If you’re reading this article you’re probably quite new to affiliate marketing. So welcome to this incredible yet challenging world! Learning the ins and outs of affiliate marketing and the digital world is certainly a journey. Being aware of which mistakes to avoid can get you on that first leg of the journey much quicker. So let’s dive right in….
Forgetting to Pre-Sell
You can’t simply stick up a banner on your website and expect the sales to roll in. This is even more true for high ticket items or services, but the same rule applies to all affiliate offers. The trick here is to focus on the emotions of the reader/viewer and aim to ‘help’ rather than ‘sell’. In doing so you will actually sell far more.
People don’t buy a product because of its positive selling-points. They purchase an item or sign-up to a service because of the way it makes them feel. Think about it… you don’t buy a new shirt because it’s non-iron and good quality cotton. You actually buy it because it makes you feel good when you wear it, it expresses a part of who you are, or enables you to feel prepared for the day or an event. The fact that’s non-iron and made well, are the secondary reasons.
Only Focusing on the Short Term
Don’t neglect to work towards a long-term success plan. Start collecting email addresses from the minute you hit the launch button. Start building marketing funnels from multiple different channels to give you the best chance of long-term survival. If you rely solely on one channel and for some reason, you lose it, that could be the end of your earnings until you build yourself back up. The aim is not to make as much money as you can in the next 6 months and then ask, what now? The aim is to create a brand and a business that can withstand the test of time. One that will evolve with the digital space.
Promoting Things You Don’t Know Anything About
The affiliates who typically perform the best and make a living from their efforts are those that promote things they are genuinely passionate about. It’s easier to write about things you love or have an interest in. It’s even better if you’ve used the products or services yourself, this adds real authenticity to reviews and opinions, giving them an edge.
This isn’t to say you should only promote affiliate offers from things you like or things you’ve tried, but you should seriously educate yourself within that niche and choose things you’re happy to spend time learning about.
Not Testing Anything
Don’t fall into the trap of ‘assuming’ some methods are better than others. Test everything, try new channels for your promotions, try out different banners and keep a record of how everything performs. You might be surprised just how wrong some of those initial assumptions were!
