What Does Cooking Have to Do With Affiliate Marketing?
Welcome all to this beautiful Saturday morning!
I love the smell of summer mornings.
My apologies for not seeing you last week. I’d been very ill with a migraine four days in a row and didn’t get much done.
This week, I’m giving thanks to Sophie Sion-Byde for this idea. She mentioned it, and I totally ran with it. She is okay with me latching onto it, and I give her thanks! Thank you for this great idea, Sophie! It really helped me out, and I hope it will help others, too!
There Is No Mystery to Affiliate Marketing
The results of following a recipe are to be expected. Just as following a recipe for an apple pie will result in a delicious apple pie, if you do the right things well for long enough, your affiliate marketing business will be profitable.
Sophie was talking about how she loves to watch other niches. She thought it seemed so much easier for them sometimes because no one doubted them or what they were talking about.
If you’re watching someone make a beautiful roast, for example, they start by slicing the onion, the carrots, prepping the meat, preheating the oven, etc. And if they follow the recipe well, the roast will be juicy and mouth-watering. No one doubts the recipe. No one expects that the roast will burn or the meat will turn into a pipe dream.
And this is where Sophie hit gold. The results of affiliate marketing are just as predictable as a recipe.
The Affiliate Marketing Recipe
There are just four ingredients:
- traffic
- capture emails
- follow-up
- make offers
These four ingredients work together to make a successful affiliate marketing business. If one is missing, the “dough won’t rise.” It just won’t work. If each ingredient is working well, the business will grow. Check out this free training to see how these four “ingredients” work together to make a business system.
Then Why Is It So Hard?
- It’s intimidating. Like a dessert made of meringue – affiliate marketing can be intimidating. We’ve got to learn the skills.
- It’s a new hope. Affiliate marketing is a relatively new career. I first heard of it in 2022. It’s been around longer, of course, but not everyone thought of it among their career options when we were starting out young. Hey, I didn’t have the internet in college! Affiliate marketing is relatively new!
- It’s a long-term process. It’s not the kind of job where you earn by the hour. So, many can be skeptical of the long hours spent in front of the computer with no return. My sister asked me how many hours do I work before I get a dollar. This job just doesn’t work that way. I have confidence it has the potential to pay off beyond my expectations once I learn the skills, but I haven’t started out being a “master chef.”
Conclusion
I must admit, when I started affiliate marketing, I hoped it would work out for me. I was going to try it and see.
It was, as if, I might be one of the lucky ones.
I’ve been growing my blog for about a year and a half. During that time I have watched others succeed and I know why my business hasn’t taken off, yet. I don’t do follow-up. I’m missing a key ingredient. I’m going to add that to the mix and I know I will succeed, because I have watched others be successful.
It’s not a mystery to me anymore, and I hope I’ve helped you see this business is not about luck. It’s very predictable. Do the right things long enough and do them well and the results (profit) will undoubtedly follow.
Are you one of the ones who believes affiliate marketing may or may not work for you or do you have a firm belief that the business model does work?
What do you think of simplifying the business model to four steps? Do you think you could master that recipe?
If so, I recommend checking out this book- The Iceberg Effect. It takes a deep dive into the subject in chapter 5.
Best wishes to you in the next week,
Nakina
Hi Nakina – It is so glad to have you back blocking even though you were gone for only a week. I, and others, find great value in reading your weekly posts. You did a wonderful job describing the recipe for success in affiliate marketing. What a great analogy! When I first started this business, I did not realize that it was a long-term process as you described. I was not necessarily disappointed, I was just impatient. Now I see that the long-term process is necessary as it gives us the opportunity to learn the business, experienced the business and enjoy the business. Have a wonderful day, my friend!
You are so kind, Ernie! Thank you!
I must admit I was a bit shocked when my business was more challenging than expected. I’m stubborn, though! 🙂 I wasn’t about to give up. Now, I don’t mind so much. I don’t expect anything more than challenging at this point. I’m putting the elements of my business in place, “the ingredients in the pot,” when they start roiling together, and money comes in; I won’t be surprised, but it will be well worth the wait!
Balancing ingredients is also the key to Affiliate Marketing. Great analogy. Following a weekly strategy like creating a blog, following up on comments, organic and inorganic marketing strategies, attending to the list, like Sophie teaches, and making daily videos, as I have been doing- requires a list to keep it all together!! I forget and leave necessary tasks out. Darn!! I intend to gather my wits and do what needs to be done in a timely matter!
Hi, Kate!
Balancing is a great word! The four ingredients do work as a system for success, but as you say there’s a lot that goes into those four words individually! I have a flow chart of sorts that shows my strategy and keeps me on track. When I plan my week, I try to make sure I’m covering all my bases. You’re right! I couldn’t juggle it all without a list 🙂
Nakina
Hi Nakina,
Great analogy! Comparing affiliate marketing to following a recipe makes it so much more approachable and less intimidating.
The four ingredients traffic, capturing emails, follow-up, and making offers really simplify the process and highlight what’s essential for success.
Your honesty about missing the follow-up step is a great reminder that every part of the “recipe” is crucial.
Thanks for sharing Sophie’s idea and your insights. Best of luck with your journey!
Meredith
Meredith Moore recently posted…Boosting Motivation with Live Training, Social Media, and a Car Adventure…
Hi, Meredith!
I am glad to share! Hopefully, by being honest about where I fall short, I can help others not put off doing the necessary things for too long or even at all 🙂 Have a great week!
Nakina
this is a great summary of the “recipe” – of course it still takes practice and as we practice we improve our skills. But absolutely, follow the recipe, and it will lead to results. And though this may not be like a typical job; work this many hours, get paid. It is like many businesses; start a business, invest time and money, keep working at it, don’t burn out and use up all your resources, the investment will pay off.
Nathan recently posted…TikTok Regression
Hey, Nathan!
You’re right! There are lots of businesses that require long hours with little payoff in the beginning—most any business I were to start, in fact! I have always been a worker bee, but it’s time to become a queen bee and oversee my own business. Thanks for the encouragement!
Nakina
So glad to hear you’re feeling better! Migraines are the worst. Love the analogy of affiliate marketing being like a recipe. It’s all about getting the right mix of ingredients, right? Can’t wait to see what you cook up next!
Oh, thank you, Sarah!
Yes, I am feeling better, and I thank you for the well wishes!
Best of luck to you, Sarah!
Nakina
Hi Nakina,
First: glad to read that you’re feeling better!
Second: I think this analogy is one that anybody can relate to and put into context – whatever they do.
I think that we overthink these parts and sometimes try to either find a solution without finding one because, like the saying goes, we’re looking at the forest but not seeing the trees.
Thank you for reminding me that sometimes, it is easy and yes, we can do this!
All the best!
Hi, Marc!
Thank you so much! I am feeling so much better!
Zooming out and looking at the big picture is so important. Having some context for all the small tasks I do helps me a great deal.
I like that description; Sometimes, it’s easy. You have a great way of looking at things!
Have a great week!
Nakina
I’m so happy you’re feeling better. Migraines are a bitch. You can’t do anything, and you think your head will actually explode. I think that, early on, everyone has some doubt as to whether or not they will be a profitable business. It’s because it’s such a new concept. You must have faith that everything you’re learning and doing will all fit together and work in unison. Once it finally does work, then you can rinse and repeat. There is a learning curve… a big one at that. The four steps are powerful and essential, and maybe looking at it like that looks easy, but there is so much more to learn within those steps, and that is where putting your time in to perfect that process comes in. Time is going to go by anyway… might as well spend some quality of time doing something that will propel you forward.
Vanessa Lea recently posted…If There Is A Reset Button For Life, I’ve Just Pushed It!
Hi, Vanessa!
Thank you so much for your kind words! Migraines can definitely be a real challenge, so I’m relieved to be feeling better. I totally agree with you about the learning curve in starting a new business. It’s a journey filled with uncertainty and hard work, but having faith and sticking with it makes all the difference. The four steps might seem straightforward, but you’re right—there’s a lot of depth to explore within them. Investing time and effort into perfecting the process is crucial, and I appreciate the reminder to keep pushing forward. Time is indeed going to pass, so why not make the most of it by working toward something meaningful? Thanks again for the encouragement!
Nakina, Great to hear your feeling better and back to the norm! You’ve picked a great analogy it was very simple to see the correlation between the two. Look forward to having coffee this week with the gang!
Ken McGarvey recently posted…Iceberg Effect: The Hidden Truth About Online Income
Hi, Ken!
Thank you! I’m glad to be back in the swing of things!
I really missed coffee hour last week! Sophie deserves a long vacation, but I’ll be glad to see everyone this week.
See ‘ya there,
Nakina
I’m so glad to see you back after suffering through the migraine. I love the analogy between following a recipe and affiliate marketing. Once you get all the ingredients gathered and follow the steps correctly, you can’t fail to make that perfect meal (a.k.a. life). Looking forward to some more tasty advice from you!
Andy Jacobs recently posted…From Finding Lost Questions To Making New Goals
Thanks, Andy!
I appreciate all the well wishes!
Lol! Tasty advice! I think I’m going to steal that and use that in the future!
Have a great week, Andy!
Nakina
Hi Nakina,
I loved your post! Being the family cook and having worked as a baker for several years q while back, I appreciate and relate to how you wrote this!
The way you presented it shows that it’s so simple if you follow the recipe, but not necessarily easy as there are certain skills we need to learn and get good at. I believe that’s an honest way of revealing it simple, but it’s gonna take work and stick to the proven recipe. Awesome post!
Denny
Thank you, Denny! That’s a good way of phrasing the business and the recipe: It’s simple but not necessarily easy. Zooming out at the beginning of the day to see what I’m working on within the four core areas helps me a great deal. I no longer get frustrated that little, small steps don’t matter because I can easily see how they fit into the big picture. I sound a bit like Dean Holland’s repetitiveness on the subject because I rely on that perspective to move me forward.
I just loved Sophie’s description of the inevitability of a recipe turning into exactly what it’s supposed to. That’s what we’re doing. It gives me a lot of hope!
Nakina
Hi Nakina,
I loved reading your post! The analogy between cooking and affiliate marketing is spot on. Just like a recipe, having all the right ingredients and following the steps meticulously can help one achieve success in affiliate marketing. It’s encouraging to realize that with patience and the right strategy—traffic, capturing emails, consistent follow-up, and making offers—success is indeed achievable and not just a matter of luck.
Also, I can totally relate to the intimidation factor and the long-term nature of affiliate marketing. It’s reassuring to know that the persistent effort will pay off, and adding that ‘missing ingredient’ can make all the difference.
Your transparency and helpful analogies make the complex world of affiliate marketing seem much more approachable.
Wishing you continued success and good health!
All the Best.
Oh, I’m so glad I’m able to make affiliate marketing more approachable! It’s very do-able. The key is to have a mentor in your life to let you know when your “ingredients aren’t balanced.” Also, I have my tracker sheet, and it’s obvious from seeing all the traffic in my list not purchasing that I’ve been dropping the ball on the follow-up end.
Thank you for the well wishes! I’m having a wonderful week!
The best to you, too!
Nakina
Nakina,
Glad you are feeling better. Migraines are just a terrible thing to have. I really liked this analogy of affiliate marketing is like a recipe. You certainly need all four of those ingredients for a successful business.
Sherri
Sherri S Pulcino recently posted…Newfound Momentum
Hi, Sherri!
I’m glad you like it!
Nakina