Golden Goose Marketing

A lot of new affiliates wonder, “What is affiliate marketing like as a career?”  Although it may seem silly, that’s actually a really good question.  If you spend much time around affiliates at meetups and conferences, you’ll notice something that’s very clear if you’re looking for it – Some affiliates are in it for the fun and they’re enjoying it while it lasts, but others are in it for a real career.

How can you tell the difference?  Well, affiliates who are in it for the fun are usually more interested in the parties and free stuff instead of the amazing wealth of knowledge to be had when hanging out with large groups of professionals.  They typically have a few successful campaigns (sometimes even just ONE), and they’re spending the money as fast as they make it.  They’re not thinking about what happens when trends or policies shift and kill off a big percentage of their income.  They may or may not stick around, depending on how hard things get and how low their  bank accounts get.  There aren’t many places outside of affiliate marketing where you’ll see 24-year-old kids making $90k in a month and promptly spending it on a watch (all the while, living in mom and dad’s basement).

So how are the pros different?  They’re different in pretty much every way you can think of.  These are the guys and girls who are getting to know anyone and everyone worth knowing.  They’re out there working the floor and looking for new traffic sources or promotional ideas, then they’re spending dinner with other affiliates and sharing notes.  These people have proper business structures, they pay their taxes, and they always save for a rainy day.  They’re planning for their next big step before their current income streams disappear.  They’ll do ANYTHING to avoid going back to a day job.

Which of these types are you?  If you’re not counting yourself under the second category, you need to figure out a way to change things before your current strategies stop working for you.