If you are aware of the hype surrounding affiliate marketing, you might be tempted to check it out yourself. But are you aware of the myths that surround affiliate marketing?
Unlike most of the traditional forms of marketing that largely benefit one party (depending on the terms of the agreement), affiliate marketing is something that presents a win-win situation for the marketer as well as the business being advertised.
It has become one of the most popular ways of making money over the internet these days. And the reasons are quite obvious. It’s simple and straightforward and if done right, is sure to bring in huge rewards.
In the rare case that you are unaware of what affiliate marketing really means, here is a brief explanation.
Affiliate marketing is a type of strategic partnership between the business and its ‘affiliates.’ It is a business venture in which the marketer, known as affiliate, gets paid to advertise the company’s goods or services.
As is the case with any typical marketing campaign, the marketer then receives a percentage of the revenue earned by the business as a result of their sales and marketing efforts.
The affiliate can be any marketing entity including other business organizations, individuals or anyone else in between.
Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn extra money, regardless of whether you are the affiliate or the one offering an affiliate program.
However, if you consider starting out on this great venture, you will probably come across a ton of different preconceived notions and misconceptions. This is likely to stop you from launching an affiliate program or signing up for one.
To prevent this from happening, here are the top myths about affiliate marketing that you ought to know beforehand.
1. It’s a Complex Marketing Technique
Affiliate marketing is as easy as it sounds – in literally every sense of the word. Believe it when I say that anyone can do it.
You don’t need to have a business background to sign up for an affiliate marketing program. Having some experience in sales and marketing will surely come in handy. But you can do without it just fine.
Even if you are new to the corporate world altogether, you can become a successful affiliate marketer if you really put your mind to it. All you need is basic know-how of the business and you can work your way up from there.
2. It’s Too Late to Join
Affiliate marketing is a dynamic industry where new players enter and leave the field all the time. As existing marketers abandon the field, more channels open up for you.
There might be plenty of affiliate marketers out there but that shouldn’t stop you from hopping on the bandwagon as well. The doors to better and bigger opportunities open up all the time.
As new businesses are founded every day, startup owners are continuously looking for marketers to promote their products.
Research shows that the industry, currently worth $12 billion is expected to grow by 10% in the next few years. This should be enough proof of why it’s still not too late to consider reaping the benefits of affiliate marketing.
3. Affiliate Websites Are Easy to Manage
It might seem to go against the first myth, but the truth is that affiliate marketing is not a cakewalk either. Different affiliate programs work in a different manner.
Depending on the program you sign up for or how you decide to run one, you might need an advanced knowledge of online marketing and web management.
Creating a website, adding affiliate links and banners and then managing it all might prove challenging to some. Plus, you cannot just set up a website and then forget about it.
Google bots keep a watchful eye on such activities and might penalize your site if there is inactivity for a certain period of time.
The ideal way to go about this is to get in touch with a third-party marketing agency. For example, many content writing services are helping affiliate marketers produce and publish blogs to keep their sites active.
Not only does this ease your task but also improves your chances of raking in some big bucks from your marketing campaigns.
This is because featuring fresh and engaging content on your website will attract more visitors and thereby, lead to higher sales.
4. Myths About Affiliate Marketing: You Must Choose the Most Profitable Niche
Most people think that the only way to earn large profits from affiliate marketing is to choose a top-notch niche. They can’t be blamed for believing this myth.
After all, it makes sense that a niche selling products that people purchase frequently is likely to be the best avenue for advertising.
The key to remember is that what works for others is not guaranteed to work for you as well. If you are serious about earning a considerable amount of money via affiliate marketing, you need to understand the niche first.
To stay successful in the long run, you must have a basic knowledge of the sector you will be catering to. It’s best to pick a niche that you are comfortable with.
5. Only a Few Affiliates Make Money
Affiliate marketing has little to no barriers to entry. Since it’s easy for people to join an affiliate marketing campaign, most of them do so without giving it a proper thought or carefully planning how they will go about it.
As a result, they are unable to stay committed and give up halfway in the process. Most of the people who fail to earn a consistent income are the sole reason why this myth is widely believed.
There are several affiliates earning thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars through this marketing technique. So, as long as you are really willing to commit, rest assured that you can meet your target easily.
6. Affiliate Marketing Is More About Luck
This is wrong on so many levels.
Most people who do not understand how affiliate marketing works or are unable to make it work for themselves, believe that it all just depends on your luck.
Affiliate marketing is about the use of skills and skills alone.
It requires a bit of insight into what you are trying to sell and who you are selling to. For example, if you are advertising a beauty product on a website that focuses on professional and career development, it goes without saying that you will hardly get any conversions even if the website boasts huge traffic.
Apart from focusing on the target audience, you also need to focus on the quality of the content you are producing. Overly promotional content doesn’t really sell these days.
You need to put yourself in the shoes of the potential customer and pay attention to what they look for when buying a particular product.
Your product description must be in line with the customer’s needs and preferences in order for it to sell.
To make sure that your marketing efforts are a hit right from the start, it is better to hire product description writers.
They know what sells and what doesn’t and thus, can help you create high-quality material that compels the website visitor to make a purchase immediately.
Wrapping Up
Affiliate marketing is more about creativity and ingenuity rather than academic qualifications in business background.
Make sure to ignore any of the above 6 myths about affiliate marketing if you come across them.
If you think that you have what it takes to be a successful affiliate marketer, know that you can easily become one! 🙂
