Affiliate marketing we could say is an aggregate term which implicitly encompasses other strategies — all driven by technology: search engine optimisation (SEO); pay-per-click advertising (PPC); and social media marketing. The first two also fall under fall under lead generation. And, although these may also been as forms of enablement, they are fully developed sub-industries in their own right with their own vendors, also called third parties.
Any website you look at has some enabling mechanism working in the background — and this is apart from the WordPress software that makes creating content now a much more efficient process. Imagine, if you had to wrestle with HTML — or for that matter, some other code — to get up a post to connect with your audience. In the pioneering days of affiliate marketing they would have had to deal with cumbersome processes. Now, it is possible to edit directly from the webpage with a click.
What is called the back end is actually a teeming field of converging technologies. And as complex as it might be, you are an end user — which means you are the beneficiary of the complexity without any of the liabilities of complexity. Simply put, use of the technologies does not require knowledge of it — any more than enjoying your favourite shows on your smart tv requires you understand quantum physics. You are the end user.
The nature of the end user concept is that: the heavy lifting has already been done for you. No need to take up Software Engineering 101 to understand the inner workings of the technology.
Yes, we still have to learn how to operate them, how to optimise them . And yes, this is or can be a challenge, too.
If you find that prospect anxiety provoking, then think about all the things you already do: posting on social media; inserting graphics or other media into them — and those are just two examples.
Even the most ubiquitous technology, email, has many features that can be harnessed for marketing — this a slightly different kettle of fish, email marketing, in which the audience could be taken to a sales page by clicking on a link in an email addressed directly to the recipient.
I would be less than truthful if I were to say that you will be all set for life with affiliate marketing. The truth is that affiliate marketing like any other commercial enterprise is, in the end a business, and a business with its ups and downs. And while technology can be a great employee, it can still be a very bad boss. Thus in order to be the boss you will have to master the technology.
One characteristic of an online business is that the field is always changing. That means you must always be tracking things. However, that applies to any business as well — except that in a physical business the processes that drive it — for example, the monitoring prices of commodities required to produce the goods — remain mostly invisible. Whereas, with an online business everything is visible all the time. In fact, this transparency makes for its great appeal.
Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer is so successful, precisely because of that. You can imagine Jeff Bezos sipping his Martinis while checking out his worldwide sales on his phone.
This defining characteristic of online business poses possibilities for both growth and also for being swamped in information — data, to be precise.
If this sounds daunting, it is. And no one masters interpreting the data correctly in a day. In fact, it is a lifetime education. However, as the technology improves, data presentation improves with it. One particular sub-field is data visualisation which straddles the aesthetic and the technical. Google’s data analytics is a prime example — it is designed not for data scientists but for the common citizen. Therefore, you need not be overly concerned about understanding data.
The key to running any online business is understanding the data. Because only the data will tell you where the improvements can be made. How long will it take at this rate of sales to go from break even to growth — and from that to stupendous profit?
Fortunately, for us there are still other humans who are willing to help. Platforms, therefore, make perfect sense because: you can ask a mentor or your fellow travellers or both. You have the option of getting the advice from an individual mentor, a number of mentors and through crowd sourcing on the forum. This is indispensable in your learning process.
What’s Downside of Affiliate Marketing?
From the preceding one thing might be clear: the affiliate is always at the mercy of third parties. This could be its major setback. However, it must be remembered that just as there are reputable platforms, there are also reputable, industry-leading third parties, too.
Before signing up to any third party — or a platform — try out the free version. Take it for test drive — as you would take a prospective vehicle. Who buys a Maserati without first taking it out for a test drive?
Please understand, however, that a free version is not unlimited — any more than a demo Maserati is for driving home with it.
The fundamental concept behind a free version of anything is to give the consumer the opportunity to develop a taste for a prospective purchase. The fundamental concept behind a free version of anything is: exposure.
This is the stage where you can check out the options — what comes standard? what must be paid for?
If you are clear about these aspects, there should not be any bitter disappointments in the future.
In one case, I had a third party I had contracted for qualified traffic for a project. In the short period that I was with them, I made many requests and I am happy to report that everyone of those requests was addressed. At one point I found that I was charged even when I had briefly suspended my projects because of the far too many glitches. When I asked the third party, they fixed the problem immediately. I ended up befriending the third party.
Equally, on the other side I have had negative experiences, particularly with a supplier. All the tell tale signs of a increasingly bad relationship were there and yet I missed them. I made the classic mistake of staying in a bad relationship in the futile hope that it will improve. The best thing to do is to move on. And, I did.
You may never have to worry about this issue, primarily because some platforms embed these third parties into their learning programs.
How To Choose An Affiliate Platform?
In regard to affiliate platforms, my advice is this: as soon as you have tried out the free version, please do not take too long to move on to the paid version.
In fact, without the paid version you cannot experience the full range of possibilities of the program and therefore impeding your progress. All online businesses require action and you have to allow yourself sufficient time to acquire this positive habit — thus the earlier the better to maximise your success.. Once you have acquired the basic knowledge, it is easier to make informed decisions and in a timely fashion. Treat your decision to move from the free version to a paid version as a test in future decision making.
I do not recommend that you sign up for year though unless of course you are absolutely sure about committing. It is better to go for a monthly subscription, so that for whatever reason should you decide to exit, it does not cost you much.
A necessary digression here . . .
It is important to differentiate between a cost and an investment. A learning programme is an investment — at least that is how I have always seen it. And with an investment there is the expectation of a return on investment — ROI. If, on the other hand, you see this as a cost — and you might — then the crucial question to ask is: how much can you afford to lose? To use that notorious cliche, if you cannot afford the cost of education can you afford the cost of education? End of digression.
Now retuning to the yearly subscription.
The pros and cons of a yearly subscription are that: a yearly subscription will save you money — you will not have to worry about paying it every month; however, this restricts you from leaving whenever you choose.
Weigh the options. Which suits you best — the savings, or, the flexibility? Turn this exercise itself into a process of learning.
Please understand one thing though: good platforms want you to succeed. It is never in their interest for their subscribers to fail.