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Working From Home-Affiliate Marketing
Could Be Your Answer

By Vickie J. Scanlon





Question: In your pursuit for an online job did you encounter a scam or two? Most will say yes. And if you are one of the lucky ones that did not encounter a scam –I truly have to applaud you.

However, you are in the minority. Most people go the easy route-mistakenly believing it’s easier to make money on the Internet then within a brick and mortar business. If that is your first initial thought, you would be wrong. I'll give you an idea of some of the "easy" ways in which people have attempted to make money online.



Surveys, MLM and Typing

The newbie easy way to making money, is their belief that they can make great money doing surveys or typing or signing up for an MLM.

Surveys are fun, but make very little money. MLM can be legitimate or be in truth a pyramid in disguise. If the MLM is a pyramid in disguise you will notice that there are many participants, with the winning cash going to the top few. 

Typing jobs. Many newbies are caught in this borderline scam. First, they say you can make money, but you will need to pay to join, before getting access to the site. If you shucked out the cash, you have just been scammed. With these typing jobs you are in truth, cut and pasting their advertisement to get more individuals like you, to join their program. Sadly, you will have to work 60 to 70 hours a week, for four or more months just to pay for what you shelled out to join the program. Bottom line, stay clear, you do not need to pay anything to join an affiliate program.

However, there are legitimate typing jobs online, but you do have to have experience, and many times, it is very specialized. And, if you have the type of experience they want, you may have to wait for a position to open.

If you’ve tried all of these and got nowhere, and you still want to try to make a living online, think about the possibility of going into affiliate marketing.



What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate Marketing is the promotion of another person or company's product, in which you get a percentage of the profits if a sale is made. It sounds easy, but trust me, it not. It's hard work, but it is a legitimate type of online business. But if you are new to affiliate marketing - prepare for the learning curve and low profits when you begin- so if you haven't lost your job-keep it, until you start seeing profits.


Good points about Affiliate Marketing?

1. It’s a unique way to start a business without the headaches of an Ecommerce site. You have an opportunity to sell your own product and have affiliate help sell the product for you. Or you can sell products for other companies. Some people have solely used affiliate marketing to make a living, while others used it as a secondary income.
2. No shopping cart needed-since you redirect all customers to the company site, you will not need a shopping cart.
3. Don’t have to produce your own products. 
4. It was once said you don’t need a website, but that is changing. Years ago, a website or blog was not needed, but today it is more of a necessity. Why? Creditability.
5. Outlay of money is minimal. You can begin selling affiliate products at no cost. The only cost you would incur would be the cost of a web hosting and domain name.
6. Don’t have to pay to join affiliate programs. If you are entering into an affiliate program and they ask you to pay, it's time to quickly step away. You should never have to pay to join any affiliate program.


Bad Points about Affiliate Marketing

1. If you are new to the game of Affiliate Marketing, there is a learning curve. With affiliate marketing you will need to learn the ins and outs of internet marketing. It begins, first, with your blog and website. Learning about SEO and keywords, and the other marketing avenues that is available on the Internet. 
2. Won’t make a whole bunch of money overnight. You hear a lot of people claiming that they make a lot of money. That may be true for the few, but not for the many. It takes a lot of hard work.



To conclude, I found that the good points outweighed the bad points. It gave me an opportunity to learn, grow and find a presence online. If this is what you are looking for- I say go for it!



About the Author:

Vickie J Scanlon -- Visit her site at: My Affiliate Place  to learn more about affiliate marketing. To get started with affiliate marketing visit her web page on Finding Affiliate Programs.