Everyone starting out in the online world needs a guiding hand. If you are interested in online Affiliate Marketing you really need an Affiliate Marketing Guide, an experienced one at that. It might be you that needs a guide to continue on your marketing way. Maybe it is someone else just starting out that you can lead into a successful online career.
All of us can at times be guides. We can even guide ourselves with constant learning and research. Yep, life is about learning so let’s get to it.
No Affiliate Marketing Confusion Allowed.
One thing I have noticed during my internet and written research is how badly many instructions are written. A really good example are directions given with items you purchase and need to action yourself. An intense example of this happened to me.
In the late 2000s, we bought a DVD player and recorder. This was a well-known and respected brand. It turned out to be the biggest lemon we have ever bought. It ruined our former opinion of the company that made it. The instructions – well my partner is an electronics pro and he couldn’t get anything to work properly. He designs and builds this sort of stuff. He phoned the company representative here in Australia. And that fellow couldn’t understand it.
Finally, he got it working, sort of. Then one night the machine froze in the middle of a Dr Who. Sacrilege! He grabbed the machine and soon I heard some smashing noise. He took the log splitter to it.
Being a complete miser, this action showed just how frustrated he became. He didn’t even think of getting his money back!
Any object or project you work at can produce this kind of feeling if the directions are confusing. While Affiliate Marketing is promoted as fairy simple, the simplicity comes from good, clear instructions.
When you create your website you will get much further, when the instructions given to you are completely understandable. If your website is promoting the building of an affiliate site, you need to treat your referrals with the same clearness.
Motto: KISS (I don’t like the word representing the second S so here are the first three. Keep it Simple S. You can fill in the word yourself.)
This is my method of guiding others. Simple step by step procedures.
Simple Step by Step Procedures
How do you provide easy procedures? The best way is to write them for yourself. Find something you don’t know how to do and then write down the steps you take to learn how to proceed. Then very carefully read them and refine them to improve the simplicity.
I will let you know right now, I need to do this several times as very often I would have to learn the procedure and then wouldn’t need it for another few years. I did have varied work and couldn’t remember what I did the first time.
One thing this illustrated to me is that sometimes I can’t even follow my own step by step method nor read my own writing! So more refining happens. When it works all my work colleagues immediately started using my methods and not the ones that came down from above.
One set of work we did, had a new procedure written. It just didn’t work, so I sat down like the proverbial pooch with bone and went over it until I could figure it out. The way it was written, the first item was in fact the last one to be done. Great, hey.
When you do procedures do not forget the very basics (known in life as first principle method). Always start with these and never assume these are known and plunge in further down the line. Even those who think they know the basis, can use a refresher.
As for your referrals, many will be totally lost immediately. What you can do is mention that some will already know this stuff and you have a more advanced article to follow. That way some can skip ahead.
The Helping Hand Guide.
Affiliate Marketing is all about helping people get ahead with working on line and making at least a reasonable living.
You could get pushy or in fact a bit deceptive but you will be found out. All you need to do is research and find reviews of different Affiliate Marketing platforms. Some are blatantly pushy most likely scams.
Some operate on panic buying, ie this special only for 8 hours so don’t miss out.
What you need to do is be the gentle, well knowledged and positive guide. Many people out there who want to learn are not fools. It might take a while but once they realise what a great guide you are they will keep coming back to you.
Be precise and clear, offer your referrals a great learning base and guide them on their path.
Guide Them on Their Path
You will become their beacon so they can avoid the rubbish online (and we all know how much of that there is). They will learn to avoid the reefs and rocks of Affiliate Marketing in the nicest way.
The way I do this, in addition to my hard learned means of helping people, is with a wonderful, upfront and helpful group of people known as Wealthy Affiliate (WA). In fact many members call it the Wealthy Affiliate University.
Having been to university I fully agree with this and I find it a more fulfilling way of learning. There are a huge amount of members. Over a million in fact. And all are available to offer help.
Join me and find out how helpful WA’s founders, technical team and all of us, eager to teach you, members. (There are lots of us online at all times so help is just a keyboard away.
If you are interested in learning more about Wealthy Affiliate, I have written a review. I believe you will find it quite interesting.
It is a full review and you can use it to compare with other groups. One huge advantage is there are no add-ons. And you get a free trial run from which you will have a working website. You can remain free (less tools) or upgrade to premium. That price hasn’t increased since conception.
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Nice article Helen, you do “hit a nail on the head” with this one – simple clear instructions in anything in life make life so much easier.
Sorry to hear about your DVD player back in the day…can understand though the frustration!
There is no doubt that Wealthy Affiliate makes it really simple and easy to follow guidelines and its biggest asset, in my opinion, is its wonderful community which makes any obstacle disappear in the blink of an eye!
Wishing you $ucce$$ – Orion
Orion, wow I am a bit late with this. Oh well I agree totally with your comment. The DVD player was only one incident that I know of. My cousin in law lives way up in Townsville where the grass is greener, grows longer and for most of the year. His lawn mower kept playing up. It got the axe. Literally!
Yes, Wealthy affiliate does make it easier as long as one follows the lessens. I have heard people who are a bit disappointed, but when reading about them it appears they want the rewards without the effort. Oh well, it takes all kinds.
I have nothing but praise for WA and most of its members. Most of these have become very good internet friends. The type that I think I would feel right at home with if I met them face to face. And I have met one. We often meet in Hobart for a cup of coffee and catch up.
Thanks for your comment.
Ciao
Helen
Hi, Elen, I feel, the way your article is structured made it easy to follow and contains significant advice for how to encourage people to take advantages of the outstanding online learning business process at the WA.
I would say, your post will certainly attract anyone seeking to join an online training platform.
I enjoyed reading, the Affiliate Marketing Guide.
Very well done.
Jacqueline.
Hey Jackie, thanks for your comment. Is Elen the French for Helen!
I always try to structure my articles so people can start at the beginning of learning and follow an easy trail to the end of that activity. Too many people start in the middle forgetting the foundation is required first to hold the structure.
Also many people put in items or abbreviations that should be explained. I am pretty knowledgeable but many of these allude me.
I do hope I attract people who really do want to learn. I love to help people. Sometimes people have told me I am too nice. Well, they can you-know-what off!
Again thanks and I will see you around.
Ciao
Helen
Hello Helen. I realise that the Affiliate Marketing business can be a lucrative business venture. Can a person make a good income with only one website? I have seen where people have multiple websites and hands in many pies. I would appreciate your opinion.
Trevor, yes you can make a good income. But as with most things, the harder you work the better you will do. With Affiliate Marketing the hard work is like a steep learning curve, tonnes of work to start (note a tonne is more than a ton – and that’s the way this work goes). Once you have things set up and enough articles to entice people, you can gear back and appreciate passive income. This doesn’t mean to ignore the site! You still need to keep writing but by then you will have a following.
Generally people branch out with one or more additional sites. If you can do both at once do so. I did a niche site first and then came to do the AM site afterwards. The tools you use are virtually the same. Just the topics are different.
Happy travelling no matter how you decide to approach this.
And a special thanks for your comment.
Ciao
Helen