What does the Affiliate Marketer do? That’s a very good question and if you’ve landed here based on that question then I assume you have some interest in Affiliate Marketing, right?

There are some, let’s say, not so honest marketers out there that give Affiliate Marketing a bad name. I really hate that because, at our core, we are truly here to help people. At least I am, and about a million others who work within the same community as I do.

In this article, we will dive into what Affiliate Marketing is, who we are, what we do, and maybe find out if Affiliate Marketing is right for you.

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What Is Affiliate Marketing?

So what is Affiliate Marketing and why does it seem so hot right now. Affiliate Marketing is simply promoting someone else’s product or service by using an affiliate link. Your affiliate link leads the user to purchase the product for which you get a percentage of the purchase. That can be anywhere from a small percentage, like Amazon offers, up to 50% or more.

When most people hear Affiliate Marketing they think Clickbank, Commission Junction, or Shareasale. But that is really just the tip of the iceberg. Most of us don’t even like Clickbank for that matter.

Today we are in the middle of a huge migration to online purchasing. You can see it happening all around you. More people buying more stuff online every day. So much so that many large retailers are going out of business or if they’re paying attention, they are changing the way they do business. Walmart is a great example, they’ve gone online with Walmart.com, moving to self-checkout, and cutting costs in many other ways. Have you seen the automated inventory robots at Walmart? If you haven’t, Google it, it’s pretty cool, but it amounts to doing things cheaper and saving money.

What does this have to do with Affiliate Marketing? A huge number of businesses are moving to Affiliate Marketing as a way of advertising and selling their products because they don’t have to spend money advertising. Affiliate Marketers do it for them, many times reaching groups of people they never would have using conventional advertising.

What this means for Affiliate Marketers is OPPORTUNITY. Lots of opportunities. As an Affiliate Marketer, you can promote almost anything you can think of. From eBooks to Tennis Shoes and everything in between. And today it is easier than it ever has been for with zero technical skills to create great looking websites.

Who Are Affiliate Marketers?

We’re everyday people from all walks of life. From stay at home moms to people like me who are doing it full time. In the community I am a part of, I regularly interact with people from such diverse backgrounds it’s just amazing. I know a guy who used to be a boxer, probably that person on earth you would think would be doing this kind of business.

What we all have in common is not just the desire to be our own boss, but more than that, it is to genuinely help people. We are not out here to just promote a bunch of products to people in hopes they’ll buy something, that’s not what we do.

Some of us have a real need to be able to have the freedom of working from home doing something we love while taking care of the young ones, homeschooling, or caring for others. Others have been hit by workforce reductions and need a new career, like me. I worked for more than 30 years in Information Technology. I loved what I did, but the constant worry about job reductions, buyouts, and outsourcing to other countries, just drains you mentally and emotionally. Then of course what you feared happens.

The great thing about it is that the work you do in Affiliate Marketing will continue to benefit you long after you’ve done the work. So it’s not like a gig where you paid once for your work, your work continues to provide passive income, which is what we are after in order to have freedom in our lives.

What Does The Affiliate Marketer Do?

We specialize in certain niches or groups of people that all have a common need or problem. Then we offer those people solutions to their needs or problems. Not just by throwing a product in front of them, but by providing free information that is useful and helpful. At the end of the day, we are simply helping them get what they already want.

For example, a very well-known market is “weight loss”. If you zero in on a certain group of people in this market like “natural weight loss for women”, you could create a whole business around helping women find natural weight loss information. Provide them product reviews, what works, what doesn’t, and so on. So you’re providing a service to them, helping them get to what they already want, doing the research for them, trying out products, and making recommendations.

As you can see, we are all about providing quality information, or content to people who are looking for it. It’s a great feeling to see the comments come back on your articles and see that what you’ve provided has helped them. Sometimes it’s life-changing, other times it’s just a helpful tip. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to interact with those that consume your content.

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“If you can dream it, you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want” – Zig Ziglar

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Is Affiliate Marketing Right For Me?

If you are truly interested in Affiliate Marketing I would ask myself the questions below.

So, what does the Affiliate Marketer do?

• Do you like helping others?
• Do you have a desire to be more than are?
• Are you willing to attain success no matter how many times you fail?
• Can you dedicate 3-4 hours minimum each day to your business?
• Are you willing to do what others won’t do in order to be successful?
• Can you take action daily (do the work) to achieve your goals?
• Do you have the persistence to keep going even if it takes a year or more to make a profit?
• Are you willing to invest a small amount of money each month into your business (less than $100)?

To be totally honest with you, if you can’t answer absolutely yes to each one of the questions above, then Affiliate Marketing is not likely right for you. Why do I say that? Not to discourage you, I’m just being honest. It’s just what it takes. You’ve got to have the mindset and you’ve got to have that burning desire to be successful no matter what it takes.

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“I haven’t failed 10,000 times. I’ve found 10,000 ways that wouldn’t work.” – Thomas Edison

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There are many others out there on the internet peddling get-rich-quick schemes, push-button success formulas, and the like. I can tell you from experience, there is no such thing. If there were, everyone would be doing it.

In any endeavor, you’re going to have failures or ways that don’t work. You’ve got to be able to learn from the ways that don’t work in order to find the ways that do work. Affiliate Marketing, like any business, is like this. It took Jeff Bezos, of Amazon fame, many years to turn a profit. But look at Amazon now!

You’ve got to roll with the punches and persist, taking action consistently in your business. One of the most important aspects of this business or any other is taking ACTION. You can have the best plan in the world, but if you don’t DO something, meaning taking action, you’ll never get anywhere.

How To Get Started In Affiliate Marketing?

Are you ready to get started in your own business?

If you do, I invite you to join me in a community of like-minded individuals that are walking the talk and living the dream. You can join me with a Free Starter Membership to Wealthy Affiliate. No Credit Card Needed. You get two free Site Rubix websites to get you started, 7 days access to the community, and access to the first 10 lessons on Affiliate Marketing. No-Risk whatsoever! You can stay as a free member as long as you want, but you won’t have access to all the great features without becoming a premium member (as low as $29 a month).

You’ll also have direct access to Kyle and Carson, the founders and owners of Wealthy Affiliate (WA). I will also be there to greet you, and I will help you with anything you need as well. You can check out my WA review here.

Someone once said: “If you want to make a million dollars, surround yourself with people who make a million dollars, and do what they do.”

Joining Wealthy Affiliate is surrounding yourself with successful Affiliate Marketers. People who are happy to help and guide you in the right direction.

In Conclusion

We’ve learned what Affiliate Marketing really is, and that Affiliate Marketers come from all walks of life. We’ve also looked at the tremendous opportunity for Affiliate Marketers in today’s online marketplace. And finally, what does the Affiliate Marketer do. I hope you’ve found this article informative and useful.

To your massive success,

Michael

PS. Please leave comments and questions below. I’d love to hear from you.