Who are you and what are you currently working on?
I’m the founder of MisterLoke Media, a digital publishing company based in Melbourne. We specialise in building profitable websites and monetise them through affiliate marketing.
Currently, we are working on 3 projects in outdoors and food. One of our websites is The Geeky Cyclist.
How did you get started in affiliate marketing? What keeps you excited about it?
I was first introduced to affiliate marketing in 2005 by a friend who was already successful in promoting products on Clickbank. I’m a tech geek, so naturally the idea of online business really caught my attention. I dabbled in and out of affiliate marketing for the next 10 years before eventually deciding to quit my day job and have a career change.
The affiliate marketing business model is very unique compared to the traditional brick and mortar model. It is a global business, is always-on and most importantly, very very scalable thanks to the Internet. As our livelihoods inch closer towards a digital world, I’m very excited about the future of affiliate marketing.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to a newbie affiliate marketer? And what is one piece of advice they should ignore?
Perseverance. Things don’t happen overnight. If you are thinking about doing affiliate marketing, start today. Start learning and get your hands dirty.
It takes years of hard work behind the scenes and lots of failed projects for each one that is successful. Stay true to your goals, while be flexible enough to change the route you take depending on circumstances.
Many people have the misconception that they need a big capital injection to get started. This is one of the most common barrier for most people.
From my experience, one of the most important capital is your sweat equity. If you have some savings, then that would definitely help. I started with my own savings and credit card debts in the past.
In the early days, you need to be 110% involved to learn all aspects of the business. This allows you to learn and also self reflect; to find out your strengths and weaknesses and the areas where you enjoy working on.
What has been your favorite mistake? A mistake that in retrospect led to a great lesson and progress in your affiliate marketing?
My ‘favorite’ mistake was to try to outsource parts of the business too early. As I was still learning (still am today), I outsourced an important process and it came back to bite me hard. I didn’t get what I wanted, blown a hole in my budget and not forgetting the time wasted too.
This experience has taught me one important lesson – clarity. Like Stephen Covey said, always begin with the end in mind. Be really clear what the deliverables and expectations are. Otherwise, it would be the blind leading the blind, and no one gets anywhere.
What is one piece of software or a web service (besides Geniuslink) that allows you to be more effective as an affiliate marketer?
I use G Suite extensively within our company. We use it for everything from emails, files, content creation, reporting, project management and meet ups.
How do you continue to educate yourself as an affiliate marketer? What are some of your favorite resources for learning?
The affiliate marketing scene evolves at a rapid pace. I stay abreast by reading industry related websites, Facebook groups, newsletters and not forgetting the good ol’ physical books. Every now and then, I would buy courses to learn about what others are doing. Sometimes, I participate in local meet ups and attend 1-2 international conferences.
If people wanted to connect with you, where should we point them to?
You can connect with me on Linkedin.