Got a vape shop and want to do some e-cig marketing? Or, starting a campaign to jump into the market?
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) have really taken off in popularity.
They provide a safer, inexpensive, and flexible option for smokers.
Personally, I was smoking a pack a day until my friend introduced me to an e-cig and it was that very day I knew I could make the switch. All the benefits made it an extremely easy choice – and I’ve seen this with hundreds of others when I’m out and about.
In flea markets and all-around business parks, I’ll see stalls packed with interested buyers. There are smoke shops dedicated to the electronic type. Hundreds of reputable websites have popped up. Convenient stores offer multiple brands. There are even modding communities for these things.
The Ecig Market: An Overview (and Opportunity)
The sheer amount of list of options is beginning to get extensive and hard to keep track.
Generally, though, you’ll see a few types:
- Disposable
- Rechargables (small form)
- Tank style
- Personal vaporizers
- eCigars
The disposables are ones you’ll generally find at convenience stores. They have a limited charge and amount of e-liquid so once they’re done you have to toss them.
Rechargables, specifically the smaller forms, look like disposables but you can charge them and switch out (or refill) the cartridges. The bigger versions of these, tanks, have bigger batteries and lets you fill a tank so you’re not constantly in need of refilling.
The personal and ecigars are massive units with features and tanks for the heavy smokers.
Ecigs use eliquid which is almost always vegetable glycerin these days. You can find this liquid in just about any flavor imaginable — making it easy to do cross-selling and up-sells. They’re also available in variable degrees of nicotine levels like 24, 18, 12, 6, and 0.
Why Ecigs are such an Easy Sell
Considering there are billions of smokers in the world it’s a pretty safe assumption to say that electronic cigarettes are here to stay and will continue to grow in popularity:
- The initial investment (between $10 – $200) is fair
- The eliquid is very inexpensive (about $10 – $15) and lasts a long time
- The user doesn’t inhale toxic chemicals from the burning of tobacco (and pesticides)
- Users can smoke them just about anywhere (even in places that permit normal smoking)
I’ll give you a personal account of my experience with ecigs which is about the same for many others (so use this as a starting point in your copy and customer research and avatar building):
I was smoking half a pack a day which meant about $4 a day and about 1 hour of my time just to smoking. I tried a few different disposable ecigs when I really wanted to give them a go (spent about $50 in total between a few brands). I then upgraded to a smaller design with interchangeable cartridges ($100). Wanting more I upgraded again to a tank system and bought a handful of eliquids ($150).
Now that I only smoke ecigs I feel my taste coming back. My lungs feel better. I’ve regained my sense of smell. I don’t feel out of place having to dip off from a group to have a smoke. I’m saving a good deal of money. And I’m not doing harm to my lungs from inhaling the actual smoke.
Also, the ability to choose a favorite flavor and lower the nicotine level is making it easier to smoke less and I do see myself going cold turkey in the coming weeks. It will be far easier to do so since it was a gradual come down and breaking of habit than an all-out stop.
I feel a lot of people are taking this same route with smoking. People are tired of it. You can’t smoke in most places anymore. You’re just irritable. You know you’re addicted. You know you’re spending big money each day. You know it’s making you feel bad. Doing the ecig thing turns the table so making that investment is a no-brainer.
Vapor Affiliate Programs and E-Cig Sales Strategies for the Affiliate Marketer
There are many, many businesses offering affiliate programs:
- Mt Vapor
- BluCigs
- V2Cigs
- Virgin Vapor
- Eversmoke
Choice in the matter is up to you and probably best you go with a few so you have your options. A lot of e-cig users will bounce around different brands and flavors. Some will pick favorites but, from my experience, they like to conoseurs — they like to try new things which gives you a perfect reason to include multiple ecig affiliate programs.
If you want to get into serious discussion about the providers than I’d recommend you gander at http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/ (especially in the sidebar).
Ecig Marketing Game Plan
It’s a little late in the electronic cigarette game at the moment but it doesn’t mean you can’t make an entry because we’re seeing more and more people making the switch. It’s also apparent that people that see the value in vaping are likely to invest in the alternative and may even keep it as a hobby (such as only doing 0mg but for the flavor).
If I were you – trying it as an affiliate – I would:
1. Start off by researching the major brands representing the market and find if they currently have an affiliate program. Invest money to purchase some of their supplies to see the quality of their goods and politeness in customer service and policy.
2. Setup a WordPress blog where you can begin reviewing individual units, liquids, mods, and other accessories for the electronic cigarettes.
3. Expand your content by having readers share their stories on switching and using ecigs. Hold interviews with the creators of specific brands. Record and produce video for YouTube.
4. Create a buyer’s guide for new comer’s to electronic cigarettes. Make a mailing list which gives updates about new models, juices, and techniques in vaping.
5. Create and roll out an advertising campaign directed at smokers willing to make the transition. Push the benefits (costs, health, flavor, privacy) and drive them to landing pages where they can see the full array of choices and access your buyer’s guide.
The big commission will come when you sell the larger electronic cigarette units but your regular, recurring income will be due in part of people returning for the juices. People like to try new flavors ever since flavored cigarettes have been banned. They will also try different levels of nicotine in their liquid.
All of this adds up to a very lucrative way to earn money online. In a lot of ways you’re doing good since you’re driving them away from harmful, chemical-filled smokes to one that presents a healthier option. You’re also saving them a great deal of money, too, and that deal passed down to you via commissions.
Even if you don’t smoke – you can still give this industry a try by using the 0mg nicotine in your reviews and case studies. You won’t get addicted and you’ll have the real-world experience so you can talk about the products with ease rather than feeling too promotional in your copy.
