Affiliate Marketing Program Fact & Fiction
When you get started in an affiliate marketing program, you may fall prey to a number of common misconceptions. The fact is, in any industry where there is so much money and so much potential for the average person, there are going to be myths floating around. This post is designed to help dispell a few of the most common.
MYTH: Running a highly profitable affiliate marketing business is easy.
FACT: It can eventually become easy once you learn how to do things, start making money, and learn to automate certain processes. In the meantime, though, it’s some of the most time-consuming work you’ll ever do.
MYTH: You will get rich quickly!
FACT: Very, very few affiliates will get rich quickly. In fact, your odds are actually better in Vegas, according to the FTC. If you apply yourself and work hard (and often, have a bit of money to invest), you will dramatically improve your odds of enjoying the lifestyle you dream of. If you expect to put in almost no time and then get rich, however, you may be better suited in a more traditional career.
MYTH: Affiliate marketing is saturated / too crowded / no longer full of opportunity.
FACT: After talking to numerous affiliate managers, it’s clear that only a very small fraction of the opportunity in any given program or market is actually being used. There are so many different ways to be successful – just let yourself stray a bit from the herd.
MYTH:Affiliate marketing is a no-investment business.
FACT: This couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s definitely much easier than, say, opening up a 5-star hotel – but it still takes capital. You can make a pretty good living with free webpages and social media or SEO tactics, but you still have to put in the time. And of course, if you want to earn money from stuff like PPC or PPV or media buys, you’re going to need quite a bit of capital to get going.
Did you find yourself buying into any of these myths? How did you get over them? Or are there other common myths that drive you crazy?