Affiliate marketing is interesting and diverse in its details. For starters, affiliate marketers can sell products based on what they’re interested in. Whether the marketer is passionate about cooking or personal fitness, there’s usually a market for it!

Affiliate marketing is also flexible. Marketers can sell products from anywhere, anytime. It is common knowledge that all marketers need is an internet connection, an affiliate program to join, and a lot of dedication. But, there are also some useful facts that aren’t as well-known. 

For those who want to learn more, here are some useful affiliate marketing facts many don’t know about!

Fact One: Affiliate Programs Aren’t Always Set in Stone

Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways of making money (especially for bloggers), but that doesn’t mean it’ll always be set in stone. In fact, it sometimes doesn’t work out well. 

Marketers need a lot of time dedication for affiliate marketing. They’ll also have to join an affiliate program to start. Because the affiliate marketer spends a lot of time on their campaigns, merchants must do the same finding reputable influencers to market for them.

However, one good thing about affiliate programs constantly changing is that it gives both merchants and marketers a lot of freedom. For example, they can control their business arrangements and what kind of compensation they want to provide.

There are many affiliate models the marketer can choose from, all having their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, many affiliates reach for search engine optimization (SEO) as their goal. Some businesses produce their products and sell them straight to consumers. Other businesses have a wide range of products to sell, which means more diversity and money.

Some affiliate marketers even sell products that they make themselves. However, it’s best for the affiliate marketer to learn the basics of marketing before selling their own creations. Joining a program first is excellent for learning how to market. 

The affiliate marketer should choose a model that best fits their time and dedication for affiliate marketing. That way, they’re able to make money without feeling burnt out.

Fact Two: Beware of Scams

Many people often mistake affiliate marketing for multi level marketing, but those two are different from each other. The biggest difference between affiliate marketing and multilevel marketing is that joining an affiliate program shouldn’t cost any money.

That doesn’t stop scammers from trying to milk money out of budding affiliate marketers, though. Here are some warning signs that an affiliate program may be a scam:

• Expensive strategy guides
• Pay-to-join program
• Fake products

If the marketer sees these when trying to join an affiliate program, then that program is a scam and should turn the other way. Affiliate marketing should be about making money, not losing it! Real affiliate programs let marketers join and give them advice for free.

It’s also helpful to watch out for fake products. Some affiliate programs, particularly ones in the fitness industry, will trick upcoming marketers into signing up for their programs and give them fake products to sell.

Suppose a budding affiliate marketer wants to join a program that helps consumers lose weight. That marketer signs up for the program, but the products never arrive. How is that marketer supposed to make money?

Sometimes, other affiliate marketers try to scam upcoming marketers to join questionable programs with those same red flags listed above. Why is that?

While there are plenty of people who make good money in affiliate marketing, there are also plenty who are flat broke. When those marketers can’t sell any products, they try scamming others to spend their money.

Fact Three: Most Affiliate Marketers Quit Because They Don’t Make Any Money

Some people don’t have the time or dedication to be successful in affiliate marketing. 

As of 2021, over 90% of affiliate marketers don’t make any money, and most of them quit within the first three months. These people quit because of the lack of money, but let’s go deeper into that reasoning. Why do so many affiliate marketers not make any money?

Many affiliates go into affiliate marketing thinking they will make hundreds of dollars spending just a few hours a week on promoting affiliate offers. For starters, starting an affiliate business takes lots of time and effort. It’s best to not underestimate how much attention and commitment affiliate marketing needs for it to be successful.

Paid advertisements can sprout affiliate businesses, but those cost money that many affiliate marketers don’t have. That’s why affiliate marketers should have a variety of products and an email list.

Depending on the niche, content marketing can take months or even years to find success. More famous niches will make it hard to stand out from the crowd, but an unexplored market can give affiliate marketers a lot of headway. Either way, it’s best to get proper training upfront.

Fact Four: Making a Living Can Take Some Time

Affiliate marketers who haven’t quit within the first three months may be wondering how long it will take for affiliate marketing to replace other income. Success is dependent on many factors. Those that are willing to put the time in will make more money.

Some affiliate marketers take as little as three to 12 months before they replace their living. However, others take many years for this to happen. How come?

There are three factors that can affect an affiliate marketer’s income:

• Marketing strategy
• Advertising budget
• Business model

Affiliate marketers will try to find the best ways to market their products to make the biggest profits. However, some marketing strategies work better than others.

Using the combination of these three factors is a surefire way of making great profits from affiliate marketing, but results can still vary from person to person. That’s why it’s best to treat affiliate marketing as a way of earning extra money when starting out.

Fact Five: Affiliate Marketing Should Be About Providing Information, Not Selling a Product

Who doesn’t enjoy earning money? That’s the whole point of affiliate marketing, isn’t it? That may be the case, but consumers can see through many obvious advertising strategies and be turned off. It’s best to focus on providing information, not selling a product.

When the affiliate marketer provides information as content rather than selling the product, it creates trust among followers. Being informative and reviewing a product honestly contributes to building a community.

It’s best for the affiliate marketer to find a niche they’re interested in and know a lot about so that they can provide the best possible information and recommend products they genuinely enjoy. That way, they’re able to build a community of consumers who are also interested in what the affiliate marketer is selling, trusting the marketer’s words.

Remember those old-school ads on TV and in newspapers? Those might get the affiliate marketer a few sales, but none of those sales will be from repeat customers. It’s best to treat affiliate marketing as providing information, not selling a product.

Fact Six: Online Stores Love Affiliate Marketing

Online stores seek reputable influencers to sell their products within their social media communities. Affiliate marketers who put in the time and effort making vlogs and videos for products are more desirable for online stores. 

Affiliate marketing gives online stores access to many affiliates with consumers eager to buy something new. Affiliate marketers can also work with any type of company–large or small. 

Conclusion

With affiliate marketing becoming increasingly popular, it’s important to understand these useful, unknown facts that can help marketers be successful.