Affiliate marketing is a trendy means of earning money online but many are apprehensive about starting it because it has mixed reviews. It’s not surprising because, on one side, you have some affiliates in a program crushing it and earning thousands.
And on the other side, you see a vast majority of affiliates struggling to get even a single sale. To make things worse, these ten myths make wannabe affiliate marketers sit on the fence, undecided, and afraid to start.
Here is an attempt at demystifying these ten most common affiliate marketing myths.
10 Affiliate Marketing Myths Demystified
1. You need special skills or knowledge to do affiliate marketing.
False.
You do not need any special skills or knowledge to do affiliate marketing. All you require is a little training in defining their target audience, writing the right content, and speaking to their audience the right way.
2. You need some experience to start affiliate marketing.
False
You do not need any experience to start affiliate marketing. In fact, how will anyone gain any experience in affiliate marketing without first trying or starting it?
3. Not everyone can do affiliate marketing
False.
Anyone can start and do affiliate marketing; there is, and there is no such thing as the Right Person. Anyone who has an internet connection, smartphone, or laptop and a zeal to make money online is the right person.
4. Affiliate marketing programs are a scam.
False.
Affiliate marketing programs are not all scams. Yes, there are some fraud and illegitimate schemes and programs around. However, this doesn’t mean that everything is the same, and investing in a program is not safe.
Like any other product you buy, you must do your due diligence in researching the product before investing in it.
Check online reviews and testimonials, and if possible reach out to the previous customers to know more about the safety and legibility of the product/program.
And if they have really earned through it.
5. You need to be tech-savvy to start affiliate marketing
False.
You do not need to be tech-savvy to start affiliate marketing. Thanks to organic marketing strategies, it is now possible to start and do affiliate marketing without any website, blog, or funnels.
Yes, you may need funnels and autoresponders later on once you scale and start generating sales. But for now, to start, you don’t need any of these things.
6. Investing in high-ticket programs is a waste of money.
False.
Many people hesitate to invest in a high ticket program as they feel it is unnecessary and a waste of money. They think promoting the many products available in affiliate networks like Clickbank and Amazon for free is better.
However, investing in high ticket programs is always better as each sale gives a higher commission. Imagine if it’s $1000 to join, you stand to earn as much as 50-100% commission per sale, depending on the program.
That means you can earn as much as $500 to $1000 per sale!
On the contrary, most products on affiliate networks offer a 10-20% commission. So depending on the product rate, you earn as much as $5-$10 for selling something worth $50.
Or you may earn $50-$100 for selling something worth $500.
So imagine how many sales you need to make to earn $500 to $1000 in commission.
On the contrary, you just have to sell the high-ticket program once to get $500-$1000 in commission.
Besides, most high-ticket programs teach you affiliate marketing. So you actually end up investing and acquiring a skill through the program, and not just a product to promote.
And the same skill you acquire can be used to promote and sell as many products and programs as you want.
Of course, do your research to confirm the authenticity and legitimacy of the program before investing. Look for programs with a sound support system, preferably offering one-on-one coaching.
This is essential because you are bound to have questions while learning, and that’s when a sound support system and coach can help you.
7. You can earn money overnight through affiliate marketing.
False.
This is perhaps the most significant myth associated with affiliate marketing. People join a program expecting a bed of roses, and when they see a bed of thorns, they give up within a month or two.
However little do they know that if they implement everything learned, this very bed of thorns smoothen out into a bed of roses pretty soon.
Besides, most people start affiliate marketing with this mindset, of getting instant results, which isn’t possible in affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is not a make-money overnight scheme. It is an online business that requires your time and effort to set it up.
Just like any other shop or business, you need to market and get yourself known, interact, comment, and meet more people to establish yourself as an expert and authority affiliate marketer to start getting business.
And for this to happen, you will have to put in an initial 3-4 months’ work at least in the business. After that, you will be able to reap its benefits and even passive income later on!
8. Affiliate marketing is easy- you just have to share links.
False.
Affiliate marketing is not easy, and it doesn’t work by pasting a few clicks and posting content here and there. There is some research involved in defining your target audience, using the right techniques, and knowing where to find your target audience.
Then there is the part of nurturing your audience through emails and follow-ups as not everyone will buy on the first meeting. It’s after the nurturing is done that you end up having to close the sale.
Affiliate marketing is a business; like any other business, you must show up daily, build relationships, post content, and do the hard work. Just like a doctor, lawyer, and shop owner needs a few months to build a good clientele, affiliate marketers also need some time.
But while it’s not easy at the start, once you learn and master the right strategies, learn the process, and build authority, earning money online soon becomes a piece of cake!
9. Mentors are unnecessary and a waste of time.
False.
Investing in a mentor or at least a good affiliate marketing program offering good support is always better. Many free resources like videos and articles are available online to learn about affiliate marketing.
However, these free resources only divulge minimal information and can leave you even more overwhelmed.
Besides, you will get stuck somewhere and have questions but no one to ask. With a mentor, you know there’s someone there to clear your doubts and hold your hand to point you in the right direction.
However, do not invest in an affiliate marketing mentor just by looking at their results of earning thousands in commission. While most are genuine, many beginners use other people’s results to build authority and convince people to invest in them.
They however will not be able to serve their purpose as a mentor to teach you affiliate marketing because they don’t have the expertise or knowledge. When investing in a mentor, invest in someone who knows affiliate marketing inside out.
10. Ads help get quick sales.
False.
It is always better for newbie affiliate marketers to not invest in ads while starting out. Without knowing your target audience and the problem you can solve, you will only end up burning a hole in your pocket spending hundreds or thousands on ads.
It’s instead better to focus on using free organic marketing strategies first, which involves tactics like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and email marketing.
And it is only when you are comfortable and know your target audience, then yes, you can consider spending on ads.
In short, if you are afraid to start affiliate marketing, there’s no longer any need to be. With these ten myths demystified, you no should no longer have any doubts about affiliate marketing!