Is Affiliate Marketing Legit?

Written by: Marilda Cutrone, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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Many people struggle to succeed online as affiliate marketers. And it seems that no matter what they do, they fail miserably. Despite their efforts, sales often take a long time to happen (and sometimes don't happen at all), which generates a sense of incredible frustration and doubts.

The result is that 95% of the affiliate marketers fail, but the truth is they just quit; therefore, they fail.

And the second result is that these people think that Affiliate Marketing is a scam. They seem to be affected by what is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect.

However, affiliate marketing is a legitimate business model.

It is a form of online business in which the affiliate marketer promotes products and services online. These products and services are owned by a company that uses an affiliate programme for its sales instead of the traditional channels, which are in severe crisis today.

When the affiliate makes a sale, she/he earns a commission through their individual and unique affiliate link.

The thing is that, when it comes to the traditional economy, people know (and thus are ready to accept) that they first need to invest, and then they aim to get the return on the investment (ROI) in around five years. In the meantime, they know they have to work hard and will be happy to cover at least the expenses.

However, when it comes to online business, and typically to affiliate marketing (this is also true for network marketing), they make an investment and expect to get the ROI in a couple of months. True, earning money through affiliate marketing is definitely faster, but there is no magic wand here.

At the end of the day, it is a business, and as such, it needs commitment, determination, preparation (the right skills), and time.

The Bamboo Tree Paradigm

The Chinese bamboo tree has a significative long gestation. Once planted, the seeds need around 4-5 years to bloom. After the gestation period, it can grow 27 mt in just 5-6 weeks. That's the natural process, but if you don't know, you will throw it away as, after one year, you will think it's dead or will never grow.

Affiliate marketing is like the Chinese bamboo tree: the gestation period is when you learn and implement new skills. Of course, it does not take 4 or 5 years, but it does take a while. For some people, it may be a few months; for others, even a year or two.

For example, the affiliate marketers have to learn how to convey their message in a powerful, original, and engaging way; or they have to learn how to use a social platform properly, knowing its tools, features, and algorithms.

In the beginning, it will be necessary to put in the effort and apply the knowledge learned. And they need to be patient because the email list they're building or the social platform they're leveraging will need some time to be attractive, compelling, and followed. When it happens, it will then be easy to correctly target the various offers and achieve multiple sales.

But if the affiliate marketer only builds a small email list or a small social media following, how can she/he get multiple sales? They will get discouraged and, rather than understand this mechanism, think that affiliate marketing is a scam and quit.

The Learning Phase

Learning any new skill is challenging. And learning something by yourself from the web might be overwhelming. Often, you start jumping from one strategy to another, taking advice from different experts, and eventually getting confused or lost.

At this point, when the new affiliate marketers are confused and frustrated, they lack clarity in everything and can't decide the strategy to use or choose the right platform or the best format. They will find themselves bombarded with all kinds of information and will doubt everything. Until they will lose sight of their motivation and will most probably quit, blaming the system.

To make it work, the only option is to get the education in the right way. Keep it simple and join a good digital marketing program in the first place. And then move mindfully and take baby steps. If you focus on the whole staircase, you will feel dizzy. The best way to climb is to focus on the first step, then the second, and so on.

Affiliate marketing takes time, patience, and preparation. But once you nail it, you will grow faster than in other businesses, and you might reach 27 mt in a few weeks.

Biggest misconceptions about Affiliate Marketing

To wrap it up, these are the main misconceptions that people have about affiliate marketing and the most asked question I receive:

1. Affiliate Marketing happens overnight: wrong, it actually takes some time and preparation. It is faster than other businesses, but it is a business and, as such, requires dedication.

2. As an Affiliate Marketer, you work exclusively by yourself: wrong, the affiliate marketer needs support and mentoring and has to enter a supportive and qualified community.

3. Affiliate Marketing is for young and skilled people: wrong, through a good program the affiliate marketer can acquire all the skills needed. In this digital environment, elements like sex, gender orientation, race, or age are not relevant.

4. If the Affiliate Marketer is passionate about what she/he is doing, she/he will make loads of money: wrong, passion and motivation are not enough. They come and go, and most of the time, are determined by external factors. The Affiliate Marketer needs to rely on inspiration, which comes from the inside. And most importantly, she/he needs to be disciplined. Discipline shapes success. When motivation is lacking, the disciplined person who takes the actions as scheduled in the business plan will succeed.

Affiliate Marketing is NOT a "get rich quick" scheme, is NOT a scam; it is a legitimate business model.

And if you want to learn more or you are looking for a good program to get started, please do reach out to me. I can guide you to choose the best option for your needs.

Follow Marilda on Instagram, find her on Facebook, or visit her website to learn more about the programs. You can also subscribe to her YouTube-channel!

Read more from Marilda!

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Marilda Cutrone, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Marilda walked away from a successful 20-year career as Senior Project Manager. For many years, she felt unfulfilled: she was continuously struggling to juggle her career and family. And eventually found herself drained and depressed. Marilda massively changed her life in 2019 when she realized that developing a new set of skills in the current economy is necessary. And here is why: over $2.5 trillion per year is being spent on retail purchases online and, over the last few months, there's been a 25% increase in online sales. Marilda created her own business – Living My Digital Life – and reached a whole new work-life balance level by leveraging the digital skills. This shift would not have been possible for Marilda if she had not discovered the power of affiliate marketing. She is now the owner of her time and can build her career around the family (not a life arranged around the job as it used to be). Her mission is to empower other women to stand up for themselves and make the same shift. Hence Marilda offers a program that walks you through specific steps to learn the skills you need to create a profitable online business from scratch.