Here is the truth about affiliate marketing... It is not your fault you are still failing.
Affiliate marketing is HARD!! The industry really promotes push button success but most times it doesnn't happen that way. People end out being disillusioned and either quit or fail.
People are sucked into the illusion that they won't have to learn anything or do any work, it will just be push button success. This couldn't be further from the truth.
What Is The Reality of Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes hard work and dedication to make money online. You will need to invest time, energy and money into your affiliate marketing business in order to see success.
As with any industry there are shady people out there. They feed into your desire for easy and fast money. Before you invest in any program, make sure you do your research.
It’s also important to remember that affiliate marketing is a long-term game. You won’t see overnight success, and you’ll need to be patient and consistent in order to build your business.
Here is the basic truth about affiliate marketing...If you are new to marketing, learning the skills can take months to years depending on the time and effort that you put into it.
Common Pitfalls of Affiliate Marketing
The truth about affiliate marketing is that there are many pitfalls especially if you do not have any experience in this area. The people that succeed quickly usually have some experience in marketing and sales.
You will need to learn about:
- Sales Funnels
- Autoresponders
- Email sequences
- Creating Content - Will you do free or paid, written or video?
- How to get traffic - people to your offer
- Will you use free or paid methods
- Technology - This is a big stumbling block
- Creating lead magnets
- What tools/ software do you really need?
- Is this your hobby or business??
One of the biggest mistakes people make when getting started in affiliate marketing is not doing enough research. It’s important to understand the products or services you are promoting and the market you are targeting.
It is really difficult to promote a product that you have not tried. To be most ethical I always recommend purchasing the products that you promote. This will give you insight and the ability to really support your customers the right way.
Also, if you don't think the product is worth investing in how will you convince others that it is worth investing in. Sales is hard enough as it is without creating more resistance.
Another common mistake is not having a plan. It’s important to have a strategy and a plan for how you are going to promote the products or services you are promoting.
No matter what new skill you are trying to do there will be a learning curve.
Finally, it’s important to remember that affiliate marketing is not a “set it and forget it” type of business. You will need to consistently monitor and adjust your strategy in order to achieve success.
I also highly recommend a mentor. Someone who has been there and done that. This can save you a lot of trial and error. The truth about affiliate marketing is that mentors add a great deal to the market. They can help to keep you on track and focused on the right things. The best mentors will tell you what you NEED to hear NOT what you WANT to hear.
Truth About Affiliate Marketing
The truth about affiliate marketing is that it can be a great way to make money online.
However, it takes hard work and dedication to be successful. You will need to research the products or services you are promoting and have a plan for how you are going to promote them.
You will also need to be patient and consistent in order to see success.
Why You Are Still Failing
If you are still failing at affiliate marketing, it could be because you are not investing enough time and energy into your business. You will need to consistently work on your business in order to see success.
Do you have the knowledge needed and the skill to put it all together? Treat affiliate marketing like you would a school or university. Learn the skills and apply them to what you are doing and this will lead to creating the income you desire.
It could also be because you are not doing enough research or not having a plan. Make sure you understand the products or services you are promoting and have a strategy for how you are going to promote them.
Finally, it could be because you are not taking enough action. You will need to take consistent action in order to see success. Don’t give up, and keep pushing forward.
Is it fear that is keeping you from taking action. I know when I started I was afraid of making mistakes. One thing I have learned in my years of being an affiliate is that even the top affiliates make mistakes.
Conclusion
The truth about affiliate marketing is that there are many skills that need to be learned in order to achieve success. To expect success when you have not experience or skill is unrealistic.
One of the biggests failings of the affiliate marketing industry is that it is promoted as "push-button success. To be honest most of the programs that promote this idea will not get you what you want. They are successful because they have great sales copy that feeds your desire.
You end out going down the shiny object rabbit hole.
I will end on the positive. Affiliate marketing does have a number of benefits.
A couple of benefits to affiliate marketing are:
- The training can be done on your own time
- The cost is not nearly as much as a university.
- The actual business model is simple.
- You don't have to create your own products
- Have a brick and mortar building.
- You don't have to stock product
- You don't need to provide customer service
- There is no glass ceiling
There are many options and ways to build your affiliate business. Look around...do some research and figure out what method works best for you.
If you are interested in learning more...I read a book that really helped to clarify things for me. This is my mentor's book and he talks about the 4 main areas of focus. Learning these things will really help you with your business.
The book itself is free but there is a very small S&H fee.