How To Get Started In Affiliate Marketing – Part 1

// January 29th, 2010 // No Comments » // Affiliate Marketing, Affiliate Marketing Foundations

Perhaps you have found yourself in this position before.
See if you have asked yourself any of these questions before while

What do I do?
How do I get started in affiliate marketing?
Which affiliate offers should I promote?
Should I promote ClickBank offers?
What are CPA offers?
Should I promote CPA offers?
Should I promote Commission Junction offers?
Should I start a blog and use adsense?
Should I use SEO to promote my sites?
Should I create some Squidoo pages, WetPaint page, WikiSpace pages, etc.?
Should I use video marketing?
Which video sites are the best?
Should I use PPC to promote my sites?
Do I need an outsourcer?
Which outsourcing site is the best?
I don’t know HTML – How am I going to get this done?

and the list goes on ad infinitum…

——————————————————————

Here is my solution and advice for 2010

STOP THE MADNESS!!

It’s ok to ask questions. It’s NOT ok to work yourself into a froth over trying to decide what to do(catch the visual).

When you begin your walk as an affiliate marketer, it is all too easy to become distracted by all of the info product launches, the latest PPC technique, the fancy SEO tricks, the newest video marketing tips, PDF’s, video series, etc. and not get anything done. Now, that’s not to say there isn’t good information out there, that is worth buying.  But, when you are just starting out in affiliate marketing, the best possible thing you can do is FAIL.

Wait, did he just say “when you are starting out the best possible thing you can do is FAIL.”

Yes, that’s what I said.

Chances are you already have some information products, tutorials, etc. that you purchased to help expedite your affiliate education. Hopefully, you have read/watched/digested some of that information.

Now back to that FAIL part. It’s important that you actually TRY to implement some of this stuff. That might scare some of you, and that is perfectly normal. Nobody wants to fail, but I can tell you that you will learn so much more from trying and failing than you will from just reading PDFs, watching videos, or going to marketing conferences and not implementing anything. Of course, if you are successful when you try something, it really goes without saying that you also LEARN (wait, why did I just say that if it goes without saying – lol)

You MUST IMPLEMENT if you want to see success. Let me say that one more time – YOU MUST IMPLEMENT IF YOU WANT TO SEE SUCCESS!!

Just try one thing. Don’t overthink it – Just do it.

Don’t waste time talking yourself out of it or trying to decide what to do. JUST DO IT, DAMNIT!

If you hit success on your first try, good for you! And, if you don’t hit your target, you got to get back up and try again. Nobody is going to spoon feed this business to you. You have to get on the playing field and pay your dues. I will do all I can to help you out in your journey.

Don’t give up. Never give up.

I think I will end Part 1 HERE…
Please, come back for the next parts of this blog series.

All my best,
J.P.

Internet & Affiliate Marketing Etiquette

// March 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Affiliate Marketing, Affiliate Marketing Foundations

Our lesson for today will include some very important Do’s and Dont’s when it comes to promoting your products or affiliate links on the web.

1. DO NOT SPAM YOUR PRODUCT LINKS OR AFFILIATE LINKS

How many times have you seen someone on Twitter or Facebook spam links all day long about some $4.95 trial for Adwords Crusher or something like that. I know I have. Unfortunately it seems that many people in this space will do anything to make a quick buck, even if that means resorting to spamming. This annoying practice occurs daily, via email (as almost all of us know), Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Forums, as well as many other places. I would fill up this entire post if I listed every way that marketers spam. These so-called internet marketers and affiliate marketers are not connecting with their audience and will ultimately never build a sustainable business. Don’t follow the advice of others if it includes this type of behavior. Be wary. Nobody, and I mean nobody, likes a spammer.

2. DO NOT ANNOY THE “BIG DOGS” – AUTHORITY VOICES

It’s smart to build relationships with the authority voices within your space, but do it the right way. Constantly emailing, or pinging these individuals for business advice, support, or begging them to promote your site, blog, links or products is a great way to burn a bridge. This will not help your business.

3. DO NOT LOOK FOR FAST MONEY

There is no get rich quick system out there that will earn you respect and build you a lasting business. Sure, you might make a few quick bucks but you will alienate alot of people, annoy others, and be left with nothing worthwhile. Think about it.

Internet and Affiliate Marketing Etiquette – Part 1 from Preston Taylor on Vimeo.

1. DO JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE AND OFFLINE

Similar to spamming, nobody likes to be around people who only talk at them and not with them. What do I mean by this? It simply means that it’s important to engage in conversations, instead of always talking about what you do or what you are promoting.

2. DO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR AUDIENCE, AUTHORITY VOICES, & AFFILIATE MANAGERS

This one is a no-brainer. If you build relationships you will be able to move your business to the next level.

3. JOIN THE BEST AFFILIATE NETWORKS

Always seek out the best affiliate networks, affiliate programs, and products to promote. Don’t try to join every program out there. You will just end up overwhelmed and confused. Speak to a representative at these networks and have them sell you on why you should promote their products.

4. PROTECT YOUR GOOD NAME

Word travels fast within the internet and affiliate marketing space. This means that you should strive to build the very best reputation that you can by forging quality relationships, by sharing quality content, and by helping others achieve their goals. Helping someone can open many different doors. It’s how I met one of my best friends on the internet and it has helped me tremendously.

**Authority Voice: I can’t stand the word guru or expert so I choose to use authority voice as a substitute.

Internet and Affiliate Marketing Etiquette – Part 2 from Preston Taylor on Vimeo.