This is a follow up article for the “How do I Start a Blog and Make Money Online” series that we have been publishing on this blog to help the newbie’s get started with a blog.

1. 7 Big Mistakes New Affiliate Marketers M
• When I first started in affiliate marketing, all I
wanted was to just make money. Off I ran in every
direction, trying everything, with no real idea of the
mistakes I was making that could very well affect
my chances at long term success.
• Through my years of experience with both affiliate
marketing and teaching other affiliate marketers, I
have come to the conclusion that there are 7 big
mistakes new affiliate marketers make.
• Let’s talk about these mistakes in more detail.

3. 1) Selling Rather Than Helping
• Yes, the word “marketing” is part of the
phrase affiliate marketing, but for the most part,
our job as an affiliate is not to sell — that is the job
of the sales page our affiliate links lead the reader
to.
• When I first started, my overwhelming (and totally
naive) impulse was to fill my pages with words and
links that screamed “BUY THIS NOW!”. I didn’t help
the reader learn why they should have this product.
I only wanted them to click a link which would
hopefully lead to a commission for me.

4. • People want to hear from other people when
making a decision to buy a product or not — that’s
why the reviews on Amazon products are so
powerful. Those reviews are genuine feedback from
people who (usually) have absolutely nothing to
gain if someone buys that product or not.
• When we talk more like an unbiased reviewer
rather than a high-pressure salesperson, we will
find we make more sales and people will come back
for advice on other products in the future.

5. 2) Too Many!
• This is another big mistake I made when starting
out — joining any and every affiliate program I
came across. While I absolutely do believe in
cultivating multiple streams of income when
working online, there is a point where you have too
much to deal with and it becomes unmanageable.
• Choose your affiliate programs wisely and don’t
overload yourself.

6. 3) Not Testing
• Whenever I choose to promote a Clickbank offer
(for example), I put myself in the shoes of a
potential customer and opt in to test the vendors’
follow up sequence.
• I learned this the hard way.
• Nothing breaks a reader’s trust more than being led
to a promotion that will blow up their inbox. Put
yourself in the shoes of a potential customer and
see what will happen if they follow your advice.

7. 4) Not Tracking
• This was a BIG mistake I made when I first started
out. I began my affiliate marketing career using
free-to-make web pages on a site called Squidoo
(and I still do this to this day).
• I am fond of promoting Amazon products on these
pages, but would forget to use unique tracking
affiliate links on each page.
• Why is this a mistake? Very simple — when you
make a sale, you want to know WHERE the sale
came from. This enables you to know which pages
are converting well so you can grow and scale that
campaign.

8. 4) Not Tracking
• Creating a unique tracking ID for an Amazon link is
easy. Simply log in to your Amazon affiliate
dashboard, click “Account Settings” at the very top
on the right, then click “Manage Tracking IDs”.
From there you can make a new tracking ID so you
can track which web page/campaign sold what.
You can learn more about using Amazon’s Tracking
IDs here.
• Yes, making any commission is cool, but knowing
where and how you made that commission is what
makes you a better marketer. It lets you grow and
scale your campaigns — as opposed to working

9. 5) Not Comparing
• One of the best converting tactics I use to sell
affiliate products online (especially physical
products from Amazon) is to compare the “main”
product with two other similar products.
• When people are in buying mode for a physical
product, they tend to have their options narrowed
down to 2 or 3 and need help making the choice
that is best for them.
• By comparing the “3 Best Widgets For _______”, I
not only help my readers make a choice, but I also
have my affiliate links there for THREE products
instead on only one.

10. • Over time, when I track that web page, I will be able
to see which product is most interesting to readers
and move the best converting product to the top of
the page for better CTR.
• Comparison web pages are not only very popular
and helpful for readers, they are also very
profitable for you.

11. 6) Make Money Online Products
• Perhaps you’ve seen this before. You’re in a “learn
online marketing” type forum. A person publishes a
post complaining that they can’t make a dime
online. But in their signature line they have
something along the lines of “I Made 50 Million
Dollars with This” followed by their affiliate link.
• It happens all the time. Please, don’t be that
person.

12. • If you’re new and you want to promote products in
the Make Money Online arena, don’t make false
claims that it made you money. In fact, don’t make
false claims at all!
• Sure, talk about the benefits of the product/training
— maybe even why it sounds awesome to you —
but don’t try to trick people. You will ruin your
credibility.

13. 7) “Oh Look! A Butterfly!”
• This is the biggest downfall for any new affiliate
marketer. In fact, it can cause really big issues for
seasoned affiliate marketers as well.
• It is all too common to be working on one thing
when all of a sudden, something “shiny” comes
through your inbox or is mentioned in a forum you
frequent. Then off you go chasing some new idea to
make money online.

14. • Ignore the “butterflies” that are sure to fly by on a
constant basis. They will just distract you from your
project/campaign at hand. One completed and
profitable campaign is worth so much more than 50
almost half-finished campaigns or projects.
• Affiliate marketing is a business that requires self-
motivation and focus. For many of us, these are
learned skills. Once you are aware of the the
mistakes that can cause a lack of profits and
productivity, you will be better able to grow your
business and be profitable long-term.
• Best of luck!!

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