One of the biggest mistakes made by affiliate marketers when they first set up is failing to recognize that they are actually starting a business. Consequently, if you want to be successful you need to have the right mindset and manage your business accordingly. Not doing this is one of the fastest roads to failure.
If you look at it from another perspective you are establishing a marketing company. Your websites and affiliate links are the assets that you can build to be as big as you want. You are only limited by your time and imagination.
There are a few steps you can take that make you stand out from the crowd and avoid the stamp of being a “newbie” or unprofessional.
Step 1: Websites and domains
It’s important to have your own domain(s) and website(s) for several reasons. One is that you have complete control over what you choose to promote. Another is what ads and banners you want to put on your site. You can create an eye-catching professional layout. Or have someone do it for you if that is beyond the scope of your abilities.
If you need help look at Fiverr.com. I use Fiverr quite often for a variety of tasks. It is wise for you to acquaint yourself with the many services offered.
Secondly, you are able to have your own personalized email. You appear far more professional when you have your own domain. The option is freebie hosting without a decent or keyword enhanced name. An extra benefit is that your website and domain are assets that can be sold down the track.
I’ve made money from selling domains. Every word in the English language is already registered. I suggest registering your own name. This is what I have done. I am my brand.
A friend actually waited to name his daughter after he registered the domain. That was to ensure she had her name URL.
Registering a Domain
I suggest using HostGator to register your domain and set up a simple WordPress site. If you need help with WordPress HostGator or Fiverr can help. A domain costs $10 – $12 to register. Hosting at HostGator is very cheap. Don’t worry too much about the domain. Just get it registered.
Registering a domain name does not mean you have to set up a website. You own the domain. What you do with it is your choice. Many people make good money online with a one-page site. Others park the domain and do not have an active site. I have several domains. But I have only a few active sites.
You do not have to have a website to be an affiliate marketer. But I suggest a website will expand your business in time. It depends on the purpose of the site.
Step 2: List building
All marketers know you need to get traffic to your website. You want traffic to click on your banners and ads to make money. No clicks – no sales. But getting traffic can be hard work. Even when you get visitors to your site you generally only have one shot at nailing their business.
What you need to do is build up a customer list so you can get repeat visitors. You can do this by creating a signup form on your website. In another post, I’ll give solid information for lead magnet creation. Sign up now and you will automatically receive it.
List building is not difficult. Use a perceived value item to attract subscribers to your newsletter. Or offer a free downloadable gift or service in return for your visitor subscribing to your list. Once you have established a list you can email your customers with your offers and promotions on an ongoing basis.
Good Advice
Don’t just contact your list when you are selling something. Share useful information or advice. Establish yourself as the prospect’s go-to person in your niche. Build trust so your customers will know to value what you are offering them. That way they will buy from you when you do have a promotion.
It is generally accepted that your list has a value of $1 per customer per month. Your list is an asset to nurture and build. Your list grows when you have a really good sales funnel. For some reason creating a sales funnel is a roadblock for many people. You do not have to spend a lot of money on funnel help.
Click on this link and check out the funnel program I use. It is simple and offers much more than more expensive options. I strongly suggest giving it a test drive.
Step 3: Traffic
The lifeblood of affiliate marketing is traffic. Not everyone can get on the front page of Google. So where else are you going to get traffic? Unless you want to pay for it and that can be very costly.
A few methods you can explore are: writing articles, press releases, posting in forums, commenting or guest posting on blogs, offline advertising, and classified ads.
You don’t have to do everything at once, start off with one. Master it then move on to another. It’s important to test your results. Check to see which method is most effective and keep doing that.
Rinse and repeat
Rinse and repeat is an affiliate marketing mantra. It comes from shampoo marketing decades ago. A clever marketing fellow added ‘rinse and repeat’ to the printed instructions for using his shampoo brand. That simple 3-word addition to the instruction printed on the bottle increased sales dramatically.
Now the term is used instead of saying “do the successful thing again and again.” That is what successful Internet marketers do. Much of affiliate marketing is setting up a basic program. Then fine-tuning it so the effort is virtually automatic.
I know a fellow who put an offer online more than a decade ago. Since nothing disappears from the Internet that sales page still delivers. Although he hasn’t made a change in years. The site delivers $500 a month or so.
This should be your goal. Not just $500 a month. But recurring income on autopilot.
Step 4: Play the Right Notes
A very old joke tells of a tourist to New York City. The tourist stopped someone on the street. Then asked, “Can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” The other person replied, “Practice, practice.”
That answer is the same when someone asks me, “How do I make money with affiliate marketing?” Forget all the shiny object offers to hit your inbox. If you want to be a writer, write. If you want to be a marketer, market products.
Internet rockstars say, “Publish is better than perfect.”
I’ve spent many dollars and years learning my online craft. And I have a lifetime of marketing experience. Most people never make more than $500 or so a year marketing online.
You can make that in a day. Provided you develop the proper mindset and work your business. Choose your niche wisely. Know the customer in that niche. Communicate effectively with that customer.
Know what you are selling. Domino’s sells convenience, not pizza. Rolex sells jewelry, not watches. What customer need or want does your offer satisfy?
Internet Success
Having an affiliate marketing business is all about repeating systems that work. Make sure you develop a system first. Then rinse and repeat the methods that work for you.
I measure success using several metrics. Sales volume is one. Adding to my list is another. Repeat customers tell me I’m building confidence in my brand. New customers indicate I’m spreading my influence.
My primary goals are simple. I want to offer the best products to a defined target market. My purpose is to help you achieve your goals.
Determine your goals. Write a plan to achieve those goals. Then work your plan. Do not complicate things. Do what successful people do. Study them. Learn from them. Take your business seriously.
That is what successful people do.
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