Your website RichardBonner.net can you explain to our readers what it is?
I originally started my blog to document my journey into trying to make a living working online, primarily through affiliate marketing. It was more for me personally so I could look back and see what I’ve been through – the fact it makes money each month is just a bonus.
I try to be as transparent as possible and give out any tips & tricks that I find along the way which I feel might help people. The last couple of months though have been a bit quiet as I did take a break away from internet marketing so had nothing of value to really post, I’m trying to get back into the swing of things so that I can achieve a goal I set when I first started to hit 1,000 readers.
If you can describe affiliate marketer in your own words what it would be?
Hmm, I always struggle to word it right when people ask what I do for a living. I admit it’s changed over the years because it usually ends up in a 20 minute conversation just trying to explain what it consists of. The end result usually is that I promote other people’s products online.
When you first starting out as an affiliate marketer what was the toughest challenge you face?
Initially the first hurdle is actually getting started, I used to spend so much time reading people’s blogs, forums, courses that I was never actually getting anywhere. Don’t get me wrong you do need to spend sufficient time learning the basics and getting to grips what you need to do – but in the end you have to jump in and spend some money to get the data to see what’s working and what’s not.
I would suggest putting together some sort of mastermind group so that you can bounce ideas around and keep each other motivated. Along with helping each other cut the learning curve down to as little as possible.
As you know success come with a lot failure..How do you handle failure?
Failing campaigns still hurts but like you said, its part of the game. The most frustrating things is having a bad series of campaigns that fail – they each take you a step down. Before I took a break I was going on a downward spiral being able to get something working which then made me doubt if I can actually do it... which then led to my next campaign failing so I took a break and worked on something else.
Came back a month or two later and started again, it has definitely helped me get back where I wanted to be so don’t be afraid to take a little break and come back fresh and ready.
How did you feel when you start seen results for your work?
Amazing! It’s always nice to see hard work pay off. In the beginning I worked a full time job and spent as much time learning affiliate marketing as I could so I was working really long days. To finally see it all worthwhile just shows that if you put the work in – you will be rewarded.
The hardest thing to do when you start seeing your first success is letting it go to your head, don’t expect it to last forever, continue to work on a) scaling that campaign and b) working on new campaigns to minimise the risk.
I know how it feels to have all your eggs in one basket then something happens overnight and it’s all taken away from you. This industry is fast paced, I’ve only been in it about 3 years and have seen so many changes so you need to keep level headed and pushing towards your goals.
What piece of advices would you give to affiliate newbie’s that's just starting out?
Stick to it, browse around the internet and see what’s working. Try and find out why that’s working and improve on it. Don’t just go out and rip a campaign that’s already running, you don’t know all of the details so chances are that will lose money off the bat.
Minimise your risk by speaking with your affiliate manager to find an offer that’s converting and do your research into the niche. Try and be creative so that you’re not just another person doing the exact same fighting for the exact same traffic.
One big thing I would suggest is that when you start seeing profit, reinvest as much as possible back into your business. You will be amazed how fast things can explode, just make sure you’re ready.