Referral Networks – Page 9 – TP Javeton WebNet

The fact of the matter is…

There is an aspect of affiliate marketing that many seasoned affiliates – those who are struggling and some who have found success in varying degrees – are hesitant to discuss due to a perception that disclosure would make it more difficult to attract newcomers (newbies) to the business. This particular aspect is the cold hard fact that over 90%, but less than 95% of affiliates will actually make less than $100 a month; and those who exceed earnings of $100 a month, but haven’t reached the pinnacle of success, probably comprise another 8% to 9% of the affiliate workforce, leaving only one to two percent at the elite status of super affiliate marketers.

It is therefore important for any aspiring or newbie affiliate marketer to understand that s/he should not count on making a full time income unless and until s/he is able to acquire the tools, resources, online marketing skills and relationships necessary to launch the type of affiliate marketing business that will be sustainable for the first few years, and could eventually generate revenue on a consistent enough basis considered enough to meet the high bar of success as it pertains to the affiliate marketing business.

Basic elements and traffic flow

The basic elements required for kicking off an affiliate marketing career are:

A good web site that converts!
Adequate search engine optimization (SEO)!
Interesting if not compelling content!
Website visitors, or traffic in AM jargon!
Supporters: returning visitors who like you (via your site)!
Reputable and reliable merchants
Great products to promote!

The one thing an affiliate marketer must have in order to succeed is a constant flow of traffic from which s/he could establish relationships which will produce the base of followers/supporters some of whom, with minimum prodding or coersion, will purchase products via the affiliate’s website. However, this traffic-to-relationship-to-buyer conversion is a lot easier said than done, which is one of the reasons that over 90% of affiliates make $100 or less a month. Consider this ratio for a moment: 1:200 is the number of visitors who will buy products via a typical affiliate’s website!

So unless the affiliate is promoting high-end luxury products with big price tags (cars, yachts, jewelry, real estate, etc.), s/he will need a substantial traffic flow on a daily basis, and that’s where adequate SEO can be instrumental in getting that affiliate’s website listed in the search engines (preferrably on the first page) so more people will be able to find it. That having been said there is a misconception about affiliate marketing that oo many people buy into, and when they learn the truth about how they should actually do affiliate marketing it is often too late.

Dispelling the misconception

But contrary to popular opinion – or misconception – affiliate marketing is not a get rich quick type of program; and success is not achieved by placing a few product links and banner on a website (poorly optimized or not) and then money will start rolling in; and those who hold this belief should not be surprised if they never make a single sale or any money at all. There is a lot of time, work and creativity involved in developing and nurturing a successful affiliate marketing business, some of which have alreay been mentioned above; and even when the time and work have been put in, there is still more to be done.

Understand also – if you are that aspiring affiliate marketer – that there are no guarantees of success, or even that you will ever make your first $100 or how long it will take you make; because, as with every other affiliate marketer, how much money you make depends solely on how much time, effort and money you are willing to put in. If you are a quick learner and really good at affiliate marketing, you could make 2,000 in 2 years; and this is based entirely on whether or not you’re starting from 0 with another full time job that prevents you from devoting a lot of time to your affiliate marketing program.

In view of everything already said on this page, if you decide to give affiliate marketing a try, you would be doing so with the realization that it is not an easy business; but you should also know that the toughest part are the challenges you will be confronted with in the first five to six months; and if you check your stats and see that you are only making a few dollars, you might find yourself wondering if all the hard work was worth it; but the important thing to remember is to stay committed with your hard work, and the commissions should start growing as you keep working.

Practical expectations, realistic results

One of the biggest factors in affiliate marketing is the traffic that goes through your website; because even though you’ll get a lot of traffic passing through your website, only a fraction of the traffic will be buyers. The key however, is knowing your visitors and then being able to determine which affiliate programs you can offer to meet their needs. There is also the concept of pre-sale, which is the ability to put your visitors in the required mindset for them to actually click on one or more of your prduct links.

By sticking with affiliate marketing, you’ll learn more and more over the years; but you shouldn’t expect to be the best when you first start out, it will take a lot of hard work and dedication. Just keep in mind that by putting the time and effort into your programs, and building the necessary relationships and base of supporters, you’ll be well on your way to making it in the very profitable and exciting world of affiliate marketing, even if you have to endure a few years of growing pains before seeing measurable and/or acceptable results. Good luck!

The lure of affiliate marketing

Over the past decade thousands of Internet users have decided to join the community of affiliate marketers, and there is no indication that enthusiasm for pursuing a career in affiliate marketing has waned, even if a significant number of those enthusiasts are getting involved on a part-time basis. There is no debating the degree to which technology is now a dominant force in our lives, both personal and business; and Internet use is the engine that drives that dominance; so becoming an affiliate marketer even in this 21st Century can still be a very wise one.

That having been said, it is important to make the distinction between a decision to become an affiliate marketer and the commitment of time, money and other resources required to become a successful affiliate marketer, since anyone can decide to be an affiliate marketer; but success demands more, and it begins with learning the basics of affiliate marketing as a business, realizing what sacrifices will need to be made for you to accomplish your goals and then committing to make those sacrifices. It’s the only way to reach your affiliate marketing goals and objectives, which is prerequisite to achieving success.

Due diligence is job one

Make a few promises to yourself, the first of which should be to learn as much as possible about any affiliate marketing company or network before you join its program. Doing so is actually very easy, because all it a few hours of research with the help of your favorite search engine. Since search engines are the primary sources of information, you should be able to find most of what you’re looking for about a given company; but to be on the safe side, you should make sure the company has been operating for several years, and that the program being offered is a good and reliable one.

On the other hand, it is quite possible that you might come across – or be invited to join – a company that has recently started (many new companies aggressively recruit affiliates); and if this is the case, your due diligence becomes the most important ally, since it is of the utmost importance to make sure that the owner is of good character and unquestionable credibility. As stated earlier, becoming an affiliate marketer is not a difficult thing to do, and doesn’t have to be made a complex task; but it is always prudent always use caution.

Reward is equivalent to input

Many individuals are under the impression that there is a lot of money to be earned in the affiliate marketing business without the need to invest a penny; and this couldn’t be further from the truth; because even though the majority of affiliate programs are free to join, the affiliate must invest money at some point in time during an affiliate marketing career if s/he expects to be successful. This becomes more evident when an affiliate marketer’s primary tasks are taken into consideration: To promote, market and sell the merchant’s products, with product sales being the main objective.

In view of such tasks and objective the affiliate’s budget will most likely be expended on the advertising and promotion of websites, salesletters (sales pages), video creation and distribution, podcasts, blogs and other such methods of exposure in order to attract interested persons and convert them into buyers. In most scenarios however, the amount of money spent will be earned back in affiliate commissions paid by the merchants; and although those commissions may not be equivalent – in amounts or time span – to the affiliate’s expenditures, they nevertheless are paid when earned and due.

Commitment to success

To achieve success as an affiliate marketer will take time, effort, and a lot of hard work; and as pointed out earlier, the more an affiliate is willing to commit to making these sacrifices to his/her business, the greater the success s/he will achieve; but the most important characteristic an affiliate will need is persistence – or what is sometimes referred to as stick-to-it-ness, because there will be times when circumstance would present what might appear to be such hardships that “quitting” looks to be more attractive option than persisting. If you’re that affiliate, Just don’t quit.

An affiliate marketing business (entrepreneurship?) can be one of the most rewarding among businesses that need little to no upfront investment to get started; but there are certain other things that will be needed, including a variety of different strategies and methods which range from creating one or more websites to promoting various products and/or services. You’ll also need to advertise, as well as keep in constant contact with any sub-affiliates you may have recruited. You should be ready to commit most of your time during the first few months of your program; and once your network begins to get established, your work load will lighten.

No shortage of tools and support

Always remember that even though the system of affiliate marketing may seem overwhelming at first, you should realize that you are surrounded by online support; but keep in mind that many of the individuals who join affilate programs are new to the business, so you’re not alone in your uncertainties. Many organizations and companies have around the clock support forums and customer support for those affiliates who need advice or assistance; and a lot of programs are equipped with e-books, tutorials, articles, and tips that will make your pursuit of affiliate marketing success a little easier.

As a token of our appreciation the free ebook titled, Storytelling Marketing can be yours if you have any interest in the art of storytelling. All you have to do is download it here, enjoy the reading and learn how storytelling can be a powerful ally in any business or marketing pursuit!