Affiliate Marketing - Pot of Gold or Pile of C…?

August 22, 2007

What is affiliate marketing? Can it make you rich beyond your wildest dreams, or is it just a load of crapola?

A reader asked me to write a basic guide to affiliate marketing for beginners. She also wants to know whether you really can build a decent business around affiliate marketing. Or is it just overhyped by the so called gurus?


Well - I’ll try to break this down question by question.

1) What is affiliate marketing? In a nutshell, affiliate marketing is all about recommending other people’s stuff and sending visitors to the websites of other business. When they buy a product based on your recommendation, you get a commission.

2) Can you make a lot of money from affiliate marketing? This is a bit like asking if you’ll get as rich as Richard Branson if you buy a record company. Like any other business it depends on you. And your success or failure in affiliate marketing will depend on many things, including the products you choose to recommend. But, the biggest factors will be your determination, and the effort you put in. Some people will won’t make enough to buy a cappucino. And others - including this guy, have made millions from affiliate marketing.

3) Are there any secrets that could help me succeed in affiliate marketing? There are so many “gurus” out there who’ll tell you they can show you the secrets to getting rich in affiliate marketing. Some will even tell you that you’ll start making money in the next thirty minutes. Or that you’ll make several thousand this month. Basically, it’s a load of bollocks.

Instead of looking for shortcuts, you should try to learn as much as possible about affiliate marketing and business in general. And you should work at it constantly. Treat it like a real business - not just some get rich quick scheme.

4) So are you saying there are no books on affiliate marketing that can help me get started? No. I’m just saying that there’s no book, or magic formula, or special pill you can pop that will make you rich overnight. If you want a comprehensive guide to affiliate marketing, I recommend checking out the Super Affiliate Handbook.

It won’t show you how to get rich overnight, and it doesn’t claim to. But, it will teach you how to get started in affiliate marketing and avoid the mistakes that other beginners make.

5) What are the pros and cons of affiliate marketing? There are heaps of advantages and disadvantages to affiliate marketing, just the same as there is in any other business. And I’ve listed a few that spring to mind below.


Disadvantages of Affiliate Marketing

You’ll need to get yourself a website. (Some say you don’t need one, but this is not recommended)

Some of the commissions are lousy. Whilst some products can earn you 50% plus commission - others are 1%.

It’s a bit like being a commission only salesman. If you don’t sell anything this week - you don’t get paid.

There’s a lot of competition in the most lucrative areas - eg: anything to do with sex, money, diet.

You will need to put in a lot of hard work before you begin a decent amount of money.

Advantages

No need to buy stock, so can be much cheaper to get started than other types of business.

Hundreds of thousands of products available for you to promote, so if one is doing badly it’s easy to replace.

You can work from anywhere - at home, on the beach, or even whilst you’re travelling the world.

You’re not tied to the clock. There are no phones to answer, and no goods to despatch, making it easier to start part-time.

Click here to read more about affiliate marketing.

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Posted by cathlawson | Filed Under Ideas 

Comments

3 Responses to “Affiliate Marketing - Pot of Gold or Pile of C…?”

  1. Affiliate Commissions - Don't Get Screwed on November 6th, 2008 3:16 pm

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  2. Rev Jeff Lewis on March 26th, 2009 6:46 pm

    I am so glad that somebody has finally said it out loud. It is so sad to see all the ads that hook people, many of us in desperate need of a legitamate income from home. The start makeing 100′ in 30 minutes, or make 5000 your first month. I have tried dozens of these programs only to find only partial or incomplete details on just what you are suposed to do to make all this money. I am almost ashamed to say thatI have been trying these programs for years, and only now just starting to grasp exactly what I am supposed to do. YOu are right, it takes time and lots of study to truly earn any money in these programs. But once you quit trying to get rich tommorow, you CAN start to finally earn. Just dont expect it overnight.

    Rev Jeff Lewis’s last blog post..Internet Marketing Businesses

  3. Gerard on March 28th, 2009 1:41 pm

    Great info for newbies to learn from, and for others not to be mislead.

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