This is a guest post by Raymond Selda who teaches internet marketing at his blog RaymondSelda.com.
You’ve been working hard on affiliate marketing for more than half a year now but still you have nothing to show for. What are you doing wrong in web marketing? This situation is really frustrating but you should never think about quitting. However, there are some mistakes that you should avoid like a plague and failure to correct these mistakes will only result in a cycle of frustration.
Let’s discuss each one of them…
Lack of Research
First mistake is not spending enough time to research. Many beginners will just pick a hot product thinking that they could ride the wave. They setup their campaigns and wait for months with little or no sales. They’re getting some traffic but the conversion rate is very low.
Why? It’s because they failed to do their research. They didn’t really connect with their niche. Just because the product is hot doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to make money that easily. Every product you promote is profitable but the key is how you connect the dots. It’s how you align the product to the customers.
There are two places that I check out when doing my initial research. Free keyword tools (Google and SEO Book) and the forums where my niche hangs around. You can really learn a lot just by spending a few hours inside forums. You can see what lingo your niche is using and you can use that to really connect with them.
Wrong Mindset
Next mistake that newbies make is not having the right mindset. If you think that you’re not going to be successful with Internet marketing then you’re not going to make it. But if you think otherwise and take some serious action with additional persistence then there’s no question that you’re going to be a profitable Internet marketer. It’s really that simple.
It amazes me that there are still a lot of people who think that there are shortcuts to becoming successful in making money online or in life in general. Internet marketing is not any different from a regular brick and mortar business. You have to put in some serious amount of effort and dedication in order to really see the results that you want.
It’s also important that you distance yourself from negative thinking people. It’s guaranteed that you’re going to encounter them once you’re doing this make money online stuff. This business becomes increasingly hard when your family are the ones who are pulling you down. I’m not telling you to shut your family or spouse out but I would suggest that you explain to them how everything works. If they still don’t get it then it’s fine, just keep working on your business. Many people don’t know how affiliate marketing works that’s why they’re so skeptical about it.
Not Taking Action and Not Sticking to a Game plan
Last is not taking any action and not sticking to a game plan. I’ve read that analytical and intelligent individuals are the ones who are having a hard time with Internet marketing. Why? It’s because they think a lot and they over analyze everything. They never get to a point where they really do something because they’re frozen with all of their questions and excuses.
There are also those who do take action but quickly jump to another product because they didn’t get any sales from using their previous method. The thing is if you’re using a free promotional method like article marketing then it will definitely take a few weeks up to a few months before you even get some results. Now if you have some budget you can come up with quick results by paying for traffic. But you have to be really careful because you can waste a lot of money if you don’t know what you’re doing.
At The End…
These are some of the dreaded mistakes that beginners should avoid. I’m convinced that if beginners would just take the time to research their niche, bring positive vibes to their campaigns and just stick to one promotional method they will have more positive results with their marketing efforts.
It would be great if you can also share your mistakes so we can also learn from them. I’m sure these 3 are not the only ones. Looking forward to your comments.
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Hey Raymond,
Nice Post !! I strongly agree with point 2.. “Wrong Mindset”. Many People think making money online is easy, but it’s not blogging takes really hard-work and patience.
Anyway, other points are great as well. Nice post Raymond 😉
Thanks,
Dev
.-= Dev @ Blogging Tips´s last blog ..Get Organized Now to Avoid Blogger Burn Out Later =-.
I’m not an affiliate marketer but what you mention here is very true. I’ve seen many people simply get an affiliate product and start writing about it and promote it on everywhere, end up they quit it because they can even make a sale. They really need to plan well before moving further.
Great post here Raymond!
Regards,
Lee
.-= Lee Ka Hoong@Blogger Theme´s last blog ..50 Free Professional Blogger Templates =-.
They fail because they either had a wrong mindset, didn’t do any research or didn’t stick to the game plan. These article reveals real reasons why someone can fail. And there are lots of people that do not follow the rules. Later on they all regret. But adding to these 3 things I should say that it’s in your blood – if you were not created for selling, you won’t. I know some people who can sell cheap things for a very high price with almost no efforts, whereas others do their best and get no feedback at all…
I like the third point of the post. I think that new affiliate marketers need to take a trial and error approach to marketing. Just because your first PPC advertisement or article doesn’t work, doesn’t mean another won’t. You need to keep toying and tinkering with your approach until you hit something that works.
Totally agree on all three. The big problem is that as in the real world it’s a business. People get suckered into (and pay for free information in the process) believing anyone can do it. No they can’t.
Even well-seasoned marketers aren’t immune from these mistakes!
One thing I’d like to point out though is that although it is important to make and stick to a game plan, it is also important to give yourself some leeway for development and improvement of the plan. Your plan should not be static but should be something you are constantly working to improve.
I think another reason affiliate marketers fail is they neglect to take the product into their own neighborhood. That is to say, the town or city they live in. Often times, targeting local traffic is easy as the keyphrases are not that competitive.
.-= Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..Tri Cities Has Lowest Cost of Living in the State =-.
I’ve always been somewhat stuck in the middle…..an analytical jumper if you will. lol
Workin’ on it!
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Would You Like to Read a TRUE Make Money Online Blog? Part 1 =-.
With affiliate marketing, researching your niche is absolutely key (as pointed out in this post). Instead of trying to create demand for a product, you should be looking for a community which is demanding for one instead. Researching into why people need a product, it’s often to fulfill what no one has yet.
Affiliate marketing is quite tough when you’re first starting out. You may see success here and there but again (as the post mentions) the mindset is very important. If you’re turned off by low or no sales after the first few weeks, you’re doomed to fail. On the other hand, if you continue to put work toward promoting a product day in and day out, you’ll eventually see success.
Not everything you promote is going to be successful though. Many great entrepreneurs have a long list of failures before one idea catches on like wildfire. This in hand goes with research. If the market doesn’t need it or demand it, just bite the bullet, accept you couldn’t work with it and move on. It’s not a failure if you learn from your mistakes.
Lastly, sticking it out is key. If you don’t have the heart to continually promote a product, how will your potential customers feel? If one week you’re passionate about a product but the week after you’ve dropped all mention of it, it looks like something went wrong in the eyes of your readers. Stick it out and do the best you can. Keep with your game plan through the end.
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..5 Free Online Tools For Freelance Writers =-.
not sticking with it is why i see most marketers fail. It is not easy and the first year or two are the hardest. For me it took me at least a year of trial and error before I figured things out and then a year more for things to get going. I could of easily given up but didn’t. You made some good ponts in this post.
.-= Tycoon Blogger @Promote a Blog´s last blog ..Yet another tip to promote your blog =-.
I think the 4th reason is because they do it all by themselves. If you are alone, then there is a big chance that you will fail because no one is guiding you. So better to be mentored by someone else like any other authorize people out there who already achieve the success on internet business.
When you say business, you need to invest not only your effort but also some amount from your own pocket. Because affiliate marketing is just like offline business as you said.
Thanks for sharing this great information. I would like to hear more from you…
.-= Real Blogging Advice´s last blog ..How Reliable JustHost Web Hosting Services Is? =-.