The Affiliate Marketer’s Journey

Have you ever undertaken a journey to a far location? Sure you have! Now, did you just wake up, only to see yourself at your desired location? Except you have some kind of ability to teleport from one place to another as usually shown in movies, you and I know that’s not feasible. Preparation always precedes any journey. It can be as much as spending days, months, years etc. in preparing for a particular journey, as well as just using 2 minutes or a second to picture where you want to go and head straight on. Now the question is “how do all these relate to an affiliate marketer?”

Starting up a successful online business as an affiliate marketer is a big journey and just as a successful journey requires a plan, no matter how little it is, so also, an affiliate marketer must sit down to plan ahead the direction he or she is headed and take the necessary steps to attain them.

The affiliate marketer’s journey

Now we will be looking at some simple tips to a successful journey and how it ties with an affiliate marketer.

• Have a destination…

Every journey has a location which is the end point in view. It would be ridiculous to attempt a long journey without knowing where you are going. To be a successful affiliate marketer, you must know the direction you are headed. The key is setting goals on what you want to achieve. This will not only help you stay motivated to reach your desired destination but also helps you keep track of milestones as you begin your journey. With this you would be able to know if you are moving closer to your goal. For instance, take a piece of paper and write
In the next 30 Days, I want to earn $____ online as an affiliate marketer.
In the next 6 Months, I want to earn $____ online as an affiliate marketer
Now this is just a sample, but it is very powerful if you utilize it as it gives you an idea of where you are headed.

• Area of interest…

Everyone would simply love to take a trip to an area of interest. So also, an affiliate needs to follow his or her line of interest or passion. This will help you perform better without stress simply because you love what you do. Imagine promoting a product you hate. You won’t promote it effectively, but when it is the other way round, I bet you would give it all you've got. The only thing you have to take into account is if your niche of interest is profitable. Since you are promoting products, people must be willing to spend on it.

• Pick your vehicle…

Every trip one embarks on makes use of a particular means to arrive at their desired location; some decide to go by air, land, sea etc. using a mode of transportation. So also in affiliate marketing, you have to pick the methods you can use to arrive at your desired goal. Research and come up with ways to promote your product. You can develop a website and promote your affiliate products there or send people directly to your offer without having a website. The choice is yours, start with the method you can do easily. For instance if you don’t want to create your own website, you can post on forums related to your niche and place your affiliate link in the signature file.

• Travel light…

When embarking on some journeys, it is very common to take a lot of things which we usually don’t need with us. Travelling with lots of luggage usually restricts our movement and causes discomfort. So also when you want to venture into any business online, try not to do a lot of things at the same time. Decide to focus on your desired goal and stick with it, then later, after you've succeeded in one, you can move to another. But don’t pack everything you know about internet business and do all at once. One step at a time.

• Make a budget…

I don’t think anyone will wake up one morning and decide to travel to a far place without putting the amount that is needed for such trip into consideration. Many go into affiliate marketing without making any plans as regards the amount of money they are willing to spend. In a bid to succeed, they spend large amount of cash beyond their means on things like advertisements, the latest “how to make quick money online” e-book, soft wares and many other items without setting out time to review their budget. The end result? Most end up broke and start complaining that it doesn't work and then give up. Don’t Invest your money in every offer you see. Before you spend money on adverts, make sure you are well equipped with the knowledge of how it’s done and then start with what you can afford and gradually increase your marketing budget as you earn.

Finally, when you arrive…

The journey of an affiliate marketer is an unending journey. You must continually seek ways to improve yourself and become better. So when you arrive at your first goal, don’t stop there. There is always room for improvement, so when you reach your destination, start another journey to a far better place!
This requires lots of time, determination and dedication. But the price you pay to succeed online is definitely worth it.
I wish you a successful journey ahead!