It's interesting to know that both novices and experienced individuals alike, make the same mistakes and bad decisions in affiliate marketing that ruin their progress.
Mistake #1: Organizing Someone Else's List
Sending clients directly to your website without recording their information, is exactly what you're doing in creating someone else's list at your own expense.
What you should do is create a squeeze page where you can record the information of every client who you direct to your website. By doing so, you're building a list for yourself for selling any number of products in future. Remember, the dollars are hidden in the list!
Mistake #2: Not Keeping In Touch With Your Prospects.
If you're going to take your affiliate marketing campaign seriously, then you simply can't ignore, forget about or take your prospects for granted. You've spent a great deal of time and effort enticing these individuals to visit your website, now you must follow up with them so they keep your name, website, product or service uppermost in their minds. Don't forget, there's a lot of competition out there all vying to get the attention of your customer. And if you don't service them; someone else will.
Do you have any newsletters, articles or free reports that you could send to your prospects to keep in touch with them? How about any updated or valuable information about your products and services? These are all ways that you can keep in contact with your prospects. But bare in mind here that you're walking a tight rope between stalking your prospects, and keeping in touch with them.
Mistake #3: Being Too Aggressive With Your Prospects.
Despite having a fabulous website and/or products, you must realize that most people usually don't purchase something the first time around, for a variety of reasons such as: they don't have the money, or they may feel that your product/service doesn't meet their needs, or maybe because it's just not the right time in their lives. Remember, in real estate the phrase is: location, location and location. With affiliate marketing it's: timing, timing and timing.
You don't want to appear desperate, or pushy by asking your clients "Why haven't you purchased my product(s) yet?" Or, "What are you waiting for?" It's up to the customer to decide when (or if) (s)he will purchase your product. By appearing to be pushy or anxious for your customer to buy from you, you may very well alienate that person. No one wants to buy from someone who's desperate. People like to buy things, but they don't like to be sold. They don't want to feel like they're being manipulated or forced into a buying decision. When someone is ready to buy, they'll sell themselves.
Mistake #4: Promoting Multiple Offers In One Mailing.
Are you teaching your prospects multi-tasking? When they've asked for information about your products, it's required that you send them ONLY the required information. Clubbing multiple facts together may confuse your client, and (s)he may drop the idea of associating with you altogether.
Mistake #5: Marketing Several Affiliate Programs At The Same Time.
If there's one thing I've learned about affiliate programs it's this. No matter what program you join, you're going to have to spend time, money and effort to build. If you jump from one program to another without giving your current program time to develop, you'll never achieve true wealth. It also shows that you can't make up your own mind in regards to what program you join. All affiliate programs require you to put some effort into it before you can get anything out of it, and if you don't give it the time to develop, and you don't have the patience to stay with it, you're setting a bad example to both you and your customers.
If you're guilty of committing any one (or more) of these mistakes, there is indeed hope for you. As long as you take corrective action as quickly as possible before your business suffers from it. - 15478
Mistake #1: Organizing Someone Else's List
Sending clients directly to your website without recording their information, is exactly what you're doing in creating someone else's list at your own expense.
What you should do is create a squeeze page where you can record the information of every client who you direct to your website. By doing so, you're building a list for yourself for selling any number of products in future. Remember, the dollars are hidden in the list!
Mistake #2: Not Keeping In Touch With Your Prospects.
If you're going to take your affiliate marketing campaign seriously, then you simply can't ignore, forget about or take your prospects for granted. You've spent a great deal of time and effort enticing these individuals to visit your website, now you must follow up with them so they keep your name, website, product or service uppermost in their minds. Don't forget, there's a lot of competition out there all vying to get the attention of your customer. And if you don't service them; someone else will.
Do you have any newsletters, articles or free reports that you could send to your prospects to keep in touch with them? How about any updated or valuable information about your products and services? These are all ways that you can keep in contact with your prospects. But bare in mind here that you're walking a tight rope between stalking your prospects, and keeping in touch with them.
Mistake #3: Being Too Aggressive With Your Prospects.
Despite having a fabulous website and/or products, you must realize that most people usually don't purchase something the first time around, for a variety of reasons such as: they don't have the money, or they may feel that your product/service doesn't meet their needs, or maybe because it's just not the right time in their lives. Remember, in real estate the phrase is: location, location and location. With affiliate marketing it's: timing, timing and timing.
You don't want to appear desperate, or pushy by asking your clients "Why haven't you purchased my product(s) yet?" Or, "What are you waiting for?" It's up to the customer to decide when (or if) (s)he will purchase your product. By appearing to be pushy or anxious for your customer to buy from you, you may very well alienate that person. No one wants to buy from someone who's desperate. People like to buy things, but they don't like to be sold. They don't want to feel like they're being manipulated or forced into a buying decision. When someone is ready to buy, they'll sell themselves.
Mistake #4: Promoting Multiple Offers In One Mailing.
Are you teaching your prospects multi-tasking? When they've asked for information about your products, it's required that you send them ONLY the required information. Clubbing multiple facts together may confuse your client, and (s)he may drop the idea of associating with you altogether.
Mistake #5: Marketing Several Affiliate Programs At The Same Time.
If there's one thing I've learned about affiliate programs it's this. No matter what program you join, you're going to have to spend time, money and effort to build. If you jump from one program to another without giving your current program time to develop, you'll never achieve true wealth. It also shows that you can't make up your own mind in regards to what program you join. All affiliate programs require you to put some effort into it before you can get anything out of it, and if you don't give it the time to develop, and you don't have the patience to stay with it, you're setting a bad example to both you and your customers.
If you're guilty of committing any one (or more) of these mistakes, there is indeed hope for you. As long as you take corrective action as quickly as possible before your business suffers from it. - 15478
About the Author:
Chas. McDuffie has been in the Internet/Affiliate Marketing Industry for over a decade, and has been associated with numerous mail order, MLMand affiliate companies both on and offline. To learn more about the "One and Only" Internet Money Making System Of It's Kind, that can help you avoid the 5 Deadly Mistakes In Affiliate Marketing, click here.
