Get better or go home

Do you know that feeling when you get to use what you have just learned? It's great, isn't it? Working on your craft is essential. But that‘s something you probably know yourself, right? Well, if you do, what are the ways you improve? As an affiliate, as a marketer, as an employee or a business owner. Do you practice your skills everyday?

Maybe school years are over for you but for your affiliate business, for everything in life really, it’s essential that you move forward. Study, do your homework, take tests, move forward and see yourself at the top.

Never stop learning

Don't get complacent. The market is constantly changing so stopping learning should never be on your list. You may be working on developing an affiliate business as a side project or full-time, as an employee or a business owner. It doesn’t matter.

There’s always something to learn.

Maybe you could use basic programming or Photoshop skills? Maybe taking up a course on marketing or copywriting may help your business grow?

Even if at this moment you can’t put new skills to use, you never know when they might become handy. And you may even like it.

Best ways to improve as an affiliate

Online courses

You probably already have an affiliate website that requires a lot of work. Hiring freelance programmers, designers, writers… It all costs. Why not take up on online course and learn to do those basic tasks yourself.

Online you can get free education or you can pay for courses. Is it worth the price? We are certain that it is. Here’s why:

• Variety of courses (Productivity to SEO to Email Marketing and Photoshop. Everything you need)
• Affordable (monthly memberships at these online schools like Lynda.com start at $25).
• Certificates (you get a certificate for finishing a course).
• Watch later (some online schools even allow you to download the course to watch later offline).

There are hundreds of courses available. You will definitely find some that are right for you. And like we said before, even if you can't put the new skill to use right now doesn't mean you should not take that course. It may (and probably will) be very useful in the future.

Forums

Join a community. Introduce yourself, find people that are interested in affiliate marketing and learn from them. Check out forums like Digital Point, Black Hat World, Warrior Forum. There are many others.

Becoming an active member of a forum has many advantages. You meet other people in your niche, you learn up-to-date strategies, establish authority, etc.

Don't forget, forums are for discussions. So, don't be one of those "lurkers" and join the discussion. Try helping others and ask for help yourself. Even if you're wrong sometimes, people will appreciate the effort.

A mentor

You don’t have to do everything by trial and error. It’s certainly valuable when you learn something yourself, but it takes a lot of time and you can’t even be sure about the end result. Rely on people that already achieved proficiency in your area and copy what they have done.

How to meet influential people in your area?

First, take a look around you. Are there any people you already know that do what you are looking to improve at. We are not only talking about affiliate marketing. If there are people like that in your circle, don’t pass that opportunity.

The other way is just to get out there and try to find someone. Search Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn. See who people are listening and find a way to contacting them. Sure, not everyone will be willing to help you but once you find someone, their help will be priceless.

Finally, use the forums. If you became a member on one of the forums, see who has the most posts and is a member the longest. See what they talk about the most and how their posts are received.

If you have any questions, let us know by contacting us or leaving a comment on Facebook.