Almost everybody is into affiliate marketing nowadays. And it looks like a lot of affiliate marketers are lying with their inflated statistics and claims of financial independence.
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I’m not against affiliate marketing, don’t get me wrong.
I even have a blog post talking about affiliate marketing and how to start.
As a student and lover of Marketing myself, I feel uncomfortable when I see sales copies from people trying to sell an affiliate marketing course, making it look like a pyramid scheme.
So today, I will be discussing what I know, and what you might already know about Affiliate Marketing.
I hope you will enjoy this article, and learn a thing or two from it.
Is Affiliate Marketing Legit?
Yes, affiliate marketing is definitely legit. Thousands of people worldwide are making legit money through affiliate marketing.
What Is Affiliate Marketing ?
Affiliate marketing is all about making money by telling others about things that you like and think are cool.
This is an example:
Imagine you really like a shirt that you saw online, and you tell your friend about it. Your friend thinks it’s cool too and wants to buy one. If the shirt company has an affiliate program, they might give you a special link to share with your friend. When your friend buys the toy car using that special link, the company gives you a little bit of money as a thank you for telling your friend about it.
So basically, affiliate marketing is a way to make money by promoting things you like and think other people will like too. It’s like being a helper and getting rewarded for it!
Affiliate Marketing is Not a Pyramid Scheme
In affiliate marketing, people make money by promoting products or services and receiving a commission for sales through their unique affiliate link. This means the affiliate provides value by promoting the product or service to potential customers. They only receive a commission when someone purchases through their link.
On the other hand, pyramid schemes are illegal and unsustainable business models where participants earn money solely by recruiting others to join the scheme. No actual product or service is being sold, and participants are encouraged to recruit more people into the scheme to earn money.
This creates a pyramid-like structure where only those at the top make significant money, while those at the bottom are left with little to no earnings.
So, while both affiliate marketing and pyramid schemes involve earning money through referrals, the key difference is that in affiliate marketing, people promote actual products or services and earn commissions on sales. In contrast, pyramid schemes are based solely on recruitment without exchanging real value.
A Secret – Many Affiliate Marketing Scams
I did a little bit of research and I found out about something.
Some affiliate marketing coaches do not make money from affiliate marketing like they claim. But they make all their money from their affiliate marketing courses.
This is a huge problem. Why? We would keep having coaches and teachers that do not make money from what they are teaching, but would keep looking for students.
It. makes. no. sense.
A classic example:
Final Words: Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing is not a scam.
The credibility of affiliate marketing relies on the honesty and moral standing of the affiliate and the merchant.
Some self-acclaimed ‘super affiliates’ (that is what some of the clowns call themselves) may resort to unscrupulous methods such as spamming or false advertising to endorse products, thereby tarnishing the image of affiliate marketing as a whole.
Nevertheless, if done with transparency and ethics, affiliate marketing can be mutually beneficial for both the affiliate and the merchant.
In order to achieve success in affiliate marketing, it is vital to select reliable and trustworthy affiliate programs, promote products that are pertinent and valuable to your audience, and furnish truthful and candid information regarding the products being promoted.
I really don’t see sense in promoting a course about affiliate marketing. People would keep joining such programs, and the circle becomes bigger.
But like any other multi-billion-dollar industry, some people take advantage and create scams. So, suppose you’re an aspiring affiliate marketer looking for programs to promote or a new affiliate vendor. In that case, you must be careful not to get trapped in affiliate marketing scams.
If you are a beginner affiliate marketer, you must be wary of programs too good to be true. They are easy to notice, but many young affiliate marketers still get enticed. More often than not, these shady affiliate programs have ads that say:
“Earn thousands of dollars, quit your job, and travel across the world with affiliate marketing.”
“Make millions while you sleep!”
“Work from home and earn thousands even if you haven’t sold anything before.”
New affiliate marketers that buy into these programs will soon find out that they offer subpar products. They learn nothing about affiliate marketing. And they don’t earn any money.
I have made a small amount of money through affiliate marketing, because I have not been intentional about it.
For example, if you need very affordable domain names and hosting, you can use my link if you want something cheaper than Namecheap.
Now. Over to you.
Have you made money from affiliate marketing? Or do you have things to share about it? Drop your comments below!
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