So you want to be a super affiliate? It is the dream of every person who enters into affiliate or performance marketing that they would soon shoot to the top of the program, making thousands or even tens of thousands, of dollars per week. Of course for the vast majority of performance marketers this never happens. Why? The reason is simple: Those who fail to reach their goals as performance marketers lack a well thought-out plan for achieving their goals and lack the focus to carry that plan out. Here we will take a more in depth look at this mistake, and what can be done to change it.
The first part of the major mistake that virtually all performance marketers make is that they lack a well-thought out plan for making their opportunity pay. That is to say, they have very little idea exactly what they will do in order to realize the kinds of profits that they desire. Here are some pointers to making a plan to promote your affiliate offer:
- Read through all the information provided to you by the company offering the affiliate program. Familiarize yourself with the product and any marketing materials the company offers.
- Ask the company for marketing pointers, focusing on what is already working for top producers.
- Create a marketing plan with your budget in mind. At first your plan should be considered to be in “testing” phase, in other words simply gauging the market. Often times affiliates get discouraged when their initial marketing efforts fall flat. Remember that your initial efforts are usually used to better set parameters for later marketing efforts.
The second part of the mistake that virtually all performance marketers make is that they do not develop the focus and concentration on their effort which is needed to see it through to success. This is one reason why it is always best to choose to promote a product or service that you really care about, and with which you are intimately familiar. It is a far easier to promote an offer that has benefited you in the past, or of which you have expert knowledge. Here are some pointers for developing the focus needed to see your way to success:
- Before beginning to promote a product ask yourself if you really believe in it. If the answer is no, you should probably not get involved unless there are pressing and compelling reasons to go against the rule.
- Before beginning to promote a product choose a definite amount of time you will work per week, and a definite number of weeks or months you will dedicate to your success. Next, evaluate your commitment honestly. Ask yourself if your time commitment is likely enough to lead to the success of your efforts.
- As you promote your offer, check your actual time and effort invested versus your earlier commitment. Ask yourself if you are living up to your commitment. If not, try to identify why not. If possible, step your activities up to match or surpass your commitment.
The major mistake that virtually all average performance marketers make is thinking that the process will be easy. They think that they can get into the business and make money quickly, without rendering an amount of service equivalent to their compensation. But successful performance marketers realize that success can only follow selecting the right offer, making a plan, and consistently following through.
