7 Reasons Why Affiliate Marketing Is Awesome

I’m sure you’ve seen the crazy sales pages that talk about Lambos, mansions, millions, blah, blah, blah! After a while, the hype becomes white noise and you get disillusioned. Many people start calling everything and anything marketing-related a scam.

Affiliate marketing is not a scam in-and-of-itself. You see it everywhere and you have probably done it already at some point.

If you have ever referred a friend to a rewards program and received points to use on your favorite products or services, you, my friend, have been a recipient of affiliate marketing.

It’s okay to be skeptical. I’d consider you a fool if you didn’t have some reservations about this stuff! Before we discuss the reasons you SHOULD be doing affiliate marketing, let’s point out some major pitfalls you need to look out for.

Check out my 5 steps to affiliate marketing guide here.

Affiliate Marketing Misconceptions

If you want to succeed with affiliate marketing, you NEED to get these ideas out of your head.

You can get rich overnight!

Many major affiliate marketing products always press your pain points (huge debt, disappointed family, sucky job, etc.) and then promise to take all of these away overnight if you buy their mediocre product for $7 (price going up to $99 tomorrow).

This is probably the main reason so many people hate the idea of affiliate marketing. The notion that you can build a website and rake in thousands by breakfast tomorrow morning with little to no work is insulting to people – yet desperation often times supersedes logic.

Simple, click button software can flood your bank account with cash!

Back in the day, Staples had a marketing campaign that made them famous – the proverbial easy button! Just press the button and all your problems would be solved! A lot of potential marketers seem to think that could exist in internet marketing. Several programs are actually sold as “click button solutions”.

Let’s get real here: the closest you will ever get to click button profits is through list building. After you build a decent list, you can send them promos and make money when they buy. It still takes time and effort to cultivate that asset, but there is really no other way to click a button and make instant money. It takes work!

Most Internet Marketing Courses and Programs are Scams!

Whenever I review a new product, I always see a bunch of other review sites calling it a scam. It never ceases to amaze me. Ironically, I actually believe many of them are taught to call products and courses a scam so they can sell their own products or services. The BIGGEST offenders I see on a consistent basis are affiliates of a full service platform called, “Wealthy Affiliate.”

I am not an affiliate of Wealthy Affiliate, nor have I ever been! Maybe they offer real value (and I’m sure I’ll have a few of you commenting on this post), but I don’t think it’s fair to call every product you see released a scam because you feel people would be better served paying you for a Wealthy Affiliate membership. Okay, I have ranted enough about that…

The fact of it all, is you are paying for information. If you learn something in that $47 course that you can apply to your business, was it really a scam? Here’s another perspective: If you spent hundreds on buying books that taught you how to fix cars but you never actually take that info to fix a car, would you call those books scams?

Probably not.

Many affiliate marketers need to make money and release products to do so. It’s not really fair to them to call their product a scam just because you didn’t earn millions like they said you could. Maybe the info in their product did make someone a lot of money because it was the final piece of the puzzle they needed.

I’ve spent a lot of money on courses and programs. There are many products that over-promise and under-deliver, but I would never defame the person that created that product just to peddle something else… I just wouldn’t recommend you buy it as well.

7 Reasons Affiliate Marketing is Awesome!

Now that we got the myths out of the way, let’s get back to why you’re really reading this article!

#1: No Overhead and little capital required to get started

If the sound of building a profitable business with little to no money down really gets your rocks off, then affiliate marketing may be for you. I have never seen any other model that gives you that true advantage.

No need for a warehouse, property, or anything that costs money, for that matter. Don’t get me wrong, there are resources that will save you time and make your life easier that you can buy or subscribe to, but they aren’t necessary if you just don’t have a budget.

#2: True passive income will start to snowball

As you build your affiliate marketing business, you will start to see more and more income pouring in. Everything you do adds up to the greater whole. This is why it is important to build a website.

*PRO TIP: If I were new and looking for a place to start, I would invest in a website.

Your website is your HQ of operations. If you have no budget, you can piggyback off of web 2.0 properties (Blogger, Weebly, Google Sites, etc.) or your Social pages/profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), but eventually you will want to have your own website/blog.

Every post you write on that blog is an arm, reaching out to new readers and potential income sources. This is why writing on a consistent basis is not only recommended, but could make or break your affiliate marketing business.

The more you write = the more relevant your blog will become = the more it will earn. Because, math.

#3: Little to no technical experience required to get started

If you really wanted to, you could go to a library and build your business from their computer terminals. If you can use a computer, you can build an affiliate marketing business.

Now, don’t get me wrong, you do need to develop skills and you will learn what you need to know as you go along. But, let’s not push the cart before the horse. You can start off as a complete newbie with little to no experience. Because you have no overhead and no capital required to get started, the pressure is not as high to start off performing like a CEO.

#4: You can literally start and profit in a very short timeframe

Nowadays, we live in a world where instant gratification is almost expected. Can you make a sale your first day in affiliate marketing? Certainly! If you post something about a product and the right person sees it at the right time, you could make a sale and earn money. Is it probable? No.

Here is a great resource to check out if you want an idea of how other affiliate marketers have fared. Please note, not all of them started their websites with the idea to monetize them. You are starting out with a huge advantage!

#5: You can sell anything to match your personal passion

In the land of affiliate marketing your personal passions are called “niches.” Your website is gonna be based on your area of interest. the more intense your interest coupled with your ability to be creative and find opportunities within your niche will ultimately determine your ceiling (true potential).

There are numerous niches and sub-niches that you can make a killing with. Jeff Ramlee discusses the 11 most profitable niches in this post here. There are ultimately hundreds of niches you can choose from, though. No matter who you are, you can find something to write about and capture an audience with.

The other matter to be aware of is where to find the products you are going to sell. These places are called affiliate networks. From Amazon to Clickbank, Shareasale to Commission Junction (CJ), you can find stuff to sell at every turn. Take a look at your best affiliate network options here.

Please be aware that some affiliate networks will let anyone in, while others will require an application with more scrutiny than others. So start with the networks that are easy to get into, and use your results to get approved in the others.

#6: You can outsource your weaknesses and build on your strengths

Let’s face the facts. When you are building a business, you are dealing with two types of currency: money and time. Money you can make more of, while time is irreplaceable. The biggest downfall of most entrepreneurs isn’t due to the lack of money or skills, but the inability to delegate or outsource time-consuming tasks.

There is no reason to do EVERYTHING yourself, especially if you have some weakness in some area. Affiliate marketing gives you the flexibility to pay others for the duties you don’t want to do, so you have the time to focus on the tasks that you’re the best at. This is a simple, yet effective way to get the most out of your time.

#7: Affiliate marketing offers the ultimate level of scalability

What do you get when you build your affiliate marketing business with a vision, outsource the time-consuming jobs you don’t want to do (or don’t have time for), start off with few expenses, and reinvest your profits into your business?

I’ll give you a hint: It starts with exponential and ends with profits!

If you vow to reinvest at least 50% of your profits back into your business, your website will have no choice but to grow. No other business model gives you this level of scalability. You are in the drivers seat the entire way.

Affiliate Marketing Summary

If you couldn’t tell, I love affiliate marketing. It is the first business model I ever decided to try. Since 2009, I have also tried network marketing, digital franchise marketing, among many other business models that promised to change my life forever.

So far, affiliate marketing is the only model that has resulted in a positive cash flow (if you ignore my luck with one particular HYIP that screwed over thousands of marketers and entrepreneurs back in 2012). I cannot express my gratitude enough for the evolution of technology that has made it possible.

I understand that there is a plethora of business models out there that promise to change your life, but you need to shut out all of the distractions. Affiliate marketing can and will change your life. It will take work, dedication, and tenacity, of course, but it is within your grasp.

For additional training in how to close, market, pitch sales presentations, and captivate your potential customers/affiliate buyers, check out my review of one of the most valuable marketing collections in existence: The Ultimate Closing and Marketing Success Library!

Please feel free to start a dialogue with me regarding affiliate marketing through the comments below (or email me at freedomfromfailure@gmail.com). I look forward to your comments and ideas!