Are you an Affiliate?

What to look out for with affiliate marketing  -because it is misunderstood and it can be misused. If you are looking at the income above all else, rather than an attitude of serving, this is what has given affiliate marketing a negative connotation.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you decide to purchase any of these resources, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I recommend  these products only because I have experience with them and use them for my own business. For more info, read my  disclosure policy.  *This post is an extensive update of the original post which was published in Jan 31 2018

Affiliate marketing is the process of promoting

other people products, for which you earn a commission.

If you have a product that you are happy to use in your business. Would this be a reason to earn a commission by promoting it to others?

Yes and No.

Affiliate marketing predates the Internet, but it is the world of digital marketing, analytics, and cookies that have made it a billion-dollar industry. A company running an affiliate marketing program can track which links bring in leads and, through internal analytics, see how many leads are converted into sales.

Read more: Affiliate Marketing Definition | Investopedia

Promoting a software may sound like a great idea…

But what if they sell the company and the new owners don’t run something like the old owners did. This actually happened to a person I know online. Your people start to complain to you and so you deal with the new owners. You can spend quite a lot of time doing this. If it was a one time sale, it was likely not a high commission. You see the problem. It wouldn’t be a good use of your time.

You should base your recommendations solely on products in the context of “How you use them in your business.” So start with the product, not the commission. What does your audience need? Analyze your target market. What are their pain points? Find out how you can help them solve their problems.

Read more: Affiliate Programs for the Holidays

The commission that you earn will vary between the different programs. Affiliate marketing is marketing a product that someone else has created, not your own product. You pick one that will be helpful for your target audience You make a commission one time or an ongoing commission depending on what the product or company state.

Another good aspect of affiliate marketing is that there is no customer service, no follow up or dealing with payments This is all taken care of by the company you are promoting or recommending.

The company also keeps track of who is sending traffic to their product through a unique identifier link. Each company has their own affiliate program that you sign up to join. The fact that it is so easy to do this, is why affiliate marketing has earned a negative connotation, as there are a lot of unscrupulous people doing this.

“For those new to this powerful online merchandising concept, affiliate programs work as intermediaries between the affiliate marketers who will sell products and services and the merchant who provides those products and services as well as the affiliates programs. Merchants work with affiliates to help get their products or services to their consumers.”  Excellent info on Affiliate Programs.

Some of what you share will not include an affiliate link but you want to share content because you want to be helpful and some of your solutions will include affiliate links. Some solutions might be things you create, your own products, and some might be solutions that other people have already created.

Read more here: Being a beginner in affiliate marketing can be overwhelming….

“You can be an affiliate for Amazon but because Amazon is in so many countries now, books hardware, and almost anything else, it’s a real balancing act. Setting all that up is rather complicated. Using Amazon to promote a book that works with a product you are promoting is fine. You really have to be an expert in affiliate marketing to really make it work with Amazon. –  Planting your garden in someone else’s soil. ” Steve Dotto

Your most important asset is…

 “what builds trust with your audience.”  That Know Like and Trust. That is the reason why they subscribe and the reason why they will give you honest feedback.  Sharing a product that you do not use and stand behind is a poor strategy. Your reputation means everything in this business.

Check out products on  My recommendations list

Treat the products that you recommend as if they were your own.

If you would like to chat for 20 for free about affiliate marketing see my contact page.

About Kathryn Maclean http://www.facebook.com/marketingofflineonline

A certified Social Media Campaign specialist using Facebook, Twitter Pinterest & Affiliate Marketing