You joined an Affiliate Program, but haven’t been able to monetize your audience. What could be wrong? Is it the products? Too much competition? Or maybe you are not promoting it correctly? You have read about the 5 steps to make your first sale as an Affiliate, but it also didn’t work? Check out some mistakes that Affiliates should not make and start monetizing your audience efficiently.

1. Not promoting a product that is right for your audience

The first mistake you can make that prevents your success as an Affiliate is not promoting a product that fits your audience’s profile. And what does that mean, exactly? Well, firstly, who are your audience? What does your website usually covers? And your friends on social networking sites? What products do your friends want to buy? If you say that you like talking about technology and your friends want to buy the new Xbox, and you’re promoting shoes and clothes, there’s your problem! You should speak the same language of the products you have chosen to promote and target the content to the product your audience wants to buy. To do so, identify which subject you’re an authority in: why is your audience loyal to you?

Another important tip is to test and use the products that you would, in fact, recommend. If this is the case, buy or ask the vendor for a sample. You need a deep knowledge of the products you promote to your audience.

2. Choosing the wrong promotion strategy for your niche

If you still haven’t sold a product yet, it may mean that your promotion strategy isn’t working. Successful affiliates always have a good website, their own domain and profiles on social media, even if none of this is a prerequisite.

Choose an adequate domain name, create a blog and fill your website with relevant content that relates to the products you are promoting. This includes from product reviews to information, novelties, news about your line of work and how the material you are promoting can add value to your audience.

When you are safer about your promotion strategy, consider advertising on websites and blogs with the same topic, or major traffic channels such as Google AdWords and Facebook Ads. Use this traffic not to sell directly, but to build your audience and an email list so you can continuously maintain a communication channel with your visitors.

Your promotion strategy should not be focused on sales, but on recommendation. After all, you are an affiliate, not a vendor! Your objective should be to generate traffic to your website, build credibility from the information you are promoting so you can become an authority in the field. This way you will get more followers organically and will convert more sales because of your reputation!

3. Becoming a spammer

You want to promote your products, but that shouldn’t mean you start posting links on your friend’s Facebook wall. Or even sending direct messages on Twitter. Even worse, using the messenger to do it! Buying email lists is not an alternative!

This kind of practice can sink your success, and lead to repulse instead of attraction. You should do exactly the opposite. Build a solid contact list, with people who really want to receive information about news and products in your niche. To do so, place a subscription link for your newsletter in your website, offer exclusive content in exchange for registration data, promote the product on social networking sites, but always be careful, and never be invasive!

4. Not monitoring the competition

Finally, another mistake that may be preventing you from making more sales is not monitor and adapting your strategy taking the competition into account. In this case, the competition may the offer of similar products on the internet or even websites that are similar to yours and that are recommending the same products or products that are comparable the yours.

In these cases, there are strategies that can make you stand out for the consumers and make them buy from you. For example:

• Build a closer relationship with your audience, sharing information and relevant content before recommending something paid;
• Offer bonus digital content to the clients that make a purchase from your referral;
• Provide buyers with a direct communication channel with you, such as an email address, or skype;
• Offer access to a private community (on Facebook or email group/list) with people who share interests with your ideal client.

Pay attention to what the other affiliates are doing. You can learn a lot from them, by identifying what they are doing that is wrong and also the things that work really well.

Now you have learned which mistakes can prevent your from earning commissions, are you ready to revisit your strategy as an affiliate? If you have any doubts about something you’ve been developing, leave your comment below! Maybe your suggestion will become our next post! Good luck with your business!