A Dream Come True
The idea of a dream lifestyle conjures up images of palatial residences, fast cars and exotic vacations, as depicted in Hollywood movies and glamour magazines. However, for the majority of ordinary men and women, a dream life may be as simple as being able to work fewer hours in order that they may spend more time with their children and families.
Are you living the life of your dreams? I would hazard a guess that if you are reading this article you are probably not quite living the life of your dreams. Perhaps you are frustrated and unhappy in your current job, but you have to grin and bear it because it is your only means of earning a living. Or you may be struggling with debt and your desire is, not only to become debt free, but to have sufficient funds and time to be able to pursue your interests and hobbies.
Whatever your current circumstances, you can realise the life of your dreams through Affiliate Marketing. Affiliate Marketing has the power to change lives by providing ordinary people with the opportunity to make money beyond their wildest dreams. However, Affiliate Marketing is not a “get rich quick” scheme. It requires commitment and hard work; anyone prepared to put in the effort cannot fail.
What exactly is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is essentially a profit sharing arrangement between a website owner, which could be you or I or anyone else, known as an affiliate, and an online business, such as a seller of goods and services, known as the vendor or merchant. The arrangement involves the website owner or affiliate placing advertisements or links on his website to sell the vendor’s goods and/or drive web traffic to the vendor’s web site. Any profits arising from purchases made through links on the affiliate’s website are shared. In simple terms, the vendor or merchant pays the affiliate for the work he or she does in sending buyers to his website.
The simplicity and effectiveness of this idea in generating income for both vendor and affiliate has spawned a multi-billion dollar industry. There are now literally millions of affiliate programmes on the internet, covering virtually every walk of life, and giving the opportunity for anyone, regardless of education level, sex, race or creed, to make a significant income from the comfort of their home, provided they are prepared to put in the required effort. Because affiliate programmes are predominantly internet based, all the affiliate has to do is attract prospective buyers to his or her website, using various proven techniques, and literally make money online whilst asleep as buyers from around the world purchase whatever products are being promoted on the affiliate’s website, 24/7.
Benefits of Affiliate Marketing
Probably the greatest benefit of Affiliate Marketing is the ease which you can set up in business as an affiliate. You do not need a product or a store, therefore there is no major layout of cash required to get started. All you need is a computer and access to the internet to sign up for an affiliate programme. There is also a benefit for the merchant, as he only pays you for your efforts when he makes a sale through your website.
You do not need to be good at selling or have a marketing background. Normally people that are employed in sales have to be self-confident and outgoing as they interact with prospective customers. With Affiliate Marketing, even the most introverted person can succeed. All you need to do is run your website successfully, a skill that can be learned and developed at your own pace.
With Affiliate Marketing, you can develop multiple streams of income. You are not restricted to just one or two areas. Once you have learned the ropes you can apply for multiple affiliate programmes and earn income from different sources.
Downsides of Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing sounds almost too good to be true. However, there are a couple of downsides worthy of mention.
Because it is so easy to get into Affiliate Marketing, there is now a lot of completion out there. However, this should not be a deterrent to the would-be affiliate as the competition can be overcome by carefully chosen programmes and by employment of effective marketing strategies.
There are a lot of famous industry gurus and people that have made millions of dollars from Affiliate Marketing offering very good courses on topics such as “how to choose profitable affiliate programmes,” “how to build your own websites” and a whole lot more on how to become successful at Affiliate Marketing. However, there are equally as many charlatans and unscrupulous individuals ready to take advantage of unsuspecting newbies. One should therefore proceed with caution.
I would conclude this Introduction to Affiliate Marketing by reiterating that Affiliate Marketing is an excellent way to achieve the lifestyle of your dreams. Affiliate programmes are normally free to join and the product is already developed by the vendor, so there is little or no start-up cost involved. All you have to do as an affiliate is direct as many prospective buyers to the merchant’s website by promoting his products on your website and linking to his website. Every time a visitor to your site clicks on the link to the merchant’s website and proceeds to make a purchase, the merchant pays you a commission. In addition, there is no sales experience necessary. Most affiliate programs offer excellent support when it comes to providing marketing material. The simplicity and effectiveness of Affiliate Marketing makes it possible to build a successful online business in the comfort of your own home.
