To avoid becoming discouraged by common affiliate pitfalls, make yourself aware of them and their solutions before you come across them.
1. Analysis Paralysis
The Pitfall: Rookie affiliate marketers procrastinate over the tiniest details and delay endlessly. They are searching for the ever elusive hole-in-one, yet they don’t have the courage to swing the golf club!
The Solution: The only way ahead is through experimentation; try new strategies and throw yourself in the deep end. Conquer that debilitating fear that screams, “I’m not ready yet! Let’s correct this tiny detail first!” Catch yourself when you procrastinate, and take action instead.
2. Shiny Object Syndrome
The Pitfall: Affiliate marketers find one system or training product and start following it. But before they get through to the end and complete the project, they get distracted by other products with other promises and drop everything to pursue this new direction. They end up with a whole bunch of unfinished projects, incomplete knowledge, no money and no income!
The Solution: Finish what you start. If you start a training course, make sure you work it all the way to the end. This is the only way you’ll really get any benefit about it. If you’re following a system... finish it. Half-finished systems won’t make you any money! Look at how many tools and training products you’ve bought, versus how many you’ve completed. If necessary, cut down on the number of mailing lists you’re on, or the number of blogs you read. There are hundreds of ways to make money on the internet, but at this point you only need ONE. Choose one, and then give it a chance to work!
3. Unrealistic Expectations
The Pitfall: When starting out, many affiliates dream of becoming millionaires overnight. Unfortunately, affiliate marketing is not a magic pill. It takes work, dedication, and patience. Many give up too soon because they haven’t earned as much as they would like straight away.
If you were pursuing a large income by studying to be a doctor, you wouldn’t give up after the first month, complaining that you weren’t seeing any money yet. Becoming an expert affiliate doesn’t take as long as getting a medical degree (and it doesn’t cost as much, either) but there’s still a bit of learning to do, and it can still take some time to start seeing results.
There’s certainly the potential to earn as much as our doctor friends. The problem is that some people will claim that you can earn millions overnight with one simple trick. This is like promising that you can get a medical degree in the mail for $19.95, and that you will then be able to earn big bucks as a doctor. It’s just not realistic.
The Solution: Stick with it, set realistic goals, and view success as a marathon, not a sprint.
4. Going for the “Quick Buck”
The Pitfall: Trying to find “loopholes” or fast ways to get results. You will see a LOT of products that claim to be “the secret XYZ doesn’t want you to know about.” But if something is promising you fast results that you probably don’t really deserve, it will either a.) not work, or b.) be a temporary boost that won’t work for very long — and then you’ll be back where you started.
The worst are the “quick buck” strategies, which involve spamming your links all over the Internet, or using misinformation on your site to falsely lure in customers. Both could get you banned from your affiliate program, and lose you any potential commissions that you may have made.
The Solution: Be wary of claims that a particular tool or strategy will result in money pouring into your accounts overnight. Even (or perhaps especially) on the Internet, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t spam links wherever you can get them, be able to back up claims made on your website, and include a simple and friendly affiliate disclaimer (FTC requirement). Going after the “quick buck” via any means possible, ethical or not, isn’t worth it.
5. Building Too Many Sites Too Quickly
The Pitfall: Building multiple sites straight away thinking, “more sites will make more money.” Then, when none of the sites have been given the full attention needed, they flop.
The Solution: Start with just one affiliate website, and build it like a home. Would you haphazardly lay the foundation? Would you slop the dripping paint brush widely all over the wall so that the carpet is stained? Of course not! Build your website to last. Once it is established and optimized, then move on to the next one.
0 comments :
Post a Comment