Affiliate marketing is difficult, especially when first starting out. When something is difficult, humans make mistakes – all of us. Not all the time, but one time or another. I’m going to briefly discuss 5 mistakes often made by beginner affiliate marketers, and I will even go further – I’ll explain how you can overcome these mistakes.
You’ve overcome the most difficult step of affiliate marketing – joining an affiliate program (sense the sarcasm). The program has tons of great products (tangible or non-tangible), a referral program, free training, and great commission. Now, all you need to do is put those ads out, and you’re going to be rich. Correct? I think we all know that isn’t even close to true, especially those who have experienced affiliate marketing first hand.
Don’t even start thinking about that big mansion in Beverly Hills, or that flashy Mercedes Benz, before you overcome these mistakes you may very well be making.
Before you break ground on that big mansion on the hill, here are a few mistakes many new affiliate marketers make that you’ll want to avoid.
1) Quitting
You may find yourself in the 5th, or 6th, or even 7th month with an affiliate program, yet your earnings are no where near where you’d like them to be. By now, you’re losing hope, and think if it is worth continuing. I mean, you’ve worked so hard, but you still don’t see the results you want. At this point, don’t quit. Don’t stop what you’ve started. Keep expanding your knowledge – talk to other affiliate marketers in the program, and get some advice. No one ever got anywhere by quitting – well, except for Bill Gates, but that’s another story.
2) Lack of advertising
Alright, I know all of my readers are smart people, and wouldn’t make this mistake, but I feel like I have to point it out. Many beginner affiliate marketers sign up with an affiliate program, get their affiliate link, and start posting it on forums, as well as other sites. They sit back, and think they are going to make sales. You will almost never, ever, make a sale like this. You need a website to advertise properly.
3) No plans, no goals
I know some people don’t agree with working this way – through setting plans and goals, but realistically, that is the way that often works best. Furthermore, your goals need to be realistic. Don’t set a goal to make a million in your first year. You’re just going to end up disappointed when you don’t meet your goal.
4) Falling victim to hype
Whether it is hype created by the affiliate companies staff, or hype you’ve read on other websites, stay away from it. Don’t be fooled into believing those websites that say you can make $10,000 a month, right from the get-go. Look at realistic stories – for example, my post about my earnings with affiliate program Neverblue. If I was going to lie, I’d definitely pick a higher number than $153.00 for one months earnings.
5) Expecting the most, and giving little
Think of it like this – if you opened your own business, would you have to work daily, especially at first, in order to run your business successfully? Chances are, yes. Look at affiliate marketing no differently. You’ll have to put lots in, to get lots (first “lots” meaning time, second “lots” meaning money).
I hope this has helped anyone out who is considering joining affiliate marketing, or is already in the business. I realize these seem like simple ideas, but the problem is, many people are not successful with affiliate marketing because they make these “simple” mistakes. Even if you are making these mistakes, don’t worry. I was once there, and I fixed my affiliate marketing techniques for the better.
Very good points Gooroo! The key to all that is you need to treat your business as a business! Even if it is part-time hours… during those hours you need to work like you are on the clock.
Exactly Doug. Partial effort will not get you anywhere online. You need to go full out, just like you’re running a sports store, or a coffee shop, and so on (you get the point).
I agree with you Gooroo! Btw, in order to make money from affiliate program, we really need to spend some times to promote it, either via article marketing (As per my latest blog post) or Adwords (paid advertising).
Regards,
Lee
Lee,
I’m with you man! I was afraid to invest money at first, but I’ve got over that fear now.
Btw, do you have MSN, or some sort of messenger? I wanted to ask you some questions about Adwords if you don’t mind!
It’s really hard for me to start an affiliate business because of the situation in my country. Although I consider that it could be an awesome source of income. I think that you missed a mistake: “Never be afraid”. You can’t be afraid to invest a little money. You need to be able to gamble and be ready to not receive any money in return.
Thanks for the addition to the list. You’re completely right. Sometimes you’ve got to spend to earn!
May I ask what country you are from?
Yes, you are absolutely correct that if you want more then you have to do more, in short more input to get more output. The input here is mainly in terms of time.
Exactly! You’ll never get more, by putting in less.
I have tried to write a response here but each time I try it times out the comment or provides an error. Do you think the writer possibly look into why there is a problem?