Let’s face it, we all make mistakes. It’s part of the learning process but some mistakes are bigger than others. You’ll make a lot of mistakes on your journey through affiliate marketing, however, with a little help there are some you can avoid. Here are our 7 mistakes to avoid in affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is considered to be one of the quickest and easiest ways to earn money online. However, for some people it simply doesn’t work out. The theory is simple: as an affiliate you earn money through commissions by promoting products or services of other people on the internet. All you have to do is find an offer you like, promote it to the public and when they buy you take away a percentage of the earnings for each sale you make. What could be easier?
As you probably know by now, whilst it may sound easy in theory, the reality can be a very different story. So why do some affiliates fail to make money? Simple! They are probably making one or more of these mistakes:
1. Expecting instant success!
If you spend any time searching the web for affiliate marketing advice then you’ve no doubt seen a lot of people who say that they have had instant success. However, whilst affiliate marketing can generate income quite quickly, it’s by no means a given and, like anything in life, you’ll only get out what you put in.
Those who have successfully earned life changing sums of money didn’t do so overnight, despite their claims. It takes time to create an audience and a customer base and you should make sure that you bear that in mind right from the start. If you give up too easily and aren’t willing to take risks then affiliate marketing probably isn’t for you. If, on the other hand, you are willing to put in the necessary time and energy into your campaigns and research ways to improve them, then you can become one of the few who make a good living in the industry.
Once you start looking at affiliate marketing like a business and not a ‘get rich quick scheme’ you’ll realise that you need to work at it and initiate the commercial strategies required to be successful. This isn’t easy and it takes time. Don’t give up! As the British saying goes: ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’
2. Targeting a generic audience
There’s an old saying in the business world: ‘Go niche or go home.’ and this is as true for affiliate marketing as it is for any startup company out there. You will always have more success if you target a niche market than you will if you try to cast your net wide and cater to as many people as possible. For example, the term ‘financial market’ covers a huge number of areas without concentrating on any single demographic. ‘Cryptocurrencies for men over 35’, however, is far more specific and you will be able to better tailor your campaign to this area.
The most successful affiliates target directly to a specific market niche of their choosing by targeting carefully selected products and services that people in their demographic will be interested in buying.
3. Giving up too easily
Affiliate marketing is a competitive industry and, as a result, many people give up when they are on the brink of success.
As with the first point about instant success, you can obtain profits from affiliate marketing but you must have a long-term vision and be able to compromise. It will take at least 1 or 2 years to develop your business and if you see people in the market that are more successful than you, remember, they were once in your position. Don’t see them as having something you don’t, rather look upon their success as a challenge and living proof that you too can be successful.
4. Be unique, just like everybody else.
Don’t forget that there are many other affiliates promoting the same products and services as you. In order to get noticed, you can create bonus schemes to encourage people to buy from you, instead of other affiliates. Bonuses can include things like a free e-book or video that they would otherwise have to pay for.
By doing this, you are adding value to their purchase, something that most other affiliates never do.
5. Make sure that the program you for work takes care of its affiliates and provides you with all of the help you need.
Look for programs that provide you with material to promote, such as banners, emails, blog articles and other tools to promote the product or service. Also make sure they offer different payment options. As an affiliate marketer, you will have to be guaranteed that you will be rewarded for the referred sales.
6. Do not promote affiliate programs whose main objective is to capture email addresses and to make a second sale.
As an affiliate marketer, you need to build your own list and then try to convert that prospect into a sale. Stay with affiliate programs that do not focus on capturing leads, because this will not help you. Build your own list, not other people’s.
7. You must make sure that the product is from a proven seller.
You do not want to waste your time and money directing traffic to a site that does not convert. Find one with a good conversion rate and target that.
8. Not joining ConvertingTeam
The biggest mistake by far that affiliates make is not joining our amazing affiliate network. We can help guide you to success by giving you everything you need to take your campaigns to the next level. Need advice? We’ve got it! Need landing pages, banners and prelanders, we’ve got loads and they are all made by our inhouse experts! So why not join us today and get converting straight away.
Now that you know what the 7 most common mistakes in affiliate marketing are, you should be able to increase your conversions and generate more sales. Good Luck