6 Steps to a Successful Affiliate Marketing Strategy

Your affiliate marketing strategy doesn't have to be a four-volume encyclopedia

, but it should cover the following six steps to ensure that your affiliate marketing home business succeeds. Have a strategy that is specific to each campaign or program you are involved in, i.e. if you are selling three or four different products, follow these steps for each one.

Step #1 Objectives

Write down the goals you want to achieve with your affiliate marketing business. Try to be as specific as you can, for example, include the traffic you would like your website to achieve in a certain time period, how much income you forecast you will earn, and whether you plan to extend this niche, or leave it to work on its own.

Step #2 Strategy

This is where you record all the steps you need to take in order to achieve your objectives. This will include keyword research, building a website, blogging, article writing and submission, and so on. Each task should have a time limit and be quantified if necessary, for example if you want three blog posts a week and four articles submitted, write this down.

Step #3 Timing

Look realistically at your time limits, and make sure they are achievable especially if you're on your own. In theory, running a home business means time on your hands. In practice, it can be just as hectic as a day job, so don't over-commit yourself.

Step #4 Implementation

There's no point in having a plan if you never put it into action. Because your strategy is broken down into specific tasks and has a time schedule, you should be able to see quite clearly what needs to be done first, and how to proceed from there.

Step #5 Measurement

There's no way to see if you are reaching your goals without measuring the results of your actions. Check your traffic stats daily, keep track of your sales and commissions and identify where improvements can be made.

Step#6 Rinse and Repeat

Measurement can often lead to changes in the original strategy to improve results. Once you have implemented a change, you need to measure it's impact and decide whether further amendments to the plan are required. And do it again, and again.

Just because you work from home does not mean that your business should be left to hang as it grows! If you are serious about making a decent living from your home business, you will need to set up strategies and schedules, just as you would in a business run from a huge office building. An affiliate marketing home business is no different to any other. An affiliate marketing strategy will help you control your business and the tasks required to make it successful, while measuring and analyzing results in order to make any necessary adjustments. Without good planning, your home business is a hobby, and is just as unlikely to make you any decent money.

6 Steps to a Successful Affiliate Marketing Strategy

By: Anne Erasmus

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