What does your biggest affiliate earn on a daily basis? – A regularly asked question amongst those in the affiliate networks game. Technically speaking it’s an irrelevant question because there are so many different factors at play (verticals, offers, sources, etc.). So why is this important to so many different affiliates?
Target setting is probably one of the most difficult things to do as an affiliate. To choose a goal that’s ambitious, but not too ambitious. It’s an informed guessing game of picking the right targets.
To help you eliminate the guesswork and guide you in setting the right goals, we’ve gathered some tips, tricks, and tools on goal setting here:
1. Determine your motivation
Make deals with the network or direct advertiser you are working with. Realize that any network is interested in increasing traffic. They will be open for a custom deal. Discuss your goals and let them help specify these goals for you. This will pull you out of your comfort zone and give you the push you may need to take that extra step. Make sure goals are structured and well defined.
Don’t get greedy and keep proposing deals or targets – set a limited amount of goals and make them worthwhile.
You can’t get your desired outcome unless you’re specific about it.
2. Put yourself in charge of your goals
Be honest; how many times have you blamed a network, an offer or traffic source for something that went wrong? In many cases to reach your goals, you’ll be dependent on other people. Many of these people can be unreliable, especially if they are not gaining from your success. Unless you are the one in control of every aspect of your goals, you’ll often struggle to achieve them.
3. The bigger the better
Set goals that look impossible to reach and work your ass off to get there. Anyone can set goals that are easy to reach, but why aim lower if you know you can do more? Often there’s nothing wrong with setting your targets higher than most might believe to be possible. To be clear, I am not suggesting that you create goals that are impossible, but there is nothing wrong with setting your sights slightly higher than many will tell you are achievable. Do your best to honestly evaluate your goal targets and then just push them a little. If you’re easily delivering on those targets, next time push a little more.
4. Focus on the journey, not the destination
Perhaps and overused cliché, but still true. If you begin by visualizing where you want to end up, the things you need to get there are pretty easy to plot out. Next step is to reflect on time and effort needed to accomplish these goals. You are well on your way going places; just make sure it’s the right place you want to be. Understanding the relationship between short-term and long-term goals will help you set you on the right path once you clearly understand where you want to go.
5. Plan for success
What if I fail to reach my goal? Worrying about failure is a waste of time and won’t get you anywhere. The surest way to failure is questioning your success. Your goals won’t accomplish themselves, you will need a plan and you’ll have to invest time and effort into that plan to make that work.
6. Risk Management
You can’t reach goals that you’ve never defined. Most of the things you will undertake in your journey to success will carry some sort of risk with them and that’s fine (nothing ventured, nothing gained.). Be mindful of simply considering the risk and weigh it against the potential reward. Failure to consider and address these risks can be disastrous, so don’t just hope for the best.
In conclusion: Take time to carefully define not only your goals, but also the plan along the way for reaching them. As you build out that path, don’t hesitate to look for opportunities to pick up support from other affiliates or networks. It will make all the difference.
