Startups and new businesses are constantly looking for the next big thing in marketing. And some of them have even found it, while other Saas companies are still figuring out ways to implement affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing for Saas products and services can be a big mistake if not done right. Here are the six major mistakes that saas companies make when it comes to affiliate marketing.

The six major mistakes that are making Saas affiliate marketing a big mistake

Mistake 1: Lack of focus

Many people pick the affiliate marketer tool first and the product second, thinking that the tool will help them build their affiliate program more quickly. But I’ve seen many companies launch their affiliate program without doing any market research, without looking at the target audience, and without setting a clear business goal. They do something to affiliate with the tool first, and then later add the product. This is a big mistake that has cost a lot of businesses money. A customer sees an affiliate offer online and takes the bait. But the product never gets introduced to the audience, and the marketing team ends up having to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to sell the product.

Mistake 2: Not networking with other affiliates

Most startups don’t think of affiliate marketing as a collaborative effort. There’s no marketing mastermind sitting in the back of the room with a pitch deck. Instead, the entrepreneur simply has a product to sell, and that’s it. That’s why it’s so important to network with others who sell the same type of products and services. Some of these people are you. You’ve probably sold the same products and services on eBay or Amazon. Or maybe you have complementary skills. If you’ve got any of the above, you should absolutely reach out to the affiliates and engage in conversations with them. In the words of Eric Bussink, the founder, and CEO.

Mistake 3: Not understanding the customer

People tend to get lured into the Saas marketing trap because they know that it’s an excellent way for them to make money quickly. But you need to be smart about it and you need to find the right customers to work with. You need to learn your market and make sure you understand who’s going to be using your product. That’s why I created getaffiliated.me. It’s a marketing automation system that helps businesses market themselves with our network of affiliates. We focus on saas companies ad there are enough opportunities to find affiliates that are looking for a sustainable income. That means that we get very specific about what kinds of companies we’re working with. You can use this to your advantage. Learn your market and make sure you understand who’s going to be using your product and why.

Mistake 4: Not understanding the product

One of the big mistakes that you can make when it comes to affiliate marketing is just not understanding the product that you’re promoting. If you’re promoting a digital marketing service that charges a monthly fee for things like copywriting and analytics, you’re not really understanding what the product is. You don’t know how often the product is used. You don’t know how long it takes for someone to start receiving the value that you’re selling. And you don’t know what your customers are looking for and what is the value that they are looking for. In other words, you’re clueless. Now, if your customers are getting something new or making money or finding something new, then it’s fine. But if you’re selling something that’s going to get your customers to spend more time on your site

Mistake 5: Not marketing your affiliate link effectively

Let me start this by saying that affiliate marketing isn’t a dirty term. It’s just the name for what you’re doing when you link to an online merchant’s website. But Saas companies tend to misuse it, calling people “affiliates” and claiming that they’re making money when, in reality, they’re not. Here are the four types of affiliates: – Affiliates get a commission when you buy something. – Affiliates get a discount when you buy something. – Affiliates get a special offer when you buy something. – Affiliates get a special gift or bonus for you if you buy something. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with receiving a commission if you agree to buy from a company. The problem arises when people say “affiliate marketing” and they actually mean “affiliate advertising.”

Here is our beginner’s guide on affiliate marketing. 

Mistake 6: Not understanding the costs

Affiliate marketers get a lot of respect in the online marketing community. People get super excited to learn that the products they’re buying are produced by the most well-known companies. In fact, some people pay money to be “sponsored” by someone in the industry. But just as bad as not understanding the costs is not knowing how much money they’re really making. That’s a mistake. So let’s say a company buys $25 worth of product from a Saas product or service. Then it places a link on a company’s website to purchase that product. It’s not hard to imagine that a significant percentage of those people who see the link click on it. But some will click on it because they’re lazy and don’t want to leave their computer. For those people, the next question is always “how much does this cost?” As it turns out, affiliate link placement also needs to be carefully thought out. With getaffiliated.me we protect you from such costs as you pay for a referral only once the account has been converted to a paying account.

Conclusion

To say that affiliate marketing is not an easy job is an understatement. It’s much harder than people think, especially if you’re trying to make it a lucrative business. So, if you’re going to take on affiliate marketing as a business, make sure you’re not making these mistakes.