Affiliate marketing is fast becoming one of the most popular systems through which brands are promoting their products and services, and for obvious reasons. The benefits are numerous and the www.CENTS.com drawbacks are practically non-existent. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to mess it up though. Below we’ve drawn up a brief synopsis of exactly how affiliate marketing works and have bolstered it with 5 of the most common, huge mistakes that first time affiliate marketers tend to make.
So if you’re thinking of taking your first tentative steps into the world of affiliate marketing, pay attention!
What is Affiliate Marketing?
The easiest way to explain affiliate marketing (at least in layman’s terms) is to approach it from a physical angle. You could say that affiliate marketing as it exists today, was essentially invented in the 1980’s, when high street store owners paid customers to convince passers-by to enter their stores. Affiliate marketing is the same thing (to an extent), but in a digital format. Basically, online writers (usually bloggers) will make a deal with an affiliate, who has a product or service they wish to promote. The writer will use their site as a platform from which to promote their affiliate partners products or services, but will do so in a manner that appears unbiased. The writer will then make a commission on any clicks or sales (depending on the specifics of the deal) made through their site. Simple.
The Top 5 Mistakes
Promoting Things You Know Nothing About – This one should be a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many first-time affiliate marketers choose to work for companies and products that they have absolutely no experience with. Imagine trying to legitimately promote the positive attributes of a product you’d never used, it’s not just difficult to do with any conviction, it’s practically impossible. Of course, you won’t always be able to use the product in question (especially if you’re working with ‘big ticket’ items), but you should at least have some knowledge of the general field. For example, if you’re into sports, go after companies that sell sporting product or if you’re into electronics and technology, look for companies that sell computer software and hardware or smartphones and tablets. It’s really not rocket science. Use the old creative writing adage as a starting point; “Go with what you know”.
“Selling” Instead Of “Advising” – As an affiliate marketer, your job isn’t to sell a product, it’s to suggest the merits of a product and let the audience use your points and opinions to help them make their own informed decisions. If you go for the hard sell you’ll come across as biased, and that is not the point of affiliate marketing. Your content should read less like sales spiel and more like a ‘review’ of the product or service in question. Try to make it enjoyable to read too, as that way you are more likely to get repeat visitors.
Biting Off More Than You Can Chew – When you first start out in the world of affiliate marketing, it can be tempting to join every affiliate program under the sun. However, whilst there is no sin in expanding your revenue streams, taking on too much too soon could leave you completely overwhelmed and burned out. Only choose affiliate programs that are right for you and can work with your terms. Another old adage (but a good one) to take into account should be “Quality over quantity”.
Not Tracking Your Successes – When you make a sales conversion, you want to know exactly where it’s come from and at what time, so that you can use this information to streamline your operation in the future and scale your campaign to reflect the figures.
Not Comparing Products – This is easily the most powerful tool in the affiliate marketers arsenal, and yet so few choose to use it. By using your content to compare products or services (your affiliate and 2 or 3 other similar and competing products) and making your affiliate out to be the best, you’ll really help endear yourself to the buyer. Chances are that if they are in ‘buying mode’, they will already be considering these alternatives anyway, so you’re just helping them make their decision more quickly and in your favour!
Ultimately, affiliate marketing is a complicated system that feeds off subtle manipulation and (above all else), well written, convincing content. Hopefully by pointing out the most common mistakes though, you’ll avoid them at all costs and be able to create a stable income.
This article was written and sourced with the help of Clicksure – experts in affiliate marketing
