One of the reasons we wanted to publish this book was to help both new and existing affiliates increase their monthly revenues in the shortest amount of time possible. As mentioned in a previous chapter, there is a definite learning curve to becoming a successful poker affiliate. Inevitably when starting out, you will make mistakes.

In this article, I hope to point some of the more common mistakes that new poker affiliates make. Our

hope is that by reading these common mistakes and pitfalls, you can speed through the learning curve and avoid the setbacks so many other poker affiliates have made. These are in no specific order either.

1. Expecting too much too soon - Running a poker affiliate business is just that, you are running a business. Although there is a huge amount of money to be made in the industry, it is not a get rich quick scheme. Like any business, you are investing time and energy for future earnings. You should not expect to make any type of substantial income in your first six months. Further to that, you should be re-investing a good portion of your initial earnings back into growing your business.

2. Playing poker with your affiliate revenue - I feel compelled to write this because I see it happen all too often. Many new poker affiliates started in the industry because they were poker players first. This is fine, however if you want to become a successful poker affiliate, it will be critical that you separate your affiliate earnings from your traditional poker bankroll. The fact is that 90% of online poker players are losing or break even players. More than likely you’re not a multi-millionaire from playing online poker. If you were, you probably wouldn’t be reading this book!

Just as important as separating your affiliate earnings from your bankroll is separating your work time from your poker playing time. Anyone that has played online poker knows that it can be a black hole in terms of eating away at your time. If you want to be a successful poker affiliate, you will have to focus on your business more than your play. Sorry, that is just the reality of it. But trust me, there is no greater feeling than getting five figure payments each month and not having to grind out poker for it or worry about losing it.

3. Not learning the fundamentals of SEO – Learning the fundamentals of search engine optimization is critical for your success as poker affiliate. You can still make decent money as a poker affiliate without utilizing SEO. However, if you plan on having any type of website or portal, embracing SEO will increase your traffic and earnings exponentially. 99% of the affiliates who are earning six figures per month are doing so because they mastered SEO. In other sections of the university there are a few articles on poker seo. If there is any part of this website that you come back to often, I would recommend these sections.

4. Business Ethics - It is not hard to see the potential revenue that can be made as a poker affiliate. Many new affiliates get blinded by these numbers and forget that if you are going to build a long term business model, you have to be ethical and earn the trust and respect of the affiliate programs, as well as your fellow affiliates in the industry. Once you establish your reputation as unethical affiliate, it is very difficult to do business in the industry.

A few of the most common unethical practices we see new affiliates partake in are spamming, copying content, and CPA fraud. Be smart and realize that being a poker affiliate can be a great long term career. Poor business

5. Promoting too many websites at once - Of course the goal for any successful poker affiliate is to diversify and operate multiple websites in various niches. It is easy in the beginning however to lose focus and have too many eggs in too many baskets. When starting out, it is best to learn the core fundamentals while keeping your focus on either one or just a few internet properties. By doing, this it will also allow you to develop your “flagship” brand which can act as a catalyst for future projects or sites.

6. Failure to surround yourself with other successful affiliates - The principal of surrounding yourself with successful people is one that is taught in almost every business book you read. I cannot express how beneficial it is as a poker affiliate to become friends with, and surround yourself with others who are successful in the industry. The unique thing about the poker affiliate industry is that although many of us are essentially competitors, several of us are also friends.

When you run in the same circles as many of the other successful affiliates, it will open up doors for you that you may not have known existed. Think about how valuable this could be in respect to even links exchanges and joint ventures. Not only this, but when you surround yourself with other successful poker affiliates, it helps to elevate your thinking to a higher level. The best thing you can do is to find a good mentor who has already became success in this industry. If nothing else, at least become an active member in one of the poker affiliate forums out there.

7. Not Having A Specific Plan And Written Goals - The importance of having written goals and a specific daily, weekly, and monthly plan cannot be overstated. Without setting goals or having a plan of attack, it is very easy to lose focus. In poker affiliate marketing, there are so many different things you can be doing every day to increase your revenues. And if you don’t have a plan, it is very easy to become unproductive and lose valuable time. The easiest way I have found to stay organized and on task is by having a white board in my office. I am constantly updating the board and it also keeps my most important tasks and goals in front of me on a daily basis. Having a written plan is simply the roadmap that leads you to accomplishing the goals you have written down.

8. If you’re not a web designer, outsource at first - One of the biggest drains of time for a new poker affiliate can be trying to figure out web design. In time it is not hard to learn html, CSS, php, and coding. In the beginning however, it can be a tremendously frustrating experience and actually a reason many affiliates give up on affiliate marketing. The price of web design and templates has come down quite a bit over the past few years. We will discuss this more in (Chapter 5 – Web Design & Hosting). However from past experience I can tell you, if you’re a complete newbie to web design, spend a few dollars to have it done right or at the very least buy a template.

Other Articles

• Offline Poker Affiliate Marketing
• Tricks Of The Trade For Poker Affiliate Managers
• The Importance Of Attending Industry Conventions & Reading Industry Forums
• Incentive Marketing, No Deposit Bonuses, & Free Poker Money