5 Common Affiliate Marketing Mistakes

5 Common Affiliate Marketing Mistakes
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=William_J._Thomas]William J. Thomas

Since the advent of the Internet, people in all corners of the world have ventured online to try and find their 'pot of gold' in cyberspace. While a few talented individuals have created their own fiefdoms online such as Myspace, Facebook, Yahoo, etc., for the majority of individuals, they are simply looking to earn some extra income in this great new frontier. When first venturing online, one of the ways that many try their hand at earning income is through Affiliate Marketing. While this form of Internet Marketing holds great potential, there are many pitfalls to avoid. This article looks at several mistakes that beginning and sometimes experienced Affiliate Marketers make that greatly impede their efforts.

1. Building Someone Else's List...Instead of Your Own

Of all the mistakes that beginning Affiliate Marketers make, one of the most egregious is sending people directly to the sellers affiliate website without first capturing their information. What you are doing in essence is building someone else's list at YOUR expense. When marketing an affiliate sellers product, you first want to setup a 'lead capture or squeeze page' to capture their information so that you can sell them any number of products later. As it's been said countless times, "the money is in the list", build your list first.

2. Not Following Up With Prospects.

A major mistake that many beginning Affiliate Marketers make is not following up with their contacts. After spending time and money trying to get quality prospects to a website, many drop the ball here by not following through with their contacts. There are numerous ways to do this without being obnoxious. You could send out a newsletter, free reports or articles that relate to your offer, and other valuable information that keeps you in front of your prospects. Don't overdo it be sending out emails everyday, but do stay in touch with your prospects on a weekly basis.

3. Harassing Your Prospects

In conjunction with this, another mistake that many Affiliate Marketers make is trying to 'push' the sale on their prospects instead of leading them to it. The reality is that no matter how great you think your product or opportunity is, most people won't buy, and even the one's that do won't usually do so the first time they are exposed to your offer. Sending out emails with subject lines like, "What's Wrong, How Come You Haven't Joined My Business?", and "Don't You Want to Make Money?" and emails similar to this will do nothing but irritate and chase away your prospects. In order to be successful, you need patience, and most importantly you need to build confidence and trust with your prospect. Remember, "Some will, most won't".

4. Sending Multiple Offers in the Same Email

Another mistake that many Affiliate Marketers make is including numerous links and offers in the same email. Someone requesting information about a product or opportunity is interested in receiving information about that specific thing. Sending out follow up emails with numerous links and offers will not only confuse your prospect, but will quickly cause them to run for cover by removing themselves from your list. Stay focused in your emails on the product or service you're currently promoting.

5. Promoting Too Many Programs at the Same Time

Promoting numerous affiliate programs at the same time is like dating several women simultaneously; although it's a lot of fun in the beginning, trying to keep up with it all quickly wears you down, and leaves you enervated and broke. Concentrate on one program at a time, and focus on making money with one before expanding your efforts. Don't fall for the better mousetrap theory, that the next product that arrives in your email is the one that's going to make you a boatload of money, but realize that there is no one best product for everyone. In the final analysis, whether or not you have any success with Affiliate Marketing depends more upon you than choosing the perfect product or opportunity.

William J. Thomas is actively engaged in E-Commerce and Internet Marketing. Bill also contributes articles on life, business and other topics. His current website is Build Lifetime Income from Home With Your Own... http://www.billthomas.ws

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