Thanks for taking the time to look at this article; I hope you find it useful.



I have read dozens, maybe hundreds of articles and reports on internet marketing and affiliate marketing etc, and I've slowly made it through the long struggles and the (very) dry patches to the profits on the other side, but there are a few things I wish I had been told when I first started. They may well have saved me a few sleepless nights!

So anyway, here is my article- How NOT to be an affiliate marketer, or what not to do-there are plenty of places telling us to do this and do that, but I didn't have the pleasure of being told what not to do, so I hope this helps you budding marketers.

DON'T give up. I know all the ads say they will make you money within the hour, or make you a thousand bucks within a week or whatever, but this is very very unusual, if it happens at all! I was lucky, I made about $50 from one of my first ever clicks, within an hour of setting up my first Adwords campaign! I thought I'd made it; I had immediate ideas of quitting my job of the time etc. Unfortunately I waited just about forever for the next sale, and had to keep the pesky day job for just a little bit longer.

DON'T put all your eggs into one basket-They will break, or more importantly, your heart will probably break as your money quickly disappears! Again with the Adwords-I read a few reputable guides on the subject, and I have to say I jumped in with both feet. Unfortunately I listened to Google's advice at some points (not that it was ALL bad, but they ARE trying to make a profit!), and let's just say I spent more on advertising than pretty much anything else for a while. I mean EVERYTHING- food, electricity, clothes, general living etc. I only wish this were a joke. My point is, there are plenty of other ways to advertise, so be diverse in your marketing!

DON'T be too hasty- Once you have put a certain method of advertising into action, give it a fair chance before changing it around. You need to have concrete figures to make accurate judgements on click through rates and wording of copy etc-nothing will mess with your analysis more than nagging thoughts of “Hmm, should I give that ad from 3 months ago one more try?” If you can keep things clear cut in your mind as to what is working and what isn't, things will be a lot smoother moving forward.

DON'T be disorganised- There is nothing worse than tweaking an ad over a period of weeks, until it really converts, then losing the wording. Trust me, I've been there, and anyone who knows me will verify that my desktop is now spotless because of that very mistake. That's an extreme example but I'm sure you get my drift. Have a folder for every campaign, different folders for different sets of keywords etc. Organisation breeds efficiency, and efficiency will make you more money.

DON'T abuse your opt-ins/downline- Treat them like your most cherished possession-if they aren't, they soon will be! I want money as much as the next guy, but try not to pitch them something every other day! Think about it, what would you do if you joined some guy's list and he tried to sell you something every two days? Unless it's a very specific market where that level of sales push is practical or expected, I'd opt out, as would a lot of people. Now think about how you would feel if the same guy pitched once a month or so, but gave you weekly updates, a quality newsletter and some genuinely useful (non affiliate) links? I think everyone is more responsive this way.

DON'T disregard traditional sources of info. I've learned a hell of a lot from books on ad techniques and copywriting etc, and my ads perform to levels I never thought possible. All from visiting my local library and getting busy in the business section! The technology may have evolved, but people haven't, so the theories behind even the most traditional and clichéd ad campaigns of bygone years can bring a breath of fresh air to your tired old solos.

DON'T expect the merchant's page to do the selling for you! This is especially true of physical item merchants, such as the ones advertising through Commission Junction etc. Physical item manufacturers and their merchants are used to the products selling themselves-Their sites don't convert anywhere near the percentages achieved by the guys on Clickbank etc, so we can borrow techniques from that arena and use them in the world of physical items. For example if someone is looking to buy a camera online, and they come to one of your review pages BEFORE landing on the merchant's page, they are much more likely to purchase on the first visit as they will have some knowledge of the item now, having been “warmed” a little.

So there we are people. Those are the main things I wish I had been instructed not to do, the main lessons I have learned in the long journey toward profitability. Things are going well now and I am profiting nicely, but I could have saved myself lots of heartache and profited much sooner if I'd known this stuff before!