Do I have what it takes to succeed in affiliate marketing? That’s one of the questions I see people asking over and over. So, is there a specific set of skills that are required in order to make Traffic. it? The answer is not a clear YES or NO, unfortunately. In theory, literally ANYONE can make a living as an affiliate, but in reality, there are some skills and a certain mindset that will determine whether you will fail or succeed.
1. You need to be computer literate – internet affiliate marketing is all about computer and internet usage. So in case you barely know how to turn that box on, this is not for you. I have seen guides that suggest even total computer dummies can kill it in affiliate marketing, but this simply ISN’T true, it’s a lie.
I’m not suggesting you need university level education in computer science, you don’t need to code either, but you definitely need to be an “advanced” computer/internet user. You should know how to use excell or word, how to save something from an internet page, how to use email and internet browser, you need to know what a domain name is, how to work with more advanced websites that utilize forms and registrations … if you know the basics about website creation, some HTML etc … even better.
For advanced stuff like website creation, creative design etc … there is a ton of freelancers that will help you for a few $ – sites like Upwork.com or Fiverr.com are full of them. If you manage to grow your affiliate business, you can always hire a VA (Virtual Assistant) from Philippines or India for a rather low monthly fee.
2. You need to be knowledgeable about your subject – in case you decide to go for Organic traffic generation and start to work on your site or blog, definitely choose a subject that you know more about than the general public. You need to publish articles that provide value and you must sound trustworthy. Writing about general crap that everybody knows, is not gonna get you anywhere.
In case you start running out of ideas or you don’t feel knowledgeable enough about certain subjects, hire people who understand them better than you. The last thing you want to post on your site, is crap articles that will ruin your credibility and reputation. Don’t be afraid of high prices either, writers in countries with lower income do not charge insane rates and their English is often at a very high level. On a side note, I’m not a native English speaker and I know I make mistakes … but did it turn you away?
3. Pretty high risk tolerance – this relates to paid traffic models mostly. Pretty much any new campaign that involves some kind of paid advertising, is guaranteed to loose some money at the beginning. This is absolutely normal and you need to consider it an investment. You are basically buying data that will help you optimize the campaign into profit.
The truth is, not every campaign can actually become a success, so any media buyer (person who buys traffic) has to accept the fact that losses are part of the game. I have seen many aspiring affiliates who were not able to accept this and quit. It is funny in a way tho, they had no problems understanding that when starting a shop for example, you need to invest in stuff to sell, pay the rent and hire some stuff … but they couldn’t grasp the idea of investing in traffic.
4. You need the right mindset – do you think that affiliate marketing can’t work, that it’s only for the select few or that whatever you touch is going to fail anyways? Please, do not even think about messing with it then! ? If you say? expect a failure, it will come at you, that’s how it works. I’m not a fan of motivational bullshit, but you need to think positive. Winners keep on winning, losers stay losers forever.
The truth is, affiliate marketing is not a rocket science, if you have the basic skills-set and won’t give up too soon, you have high chances of actually making it. Just don’t expect it to be easy, fast and don’t expect anyone else to do the work instead of you. You’re the one who is responsible for your success or failure.
5. Side income helps a lot too – especially in case of paid traffic, it’s very helpful to have a side or supplemental income. This way, you have money to invest and you don’t have to be afraid to loose some $ in the learning process. Stress can kill your efforts, impulse reactions that are not thought out well, can ruin any campaign you launch.
Do you have a job and think about trying to grow organic traffic? Do it now, don’t wait any longer. This process takes time and it’s always better to start with it while you are still enjoying the securities of your employment. Few months from now, you can have a supplemental income from your sites and who knows, it might grow high enough to become your full time job.
6. You need to be able to take action – this might sound weird, but I have seen dozens of people on the STM Forum who started to post about their future plans with affiliate marketing, they were reading days and nights about it, they formed advanced plans etc … but in the end they didn’t do shit. I spent a lot of time trying to help them, answering their questions and private messages … then they just vanished. Some people are just “talkers” and can’t take action, don’t be one of them!
Do not over-think, act instead. Don’t spend weeks on It trying to get the most perfect design for your blog, content is more important so just get some basic template and start publishing. You can always buy a pretty template later on. Are you afraid to invest some money into a facebook post to boost you visits, because you are not 100% sure how to do it the best way? Well don’t be, a failed attempt will teach you more than a week of reading about how to make it right …
Let me conclude the post here now, I think the most important parts have been covered. To sum it up really quickly : pretty much anyone can succeed in affiliate marketing, all it takes is basic computer knowledge, some money and a strong will to make it. The rest is all about stuff you can learn or hire others to do for you.
Thanks for reading.
One comment
Nice article, thanks Matej