For a lot of people starting out in affiliate marketing there are a few common mistakes that often get made again and again.
Too often we prioritize selling and begin to forget about our audience. Let the sales page at your affiliates site do all the selling, it was designed for that purpose. Instead of selling, look for ways to explain why your audience might want to look into a product. How is it right for them? Who is it right for? When you don’t spend your time focusing on your bias you will do a better job of being yourself. Let that authenticity help sell your recommendations instead.
Viewers aren’t searching all over the internet for a salesperson to ask about a new product or service. They are probably more interested in seeking out other people with experiences to share. People who may have made the choice to buy one particular product or another. It’s likely they want to hear your experience, some comparisons, and your judgment overall.
An unbiased reviewer is more trustworthy. People come back over and over when you give good advice. When you overly focus on selling, your integrity can disappear. Don’t be that person. High pressure sales don’t work as well today as they may have in the past and that is the reason that affiliate marketing exists.
Don’t take on too many affiliates. Pick the right amount for yourself. If you overwhelm yourself or your audience then you won’t make a good impact and you will find it harder to manage. Overloading yourself isn’t valuable and in the end you will find yourself wishing you had kept it simple.
Put yourself in the shoes of potential customers. Go ahead and try those links you share. If it leads to a terrible experience do you really want to share those with your audience? Is it worth sacrificing your own integrity? A fast way to lose the trust of your audience is to lead them to horrible email promotions and scam sites or products.
Finally, remember to track your users. See where they go and what actions of yours seem successful. Repeat your successes and learn to avoid repeating your mistakes. Where there are more conversions there is a reason. Learn, learn, and keep learning.
Finally remember that people like to see what the various options are when purchasing. Don’t just lead with a single product you are featuring. Compare things against several others but try to limit things to just one or two options. People want choices but attention spans fizzle out after about 3 choices.
