What If…
Most people are skating on thin ice: on the one hand, they’re banking high 3-4 figs per day but on the other hand, everything can go downhill in a matter of days or even hours. Here are just a few examples:
-the offer itself is shady and you just never know when the advertiser decides to let greed takes over and starts “overlooking” leads or sales like there’s no tomorrow
-the network you’re dealing with is the only one (out of the networks which aren’t private, so out of the networks you have access to) running a certain offer and those folks may also decide to let greed take over at one point or another
-laws which make pushing a certain offer too much of a risk make their appearance: nobody wants to get sued, so it’s only a matter of time until networks and/or advertisers pull the plug
-the only traffic source you’ve managed to make work starts screwing around
Have you ever asked yourself a few “what if” questions? It sounds strange but the vast majority of affiliate marketers would have no idea what to do if they experience problems such as the previously mentioned ones.
What would you do next?
Would you leave everything else aside and spend a few days brainstorming?
How would you put food on the table? Would you rely on savings? How much money have you managed to set aside?
Would you start liquidating some of your assets? Domains? Precious metals?
If so, would you be taking a loss?
What percentage of the money you’ve set aside or the money you’ve secured after liquidating a few assets would you use in order to fund your new project(s)?
Would you just focus on one project or try all sorts of approaches and see what sticks?
Do you have enough time and/or money to fight on more than one front? Or would you be better of limiting yourself to just one project?
Asking yourself some of these questions would definitely not hurt. Being prepared is always something smart. You know what they say, expect the best but prepare for the worst. Maybe you’ll be able to milk your current project/campaign for years to come but what if that will not be the case? Always take as many possible scenarios into consideration as possible because being unprepared is never smart. Never ever. EVER!
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Taking It TOO Easy vs. Burning Yourself Out
This “being your own boss” thing is pretty complicated for one simple reason: you have complete freedom, you’re the only one in charge. If you feel like taking the day off because the sky is blue, you can do just that. If working like a maniac is your thing, nobody can stop you from working and working… and working.
Unfortunately, actions have short as well as long-term consequences. While it’s true that you have complete freedom when it comes to your schedule, it’s just as true that you’re the only one who has to assume responsibility when/if things go wrong.
Say What?
Think about it: if you decide to take it easy, you’ll probably have a great time initially. But if you spiral downwards into a trend which takes its toll on your productivity, it’s only a matter of time until you start making more money. Even if you think that you’ve done your job right when it comes to diversification, there are a lot of unpredictable things which can ruin everything. What if most or all of your major advertisers have to close shop as a result of a new bill or something similar? What impact would something like that have on your earnings?
On the other hand, burning yourself out isn’t a great solution easy. Sure, you might be able to pull it off for a couple of weeks, maybe even a couple of months. But you’re only human, what happens if your body finally starts taking action with an “enough is enough” message? What happens if you can no longer physically sustain your schedule? Don’t let short-term gains dictate important decisions, always take the cons into consideration as well?
Ok, What’s the Solution?
No matter how hard some people try to hype time management products, they’re not always the solutions. You can read a motivational time management book today, feel great and energized for a couple of days and then bam… everything wears off and it’s back to the drawing board.
Nobody on this planet is in a better position to figure out the solution to your problems than you. Nobody. Period. Again: if you don’t let short-term gains (and yes, the short term gains associated with both taking it easy and working like a maniac are tempting) cloud your judgment, you’ll be just fine. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure these things out, seriously.
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The Comfort Zone = One of Your Biggest Enemies
Here’s the thing: you don’t have to be a rocket scientist in order to make $200 – $300 per day online. Anyone with half a brain can pull it off and even if you’re a complete beginner, you’ll probably be able to start making $6k – $9k monthly without working all that hard fairly soon.
Starting out is always hard but once things are on the right track, you’ll have your first “hey, I’m making some decent cash by only working a couple of hours/day” moment. You’ll be able to start taking advantage of all the free time you have at your disposal and that can be extremely dangerous.
Oh Really? Why?
Three words: the comfort zone, the place which keeps most people from tapping their true potential. Human nature at its best! After all, why hustle and hustle and hustle when you can make enough money to live a comfortable life without working all that hard? Time to take your foot off the pedal, right? Wrong!
While it may be true that you’ll feel “content” at the beginning, it’s only a matter of time until regret starts kicking in. Sure, your life is fairly comfortable but what will happen when you find out that the guy you’ve been talking to on AIM back when both of you were beginners is now banking $3,000 per day while you’re still stuck at the $250 level?
Why Sacrifice the Future for a Comfortable Present?
The opportunities you have now will not stay around forever. Maybe you’ll come across better ones but you probably won’t. That’s why the ability to make the most of what you have is ultimately what separates winners from losers. If you can make $500 per day, make $500 per day. Even if it means not hanging out with friends as often watching less TV! Guess what: your friends will never pay your bills and neither will your favorite TV host.
Never make the mistake of letting the comfort zone hold you back. It’s easy to let the thought of making money without working all that much seduce you, especially after you’ve invested a lot of time in a certain project and think that you’ve had enough. Once you make one compromise, others will follow and it’s only a matter of time until things get out of hand. Is being content really enough for you? It definitely shouldn’t be!
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Managing Cash Flow Problems
Cash flow problems have the bad habit of turning something good into a very stressful experience. Instead of enjoying the ride once you’ve finally found a campaign you can scale, you have to try your best to find enough cash to keep that campaign alive.
You can either pause the campaign and wait for some money from the network(s) you’re working with once you run out of funds or you can be smart about it and try your best to get your hands on some money fast. What will it be?
Ok, I Need Some Cash: Where to Start?
Well, why not start by asking the other party who has a lot to gain if you keep the campaign alive for assistance? Networks are basically middle men, it’s in their best interest to help affiliate marketers whenever they’re dealing with cash flow issues.
If you have a decent track record with the network(s) you’re currently working with, convincing them to send some money your way shouldn’t be all that difficult. Pick up the phone and give your AM a call or contact him/her on AIM. If you don’t have a lot of history with the network(s) in question, you can at the very least ask: it definitely can’t hurt! Explain your situation in detail and focus on the part a network is always more receptive to, the “what’s in it for me” one.
It’s a perfectly understandable way of thinking because let’s be honest, we’re all here to make money. This isn’t ballet class, business is business and numbers talk. Bug your AM, explain and even threaten to take your business elsewhere as a last resort. You need thick skin to survive in this industry, don’t take no for an answer.
Are There Other Options?
If the network(s) in question are not willing to pay you a bit sooner then sure, there are other options. From asking some of the people you know offline for a loan to selling stuff for some fast cash, there are lots of more or less creative solutions to cash flow problems.
Obviously, convincing the network(s) to pay you sooner is the best solution but if that is out of the question, you need to put your thinking shoes on. When you don’t have a huge budget at your disposal, you need to hustle. There’s just no other way. Be proactive and again, don’t take no for an answer: now go get ‘em!
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The Art of Creating an Attractive Ad which Appeals to the “Right” Audience
Did you think that if your ads have an impressive CTR, the campaign(s) will automatically end up being profitable? Wrong! Think about it: the most important thing is convincing the people who click to perform a certain action. Maybe you’re selling something, maybe you want them to sign up for something.
Even if you have a brilliant landing page, convincing the “wrong” audience to perform the action(s) in question is so hard that it’s just not worth it. Most people think that it’s your job as an affiliate marketer to convince as many people as possible to click on an ad. Well, it’s not.
Do You Want Lots of “Curious Clickers”?
Here’s the thing: even a complete beginner can come up with an ad which is so “different” (weird, interesting, maybe even shocking) that lots and lots of people end up clicking. But there’s just one problem: most of them would be “curious clickers” who have no interest whatsoever in what you’re offering. They would click that shiny ad of yours, drop by and then leave.
In other words, you’d practically be throwing money away. While it is true that you will get cheaper clicks if your CTR is high (after all, networks display ads based on how much money they make from each of them – they make more money from people with low bids but a huge CTR than from people who are willing to pay a lot more per click but have an ad which nobody wants to check out), it still just won’t be worth it in most cases.
Exact Science + Art = $$$
Affiliate marketing is an exact science as well as an art and in this case, you have to find the right balance between creating an attractive ad and not making it appealing to the wrong crowd. It sounds complicated but it really isn’t. If you have at least some basic understanding of marketing, you’ll be fine.
All you have to do is make the ad “different” but still make it perfectly clear what you’re offering. The potential visitors need to know exactly what they’d end up finding if they choose to drop by. Show them what your site is all about in a unique way. Tweak, tweak and tweak some more. Find something that works, scale. Rinse and repeat. Have fun!
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