Who are you and what are you currently working on?
My name is Jane Sherratt and I have a background in teaching (at both high school and university level) and a Masters degree in Music Technology. I am passionate about playing music (violin and piano), and I love tech. These combined interests mean that currently, I blog about home recording studio setup. I am particularly interested in how you can use software and apps to improve your playing and learning. But to benefit, you need to overcome the hurdle of getting your studio hardware and recording software set up correctly. That’s what I write about so I can help musicians get started with setting up their first home recording studio.
How did you get started in affiliate marketing? What keeps you excited you about it?
I used to run a business selling recording equipment and software. Originally this was quite a niche product area, but over the last few years it has become a massive consumer industry with companies like Amazon selling many of the products. I found it was more interesting, and lucrative, to write helpful guides and posts about the recording gear and include affiliate links to great products and courses. Plus I am based in the UK but had many visitors to my eCommerce web site from the US, and I found I could serve them better by directing them to products for sale locally to them.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to a newbie affiliate marketer? And what is one piece of advice they should ignore?
Affiliate marketing is all about creating great content and getting the SEO basics right. Ignore advice from anyone who offers you a fast buck. There are plenty of snake oil salesmen out there! If you are consistent and knowledgable, successful affiliate marketing happens slowly and surely (not overnight).
What has been your favorite mistake? A mistake that in retrospect led to a great lesson and progress in your affiliate marketing?
Don’t try to be all things to all people. It’s important to be very focused in your niche. Although it is important to look at your competition, it can become too easy to write ‘me too’ content and spread yourself too thin. You need to be yourself, and that way you can be more genuine. Not everyone will relate to your content, but those who do will find you authentic and helpful. And will look out for your posts. I recently posted a new video to my YouTube channel after a bit of a break (too busy doing other stuff). It was great to see subscribers posting ‘You’re back!’
What is one piece of software or a web service that allows you to to be more effective as an affiliate marketer?
Buffer. It is a fantastic and intuitive scheduling tool, and the Buffer blog is absolutely invaluable. Did you know that only a small proportion of Buffer staff are employed in product development. Most of them work relentlessly testing what works best on social media, and sharing brilliant information based on this.
If people wanted to connect with you, where should we point them to?
My website is https://www.musicrepo.com/ and you can find me on all the usual social media channels @musicrepo.
How do you continue to educate yourself as an affiliate marketer? What are some of your favorite resources for learning?
The Geniuslink blog is pretty good! Plus there are some excellent channels on YouTube. And I have bought a few courses on Udemy that have been very helpful too.