Posts Tagged ‘what is affiliate marketing’
Good News: Opportunities Are Out There
If you’ve been keeping up with newspapers or online sources, chances are you’ve read about mass layoffs and corporate downsizing. These admittedly harsh financial realities have drawn attention for good reason, but they’ve also overshadowed the flood of new Internet business opportunities. People need to rebound from this blow and avoid sinking into a state of despair. After all, this is still America; hard work and determination often seem to pay off in the end.
No matter their precise financial standing or tax bracket, most people want to earn extra income. Some are just trying to put their kids through college in the hope that they can live a successful life in the future. Others seek dispensable income - they desire the frills and luxury that come along with a successful business venture. Either way, the Internet is rife with ideas to help people get ahead and stay there. If you don’t know where to start, you might want to learn affiliate marketing. With little few barriers to entry and virtually no startup costs, you can begin earning supplemental income in no time.
How Do You Explain, “What is Affiliate Marketing?”
Anyone who spends any amount of time in affiliate marketing will eventually have to answer the question, “What is affiliate marketing?” For those who aren’t highly computer literate, it can take a while to grasp the concept. For others, the field is synonymous with scammers and multi-level marketers who pollute otherwise enjoyable websites with their promotions. Either way, you’re likely to encounter both confusion and stereotypes when you venture out into the world of non-affiliates.
One of the best ways to explain affiliate marketing to strangers is to invoke examples of traditional sales reps or commissioned sales people. You can point out the examples of manufacturer’s reps who go to stores, or door-to-door salesmen who go around marketing their wares. They don’t earn the entire sale. Instead, they get paid a percentage of the total sales that come through them.
Of course, people will then wonder how anyone knows you sent the sales, not to mention how you do your promotions. You can explain that you have special web addresses (most people will glaze over if you start talking about URLs) that contain a piece of code that lets the original merchant know who you are. When people click on those links and end up making purchases, you make money.
And how do you get those clicks? Well, you make websites about related topics and build a following, or you purchase advertising through other sites that already have many visitors.
In most cases, this simplified explanation will eventually sink in. It may take a little longer with, say, your grandmother, but have patience - she’ll get it someday.
What is Affiliate Marketing Like as a Career?
A lot of new affiliates wonder, “What is affiliate marketing like as a career?” Although it may seem silly, that’s actually a really good question. If you spend much time around affiliates at meetups and conferences, you’ll notice something that’s very clear if you’re looking for it - Some affiliates are in it for the fun and they’re enjoying it while it lasts, but others are in it for a real career.
How can you tell the difference? Well, affiliates who are in it for the fun are usually more interested in the parties and free stuff instead of the amazing wealth of knowledge to be had when hanging out with large groups of professionals. They typically have a few successful campaigns (sometimes even just ONE), and they’re spending the money as fast as they make it. They’re not thinking about what happens when trends or policies shift and kill off a big percentage of their income. They may or may not stick around, depending on how hard things get and how low their bank accounts get. There aren’t many places outside of affiliate marketing where you’ll see 24-year-old kids making $90k in a month and promptly spending it on a watch (all the while, living in mom and dad’s basement).
So how are the pros different? They’re different in pretty much every way you can think of. These are the guys and girls who are getting to know anyone and everyone worth knowing. They’re out there working the floor and looking for new traffic sources or promotional ideas, then they’re spending dinner with other affiliates and sharing notes. These people have proper business structures, they pay their taxes, and they always save for a rainy day. They’re planning for their next big step before their current income streams disappear. They’ll do ANYTHING to avoid going back to a day job.
Which of these types are you? If you’re not counting yourself under the second category, you need to figure out a way to change things before your current strategies stop working for you.
What is Affiliate Marketing Doing For You?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “What is affiliate marketing doing for me?” In all likelihood, it’s probably given you a lot of frustration, a ton of gray hairs, and a new appreciation for a steady paycheck. If you’re successful, though, you’ve probably realized the amazing perks of doing well in this industry. Since it can be hard to stay motivated through the frustrating early months (or even years), consider all that you can get when you finally find success:
- Freedom - There’s nothing better than losing that Sunday night feeling of dread when the weekend is almost over.
- Income - When you’re working for a boss, you can give 50% or 300%, but you’re never going to get the full benefit of your efforts. If you bring your company an extra $1000, how much of that are you actually going to see personally? It’s nice to work for yourself and enjoy the full fruits of your labor (well, minus Uncle Sam’s cut, anyway).
- Swag - When successful affiliates go to conferences, networks shower them with silly gifts.
- Free Dinners - Decent affiliates can usually swing a free meal at an event like Affiliate Summit, or even just a trip into the hometown of a network they’ve worked with.
- Free Trips - The best affiliates don’t have to pay to get to conferences - their networks foot the bill.
- Contests - When you’re a top affiliate, you can enter network contests with confidence and walk away with huge bonuses to your normal commissions.
- Free Products - Physical products merchants are often very willing to send free review products or gift cards to their top affiliates.
Of course, any affiliate making a ton of money is probably beyond the silly financial rewards and swag - but it’s still fun to feel loved 
What kind of perks have you gotten from your affiliate efforts? Let us know in the comments!
What is Affiliate Marketing With Incentives?
A lot of new affiliates join networks and wonder, “What is affiliate marketing with incentives?” They see the option listed by an offer (most often as a no-no), and they want to know what it involves, and why it would be banned.
Incentive marketing simply means that the affiliate is offering something to the customer in exchange for their lead or sale. The free iPod sites that were popular in years past are a key example. Users completed a number of offers and referred a certain number of friends, and in exchange, they received a free iPod. Other sites offer free downloads, cash payouts, or other prizes in exchange for filling out affiliate offers.
Although this method can work well for affiliates, advertisers don’t always approve. When someone is signing up for a product because they are getting a reward, they don’t always turn into good customers. This is especially problematic for lead-based offers, where customers give up nothing but their time to help the affiliate earn the commission.
Penalties for using incentives when not allowed are steep. At the bare minimum, your commissions will be reversed. Sometimes, you’ll be blacklisted from your network and even some others when your name gets out (remember, advertisers often work with more than one network). You should also note that many offers allow prize incentives, but not cash. These details are important.
It’s easy and tempting to use incentives, but you have to make sure that you know an advertiser or networks policies before you do it. Ignorance is never a good argument when you get busted doing something the advertiser doesn’t condone.
What is Affiliate Marketing Like As a Career?
A lot of people love the idea of working in their pajamas and making tons of money, but they don’t always stop to wonder, “What is affiliate marketing like as a career?” That’s a shame, too, because affiliate marketing as a hobby is very different from affiliate marketing as a career.
As an affiliate hobbyist, you can afford to work “when you feel like it”. When you are a full-time affiliate, you don’t have that luxury. In all likelihood, you’ll spend your first couple of years working especially hard to make sure that you have a comfortable cushion to your finances in case campaigns fall apart or some kind of disaster occurs.
As an affiliate hobbyist, you can afford to skip critical steps like market research or tracking. You’ve got a career to fall back on. As a full-time affiliate, every step you skip represents a blow to your income and security.
If you’re like most people, you almost definitely think you’re ready to work from home. Even if you’re making a bit of money, though, be sure that you’re truly ready before taking the leap. If at all possible, do a trial run where you take a week away from your normal job and see what it’s really like to spend an entire week working from home. It won’t be a perfect test (since the desire to quit your job adds to your motivation), but it will give you an idea of what distractions and issues you may need to deal with before going full-time.
You can also prepare yourself better by talking with other full-time affiliates. Be direct. Say, “What is affiliate marketing like as a full-time career? What is the hardest part? What worries you?” You alreay know the amazing upsides - so try to get more of the downsides to help balance your perspective before you put your entire lifestyle at risk.
None of this is to say you shouldn’t quit your job and become a full-time affiliate if you’re making a good living at it. The questions here are designed to help you make sure that you’re ready for the responsibility and difficulty of motivating yourself day after day in this challenging career.
Be Mindful of Competition
Many people these days are striving to be able to work from home online. However, when you are considering doing online work at home, keep in mind that you are also competing with many other people. Online jobs are in high demand and people from all over are giving their best to get them. Though you should be mindful of the high level of competition, you should try not to allow it to get you down. If you are determined, you will be able to find your dream online job. One of the best most prolific opportunities now available is affiliate marketing, and it takes virtually no time to get started.
Perhaps the most important thing you’ll need to be competitive is by knowing the right skills needed and of course, a reliable internet connection. In most cases, you’ll need a high speed internet connection to effectively work online. Make certain that you buy a computer that’s capable to perform the jobs you will need to do. For instance, the computer needs of a graphic designer are very different from those of someone doing simple data entry.