My main purpose of this Blog is to help you answer the question: Is Affiliate Marketing For You? If you are not sure what Affiliate Marketing is, you may review a Blog Post I wrote called: What Is The Best Home Based Business.
The organization that provides the best training not only in affiliate Marketing but in online marketing in general is Wealthy Affiliate. They are based in Vancouver, Canada and was founded by two pioneers in online marketing, Kyle and Carson. For the past 14 years they have perfected the Wealthy Affiliate online training platform that has been responsible in turning out thousands of successful members who have created highly profitable online businesses.
It requires a lot of hard work learning and implementing the skills to create a successful online business. A reasonable goal is for your online business to replace what you’re earning in your day job. But most likely with one quarter of the effort! Your hard work and time will have built an asset that creates a passive income for you. Even while you sleep.
If you’re in a hurry and cannot read this whole Blog Post,, why not click the banner below and sign up right away? You can join for free to check out this amazing training platform that teaches you how to make money online. I will meet you on the other side.
OK you decided you needed more information to answer the question, Is Affiliate Marketing For You?.
Let’s first assume you are keen on setting up an online business. The variety of online businesses are almost endless. Out of all the possibilities, there are two fundamentally different types.
- Sell products you buy low for a profit, or market skills you have for immediate income.
- Build an asset online that will provide you with passive income.
First Option
Let me give you a simple answer to the first one. My wife has been collecting Beanie Babies for many years until she stopped ten years ago. She has accumulated about 1000 of them. One way to earn some quick cash is to sell them online either on a dedicated website or on eBay. If this takes off, she could buy them for less elsewhere and sell them for a profit.
I am very good in using PowerPoint to create custom presentations. Even though one would think that everyone can make a PowerPoint presentation, that is not the case. And even if someone can, they may want to contract that out as they have more important things to do. I can advertise my skills to create PowerPoint presentations for others, for a fee.
In both these cases, I can receive cash almost immediate. However, each sale would require time and effort on my part. This option is very much like a job, even if I am using the Internet. I much prefer the second option. Read on and you will see why.
Second Option
Is it possible to build a website that will earn passive income? Of course! One business category that makes this possible is Affiliate Marketing! You’ve probably guessed that I am nuts about Affiliate Marketing.
I asked, What Is The Best Home Based Business? in another Blog Post. My conclusion was Affiliate Marketing! Why not go there and read why this is the case?
Let me ask you the question again:
Is Affiliate Marketing For You?
I wrote a Blog that discussed 5 Reasons Why Affiliate Marketing May Not Be Right For You. Some reasons are as follows:
- Unrealistic expectations of making money fast
- Too busy and not willing to set aside time to do the work
- Not good at following instructions
- Constantly looking for a better mousetrap
- Gives up too early before allowing the process to work
This would be a good time to check that out by clicking the link above. You may be wondering why am I giving you reasons not to become an Affiliate Marketer?
To be completely transparent, when you join Wealthy Affiliate and later upgrade to Premium, I earn a small commission. Knowing that, you would think I would do anything to persuade you to sign up. Read on and you will find out why this is the case.
My objective is for you to make that decision yourself after you know what is involved. I’d rather you do not join if you don’t intend to follow and implement the training. However, if you know what is involved and see the benefits of creating a money making asset yourself, the chances are you will be willing to put in the effort to make that happen.
This actually works better for me too.
Analogy With A Brick & Mortar Store
When someone builds a traditional business in a physical store, what are their expectations? They know it will take a finite amount of time, investment in cash and manpower before breaking even. In fact a lot of time and money. They will have conducted their analysis based on researched data of other stores in their area similar to theirs.
They know up front what it is going to take. If they obtained a loan, the creditor will have asked for a business plan that shows very clearly when they will break even. Then what will their profit be with time.
Included in that business plan will be a line item for each business period where the loan payments will be made until the loan was paid off.
Expectations With An Online Business
An online business is no different from a traditional bricks and mortar one. The difference is a website is used to generate sales.
In order to help you understand how such a website works, I wrote about it in:
How To Build A Website For Affiliate Marketing.
The well-known software WordPress is what we use to create our money making websites. WordPress powers about 34% of the websites in use worldwide. This Blog Post and this website is based on WordPress!
Building a website is relatively easy. What requires more thought, insight and skill is what to do to make your website generate cash for you. A website needs Blog Posts to be ranked high in the search engines. A high rank attracts targeted traffic that leads to conversions, meaning sales, generating income.
The knowledge and skills required to make that happen does not occur overnight. It takes a great deal of training and implementation to achieve that goal. In other words, it takes valuable time.
Time – Your Most Valuable Asset
In order to be ranked high, Google has methods to ascertain if your website is an authority site. For example, if the niche you have selected is in the rising field of Cannabis related products, are your Blog Posts authoritative enough and provide your visitors valuable content to retain their interest when they land on your website?
It comes down to writing excellent Blog Posts to begin with. There is a thing called Search Engine Optimization, online and offline that will help website and Blog Post rankings.
How do you acquire the skills to make this happen?
The answer is to go through training given by experts who have a proven track record in this area. Wealthy Affiliate does exactly that.
Currently they have over 1.5 Million members of which several thousand have created their online businesses that are thriving. The courses are not only applicable for Affiliate Marketing, but any kind of online business. The principles are the same even if the business concepts may be different.
The only drawback is it takes time to make that breakthrough. This will be different for each individual as we all learn at different rates.
You need to treat this like an online university course, except you can progress at your own pace. The faster you complete the course, the quicker you will start earning money. You can check it out and start the beginners course for free by clicking the banner below:
The Path I Took
I signed up for free and had access to 20 lessons aimed at beginners. I could have stayed a free member for as long as I wanted to. When I was ready to upgrade I could do so for a monthly subscription of $49. I felt that was a steal based on previous training courses I had embarked on.
Every one of those had a low starter price usually around $99 for the first month. Then if I wanted to take the complete course, I had to pay in excess of $2000 a year. That was probably good value, but I just could not afford it. I ended up leaving with utter disappointment. Yet again. Until I discovered Wealthy Affiliate.
I joined for free by clicking such a banner above. When I went in I was shown exactly what kind of courses I would get and the tools that I had available. Plus the kind of websites I would be able to build along with income opportunities. And all this just so that I could join for FREE and feel good doing it!
Once I signed up and started the Online Entrepreneur Course, my sponsor offered me a special bonus. If I upgraded to Premium before my first week ended, my first months subscription would be $19 instead of $49.
Guess what. I kept them waiting until my first week was almost over before I upgraded. I wanted to explore every area of the Platform and take advantage of the free one on one coaching for that first week to see if my expectations were met.. I had been through other companies trial training modules to compare Wealthy Affiliate with.
My conclusion was this was far superior and cost far less, I had nothing to lose by upgrading.
After I upgraded, I was informed of a way to pay less than $1 a DAY! For that low price I needed to change my plan to the annual subscription of $359 a year. I thought this must be a joke. How could they offer such value for so little? I was convinced there must be up-sells further down the line where I would need to pay more to have total access.
Not so! For less than $1 a day I had access to EVERYTHING and there would be NO further payments required. After my first month was completed I first went on the $49 monthly plan. After the second month was over, I went Annual.
This was one of the BEST decisions of my life.
Progress
Once I created my first website, it was indexed by Google within a week. Shortly after that, my Blog Posts started being ranked in the search engines on the first page! The course was clearly working, And not just for me. In the forums, many others were experiencing the same results.
I was HOOKED! Affiliate Marketing was definitely for me. Building an asset that will be paying me over and over again when my websites gain traction and build traffic, gave me a feeling that I was now in true control of my future.
Each one of us is different. And you will have to answer to yourself if Affiliate Marketing is for you.
A Word Of Caution
Building a business, be it a traditional one or an online business is nothing like having a job. You are your own boss. Nobody is going to pay you by the hour. You decide how much you want to earn. Be prepared to work really hard and earn nothing initially. This is where the rubber meets the road as you could get discouraged and will want to quit. A word of advice.
DON’T!
Let’s be clear. I cannot promise what you will earn as that will depend on the quality and quantity of effort you devote to your business especially in the first year or two. Wealthy Affiliate has a history of members that stuck with the program who are earning a full time income within two years so that they could quit their full time job. Many have become millionaires.
You must treat this like a real business which it is. If you think of it as a hobby, you will not succeed. The lessons are easy to follow and implement. If you get stuck, there is a whole community of members where people are ready to help you out. You are not alone. And this is a BIG DEAL!
So What’s It Going To Be?
Are you in? Or are you going to pass up this tremendous opportunity? I sincerely hope you are going to decide here and now that you are taking control of your future.
Note: (This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on a link to the Merchant’s site and purchase something I may earn a commission.The price you pay will be the same if you went to the Merchant’s site directly.)
Great post!
I know affiliate marketing is not for everyone, but I feel comfortable now to say that it is for me. I like the work and the comfort of doing it on my own schedule. And yes, it is a lot of work and you need to be smart in choosing your topics and products.
I really like the whole process so far and I hope the flame will continue because nothing will kill your business faster than, your dislike for what you are doing.
Thanks
You said it right Adyns. We need to do everything in our power to keep that flame alive. We know there will be days when we want to let that flame get extinguished. It is in those moments we need to meditate on what we really are trying to accomplish. And it is NOT MONEY.
We have a strong desire to create TIME FREEDOM so that we can follow our passions. It just so happens we need money to accomplish that. The money our business will generate is just a tool. A very important one. But it’s just a vehicle to take us to our dreams. And that is what we need to meditate on.
OUR DREAMS illuminated by that FLAME!
I wish you much success in your business.
Edwin
Well said Edwin,
I can say I’m one those people who’s busy as I have a full-time job on weekdays. But I do have patience and willing to learn and grow a business online.
I’m not good at following instructions because I hate it when people tell me what to do at work. But when it comes to my own businesses, I take guidelines very seriously. Do you think I have what it takes to be an Affiliate Marketer?
Riaz, with an attitude like yours off course you have what it takes to be an Affiliate Marketer. When you achieve success against all odds. like building your business while having a full time job, you will appreciate it more.
The important thing is to accept what you don’t know, and to have an open mind to learn from others who do have all the answers. In that way you will not make the mistakes they made.
You many make new ones, but that’s OK. Most successful people fail their way to success. They learn all the things not to do lol. Until they find all the things they MUST do.
All the best in your Affiliate Marketing business.
Edwin
Hi, all what was narrated in your post is true. To any one who is reading my comment, Wealthy Affiliate, in short form WA, is the right place for any one who wants to build a business.
As it is explained in this website, to build a business offline too requires a lot of sacrifice. This is how WA also looks like but the different of offline business and WA is that there are a lot of good people to help you achieve your dreams.
Courses are available and my advice is don’t quit and don’t be a type that wants to get rich quick. Although I am already a Premium member at WA I would have joined through your link.
My advice for people that have not started and also having a doubting mind, use the link in this blog to join. You have nothing to lose.
Thanks so much for your excellent advice to non Wealthy Affiliate Members who may be reading my Blog to sign up here. I’ll post the link after my response to you.
Not quitting is key in making this work. Many quit when they are so close to the finish line, it is so sad. So here is my link for anyone to join Wealthy Affiliate for FREE:
I wish you much success in your business.
Edwin
Nice read. I get that affiliate marketing is not for everyone as a lot of people are not willing to spend the time and energy needed to make it work. They want success and they want it now. That’s why few people succeed and most people fail.
Affiliate marketing needs lots of energy, lots of work and huge amount of dedication until you can start seeing results. WA is an amazing platform that provides all the tools to succeed but what I mentioned above depends entirely on each person and what they want to do in their lives.
Stratos, you said it like it is. Building a business that will eventually pay us passive income, is worth all the hard work up front until we make it work. I like how you said that.
We need to make it work. Nobody else will. And therein lies the satisfaction of being creative. In many ways, this is like a work of art. Except, it’s a website.
I appreciate your insights and wish you much success in your business.
Edwin
In my opinion, Affiliate Marketing is great for people that are, a stay at home mom, a stay at home dad and anyone that has retired from their work.
This business is also great for those that are fed up working for a boss that doesn’t know how to treat their employees and pay them good money. So instead of working long hours and coming home as tired as ever, you can rather enjoy your time on your couch at home, building a business online.
This business is not for lazy people, just because they are sitting at home, its if you want to make actual money or extra money to provide for your family. A parent will be able to be at home with their kids and not work long hours at work and be absent in their lives. So Affiliate Marketing is good business.
So thank you for covering this topic to help people and all the best to you.
Thanks for your insightful comments. You are spot on who this business is right for. I happen to be retired from a full time job. However, I spend almost as much time in building my Affiliate Marketing business, except I choose the hours I want to work at it.
Any type of business requires hard work. Our kind needs may hours on the computer researching and writing. Since we are our own boss, we can have no excuses. At the same time it is a great feeling to know that the asset we are building will pay us passive income when it is ready.
I see so many other successful members here who have created amazing online businesses. That is proof that Wealthy Affiliate works.
I wish you much success in your efforts.
Edwin
Affiliate marketing is definitely not for everyone. A lot of people have unrealistic expectations when they start affiliate marketing. This is actually what normally makes them quit because these expectations are not met.
I do believe those that succeed in this line of business know it takes some time and lots of work. If those just starting out can accept this fact then I believe they too would achieve success in affiliate marketing.
Jay, you are absolutely right. Affiliate Marketing is not for every one. At the same time, compared to other online businesses there is a lot going for it. Hence i feel that most people who gives up on Affiliate Marketing will also not succeed in most other kinds of online marketing.
I appreciate your comments. Many thanks to you.
Edwin
Excellent article you have up here and you are spot on with your views about affiliate marketing. The thing about unrealistic expectations and lack of patience is the reason most entrepreneurs end up closing down their business. They want success without the full work required to make it happen.
I believe in consistency, action taking, goal oriented and persistence to achieve success, and if anyone possesses this, then the person is surely made for affiliate marketing. I’m also a member of wealthy Affiliate.
Ro, you echoed my sentiments exactly. Thanks for your comments. They are on point!
Edwin