5 Big Mistakes New Affiliate Marketers Make

You have recently decided to become a serious affiliate marketer, you’re all ready and excited, we’ve all been there. It is exhilarating and some would even say intoxicating, but, don’t let yourself be fooled by what some of those “guru tutorials” are saying, it is not easy. We have all heard it before, “earn millions by doing nothing”, “become a self-made Richie Rich by sitting on your ass”, “fire your boss and see the money roll in”, but, it is not as easy as you might think.

There are a few mistakes which a lot of beginner affiliates commit, and this article is here to help you avoid the most common ones. 

• Small effort = big payout 

Everyone on the Internet sees it at least once per day, “work 15 minutes per day, earn millions”, “become a rich man by working 30 minutes a day”, and so on. The biggest problem with it is that it is simply not true. Like any other business, a lot of studying and effort has to be put in order to succeed. You must take affiliate marketing as any other business, be prepared to work every day, sometimes you will have to work extremely hard. There is no way around it, do not think about the shortcuts when you are just starting, otherwise you will fail. There is no easy road, just remember “per aspera ad astra”. Work hard, work smart, educate yourself, keep working on your business model, and you will soon get on the road to success.

• Lack of a plan 

Most of the crowd tends to get overly excited about the idea of affiliate marketing, and this makes them start dreaming big. There is nothing wrong with it, you just have to keep in mind that without a plan, there is no chance of succeeding. You have to set realistic goals, and you need to have understanding how you will achieve them. I am sorry to burst your bubble, but you will not make a million dollars in a month, that is a pipe dream. What you should do is think realistically about it, determine what sounds plausible to you and then figure out a way of reaching that goal. Always present it to yourself in steps, and make sure to follow them. Write those steps on paper if needed. Think about how much you want and can invest, think about how much you would like to earn out of it, and then think about how you will get there. Take it slow, plan it out, and stick to the plan!

• Not educating yourself

This is one of the biggest mistakes which people in the affiliate marketing business tend to make. Most of the people think to themselves “i have learned everything there is to learn about this, why should I spend my time on reading?”. That kind of thinking is counter-productive and will get you nowhere! You have to keep one simple fact on your mind at all times, education = knowledge and the more knowledge you get, the higher your chances to stay ahead of competition are. Just like in every other business, things shift, change and constantly evolve, and keeping up with it is the way to stay on top. Turn your education in to a daily ritual, find sources which you can trust, ones which have proven to be trustworthy and check them out often and eat the fruits of knowledge they provide. Never forget that you have to keep up with the trends and the best way to do it is to constantly educate yourself!

• “Ooh, shiny!”

This one can cause big issues when it comes to affiliate marketing. It is very common to be working on something when suddenly something “shiny” sparks your interest. You might notice it on a forum you frequent or in a mail, where it comes from is not important, what is important is that you should not go off chasing this new idea. Do you have a working project/campaign on your hands? If yes, then focus on it, don’t let yourself be distracted by new things which pop up on a daily basis. It is always better to have one stable campaign which brings you profit than to have many half-finished projects and/or campaigns. There is way too much information on the Internet, and you will be bombarded with it constantly, just be sure that you have everything else under control if you want to try something new out.

• Giving up 

Never do this! Giving up is the number one mistake an affiliate marketer can do. Everyone knows that the road to success is not paved with “i give up” and “i can’t do it” bricks. If you want to succeed, you have to forget about certain phrases like “i can’t” “i won’t” and similar negative ones. You want to succeed, so keep at it! You might have failed a few times or have little to show from your hard work, never succumb to the pressure and don’t let the bad times crush your will and spirit to succeed. Whenever you feel as if the world around you is falling apart and it makes you want to quit, try to clear your mind and relax. Many successful people have gone through rough times, and they didn’t overcome them by quitting, why should it be different for you? Think of affiliate marketing as learning to ride a bicycle. Can you ride a bike? Now how many times have you fallen before you learned riding it?

Remember what we have said before, “per aspera ad astra” the road to stars is paved with thorns, and you are bound to cut yourself whilst trying to reach them, ignore the pain, get smarter and you will come out of it as a better person with much higher chances to succeed.