Ben_King
Member
Hi everyone,
Here are x4 common stumbling blocks that you will face as a newbie and how to overcome them
Full disclaimer I am a newbie/intermediate myself and by no means anywhere near expert level. I've just been taking action and wanted to share some obstacles I have overcome and essentially give advice to my past self that I'm hoping can help others too.
Before I dive in it's important that I outline the fundamentals as I think that it's so easy to get struck by shining object syndrome which can be avoided if you understand the basics and make decisions based on your own unique situation. The struggles and solutions I have outlined also flow through this funnel so there is a method to my madness.
Here is a very simple example of how you get paid as an Affiliate Marketeer:
The arrows outline the part of the process that you have the most control over.
You pay to place an ad in front of a visitor in a traffic source (more on that below), who then clicks on your landing page before going onto the Offer page which belongs to the person who owns the product or offer that you're marketing.
Once the visitor pays for the offer page's product or completes a desired action e.g. gives their email this get's tracked as a conversion and you get paid - Simple!
Now as there's a few moving parts it's non-negotiable that you use a tracker. This is because it will give you the gold mine data to monitor everything and see what is profitable for you. Although this type of software used to be pricey there are now several free options including Bemob & Kintura.
1. Getting accepted to networks
This part addresses the offer page part of the process and getting products/offers to promote.
When you first start with A.M you may sign up to tons of networks in the hopes of getting accepted. The truth is at the start less is more because you don't want to get paid across different networks and not make enough to receive your payout as most networks have a minimum threshold before they pay you e.g. $100
Networks also have different specialties e.g. freebies vs dating offers as well as target audiences. Some networks want affiliates with 5 figure a month ad spend while others are more than happy to accept affiliates using free link sharing methods.
To maximise your chance at getting accepted perform research on affpaying.com and afflift to make sure the offers you're planning to promote match the networks you're applying for.
Some other sample points to research before signing up include:
The good thing is by doing this research when you apply you'll come across more confident and competent as you'll have real logical reasons for signing up to that network which will speed up the acceptance process. Calling or skyping your account manager helps a lot too.
During that conversation mention any related experience e.g. a website you've created, previous ads made and show you're dedicated to this and have a set budget each month.
Some newbie friendly networks are:
Pros and cons to everything so always do your research though and see which one works best for you!
With that said CPA offers are recommended to beginners as you can get paid without the user on the other side paying a cent! They just have to do something I.E provide their email.
2.Creatives
Perfect so now you've been accepted to an affiliate network with amazing offers to promote now all you do is throw some ads together and make it rain right?
I'm afraid it's not that easy!
Creatives brings up the question of which traffic source do you opt for?
Again do your research to understand the pros and cons of the different options:
In general newbies are recommended to start with pop notifications or push and there is a great guide here on making your first campaign.
Now you may now be thinking - great I know what traffic source I'm using, now how the hell do I know if I've made a good ad???
Great question, this is where "spy tools" come in. You can use them to look at your competition and understand what is working so that you aren't shooting in the dark!
These do cost money so you can opt for free (but limited) alternatives that are out there OR simply use trial and error as well as "manual spying".
3. Technical Work
So this was the bit that I majorlyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy underestimated. To take this seriously and do well you will need to at minimum understand the basics of HTML, CSS, JS, hosting and tracking. This is for the landing page part of the process.
Don't be alarmed though take it 1 day at a time and you'll get there.
Now this is where the fun really starts to begin! Now you have chosen your traffic source, created your landing page and promoted a cool looking offer, your conversions and money will start coming in!
This is only half the step as now you need to make it more profitable using the data in your tracker by filtering out poor performing placements, ads, landing pages and a whole host of other factors.
Once you get a winning campaign you can truly enjoy the beauty of affiliate marketing and literally look at your computer screen as you print money!
5. Bonus!
This may look like a lot to take in and truthfully speaking the learning curve is steep however you aren't alone. As a member of this community I'm biased however joining a friendly community like Affiliatefix or having a mentor will really help you succeed faster.
Another key part is to lean on the traffic sources, trackers and affiliate network support staff too. Many of them have employees who are happy to help and can aid you in figuring things out so you aren't pulling your hair out! I for one bother propeller ads staff frequently throughout the week but it used to be like 3x a day!
Everyone started from 0 once so there's nothing wrong with asking for help
Good Luck and Happy Affiliate Marketing!
BKL
Here are x4 common stumbling blocks that you will face as a newbie and how to overcome them
Full disclaimer I am a newbie/intermediate myself and by no means anywhere near expert level. I've just been taking action and wanted to share some obstacles I have overcome and essentially give advice to my past self that I'm hoping can help others too.
Before I dive in it's important that I outline the fundamentals as I think that it's so easy to get struck by shining object syndrome which can be avoided if you understand the basics and make decisions based on your own unique situation. The struggles and solutions I have outlined also flow through this funnel so there is a method to my madness.
Here is a very simple example of how you get paid as an Affiliate Marketeer:
The arrows outline the part of the process that you have the most control over.
You pay to place an ad in front of a visitor in a traffic source (more on that below), who then clicks on your landing page before going onto the Offer page which belongs to the person who owns the product or offer that you're marketing.
Once the visitor pays for the offer page's product or completes a desired action e.g. gives their email this get's tracked as a conversion and you get paid - Simple!
Now as there's a few moving parts it's non-negotiable that you use a tracker. This is because it will give you the gold mine data to monitor everything and see what is profitable for you. Although this type of software used to be pricey there are now several free options including Bemob & Kintura.
1. Getting accepted to networks
This part addresses the offer page part of the process and getting products/offers to promote.
When you first start with A.M you may sign up to tons of networks in the hopes of getting accepted. The truth is at the start less is more because you don't want to get paid across different networks and not make enough to receive your payout as most networks have a minimum threshold before they pay you e.g. $100
Networks also have different specialties e.g. freebies vs dating offers as well as target audiences. Some networks want affiliates with 5 figure a month ad spend while others are more than happy to accept affiliates using free link sharing methods.
To maximise your chance at getting accepted perform research on affpaying.com and afflift to make sure the offers you're planning to promote match the networks you're applying for.
Some other sample points to research before signing up include:
- What verticals do they specialise in and does that fit with your promotion plans?
- Which Geos do they have the most offers in and does it fit well with your own targets? (as a newbie you're better of avoiding T1 geos & go for easier T2 & T3)
- Do their payment terms work for you? E.g. weekly, monthly, paypal vs bank transfer?
- How responsive is their support? Is it a quick live chat/call or a slow email set up?
The good thing is by doing this research when you apply you'll come across more confident and competent as you'll have real logical reasons for signing up to that network which will speed up the acceptance process. Calling or skyping your account manager helps a lot too.
During that conversation mention any related experience e.g. a website you've created, previous ads made and show you're dedicated to this and have a set budget each month.
Some newbie friendly networks are:
- Mobidea
- Monetizer
- Mobipium
- Adwork Media
Pros and cons to everything so always do your research though and see which one works best for you!
With that said CPA offers are recommended to beginners as you can get paid without the user on the other side paying a cent! They just have to do something I.E provide their email.
2.Creatives
Perfect so now you've been accepted to an affiliate network with amazing offers to promote now all you do is throw some ads together and make it rain right?
I'm afraid it's not that easy!
Creatives brings up the question of which traffic source do you opt for?
Again do your research to understand the pros and cons of the different options:
- Search e.g. google and bing
- Social e.g. Facebook
- Push e.g. Propeller Ads
- Pops e.g. Popads
- Native e.g. Taboola
In general newbies are recommended to start with pop notifications or push and there is a great guide here on making your first campaign.
Now you may now be thinking - great I know what traffic source I'm using, now how the hell do I know if I've made a good ad???
Great question, this is where "spy tools" come in. You can use them to look at your competition and understand what is working so that you aren't shooting in the dark!
These do cost money so you can opt for free (but limited) alternatives that are out there OR simply use trial and error as well as "manual spying".
3. Technical Work
So this was the bit that I majorlyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy underestimated. To take this seriously and do well you will need to at minimum understand the basics of HTML, CSS, JS, hosting and tracking. This is for the landing page part of the process.
Don't be alarmed though take it 1 day at a time and you'll get there.
- The coding languages are to help you create landing pages because a lot of times adding a step to "warm up" your visitor before they reach the offer page increases your conversions and makes you more money.
- To help you out I would recommend you use a free codeacademy course or even youtube "HTML course" as this will really help you stand out from the lazier affiliates.
- As a bonus if you're focused on CPA offers - I personally use purelander to save me time in making Landing pages
Now this is where the fun really starts to begin! Now you have chosen your traffic source, created your landing page and promoted a cool looking offer, your conversions and money will start coming in!
This is only half the step as now you need to make it more profitable using the data in your tracker by filtering out poor performing placements, ads, landing pages and a whole host of other factors.
Once you get a winning campaign you can truly enjoy the beauty of affiliate marketing and literally look at your computer screen as you print money!
5. Bonus!
This may look like a lot to take in and truthfully speaking the learning curve is steep however you aren't alone. As a member of this community I'm biased however joining a friendly community like Affiliatefix or having a mentor will really help you succeed faster.
Another key part is to lean on the traffic sources, trackers and affiliate network support staff too. Many of them have employees who are happy to help and can aid you in figuring things out so you aren't pulling your hair out! I for one bother propeller ads staff frequently throughout the week but it used to be like 3x a day!
Everyone started from 0 once so there's nothing wrong with asking for help
Good Luck and Happy Affiliate Marketing!
BKL
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