My Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Start Affiliate Marketing in 2019

Affiliate Marketing

#1 No need to invest time or money in creating physical product

Having started my online journey selling on Amazon FBA, I know how much work is involved in creating and selling physical products.

With Affiliate Marketing  you simply promote other people’s products and services.

You’re the marketer, not the  creator. Someone else has already done the hard work in creating the product, so you don’t have to invest the time and effort to create something to sell. You can begin making money as an affiliate as soon as you have a platform to sell products.

#2 All you need is a laptop and an internet connection

The great thing about Affiliate Marketing is that all you need to work is a laptop and an   Internet connection. There’s no need for an office, factory, shop or market stall or even an online shop. You don’t even need to make phone calls, so don’t need a phone.

Yes Affiliate Marketing is one of the few business models that can offer you the “Laptop Lifestyle” that everyone these days is searching for.

You can work at home at your kitchen table, at a cafe on the beach or in your garden, it really is up to you. As long as you have an internet connect and a device (you can use a mobile phone, but it will be more challenging), then you can work pretty much anywhere.

#3 You get to be your own boss & be totally in control of your own business & income

You’re in charge of your own destiny now. You answer only to yourself. You get to create and shape your career on your own terms!

Now that is a great feeling isn’t it?

I will never forget the first time I realised I had nobody to answer to. Yes it can be scary, but it’s incredibly empowering at the same time.

You’re also in control of how you promote products and also choose which products to promote. If you want long term success, you should choose only products that you believe in. Work only with brands you respect, promoting products that you personally value. Not only is this the ethical thing to do, but it makes it much more efficient.

#4 You don’t need an expensive website

It is possible to create a simple 2 page landing page, using landing page software (I use and recommend Clickfunnels), but there are other landing page softwares available. Alternatively you can start with a simple WordPress site.

#5 There are virtually no start up costs

You can start Affiliate Marketing on a shoe string, with as little as $100. That will cover the cost of a website and web hosting. You can do it for less, but I don’t recommend it.

There are lots of options for free applications and helpful tools that are free and you can also drive traffic using the free traffic sources available, like Instagram and Facebook, but whatever you do, don’t spam people with your affiliate links or you’ll get banned and you’ll have no friends.

#4 The freedom to work where and when you want

Because Affiliate Marketing is an online business model and it’s truly global, there are no set office hours or shop opening times. You can work anywhere at any time. Affiliate Marketing is one of the few business models that can give you complete time and location freedom.

Say goodbye to your long commute to work and being stuck in traffic or on public transport. Now you get to work from home or from anywhere in the world for that matter! It’s now entirely your choice.

#5 It is a completely scalable business with no limit to how much you can earn

The more effort you put in (and the smarter you work), the more you can earn. It’s as simple as that.

Also whilst it might take a bit of time to get going, growth with an Affiliate Marketing business will not be linear. With consistent daily actions, your business will gather momentum and snowball and your sales will grow and grow and GROW.

#6 Your business doesn’t rely on selling to your friends and family.

The world is now your market place. You don’t have to rely on selling to your friends and family or have to recruit people, so that you can make money. Affiliate Marketing is not to be confused with MLM or Network Marketing.

#7 No employees (or annoying work colleagues)

It is possible to create a million dollar Affiliate Marketing business on your own without any staff. You won’t have the hassle of employing and managing people (although I would suggest you use freelancers, so that you can outsource some of the tasks as you grow your affiliate business).

You also won’t have to put up with working with people you don’t get on with (or find annoying). No more pointless meetings or petty office rules about milk blah. No more silly office politics .

#8 You can start your Affiliate Marketing business as your side hustle in your spare time.

Because there are no set times when you have to work, you can work on your affiliate business at any time of the day or night to suit you and your commitments. If you need to keep your full time job to begin with and have Affiliate Marketing as your side hustle, that ‘s ok. It won’t be long before you can quit your 9-5 and work on your business whenever you like.

#9 There is no Sales involved

As an Affiliate Marketer, you’re not actually doing any of the selling yourself. You are a marketer and your job is to put  the creator of the product or service in touch with the buyers. You are effectively the “middle man”.

The creator will do the selling for you; you simply introduce potential buyers.

A word of caution here though, Choose your products carefully as you’ll want to know that the companies you’re promoting offer good products and as importantly, a good after sales service.

#10 You get to help people to solve problems

Being an Affiliate Marketer is an incredibly rewarding job.

When you get to know your market and you can recommend products and services that will truly help your audience, it’s a great feeling.

There is no better job in the world in my opinion, which is why I’m sharing this with you.

The Top 5 Reasons Why So Many People Try And Fail With Affiliate Marketing.

Online Marketing

I think there are lots of people who love the idea of becoming an affiliate marketer because it optimises the whole “laptop lifestyle” that they crave. What’s not to love about working from your laptop, wherever and whenever you want and getting paid to recommend products and services that you already use and love? What could be simpler?

There are countless others who have false (and limiting) beliefs about what being an affiliate marketer is all about, They say things like; I’m not great at writing, I don’t have a blog, I’m not a techie, I don’t want to bug my friends and family, there’s too much competition, I don’t want to spam people, I don’t have the time…

These people won’t even try and probably won’t try anything else for that matter, for the very same reasons (excuses).

There are many reasons why people (if they try at all) fail at affiliate marketing. Here are my top 5 reasons:

  1. Most people don’t have the patience. They’re looking for a “get rich quick” way to make money (which by the way, doesn’t exist!). They start off really well, and then they lose interest when the results (commissions) don’t come rolling in while they sleep. It takes TIME to build credibility and authority in your space.
  2. They are approaching it purely from the perspective of “making money online”. OK, so I get that that’s the objective here, but you’ll never make an penny in any business if you only want to make money from people. You first need to “serve” (and I don’t mean that you should start by getting a job as a waiter). Your approach must be to SERVE others first.
  3. They choose the wrong niche. This point kind of ties in with the previous point. It’s best to choose a niche, where you either have some knowledge now OR you have a genuine interest in the niche. You’ll need to establish some authority and credibility in your niche before people will trust and ultimately, buy on your recommendation.
  4. They choose the wrong products. Product selection is critical to your success. Choose products with reputable companies, with low return rates and great reviews. Do your research and yes that means, you need to purchase and use the products you’re promoting. Again if you’ve chosen a niche that you either know or want to know, product selection is easy.
  5. They don’t do enough work. Being successful as an affiliate marketer requires the same effort, focus and work that is required to be successful in anything, business or otherwise. Sorry, but most people simply don’t do the work that’s required or they don’t do enough (or they don’t even start)

Affiliate marketing can be a great way to earn money online, either full time or part time and it can be truly passive, once you get up and running. As with any business however, it requires, patience, consistency, imagination, determination and a desire to serve others. Nobody said it would be easy, but the rewards (not just financial) can be huge.

Sharon Marie xx