The Real Truth About Affiliate Marketing
In this article we are going to be addressing the real truth about affiliate marketing and it was inspired by a question from one of our subscribers asking why we were able to promote multiple products, systems and opportunities that he received from us by email [see the real truth about email marketing].
Actually, it was a very fair question to ask for someone new to the online business world and not knowing how affiliate marketing works. To be honest when we first began our online business in 2010 we just knew it as internet marketing and really didn’t understand that in effect we were really affiliate marketers.
Let’s begin by defining affiliate marketing to give you the bigger picture
The Real Truth About Affiliate Marketing – What is Affiliate Marketing?
The easiest way to describe ‘Affiliate Marketing’ would be the following:
Affiliate Marketing is basically selling someone else’s products or services and then in return, you receiving a commission for doing so.
And the concept of ‘Affiliate Marketing’, is that you get paid when you sell or promote someone else’s product. We’ll come on to the all important prom0tion aspect in a moment.
Affiliate Marketing has become one of the most popular ways for people to make money online. It has grown in popularity because it is virtually FREE to set up and the best thing about it is that just about anyone can start doing it, no matter how old you are or what walk of life you come from (we’re in our 60’s now and started in our mid 50’s so we’re proof of that!)
Why Start Affiliate Marketing
Like we said above, affiliate marketing is the perfect way for you as an individual to earn money and here are just some of the reasons why :-
- You don’t need large amounts of money to start an affiliate marketing business.
- You don’t need to buy or hold stock.
- You don’t need to buy or rent premises (you can work from home or anywhere).
- You don’t need to deal with customers or sales.
- You do not need to deal with fulfilment, returns and refunds
- You can run your affiliate marketing business from anywhere in the world and once you have it up and running it can be earning you money 24 hours per day, 365 days a year.
The Real Truth About Affiliate Marketing – Promotion
Like we said affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways for someone to get started online and start having success. But the truth is that they need to know about how to promote (marketing) and make sure to choose the right products to promote. We’re not going to cover specific niches in this article suffice to say it’s important to promote products in high demand and which other people are promoting. This is the opposite to what what newcomers to affiliate marketing think fearful the market is “saturated” so they choose obscure products that they think will do better when in fact no one is searching for them so their success as an affiliate marketer is going to be very limited and they will probably give up pretty quickly.
Personally we promote affiliate products in the online business education and entrepreneurship niche (often known as “make money online” [see The Real Truth About Making Money Online]
But you can be an affiliate marketer promoting anything you like. Health and wellness is a big niche if that’s your thing … but regardless you need to know HOW to promote and that’s what we love teaching.
It’s therefore the products that we promote as affiliate marketers
Finding The Right Affiliate Marketing Programs
If you’ve decided that affiliate marketing is going to be your thing then the next question you will be asking is “Which are the best affiliate marketing programs?”
To be honest, there are so many great programs available, it really is down to which programs compliment your own business best. Since you are putting your name to the products you are promoting the other important factor is also which programs you want to promote and are happy promoting. Personally, we only promote programs and products that we are happy to put our name and brand to because at the end of the day you need to feel good about what you are or will be recommending to your visitors, subscribers or existing customers.
Different Types Of Affiliate Marketing Programs
There are many different types of affiliate marketing programs and they pay commissions in a variety of ways. However, the real truth about affiliate marketing is that you get paid a commission for helping promote someone else’s products or services.
Some affiliate programs will pay you a commission on the sale of a product or service, some will pay you for a lead and others will pay you per click (when someone clicks on your affiliate link and is diverted to their own website).
The most common three types of affiliate marketing programs are
- Pay Per Click – as an affiliate you receive a commission every time someone clicks on YOUR affiliate referral link even if the person doesn’t take any action. Google Adsense is one such program.
- Pay Per Lead – in this example you receive a commission (usually a fixed amount) when you refer someone and they actually sign up for whatever it is being promoted … this might be a newsletter, filling out a survey etc.
- Pay Per Sale – in this case you as the affiliate will receive a commission from the company when someone actually buys from your referring affiliate link. You might either get a fixed amount for the sale or a percentage of the total sale price
Choosing The Best Affiliate Marketing Program For You
Once you have decided on the niche that fits you best and which you are passionate about promoting then it’s time to choose the programs that fit your brand and business model and will be the best fit for your customers and prospective customers (that’s your email subscribers, social media followers and website visitors). Don’t try and do too much and subsequently overwhelm them by choosing too many to promote but do also be aware of giving choice (one thing we have learnt over time is that “one size does not fit all“! And please don’t try and promote products with no relevance or do not compliment your website (yes we highly recommend you have a website)
Whilst on the subject of the real truth about affiliate marketing we’ll mention high ticket programs here because large commissions do feature in our overall affiliate marketing business and it’s because a few sales can make you decent money. However you need to find the right programs and get the right education to promote these. You can get our book Limitless for free (just pay S&H) which will explain what we call HTAM (High Ticket Affiliate Marketing)
How To Find The Best Affiliate Marketing Programs
There are going to be many different affiliate marketing programs to choose from so take your time and select them carefully adding to your repertoire as you gain experience.
Some have their own in house affiliate accounts and track sales and commissions for you. In this case you need to register with their affiliate program; others are free and some you may pay a fee to join and promote. To see if they have a program check on their website and you are likely to find it in the navigation bar on at the bottom of their website. If not send them an email and ask if they have an affiliate program.
If you are looking for an affiliate program in a particular niche, you can type in a search on Google for that niche and then look through the results.
Then of course we are also affiliates of many different tools and resources which you will find on our page “Recommended Tools” or on the front page of our website.
If you would like to receive a copy of our Affiliate Marketing Guide please do leave us a comment and also complete a contact us form so we can get that to you with our compliments
That concludes the real truth about affiliate marketing and we thank you for joining us on our blog today
Who Are We
We’re former accountants of a certain age (60+) with 5 great kids and 3 grandchildren. We love skiing and traveling the world and have achieved a fabulous life helping others to start and build a successful business online and now speak on international stages following that passion. Our worldwide educational business is centered on online marketing business education and wealth creation and a desire to help you create financial freedom online through entrepreneurship whatever your age or experience.
Authors : The Mindset Shift
Skype : chrisbeesley1 susanbeesley1
Mobile/Cell: +44 (0)7802857551
Email : info@chrisandsusanbeesley.com
Join Our Facebook Group For Entrepreneurs (Our Tribe)
If you enjoyed this post “The Real Truth About Affiliate Marketing” please Comment, Like and Share
