Here are five of the top mistakes that I see most:
Not researching the affiliate program before your start promoting it - It really is amazing just how many affiliates grab the first affiliate program that comes along, or they signup simply because of a high commission rate or promote it because every other marketer is also promoting it. If the program does not complement the overall theme of your current website, you may find it difficult to convince your subscribers to purchase the product, especially if it does not have anything to do with the current marketplace you are targeting.
Not using your signature file correctly - Many affiliates will add a signature file to all of their out-going email messages and message board posts that is totally inappropriate. Twenty lines of text, full of affiliate links, is not considered a signature file - it's usually considered 'spam.' Try keeping your signature file under five lines with an attention grabbing or intriguing first line.
Not writing your own ad copy - There's nothing worse than seeing the same advertisement all over the Net or in an email message from ten different marketers. How much perceived value will your message have when it arrives and the reader is seeing it for the tenth time? Take the time to tweak the ad to suit your target market and readership before sending it out. Personalize it; make the ad your own.
Not paying for your own domain name and hosting account – Not good, nobody wants to visit a site that looks like it is on a free host with a free email address. It's very unprofessional and suggests to your subscribers that you haven't made any money on-line because you don't know what you're doing and are too stingy to spend money on setting up your business properly. $8.95 a year for a domain name at GoDaddy and around $4 per month for a small hosting account won't break the bank; it may just help to add to the pocketbook in the long run.
Not capturing your leads before you send them through to the affiliate product site - If you can actually get someone to click on one of your affiliate links and they leave the product site without purchasing, what have you gained? Nothing! Except for the expense and/or time to get that one click-through in the first place. Set up a squeeze page so you can capture your lead's email address before you send them onto the product site. This way, if they don't buy, you can follow up with them later and try again (and again and again and again). Capturing emails and using an AutoResponder with those emails is Priceless!
