Is affiliate marketing legitimate? Is affiliate marketing profitable? Is affiliate marketing difficult?
I will endeavour all of your questions and more! Before we get into it though, let's start with the basics.
Affiliate marketing is a legitimate way to make money from home, and is expanding as the online economy reaches new heights every day.
In my mind, it is one of the BEST ways to make money online. There are no financial barriers to entry, either. If you don't know about affiliate marketing then I'm excited for you to learn!
What is affiliate marketing online?
The premise of affiliate marketing is that you can be rewarded with a commission for selling someone else's product via an affiliate link online.
Anyone like you or me can sign up to an affiliate program and sell a product on behalf of someone else, say through a company like Amazon.
The beauty of affiliate marketing is that you can earn money from selling products without ever having to buy those products, or ship them. You can do it from the comfort of your own home. Here's how it works:
The potential in affiliate marketing is HUGE
As ecommerce has grown exponentially, so has affiliate marketing. In fact, affiliate marketing allows many companies to survive as more and more retailers are having to close their doors. The really smart retailers are those that are expanding their online presence and harnessing the power of their affiliate networks – they rely on others to attract people to their websites and make purchases, and they reward those affiliates well. Businesses are now able to quickly expand to new audiences through affiliate advertisers, offering them the ability to quickly acquire new customers through these partnerships.
They incorporate affiliate marketing into their business strategies and plans. Companies like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Macy’s, Apple, Target, Shopify and AllExpress have invested heavily in their affiliate programs and their online presence.
The companies that are not thriving are those who are not maximising their online potential, including Sears, and Myer in Australia. Toy’s R Us should have embraced affiliate marketing, but they did not, and look what happened to them in 2018. There will be more and more retailers who close their doors because they have not kept up with online retail.
With the continuing exponential growth of online retail, the affiliate marketing industry will continue to grow and thrive.
Affiliate Marketing is NOT multi level marketing!
You will note that affiliate marketing is NOT multilevel marketing (often referred to as MLM). Don’t make the mistake of thinking they are related because they could not be more different.
A multi level marketing system involves you having to recruit new members from your network to form a downline. In MLMs there are basically two ways you can earn money:
- By selling a product, and
- By receiving commissions from the sales of your downline (i.e. people you recruit into your network)
The distributors (salespeople) are expected to sell products directly to consumers by way of relationship referrals and word of mouth marketing. MLMs are the ones where people try to sell their friends and family. Affiliate marketing does not rely on word of mouth and hard sells to the people around you. With affiliate marketing, you create a compelling website that people find through search engines.
There are legitimate affiliate marketing programs everywhere
There are a multitude of affiliate programs out there. A quick google search will tell you that. It is always FREE to sign up to an affiliate program, and you can sign up to as many as you like.
Some of the larger affiliate programs include:
Affiliate programs are everywhere …
There are literally thousands of affiliate programs out there. I have just chosen a few of the larger ones to show you. There are even affiliate programs for the most obscure items. A quick google of something you are interested in, will show you. For example, the google search “Childrens clothes + affiliate program” produces over 2+ million results:
If a product exists, there is someone who needs to sell it
Vendors want you to sell their products for them, and will pay you to do it. It makes business sense for them to pay you a commission to sell their products. It means less advertising costs for them, increased online presence, and quicker product turnaround.
Most affiliate programs are very easy to sign up to. Some will require your website URL, so for those you will want to make sure you have your website up prior to trying to join their affiliate program. When you sign up to an affiliate program, they will let you know how to access the affiliate links that you will put onto your site that will turn into your commissions. You do not need to have any technical knowledge to do this. The affiliate programs will provide easy to follow instructions.
The commission that you will earn will depend on who you sign up with, and the product being sold.
More examples of affiliate programs, by industry
Fashion and shoes
Because who doesn’t like fashion and shoes?! This is a huge niche and there is no shortage of fantastic affiliate programs out there. Here’s a few:
Health and fitness
Health and fitness is another huge niche that is full of potential. Here are a few of the top of affiliate programs within the health and fitness niche:
Cosmetics and Beauty
Cosmetics and beauty is another massive niche that is yours to explore and monetise. Here are some of the larger cosmetics and beauty affiliate programs:
How to get started as an affiliate marketer
There has never been an easier time to make a start in the world of affiliate marketing. However, just like any business, becoming a successful affiliate takes time, discipline and dedication.
There are some things you will need to consider. You will want to do some thinking about the niche you are interested in. For example, are you a keen cyclist? Interested in nutrition? Is your passion for gaming? Sewing? Wines from a particular region? Children’s educational toys? Reading? Personal development? Once you find your niche, you will need to determine how you want to offer something that captures people’s interest. You will need to be authentic in your messaging so that people want to connect with you.
If that’s beginning to sound overwhelming, let me put your mind at ease. The Wealthy Affiliate training will teach you all about this, you don’t need to figure it out on your own.
You should never stop learning about your niche, or about affiliate marketing. This is your business so you’ll need to remain up to date. You will not become rich overnight. You should not quit your job tomorrow. You will need to put in the work!
Answers to our first questions
- Is affiliate marketing legitimate? Hopefully you've seen that affiliate marketing is absolutely legitimate, and is being built into the business strategies of leading companies who are serious about remaining at the top of their game.
- Is affiliate marketing profitable? Affiliate marketing is profitable for both affiliate marketers and companies offering affiliate programs.
- Is affiliate marketing difficult? Affiliate marketing is quite easy to learn when you have access to the right tools and learning. Wealthy Affiliate makes the learning straight forward and is appropriate for beginners through to experienced marketers. It does take work for your website to become an authority in its niche, but everything worthwhile in life requires effort.
The Wealthy Affiliate Platform continues to innovate and improve, and researching and managing your affiliate programs has never been easier.
The search element helps users find affiliate programs with efficiency, based on filters and keywords that meet their search criteria. You cansearch programs based on a number of different filters.
- Country Availability (Is this available to you as an affilaite in your country)
- Payout options
- Auto approval of commissions
- Rating
- Commission %/$
- Network fee
You can search for whatever affiliate programs you like. Then, when you find the ones that you want to join, you can join them right then and there on the platform, with all of the information available to you. Let's take a look:
You can find out more information about the affiliate program by clicking on it, and when you find an affiliate program that you want to join, you can join it right then and there. In this example, I searched for affiliate programs related to clothing and accessories. A number of affiliate programs were returned. I clicked on "Forever New Clothing", a Melbourne based brand I'm very familiar with, and got some more information, together with a link to directly join the program:
There are about 10,000 affiliate programs available so far!
There will be future updates that will connect affiliates and merchants. This first version establishes the core search and management technology. There will be interative advancement to this aspect of the platform as a "home" for affiliate program managers to work directly with their affiliates.
Affiliate programs contintue to grow over time as affiliate marketing becomes a critical part of any successful companies' business strategy. The technology and the ability for affiliate programs and their managers to communicate will continue to improve, and the resources available to you as an affiliate across various programs and niches will evolve through the Wealthy Affiliate platform. All successful affiliate programs understand that affiliates are the bread and butter of their online business and their overall reach, and the focus of the Wealthy Affiliate platform is going to be getting you the best access directly to these merchants in a safe and easy to use environment. This is truly an industry first.
What are you waiting for?
Affiliate marketing has a very bright and lucrative future. With Wealthy Affiliate there are no barriers to getting started, and you have the tools and support to help you build a consistent revenue stream. I consider Wealthy Affiliate to provide the best affiliate marketing course available, with exceptional tools and support available.
Try it out for yourself!
Leave me a comment or question below and I’m happy to help.
Hey there! I’m a college student and I’m looking for a way to earn extra money online. As a college student, I have plenty of spare time to put into business but not that much money to invest. I hear great things about affiliate marketing but I didn’t know that it comes to a lot of website. Luckily, I read your article which taught me where I could start affiliate marketing. But is there any specific program that will help me affiliate marketing? I really appreciate your response.
Hi John, thanks for your query. Wealthy Affiliate is the easiest and most cost effective way to get your affiliate marketing business up and running. They will teach you all about affiliate marketing, how to build a niche website, how to find affiliate programs that you can sign up and that will convert to earnings for you.
John, may I suggest you find out more about Wealthy Affiliate here:
http://winningcareerfromhome.com/what-is-wealthy-affiliate
Then if you think it is a match for you, join Wealthy Affiliate to test it out. Best of luck to you! Feel free to call back in and tell me what you think.
I have been looking at Wealthy Affiliates for a little bit and researching affiliate programs. Thank you for doing such a great job breaking down how it works. I agree I believe affiliate marketing has gotten a bad rap in the past but there are so many decent markets out there, you just have to do your research.
Hi Melissa, thanks for your input here. Wealthy Affiliate have been great for me. They taught me affiliate marketing from the ground up and I haven’t looked back!! I honestly can’t recommend them highly enough.
Cheers
Melissa
Affiliate marketing has truly shown me that in this world, no matter how much hardship you go through, in life it is never too late to turn your life around. I agree that wealthy affiliate is the best place you can go to, in order to learn all of the ins and outs of affiliate marketing.
Hi Jacob, I couldn’t agree more. It’s never too late. In fact I posted an article today about how Wealthy Affiliate makes a difference in so many people’s lives, regardless of background and personal circumstance:
https://winningcareerfromhome.com/who-is-wealthy-affiliate-for
Thanks for stopping by.
Best,
Melissa
This article is absolute gold,
This really is the best guide on affiliate marketing that I have come across with zero fluff, actionable steps and all backed up by proof and links to affiliate programs for various industries. I’m super impressed. You have really opened my eyes to the benefits of affiliate marketing and i cant but appreciate you for this wonderful piece.
Hi Hussaain,
Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m glad you found benefit in my post and I wish you well in your journey.
Cheers
Melissa
Affiliate marketing is the best possible means of getting riches online. Though it requires a lot of effort, determination and passion to drive towards success. Wealthy Affiliate is a website that I’m a member of. Joining this community is the best thing that has happened to me. They help to put you through the phases of growing your own niche website and also teach you on how to generate income from the affiliate business. Its such a nice place to be.
thank you for your insightful and educative post
Hi darrickramos,
I agree that much effort, determination and passion is required in this business! I always enjoy meeting other members of Wealthy Affiliate. The community sure is great.
Wishing you all the best.
Cheers
Melissa
A very informative post which you kept wonderfully simple! I am involved in both multi level marketing as well as affiliate marketing. I’m only new to affiliate marketing, but I am already finding my feet and getting more and more confident because of the training I am getting at Wealthy Affiliate. I feel that it will be much easier to make a solid income than MLM because there are so many people cautious and wary of MLMs due to previous MLMs doing the wrong thing by them. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Josie,
I hope your affiliate marketing journey so far has been positive. I see a few people who start in MLMs turn to affiliate marketing as a preferred way to make income for the same reasons as you. I know I get sick of having people pushing their products on me. At the moment I’m seeing CBD oil everywhere …
I wish you all the best Josie and thanks for stopping by.
Cheers
Melissa
Hi Melissa. I came across your review and thought it was fantastically written so I decided to leave my comments for anyone reading this from my own personal experience with the Wealthy Affiliate platform.
I joined Wealthy Affiliate about nine months ago after being fed up with the 9 to 5 daily grind. I have been working for over 30 years and found my self broke and debts piling up, a change was needed for myself urgently.
I read a quality review, just like this one, about the WA platform and decided to take the plunge and give it a go.
It is simply the best thing I have ever done. As long as you are willing to work hard and put in the effort, then your earning potential is endless. The only catch is this “there isn’t one”. If you sign up are will to follow the excellent training and keep learning, then you will succeed.
The community within Wealthy Affiliate are amazing and will always try to help you when you get stuck.
For anyone reading this I say follow the brilliant advice in this article and sign up. You have nothing to lose and it’s free to start
If you want your life to change you have to take the first step. I did and so can you.
What are you waiting for?
Good luck and take care.
Hi Matthew,
Thanks so much! I can see you are as happy with Wealthy Affiliate as I am. It’s so great meeting people like you every day whose lives have been changed.
The absolute best thing about it is that it’s completely risk free. People can try it out and start doing the learning for free. They even get 2 websites and can really test this out to see if it’s something that resonates with them. My only regret is that I didn’t find it sooner.
Great to meet you Matthew, and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences here.
Cheers
Melissa
One of the core reasons i’m so in love with Affiliate marketing is that it is one of the major ways the value chain is expanded. Every product needs sales, so if one can’t produce due to cost implications, affliate marketing offers a soft landing with little cost input. Thanks for the article
Hi Idara,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. Affiliate marketing is a win for everyone involved!
I wish you all the best.
Cheers
Melissa
Wow! Thanks for sharing this article on affiliate marketing, I really appreciate you taking time and breaking it all down for us. This is great. I have sometimes made research online how to make money online. But I work from 9-4 my question is can I also become a successful affiliate marketer?
Hi Musbau,
Sorry for my delayed response. You can absolutely become a successful affiliate marketer whilst working full time. In fact, that’s how many people get their businesses off the ground. I actually think it’s ideal to be working whilst getting started, because it does take some time to get your websites established and earning money. Many people do the learning in their spare time, and gradually build up their websites. Over time they reduce their working hours until they completely rely on their websites for income.
All the best to you Musbau.
Cheers
Melissa
I appreciate this useful post on affiliate marketing and how to start it and create conversions through it. Thank you for this article.
No worries Enrique and thanks for stopping by. Best wishes with your affiliate marketing journey.
Cheers
Melissa
Interested to learn the affiliate marketing
Hi Chinwe,
It’s a great thing to learn about because it’s such a cost effective way to set up your own business. Chinwe, I suggest you check out my recommendation, which you can do for free, to see if it’s something you’ll be interested in. If you click here you can make a start for free and even get the introductory training modules as well as 2 free websites. Let me know how you go.
Cheers
Melissa