The # 1 Reason Affiliates Fail & How To Avoid It!
As someone that has been in this industry for a number of years, I know failure all too well. In fact me and failure were on a first name basis at one time. Although nowadays I try to keep my distance from that dude. He's a bad influence.
However i learned something very important during my time with failure that I want to share with you today as an aspiring successful internet marketer. Your number 1 priority as an affiliate is to provide solid solutions to solve people's problem. No it's not to make money! Yes, read that statement again and let it marinate! Now let me explain myself.
Show Me The Money...
Don't get it "twisted". Of course we're all in this industry to make money. But the perspective and the way folks are going about it is all wrong. Stop viewing affiliate marketing as sales. Yeah, yeah technically I know that's what it is. But after a lot of failures I've realized that the best way to approach affiliate marketing is to treat people as if they were my own family and friends.
Would You Talk To Your Momma Like That?
Don't get in a tizzy. I'm not disrespecting your moms. lol There is a method to my madness. When I write a review, regardless if I'm an affiliate of the company, I try my best to keep it real. If there are some cons about the company, I'm going to tell you that there is flat out. I have no problems calling out a company I like and work with. (If you've joined WA under me, you know this first hand because you read my WA review.) Just because we're on a digital medium doesn't mean people still can't smell B.S. No company is perfect so for you to act as if the company you're promoting has no flaws just sends off red flags to your prospects. Congratulations, you've just lost their trust!
A little "trick" that has helped me write great articles that convert well is that I envision that my "moms" has asked me about a given company or problem. Then I write my article as if I were addressing her. I would tell my mom the pros and cons about a company. I would warn her about certain pitfalls. However when possible I would also teach her how to work through them if they weren't too egregious. I don't try to write as if I'm some scholar. I write like I talk because I'm not trying to impress people with my vocabulary (because the truth is, it's limited. lol). I'm writing to help them make decisions that help them first and me second. The point is in real life I wouldn't try to sell my mom on something that I don't think is right for her even if it's going to make me money. Now if for some reason you have mommy issues, try to envision someone else you actually care about when writing articles or reviews. lol If you do, I'm confident it will make a huge difference.
Obviously you still need to apply the techniques taught here at WA to get traffic to your articles. But it doesn't make "cents" to do all that work if you're going to fudge it all up by coming off as a greasy desperate cars sales man that just views folks as commissions or conversions.
What Should You Do To Avoid Failure?
At the end of the day, stop trying to sell. Start trying to inform and give first. View yourself more as a customer service rep rather than a sales person. Your job should be to inform and provide LEGITIMATE solutions. Obviously some of the solutions should be companies you're affiliated with. But the key here is to view yourself more like a friend than a sales person. If you wouldn't buy the product you're recommending then it's going to come off in your writing and guess what? No one is going to buy it either. But if you actually believe in the product and view your audience as friends or family, you'll do a better job of relaying value which breeds trust and then eventually money. It requires a little more delayed gratification but it works long term.
Ironically when you take this approach many other mediums reward you for it, even Google (for the most part. lol).
So if you've been hanging out with failure a lot doing it your way, what do you have to lose trying something different? Give something new a shot and you may be very surprised with the results.
Just in case you think I have no idea what I'm talking about, I got a certified genius to back me up about trying something different. Here's a direct quote from him:
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
- Albert Einstein
Hope this post added value. Let me know what you think either way.
Recent Comments
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Shaselle, Definitely trust that little voice inside of you when you're out there marketing. It's usually right and you'll be rewarded for it. Doing it this way takes a bit more time to see results but when you do, it's long term results that you will experience.
Who is this guy think he is with all his good ideas and quotes, he act like he has a web site or something lol. You know i got to pull your leg Eddy its what i do. Much love to this man taking the time to show us a different approach to working online, and showing people like me there is a rite and a wrong way at doing what we have all committed to doing.
Kudos to Eddy
Hi! Your ideas confirmed my thoughts about this. I'm a newbie and been reading around people's blogs, forums & trying to learn. I'm in my reflection period so to speak. It helps a lot to read blogs and other people's ideas, yours included. Thank you.
Awesome goals Sydney, I look forward to seeing you achieve these. Take action and make things happen! I am here to help if you ever need anything along the way, you have a community behind your efforts here at WA!
Thanks sox1n05 and you're right. It's as simple as the golden rule. Folks just seem to forget it when they become marketers. lol
hey, nice article about avoiding failure, I checked your WA review page, it is a great review, ..just out of curiosity, do you actually make money by that campaign? No offense, just curious, and the reason is that if you are, then, I know I have someone that i could follow to ...thanks.
Hey man, I love the "mom" spin on it - that's classic! But you know what, it's exactly true. Regardless of whether it's your mom, dad, wife, etc., talk to others the way that you would want to be talked to. Isn't that the Golden Rule? Sweet post man!
Thanks J! I think the problem is that folks forget to be themselves and get into sales mode. This leads to affiliates just promoting anything which we already know ends up poorly. Hopefully this is an eye opener.
Very good advice Eddy, as usual. It's important to be completely honest. I wouldn't promote something I didn't believe in. J
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Damn it Wootton, Can't I escape you? lol Nah but seriously I appreciate the comment and love. I'm so looking forward to when you blew up and do your thing in this industry. We need more kats like you out there.