In this post I will be covering 24 reasons why affiliate marketers fail with their online business
If you exhibit any one of these it will be enough to be a road block in your success. Many people look at affiliate marketing and think that it will be easy. That is the illusion that is promoted.
People can get success quickly but it is usually because they have years of experience in marketing or copywriting that they can bring to the table. They don't tell you about the years of struggle before they became the "overnight success"!
Don't Let This Be You
1: Don't Provide Enough Value
You won't make sales if you don't provide value. If people feel that you are just trying to sell...sell...sell, They will be less likely to buy. People do not like to be sold.
Make sure that what ever information you are providing that you include value. Answers to questions that your customer might have. What information will be the most helpful for them.
2: Don't Know The Product
Make sure you know the product that you are promoting. This means going through it yourself. Many affiliate product owers will send out a review copy to their super affiliates for to review. If you are new this may not happen because you do not have the reputation of making sales.
I feel that the most ethical way to promote is to actually try the product your self so that you can honestly say what your impressions are. You will then have a better idea as to what bonuses to include, problems people may have, what you liked and didn't like about the product.
3: Underestimate The Power Of Relationships
Many people will underestimate the power of relationships. If you are ethical and provide value and help people to solve problems you will be successful. Many times it is not the person you are talking to that will be the sale but someone that they know. If your customer knows, likes and trusts you then he/she will be much more likely to recommend your product to others and this will really increase your sales.
4: Focused On Selling Not On Helping
Too many affiliate marketers are focused just on selling and not on helping. If you do not provide help and support then you may end up with a lot of unhappy customers. This will not help your reputation or your bottom line.
Zigziglar once said that "if you help enough other people get what they want you will get what you want."
If you are just focused on selling then you are focused only on yourself and not on helping others to get what they want.
5: Too Much Competition In Chosen Niche (Saturated)
I wish someone had mentioned this when I first got started. Some niches are way more competitive than others. For example the Make Money Online niche is very competitive. If you crack the code you can be very successful but it is really difficult to get a foothold since there are so many people going into this niche. People think that they will make so much money but in truth they would probably make more money faster if they were in a less competitive niche.
You might be able to rank much faster on the 1st page of google if you are in a different niche.
6: Start With Multiple Niches
This is a mistake that I am very familiar with. When I first started in affiliate marketing I thought I could do it all. I don't know if I was conceited or naive. I had visions of all of these niche sites and making sales from all of them.
What I learned is that I was not successful with any of them because I was not focused. There is the saying that if you chase multiple rabbits you will not catch any of them.
In order to get good at something you really need to focus your energy. Once you have it humming along then you can branch out to something else but not to start out with.
One of my mentors said to wait until you are earning 6 figures before you try something else.
7: Didn't Choose Appropriate Product For The Niche
Make sure that the product that you are promoting is appropriate to the niche you have choosen. Do not try to promote keto diet to a dog training site. This is an extreme example. When you are trying to find your affiliate products to promote make sure that you are thinking about your customer and if this product will help them or solve some of their problems.
8: Fake Training - Superficial Training
If you are providing training then it really needs to be valuable. So many people create "fluff" that others really do not benefit from. This only leads to disappointment and others not purchasing what you are promoting. I always recommend promoting what you are actually using so that your comments and tips are valid and congruent with the product you are promoting.
Fake training falls under the fake it till you make it category. If you don't know about something don't train on it. This does not mean that you have to be an expert. Just be authentic and train on what you know.
9: Forget To Test And Tweek
Testing is essential for affiliate marketing success. It does not matter if you are doing paid or free. You need to know/learn what works and what doesn't. If you do not track then you may be throwing your money after promotional methods or products that do not convert or bring in sales. Just know that you may have to make slight changes in order to maximize your income.
10: Distractions And Procrastination
Many affiliate marketers fail because they get distracted by many different products. This is also called SOS or Shiney Object Syndrome. If you are distracted and jumping from product to product you will not be successful. Success takes focus and consistent action.
Procratination can also slow your success. To me procrastination indicates that you may be trying to do something that you are really not passionate about. So, if you are serious about affiliate marketing then make sure that you are really interested in the niche/products that you are promoting.
11: Not Enough Persistence
Persistence and patience go together. You may fail a number of times before you achieve the level of success that you are looking for. You will need to persist after you fail and learn from you mistakes. Implement what you have learned and keep moving forward towards your goal.
12: Not Enough Patience
Many people was instant results. Success takes time. Your experience and technical knowlege and really affect how quickly you achieve success. If you do not have experience with building a business you will need to be patient. Some skills take practice and time to learn and implement.
13: Lack Of Commitment
Failure as an affiliate marketer can be a result of a lack of commitment. You will need to be committed to your goal if you want to achieve success. The market is always changing and somethings have gotten much more difficult over time as the market and google get smarter.
I keep saying this over and over but success takes time. Have a goal that you are passionate about, your "WHY". Pick something that will help you to keep going when things get tough.
If you are not committed then the choices that you make will not get you closer to your goal of affiliate marketing success. Sometimes you need to make some hard choices. Do you go out with your friends or stay home and work on your business. Staying home and working on your business takes commitment.
14: Don't Think Outside The Box
The market is always changing and so if something is not working you will need to think outside the box. Do you do want everyone else is doing or do you take the risk and forge your own path.
Affiliate marketing requires creativity. The more competitive the niche the more creative you need to be to stand out from the crowd.
15: No Passion For Niche - Just Interested In Making Money
My recommendation is to pick a niche that you are interested in. If you just want money then it will be difficult to keep going when the going gets tough. And let me tell you the going WILL get tough. No matter what niche you choose you will need to create tons of content. If you are not interested or passionate about your niche of choice then it will be very difficult to create content over a long period of time.
People can tell when all you care about is money and not really helping them.
Some things like blogging and YouTube take time to get traction. You need to think about these like a marathon.
16: Tech Issues
I have been plagued with tech issues so I under stand this one intimately. Many marketers fail because they can not get past this issue.
One of my requirements for software and programs that I promote is that they have to be easy to use. I know that if I can get things set up and working then others will be able to as well.
17: Unwilling To Learn Or Take Guidance
Ok, so you have taken the time to find a mentor. Make sure that you implement what they tell you. Take their guidance. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.
If you are going to be stubborn and continue to do what you want then there is no need for a mentor. A mentor can shorten your learning curve and speed up your success as long as you follow their suggestions.
18: You Make It All About You
I hate to tell you this but...it is NOT all about you. Success happens when you make it about others and how you can help them to get what they want/need.
19: Concept Is Simple But A Lot To Learn
The concept of affiliate marketing is simple.
Find a product that you use and like. Join their affiliate/partner program and get your affiliate link. Promote your link to those that are interested. Get paid when a sale is made.
What many people don't realize is that there is a lot to learn. You will need to learn about copywriting, email, funnel building, sales pages, software, autoresponders etc...
20: No Website Or Blog
Can you be successful as an affiliate marketer if you do not have a website or blog?? The answer is yes.
Will it help you succeed to have these things? Yes!
People buy from those that they know like and trust. One of the most effective ways that people get to know you is through your blog/website. Another method is YouTube. Video is very effective but a lot of people do not want to be on camera.
If you want to learn about blogging and are a beginner I had a great experience with the 21 day blog challenge. I found the lessons easy to follow and it was very step by step. I have been blogging for a while and I learned a lot.
21: Fake Reviews And Duplicate Content
Don't steal content from other and post it as your own. This will not get you anywhere.
Don't fake it till you make it. Be authentic and talk about your journey. Post about what you do know. You do not need to be an expert but share what you have learned.
If you have not actually tried the product then do not write or create a "fake" review. People will purchase from those that they trust.
22: Spamming
I think most affiliate marketers at one point or another have made the mistake of spamming their links. This is a common practice that gives the industry a bad name. This is also one of the main reasons why affiliate marketers fail.
It is very important that you focus on helping people and connecting them with the tools and services that will help them. If you only focus is making money then that will lead you towards spamming your links just to make a sale.
You may make a few sales in the beginning but your reputation will proceed you. Your chances of creating a long term income will be greatly reduced. Focus on helping others.
23: Not Staying On Track
There are soooo many different products and services available to promote that it is very easy to get distracted and not stay on track. This also ties into the shiny object syndrome. Distraction, lack of focus and not staying on track are all key reasons why affiliate marketers fail.
24: Don't Anticipate The Cost (Tools & Software)
It does not matter what business you are in. If you are serious about success there are tools and software that are necessary. Just because this business can be done from home or part-time does not mean that you do not have to invest in tools and software.
Affiliate marketers fail because this don't treat this like a business. Granted this is one of the least expensive ways to get started in business but it still requires a business mindset.
Most brick and mortar businesses realize that it may take 5 years or so before they start showing a profit. Most affiliate marketers think they should be successful in about 30-60 days. Alot of marketers fail because of these unrealistic goals and mindset.