Affiliate marketing mistakes/Lessions learned?

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Gray Fox

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Dec 25, 2008
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What are the biggest mistakes you have made in affiliate marketing and what did you learn from them? If its not out of the question, how much money did it cost you as well?

I already know mine so far, I'm probably researching to much and not getting my hands dirty enough. I've been doing bum marketing since I first found out about this industry but PPC CPA stuff I haven't done yet. I know there's really no big secret other than testing niches and than scaling when you find something. I'm just learning all of the ins and outs, I need to learn how to make landing pages next. My resource boxes do pretty well for clicks but no sales yet.

This is also my first post. I've been around for a while reading as much as I can. I have a few questions that I may or may not ask in the newbie area but I'm still making sure that they haven't already been asked before. There was a post on this topic once but it was from mid 2007, I figured more affiliate marketing mistakes have been made by newer people to the forum since then.

I'll be a regular here, See you around.
 


Welcome to WF. I was almost in the same boat as you maybe around a month ago, and I've realized that the biggest mistake one can probably make is not to take any risks. Article marketing works, but PPC is where the gold is and you need to stop reading and start taking action.
 
#1 Lesson - test your links to make sure they go to the right place on your lp, on your ads, and from the aff network.
 
PPC-CPA is a cashflow business, so I'd say being too chicken to float the cash needed in the beginning.

When you start and you've got like a cheesy $300 secured student Visa, the idea of spending it 'testing' while waiting 30+ days for networks to mail your checks, while all the time surviving on Ramen and telling the girlfriend that picnics in the park are way more romantic than eating at Chez Fancee, is really a hard sell emotionally.

You know that scene in the 2nd Lara Croft movie, where Angie basejumps off a Hong Kong highrise in that flying squirrell suit and sails out between the other buildings and over open water? Emotionally, that's what you gotta do to succeed.
 
It's not some deep, profound thing, but make sure to check your pages in all browsers (including, of course, IE).
 
Biggest mistake = Not making a mistake for over a year.

Trying not to make mistakes..playing it safe I created the most perfect
campaigns.. IN MY HEAD!! No buyers there only scrambled brains suffering
from analysis paralysis.

Get off the forums for a minute, put down that f**king ebook, stop tracking others mistakes and make your own if you want to make money.
 
buying huge CPM's without first testing.. yup that sucked.

buying blind clicks by the truck load - yikes lost my shirt.

using to much validation on forms - don't make it too hard.

hmm there have been some other big ones, but i'm getting sick and need to go grab a drink.
 
Snake? Snaaaake! . . . sorry
dumping money into low tier ppc companies in search for cheap clicks and then getting no clicks.
 
alexb said:
Never go CPM targeting millions of people on Facebook.
Click to expand...

strangely enuf, i did this and saw higher ROI. although my CPC went up but my EPC went up by more than expected...

this is 1000s of clicks by the way...
 
no matter how much you're busting to get that campaign up and running, stop take a deep breath and once over everything before hitting activate.

landing pages in IE6
all links work
tracking is tracking
network is tracking
budget and click costs ok

now go and sink a few beers with your buddies ;)
 
Gray Fox said:
What are the biggest mistakes you have made in affiliate marketing and what did you learn from them?
Click to expand...

Mistake: Momentarily thinking income/returns would last forever.
Lesson: Even when things are working, keep testing new offers.
 
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