| This site is reader-supported. If you click on some of our links, we may receive a commission at no cost to you. [Disclosure] |
Affiliate marketing is among the most financially rewarding and satisfying ways to earn money online. Your job as an affiliate marketer is to promote and market other people’s products or services for a commission. The earnings for this commission structure have unrestricted potential and have created a number of online millionaires.
Although affiliate marketing can generate income online, it’s by no means easy. It requires a great deal of dedication, ability, and understanding to be effective.
If you are looking to go from rags to riches overnight, this may not be for you. Nevertheless, affiliate marketing is undoubtedly a good choice if you wish to set up a strong foundation that can make you cash on total auto-pilot for the years ahead.
In case you decide to take this path, there are a number of pitfalls you should be aware of. Here are some of the most common mistakes that new affiliate marketers encounter.
Registering For A Lot Of Affiliate Programs
Although there are many great products with affiliate programs, it hardly makes sense to apply for all of them.
When you’re just starting out, stick to no more than a handful. Once you become more experienced and start to achieve success, add a few more. You will become discouraged and wind up doing nothing at all if you join a large number of affiliate programs.
Not Building An Email List At The Beginning
Among the mistakes I see a number of affiliate marketers making, particularly the newbies, is forwarding traffic straight to the sales page. This is hardly the best practice. Your first priority is to build an e-mail marketing list.
If potential customers are sent straight to the sales page, this will result in a one-time commission and nothing else. You need to create and send them to your own landing page first.
If you build an e-mail list initially, you can make several commissions from one client. 
Plus, you will have the ability to develop long-term and continuous relationships with a targeted market.
When you own a list you can market to them over and over. You are able to do this for as long as they remain a subscriber.
Start constructing a list right from the start!
Promoting Products Based Solely on Commission
Make sure you research the products you promote. Never ever promote an item based entirely on the commission you will earn per sale. You need to keep in mind that you’re doing this for the long term.
Promoting inferior products just for a quick buck is not good business practice. Your aim is to promote genuine items that your site visitors and email list will value highly.
Always strive to promote items that are in demand and produce positive results. This will lead to fewer refunds and subscribers who regard your messages as unreliable.
Picking Low Converting Affiliate Marketing Products
One of the elements you need to analyze when choosing affiliate products is conversion rates. Apply this information to decide which products provide the biggest rate of return.
Conversion rates are vital when executing your marketing strategies. If you only promote low converting products, don’t expect to make much money. Avoid spending more on advertising than you actually get back in commissions.
Also, try to promote a variety of low and high-converting products. That way you can cater to a larger audience.
Having Unreasonable Expectations
Many new affiliate marketers expect immediate riches when they get started with affiliate marketing. While it is possible to make a lot of money doing this, it takes time. To reach that level of success requires commitment, effort, and on occasion your own money.
Despite the potential pitfalls mentioned here, affiliate marketing done properly can be a great source of income.
Once you understand the challenges and develop a good affiliate marketing strategy, you too can reap huge rewards.
