Affiliate Marketing is an MLM

People tend to confuse affiliate marketing with things like multi-level marketing (or MLM) scams. Affiliate marketing is simply recommending products you trust, that will solve a specific problem for someone and then receive a commission for any converting referrals.  MLM scams people by getting them to buy into companies that promise ‘get rich quick schemes’.

Affiliate Marketing Is a Scam

This is one myth that doesn’t take much debunking. After all, despite the wealth of viable campaign methods available to affiliates, affiliate marketing is actually an incredibly simple concept. It’s a partnership, one where an individual agrees to send customers to a business in return for a pre-arranged portion of each sale they generate.

It’s not much more complex than basic advertising, and it’s just as legitimate. There are loads of big-name brands and reputable companies (heard of Amazon?) who prize affiliates as the linchpin of their marketing strategy.

Why? Because it works, and—as it turns out—businesses quite like that!

An Affiliate Site Was Flagged As Unsafe On Search Engines, So They’re All Bad!

Yes, there is a precedent for affiliate landing pages being flagged by search engines like Google.

However, their reasons for getting flagged are typically more down to naivety and lack of guidance than maliciousness (check out this blog post for a deeper look). Affiliates, especially inexperienced ones, can make poor choices when designing their website; as a result, it can get flagged. When all’s said and done, though, we’re human.

We all make mistakes, and there are certainly a whole world of pitfalls awaiting new affiliates. Sadly, when those mistakes result in flagging, it can reflect badly on the entire industry.

Affiliates Are Just Trolling For Money

Trolling for money is…well it’s not a good look, to put it lightly. Spamming links, aggressively contacting anyone with an email address, setting up endless pop-up ads, telling bold-faced lies to get sales: it’s a terrible way to do business and a worse way to behave as a human being. However, that’s not how the vast majority of affiliates act.

For years, we’ve been meeting and interacting with affiliates and their partnered brands on a near-daily basis. One of the key things that has stood out during that time is how much both sides value integrity in their day-to-day life. The affiliate marketing industry is all about working smart, making honest connections and being truthful. Using underhanded methods to achieve success is not only frowned upon, it’s also a quick way to ruin partnerships and squander your earning potential.

Needless to say, affiliates (or at least the ones who last longer than five minutes) are not trolling to make a quick buck. They’re hardworking marketing specialists in it for the long haul.

Affiliate marketing takes time and dedication, it is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme.

PRO TIP: Work with brands you trust: your reputation will be tied to the products reputation, be sure to only work with companies that have integrity in what they do and how they treat their customers

A is For A Wrap-Up

Affiliate marketing is a lot of things: lucrative, rewarding and a lot of hard work. One thing it isn’t, though, is a scam.

Affiliate marketing is the original form of marketing.  Think about it, even a car salesperson is an affiliate marketer.  A salesperson makes educated suggestions to the customer which helps them make a decision.  In turn, the salesperson receives a commission for the sale.

If you’re looking to get your business galloping through the gates of affiliate marketing success but are unsure of where to start, A is for Affiliate is here to take the reins for you!

Get in touch and see how our team can leverage affiliate marketing to send your business speeding ahead!

Sloth on…