A Beginner’s Guide to Affiliate Marketing

Share
Thinking about affiliate marketing

Thinking about affiliate marketing

You have a job (or maybe not). However, the bottom line is you either don’t have enough money to pay all your expenses or to live the lifestyle you want. You ask yourself, “How can I make some extra money?” If you come up with the answer “with affiliate marketing”, you should first have a thorough understanding of what  affiliate marketing is, the pros and cons of it before taking the plunge. To find out what affiliate marketing is all about, you’ve come to the right place.

Basic Affiliate Marketing FAQ’s

1.  What is affiliate marketing? 

An affiliate marketer is someone who agrees (by registration or subscription) to market or promote a company or individual’s product or service. In return for each sale made, the affiliate marketer receives a commission (money).

2. Is affiliate marketing the same as having a job?

Affiliate marketing is NOT the same as having a job. Being an affiliate is not the same as being an employee. You are not paid a salary and you do not receive medical benefits. Keep in mind however, that it usually takes some hard work and persistence to be successful in this business.

3. Is affiliate marketing legitimate and legal?

Yes, affiliate marketing is a legal business. However, I would suggest you do your due diligence and do research on any business opportunity you are interested in before spending any money. Unfortunately, there are also many business opportunities that appear to be legitimate but are in reality, nothing but scams set up to take your hard earned money. To find out more on how to avoid the pitfalls and traps of online scams, click here.

4. Do I need to have any experience?

When people ask me this question, I tell them that they don’t need experience, but they should have a PhD. They should be Poor, Hungry, and Driven, lol. Almost all of the best affiliate marketing opportunities provide extensive training and marketing materials that you need in order to succeed.  If you do happen to have prior experience in affiliate marketing, that’s a bonus.

5. How much money can I make with affiliate marketing?

It really depends on you. You can make as much or as little as you want. The more effort and commitment you put into your business, the more likely you are to succeed.  Keep in mind that there is no “guaranteed” amount of money that can be earned. If you come across a website that says “you will earn guaranteed money” or “all you have to do is push a button–everything is all set up for you” or “you’ll be rich overnight”, avoid that website like the plague. You are being mislead and most likely set up for failure. The old adage, “If it sounds too good to be true…” applies here.

6. How much does it cost to get started?                         dollar signs

The answer is it depends on the business opportunity. Some are free to get started, while others have an initial startup cost as well as monthly recurring costs for things like marketing materials needed, website maintenance, product inventory, and training. The bottom line is that even though you might wish everything was free, eventually there will be some costs incurred. Therefore, I would suggest you set a budget for what you can afford to put towards involvement with an affiliate marketing opportunity before you decide to join. Also, make sure you understand fully what you are paying for. Take the time to read the fine print, like the Terms of Service and Cancellation Policy.

What’s Next?

If you read the above FAQ’s about affiliate marketing and have decided that this is not for you, then that is okay. At least you have not learned the hard way by wasting money. However, if you have decided to give affiliate marketing a try, then it is time for you to do your research into finding good, legitimate affiliate marketing opportunities. There are several ways to this, as follows:

1.  Use Google Search— go to www.google.com, type in something like “legitimate affiliate  marketing opportunities” and hit enter.

2.  Use Jaaxy— a software program that allows you to do a search on all 3 major search engines–Google, Bing, and Yahoo.  To use Jaaxy, click on the demo picture below. jaaxy_demo_2

3.  If you do not have the time to do extensive research on legitimate affiliate marketing opportunities, here are some suggested opportunities that may interest you:

 

I hope I have given you some basic insight on what affiliate marketing is all about. If you have any questions, comments or need help, just place your comment or question in the comment field below. Have a great day,

Deidre

Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.