A Newbie's Experience With Affiliate Marketing

As a newbie in the affiliate marketing world, I have had my share of ups and downs. For the last two months I have been managing an affiliate program that was left with no care for awhile. I read books and spent hours going through forums to make myself as knowledgeable about the business as possible.

I've learned that hands on experience is more effective for me. I've learned that I also have it a little easier than those who have had to manage a program started from scratch. The one aspect that interested me the most is the lack of business or quality of business some affiliates have provided because there was no one managing it.

It shows me that with some of them, I basically have to hold their hands. I have to entice them with incentives and bonuses. Something as simple as uploading a datafeed I found that unless you remind them or reward them for it they won't do it. Now I know this isn't with all affiliates. There are some really good ones out there but this shows to prove that being an affiliate takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

The same goes with Affiliate Management. I have to make sure all 500 affiliates are doing what they are supposed to do and if they aren't I have to figure out why and fix it in the most subtle way because another thing I have realized is that some affiliates are sensitive. They don't want to feel like they are working for someone. They want to feel like you are working for them. I've read forums about how some get into affiliate marketing but expect it to make the money for them without any hard work. These affiliates are the ones in my system who haven't had a sale in the last 6 months.

Everyone wants to get rich fast but affiliate marketing isn't going to be the way to do it. Yes, eventually you can live off of it but you have to put the work in. It's a job like any other job. Serious people need to be in this business or they are just wasting time. Tender love and care, that's all you need for a successful program.

"Affiliate Marketing" written by Mark Anderton