt.
Now, should you be using your corporate email address? The short answer is heck yeah. Boom. Winning. (sorry, had to get one Sheenism in a blog post before that whole thing dies out).
Affiliate marketing is about relationships. Relationships between you and your affiliates individually. Successful programs aren’t built between affiliates and “Affiliate Team” or a CJ or Linkshare inbox. Relationships in affiliate marketing are vital and you have to consistently and constantly build them, nuture them, protect them and grow them. It isn’t a complex idea, but it isn’t necessarily easy either. Share your email, name, phone number, IM, twitter… Affiliates need to know who you are.
If you ran a candy store on main street in a small town and worked a deal with another store in another town to sell your candy, would you not share ALL your contact info with them? Affiliate marketing is no different.
Maybe you are saying – “Jamie, I don’t have time to answer emails from 9000 affiliates! I can’t take 100 phone calls a day!”. No you can’t. But you won’t. I’ve managed and worked with over 60 programs. I’ve worked in-house at large retailers and managed more than 8 programs at one time. Never once was I unable to answer affiliate emails or calls. They just don’t come in at the rate you may be worried about. So don’t fret, you’ll have plenty of time.
Now, if you are nervous about interacting with affiliates on a personal level, don’t be. I’ve worked with so many affiliates and can count on one hand the affiliates that were difficult to deal with. This is a wonderful, fun, intelligent, energetic, and extremely friendly group of professionals. Open the door to them and they’ll help you succeed.
