I often get a lot of questions from individuals looking to start an affiliate marketing site, but unsure if the reality of having an affiliate business is right for them.
If you fall into that camp, this post is for you, and you may also want to read up on the myths of affiliate marketing and make sure you understand exactly what affiliate marketing is before you start.
In the meantime, here are a few things you should consider when deciding if you should start and affiliate site.
You’re Not Desperate for Cash
Being desperate for extra income absolutely the worst reason to start an affiliate marketing business. While affiliate sites can earn significant revenue in the long run, starting a site with the idea that it’s an easy cash cow is NOT the way to go.
If you do this you’re more likely to fall for the ‘get rich quick’ side of internet marketing, which is the dirty underbelly of the marketing world, and usually full of scams.
Secondly, if you’re really hard up for cash, you’re going to focus on the money aspect of affiliate programs, rather than providing quality content. Everything will have your “money-hungry” opinions brewed into it, and the user will be able to tell.
Finally, affiliate marketing is by no means a quick turn-around on your investment. This leads into point number 2…
You Have Time to Spare
Building an affiliate site from scratch can be a great investment of your time and money, but the key is to understand that there is a large time investment.
Many new internet marketers are lured by the promise of ‘passive’ income and think they won’t have to work too hard on their site, when nothing is further from the truth.
To build a successful and sustainable business, you need to be able to commit to producing content for the long haul. It usually takes at least 6 months before you start to begin to see traction with a new site, so be prepared for the long time horizon. In the meantime, you’ll need to keep producing consistent content. Don’t underestimate the time it takes to do so.
Should You Start an Affiliate Marketing Site?
If you understand and agree with the points made above, then chances are affiliate marketing could be right for you.
Affiliate businesses are excellent, and often very lucrative sources of side income. They also have the benefit of being extremely flexible, in terms of what you write about and promote, when you work, and even where you work.
If you do decide to create a new site, I suggest you invest in a good affiliate training course to make sure you have the right knowledge and skill-set to be successful. Not only that, the better programs, like Wealthy Affiliate or Affilorama provide an important community element that helps get you over those initial hurdles.
Are you convinced? Your next step is to read more about how to take action and get started affiliate marketing to begin.