Caught the Affiliate Marketing Virus?

You don't know where to begin, you know what affiliate marketing is, but you still feel unprepared to jump into untested waters. You feel like you need to learn more, like you're still missing something. It sounds too good to be true, and if it really works the way it says it works, then why isn't everybody doing it. So you search around for answers, you want to find a mentor, find the right books, the right program, the right tools and software. And then it hits you, you're bombarded with offers and opt-ins, try this and you can't lose! Try this, and you could make $30K in a month! Check out my proof (as if some low res. image of colored grids and numbers doesn't look suspicious) Don't believe me, well I'm offering this for the low, low price of $97 (it's always $97 for some reason, lol) when it's really worth $299! But if you click today, right now, I'll give you a FREE REPORT (which always ends up being just a small morsel of information that you really don't know what to make of), and if you like what you've read (it's like dangling a carrot in front of a hungry horse), you can buy my updated edtion for the low introductory price of $47! AND to top it all off, every offer you've read about seems to be for something entirely different then the last offer, and often seem completely ambiguous as to what you are actually purchasing. Traffic secrets, free ads, presell secrets, robots, apples and oranges!

What I Know Could Save You Time and Money
It's a confusing and jumbled mess of information and sometimes it feels like there is too much to take in. One of the pros of being an affiliate is that you have no inventory, but that doesn't mean you don't have a product. This is key. You need to be able to pick a product that you feel confident in selling. In my opinion, there are two basic kinds of products:

THE FIRST is the physical kind that you can touch, hold, feel, be it a camera, vitamins, or weight loss drug. Basically, let's say company X wants to offer you a 12% commission on any sale from customers you referred to their site. You can do this in several different ways - for instance, if you have a popular blog, you can put advertisements for a product, this is especially useful if your blog and the product you are advertising are of the same genre (ex. you are a photographer advertising a camera); you can also do this with a website, for instance you may have a popular website about cats and you put an advertisement for flea control products; other than just advertisements, you can write up actual reviews and submit to review sites or if you have your own review site, this could work really well. These are just some basic examples, there are plenty of different ways to market your chosen affiliate products; but the important key word I've used in all examples is "popular". If you don't have the traffic, then no one is clicking on your advertisements. But that's a whole 'nother lesson in affiliate marketing that I won't get into here. Though it is a key issue that brings up my second basic product.

THE SECOND is information, and this can come disguised in the form of a report, book, program, software, tools, etc. It can be information about anything, if you've got knowledge about something people want to know about, it can become a profitable product. You don't have to go far to see evidence of this, just check out your local bookstore! It's filled with all kinds of information, wrapped up in dust jackets, and it's the same kind of product you can find to be part of an affiliate program. Though what you will most likely run into are affiliate programs for affiliate products, such as books and reports about affiliate marketing, how to get started, all about PPC advertising, traffic tools, opt-in secrets, various software, and the list goes on.

Here in lies the problem, knowing the basic gist of what affiliate marketing is all about, you still have a need to be "walked through" the process. As a result, various affiliate marketing gurus come up with all different kinds of products from books to software, that will enable you to get into the game. But how helpful are they really - who can you trust, and who is just another miracle medicine man, and is it THAT price tag?! In my opinion, MOST will not be worth it, for several reasons. But just to list a few:

- A lot of the products out there are just another tool for that particular affiliate to make money, either by earning their own commissions or from profiting on the creation of that particular product (hey, I don't have a problem with someone trying to make an honest buck - but, some of these prices are outrageous!). Because of this, the "marketplace" is oversaturated with poor and recycled information. A lot of the education out there (and some even make these claims) can be discovered on your own, without having to pay $97 for a manual that has a 10 page long introduction on how that person got into the business, and the remaining 80% of the product consists of lengthy testimonials and links to "upgraded" versions of the product you just invested in. I don't know about you, but I don't want to waste my money on a product where the author is shamelessly self-promoting his other affiliate tools, products, programs, etc.

- Just because the information is NEW to you, does not mean that it is USEFUL. And don't fall for the claim "I've given you the tools, it's up to you to do something with it." Or that age old adage "It takes money to make money." It's TRUE that if you want to be in business for yourself you need to invest in yourself, but investment doesn't just refer to money, it also refers to time. Don't waste your time with these half-baked, recycled books and reports, invest your time wisely and properly by doing your own research - there will be no shortcuts, and most of these products will just leave you feeling confused and even frustrated. And again, if you hate spam, then why do you want to suffer by reading a bunch of books/reports that just bombard you with links to MORE affiliate "tools?"

- Testimonials are what I would consider tools that affiliates use to bolster their products, to make you feel more confident in investing in them. I'm not saying that these testimonials are "baloney," (though I'm sure a good many are) what I'm saying is that a good percentage of them are joint venture schemes to help each other increase their credibility and profits - "Download my report and in exchange for your testimonial, I'll give you ....". And often you'll get the run around where you purchase and download one kind of product and then are redirected, recommended and given a link to another kind of affiliate marketing "educational tool." Again, an overpriced manual that consists of a hefty chunk of testimonials and hyperlinks and only a small morsel of information is NOT useful. And even if it was a FREE download, you just ending up wasting your time instead of your money.

The point is a great many of these products are of poor quality. Because you are new to this subject, you are trusting these "gurus" to offer you something useful, but it happens to come with a hefty price tag. I applaud those who are looking to provide real quality education, but almost everywhere you turn you find yourself with link upon links to once in a lifetime craptacular deals! I have a difficult time trusting an individual who tries to sell me a "recycled" product that it took them little or no time at all to throw together, passing it off as quality information. That to me shows poor ethics, and a lack of creativity. I also have very little respect for greed. A driven and accomplished individual, does not need to resort to preying on hardworking individuals whose curiousity has been ignited.

Trust yourself, trust your instincts; being in business for yourself is going to require a lot of hardwork and self reliance, you can't always look to someone else for the right answers. Affiliate marketing IS a real method for people to make money, both for business and for the affiliates participating in these programs. But just like any business, it's not something that's going to happen over night, and there is no shortcut or miracle formula. The best way to go about it, just like anything else, is by doing the proper research and trial and error - you don't need to buy all these tools and manuals, you can start investing your money in yourself and jump in. I'm not saying there aren't any helpful books, or manuals, or software or programs you can enroll in - I'm saying that I wouldn't trust anyone who's spamming me with hyperlinks, overcharging for ambiguous products, and who is secretive about sharing the websites that have worked for them.

There are plenty of affiliates out there with excellent websites that provide a trove of free information. Whether they are blogging about it, or discussing things on their forums, etc. there is a variety of useful info out there that you don't have to pay for. These affiliates are open about how they've become successful, and they are SO successful that they can afford to provide a lot of free tips. No doubt that many of these affiliates will also have their own books and guides, use your own discretion and decide if the information they can provide in these products will add to the knowledge you've already learned on your own for free.