Craig Johnson’s Website Traffic Building Tool

7 Mistakes Of Affiliate Marketing That You Must Avoid

I have been dabbling on the Internet for a good number of years now, more often through trial and error.

I’ve been lucky. I did not fall for many of the “scams” or questionable schemes out there, claiming to make you a millionaire in a short time.

My main income stream has been affiliate marketing in many different niches, though I am also involved in other business models.

(see the end of this post for my “secret resource” that contributes to my achievement of a 5-figure income).

As proof that I’m not just blowing hot air, click here for a screenshot of one of my Clickbank earnings ($10,734.20).

There are numerous ways to make money on the Internet, but those that are SUSTAINABLE AND REWARDING usually takes quite a fair bit of time and effort. Affiliate marketing is one of the more appealing ways.

WHY AFFILIATE MARKETING?  

For someone new, affiliate marketing offers the easiest way to start. You don’t need your own product, you don’t need a website (although it’s good to have one), you don’t have to worry about customer support, you don’t need to set up payment channels etc.

But why are some people wildly successful at it, while the vast majority just become casualties?

They make costly mistakes - just like I did when I started out. I’m listing down 7 mistakes that I once was a victim, in the hope that you will not repeat them.

7 MISTAKES IN AFFILIATE MARKETING THAT YOU MUST AVOID

 1.  Thinking that affiliate marketing (or Internet marketing in general) is a piece of cake. The truth is that it takes time, effort and a little money to see substantial results. 

2.  Not doing the RIGHT kind of research before deciding on a market.

3.  Taking too much time analyzing or “learning” and not taking CONSISTENT action.

4.  Spending too much time or money on the WRONG kind of promotion.

5.  Not tracking or monitoring the results of the promotion techniques, resulting in wasted effort and cost overuns.

6.  Moving from one project to another in quick succession without giving it a chance to see results.

7.  Giving up too quickly, and concluding that everything online is a SCAM (especially if you get the wrong kind of advice).

The above seems much like common sense, but they are real reasons why so many aspiring marketers fail to even make a dollar online despite spending thousands of dollars.  

The truth is, most people do not know where to start looking for good advice.

BUT WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO LEARN ALL THESE AFFILIATE MARKETING STUFF?

I’ve been repeatedly asked by my subscribers to mentor them or to come up with a coaching program which they are willing to pay for. I always point them to somewhere else, as coaching is not what I would like to do anytime soon.

In recent years there have been numerous ebooks and several membership sites teaching people the tricks of affiliate marketing.

Two such memberships stand out: Wealthy Affiliate and Affiliate Classroom.

I’m a member of BOTH MEMBERSHIPS, so I’m able to give an objective review of each.

Here’s a quick comparison table I’ve done:

Both the memberships have their respective merits, and both cater to different experience levels, from beginners to advanced marketers.

In terms of user friendliness, I somewhat find Wealthy Affiliate to be a little ahead. The general feeling I have is that Wealthy Affiliate provides more value for money, and a lot of thought have been put in designing the site so that even a COMPLETE BEGINNER can quickly put what he learns into action. 

Another plus point is the offer of free hosting by Wealthy Affiliate, which can save you anything from $9.95 per month for outside hosting. If you do not have a host yet, this is money that you should save.

They even provide you with keyword lists on 40+ markets, with recommended products that you can start promoting.

In any program, support is of utmost importance: Wealthy Affiliate offers 1-on-1 support, in addition to a hyperactive forum. They will review your websites, help you with setting up campaigns, provide specific advice and fine-tune your Adwords account. Talk about hand-holding you to success!

And the cost to join Wealthy Affiliate is small compared to what a typical “guru” coaching program would cost you, which sometimes runs into the tens of thousands of dollars with no guarantee of
results. And if you put your heart to it, you can get back many times your investment with relative ease.

There are many more benefits to join Wealthy Affiliate than what I can squeeze in the table above, so why not Take A Tour yourself?

Craig

P/S  There is a limit on the membership, and the price may be increased from what they are telling me. There is enough reason to ACT NOW, if you are serious about doing something to improve your chance of making it BIG in the Internet marketing world.

August 21st, 2007 8 Comments posted in Affiliate Marketing

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