Top affiliate marketing pitfalls for publishers

Affiliate marketing is a way for a company to sell its products by signing up individuals or companies who market the company’s products for a commission. Many successful internet marketers run affiliate offers on their websites and have achieved significant results.

Affiliate marketing is a profitable way of doing business. You pay your affiliate a commission fee for every lead or sale they drive to your website. However affiliate marketing also poses many challenges for publishers.

Here is a brief overview of seven affiliate marketing pitfalls for publishers.

Fake EPC

EPC is the abbreviated form of earnings per hundred clicks. There have been instances where advertisers have used PPC campaigns with high converting keywords to send traffic to their own affiliate program. They use this to drive up their EPC. It is advisable to choose offers you think will convert with your visitors.

Impatience

Not all campaigns achieve instant success. After you have done your best, you need to exercise patience. Never give up. This attitude is necessary to succeed in affiliate marketing.

Canceled transactions

Some of your conversions may be canceled even before you get your first check. You need to be aware of this and be prepared for this mentally. Watch canceled transaction rates very closely during the first few months. It is very important, especially if you would have purchased traffic through PPC.

Not choosing the right affiliate offer

The right offer is more than an offer with the highest EPC. Ensure that the offer you choose is relevant to your website. Your offer should suit the mindset of your regular visitors. It is definitely not advisable to choose based on only the commission.

Laziness and procrastination

This can kill any business. Do not rest on your laurels even if your campaign are running successfully and generating huge profits. In the world of affiliate marketing, what works today may not work tomorrow.

You need to have absolute control over your business. Watch all your campaigns closely. You should know your advertisements and your advertisers like the back of your hand. If you run wrong offer on your site, your EPC is bound to drop.

Not shopping around

This is a great pitfall. You should not rest when you have found an offer that works. Shop your traffic around. You may begin by running your current advertiser in even rotation with competing advertisers. Find out the EPC of each.

It is advisable to contact all advertisers and request bids for increased commissions. After receiving bids, calculate the revised commissions into your EPC formula. That should ensure that you have the best.

Maintain healthy relationship with your old advertisers. You may want to run their offer in the near future. Factor in payment schedules and affiliate support into your decisions on offers.

By consciously overcoming the above-mentioned pitfalls, you are sure to increase your profits substantially.