The myths that surround Affiliate Marketing are as abundant as ping pong balls in our office. But don’t believe everything you read! As with every marketing channel and business venture, there are highs and lows, truths and myths. Today, we’ll debunk five Affiliate Marketing myths (taking the Affiliate angle).
#5 Your website/blog doesn’t lend itself well to Affiliate Marketing.
The truth is, your blog has an audience. That audience is often passionate about the same things that you are passionate about. Affiliate Marketing isn’t just about one commerce niche, or even about commerce in general. Affiliate Marketing is simply sharing with your audience; sharing products and information that relate to them. Every audience has an interest, and the trick is to find the right one.
#4 Affiliate Marketers are just spammers.
We all hate spam email, but it has nothing to do with Affiliate Marketing. Your blog is a business – you spend your time and money creating content that entertains your audience. Placing ads on your blog, reviewing relevant products honestly, and doing all that while earning money for your hard work is certainly not spamming your audience. Your content is valuable, and you should earn money for the value that you provide.
#3 You don’t have enough traffic for Affiliate Marketing.
There is volume, and then there is quality. Affiliate Marketing actually works best when quality trumps volume. If your audience is the right target for a specific product – it matters less if the audience is big or small. The greatest single benefit to using Affiliate Marketing is the flexibility that is allows you – the content provider. You get to choose exactly which product you want to put in front of your audience, because nobody knows your audience better than you do.
The truth is, your blog has an audience. That audience is often passionate about the same things that you are passionate about. –Brian Littleton
#2 You’ll send traffic, but never be paid.
ShareASale collects funds ahead of time from online retailers – thereby assuring that if you generate a sale from your audience, you’ll be paid for that transaction. There are pitfalls with every business, but by partnering with ShareASale you greatly limit your risk. We have been in business for 14 years, and have a reputation for being honest, ethical, and certainly for paying all of our customers on time and accurately.
#1 Affiliate Marketing is easy money.
At ShareASale, we love Affiliate Marketing – but the number 1 thing we can advise is that it certainly is not an overnight, make-me-rich-quick, panacea for all ills. Affiliate Marketing is just like any other business – you will need to work hard, identify products that you think fit your audience, poll and listen to your audience. You’ll definitely make mistakes and changes along the way. The great thing is that this is all possible in Affiliate Marketing due to the control you have over exactly what advertisement shows up where, when and how.
Pawan says
December 18, 2014 at 2:05 pmAll the points are valid. I also use to think that less traffic can’t get sales but i was wrong. Good tips.
Robbyn says
December 27, 2014 at 12:01 pmI’m just starting out with this, a REAL newbie, but I’m up for the task, especially seeing what first class assistance is available here! Thank you SO much, and here’s to an exciting New Year!
Cheryl Kohan says
September 2, 2015 at 5:23 pmI, too, am new to affiliate marketing, but I have to say that I’m so impressed with ShareASale! The support is wonderful.
I’m happy to be a part of this community and hope to become successful for ShareASale and for me!
Russell Hogan says
December 5, 2015 at 5:24 pmVery informative. I was really concern with the amount of traffic I had to generate, like i do with Adsense. I am happy to see that quality trumps quantity.
Thank you.