It’s a question I see in the search results whenever a new year rolls around: “Is Affiliate Marketing Dead?” Although pretty vague, it seems to be an honest question, one that people want the answer to.
Instead of asking whether affiliate marketing is dead as if it were a long lost relative, we should be asking “is affiliate marketing still worth it?”
That is what I want to discuss in today’s blog post. Because, believe it or not, Affiliate marketing is not worth it for certain people.
It takes a particular kind of attitude and mindset to get into affiliate marketing.
I’m going to describe the exact person that affiliate marketing is not for and also the type of person it is for. Hopefully, by the end of this post, you will know which party you fall under.
I ask you not to be discouraged if affiliate marketing isn’t for you. It’s better that you know it now so you can save yourself time, energy, and future headaches.
And for those who are cut out for affiliate marketing, I hope this post will guide you in the right direction, providing the next steps to take so you can create a business that is scalable for the future.
So, without wasting any more time
The Future of Affiliate Marketing
Are you new to Affiliate marketing and questioning whether it will be viable in the future?
The short answer is yes! But, “why will it be viable?”
Well, to answer that, let’s first check out this Google Trend.
As you can see, since 2004, affiliate marketing has been a wide search topic. Of course, there are phases where it’s been low, but overall, the popularity of affiliate marketing continues to rise.
If you consider this and people’s desire for searching passive income (the blue trend) then you will realize that the future is looking bright for affiliate marketing.
This is due to the fact that affiliate marketing is everywhere.
Think about it. Essentially, any product can become an affiliate product and there are millions of affiliate programs available to join.
Most of the biggest companies in the world have affiliate programs, I’m talking about companies like
- Amazon
- Apple
- Nike
- Adidas
This is only to name a few. New companies pop up every year and therefore new affiliate programs continue popping up as well.
So, as you can see, there is a massive amount of potential when it comes to affiliate marketing.
So, What’s the Catch?
Now, the problem with affiliate marketing having so much potential is that it invites more competition. At the time of this post, affiliate marketing is still a viable business model to jump into, but there is no telling how long it will stay that way.
Although there is competition, it is still not at the point where new affiliate marketers can’t succeed.
The competition is increasing year after year. So, if you are contemplating on whether to start, you need to decide quickly.
The longer you wait the harder it may be for you in the future.
Who is Affiliate Marketing NOT for?
I’m going to be completely honest and tell you that affiliate marketing is not for most people. That is the hard reality. Many people start affiliate marketing and fail because of several reasons:
They don’t want to put in the work:
People who want to take shortcuts in this business will ultimately not succeed. Despite what most may have you believe, affiliate marketing is hard work.
Yet, most people rather find the easy way around things instead of putting forth effort and time. Those who want instant gratification from affiliate marketing soon find there is no such thing and quit.
If you aren’t willing to invest your time and your money (which most people aren’t) then I suggest you look elsewhere because affiliate marketing isn’t for you.
They Lack Focus
To be successful at affiliate marketing, you have to be focused. This pertains to many aspects of this business but most importantly you need focus to
- Come up with a good niche
- visualize your target audience
- Create valuable content
All too often, people start off affiliate marketing with drive and focus, but at some point allow it to slip. The content becomes half-hearted, keyword research is thrown by the wayside, promoting takes a backseat, and then they wonder why they aren’t seeing results.
Those that Remain focused realize how much it pays off in the end.
They are unwilling to Learn
It doesn’t matter whether you are new or a veteran affiliate marketer, you should always want to learn new information. The playing field in this business changes so often that there is always a new topic to become familiar with.
However, people reach a point where they feel like they know “everything there is to know.” If this mentality doesn’t end your business it will definitely stagnate its growth.
For those who are just starting, accept the fact that there is a learning curve In this business. Yet, also take comfort in knowing you live in a world where knowledge is at your fingertips. Some programs and courses have more than enough information to get you started, you just have to put in the time and effort.
Unfortunately, this can be a huge mental block for some people and it becomes the reason why they fail.
If you fall into any of these categories then perhaps affiliate marketing isn’t right for you. As you can see, it takes hard work to be successful in this business. If you aren’t prepared to put forth that hard work at the moment, then don’t waste your time.
Note: If you want to see the common mistakes most affilaite marketers make, check out my post on The Top 7 Mistakes New Affiliate Marketers Make & How To Avoid?
Who is Affiliate Marketing For?
So, if we were to flip the script on what was just mentioned above then we would have those people that affiliate marketing is for. In this game of affiliate marketing, you have to be able to
Practice patience
Want a $5000 profit in your very first month? Odds are that won’t happen. You must understand that.
If you are willing to accept the fact that affiliate marketing is a learning process, one that takes time, then you will be better off.
Expecting money to fall at your feet within the first day, is unrealistic and sets you up for disappointment.
Affiliate marketing is a science at its core. You have to understand the psychology of your customers, understand their behaviors and practice a lot. You also have to understand marketing in all its different forms.
These things take time, sometimes weeks or months, depending on how quickly you pick up new things. You have heard time and time again that” patience is key ” this is especially true in affiliate marketing.
Have the desire to learn
This directly applies to what I just touched on and it’s an extremely important quality of any affiliate. However, When I say “learn” I mean it in two different ways.
You should want to learn from people who have been where you are. There are plenty of people out there to emulate, the key is choosing the right ones.
Find someone who resonates with you, whether it be their methods or their personality, and copy how they do things. Learning what they did successfully and what they struggled with will provide invaluable insight into how you should grow your business.
If you aren’t sure where to find people to learn from, you can check affiliate marketing related groups on Facebook or search on different internet forums.
Another thing that affiliate marketers neglect learning is their products. This is sad to see because your product is what generates your profit.
You should never promote a product you have no idea about. Always do your research, so you can understand your products advantages and disadvantages, and how your audience can benefit from it.
Learning about your product also entails learning about your competition as well. How can you expect to sell something if you don’t know what makes it better than the competitor? Learn what product features are available, which are not available in competitor products, how is your product better, and why customers should buy it over the competition.
It sounds simple, right? Have the desire to learn and be able to practice patience. Unfortunately, if it were that simple there would be fewer people failing at affiliate marketing.
Something tells me that won’t be the case with you.
What is the Affiliate Marketing Mindset?
To truly become a successful affiliate marketer you have to have the right mindset. I like to compare it to pro baller, Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality”
“Mamba mentality is a constant quest to find answers. It’s that infinite curiosity to want to be better, to figure things out. Mamba mentality is you’re going, you’re competing, you’re not worried about the end result. You’re not worried about what people may say. You’re not worried about disappointing others. You’re not worried about any of that, you’re just focused on being in the moment. That’s what mamba mentality truly is,”
– Kobe Bryant
Half the battle in this business is simply showing up and not letting failures get you down or hinder your path to success.
It’s important for you to understand that the Failures are what make you successful. So instead of giving up, get up again and try figuring out where you went wrong and correct yourself.
is affiliate marketing right for you?
If you have made it this far without completely being turned off to the idea of affiliate marketing then it is definitely right for you.
As I said in the beginning, this business is only ideal for a certain type of person. But if you love the idea of building a business that’s your own, one that will grow into an asset, then affiliate marketing is still a beautiful opportunity.
Yet, have an open mind and a humble perspective because ego only slows you down. You will realize, as you grow personally your business will grow as well.
With that being said, I hope you found this post helpful and hope it helped you realize for the right person, affiliate marketing is very much alive.
Perhaps it got you motivated and excited about starting your affiliate marketing journey today. If that’s the case, the perfect place to start is with a website and hosting.
Yes, It’s true affiliate marketing can be done without one, but if you are trying to build a business for the long term, a website is crucial. It was my first step in showing I was serious about my business.
And like I said, learning is important to your growth. So, you might want to utilize these free learning resources available to you.
As always leave comments or suggestions for future posts. I’m looking forward to hearing about your success.