I assume you are here because you want to make money online. Whether it’s to supplement your retirement income or replace a job, there are many ways to do it.
You could get into e-commerce and drop shipping (I tried it for a while, not a fan). You could create your own info-product or maybe do some local marketing consulting, site building, SEO, etc.
All those methods can work. The wide array of options is precisely why most people get overwhelmed and end up taking no action at all!
My suggestion is to try a no-cost/low-cost method that I consider one of the easiest ways to make money online…
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a good fit for both newbies and established marketers. Here are five reasons why…
1. No Product Creation Hassles to Worry About
The thought of creating your own product can be overwhelming, am I right? You need to master niche research, product creation on multi-media platforms, website launches with high-converting sales copy, and the list goes on.
But with affiliate marketing, you don’t have to worry about all those pesky production costs like paying for graphics, launching on a paid platform, or shelling out for a tool that delivers your product to the target audience. No. All you have to do is be the middleman.
You step into a niche and bring buyers and sellers together. You’re like the glue that binds them. Being the liaison can be just as rewarding as being the product creator.
For instance, let’s say you’re targeting the Internet Marketing niche and you identified that marketers were having difficulties getting traffic and sales. If you were a product creator, your job would be to provide a solution that helps people get website traffic and make sales.
But as an affiliate, you need to find the folks who are struggling with these issues and steer them in the right direction – to the sellers. The key to becoming a super affiliate is to build a list of subscribers (start with free list-building tools if you’re on a budget such as a free Aweber account) and become their go-to person whenever they need advice.
You want to be someone they can rely on and trust. And guess what? You don’t even have to provide the advice yourself. All you have to do is say, “Hey, you need help with your business? I know just the product for that – check it out here.”
Of course, if you take the time to build a stronger relationship with your readers and review and even implement the products yourself, your conversions will skyrocket.
Still not sure? OK. Let’s talk about product creation. It can take months to bring a product from conception to completion. But as an affiliate marketer, you can start promoting multiple products with a wide range of opportunities for your readers right away. And you’ll be profiting on all of them, not just one income stream.
As you start building your following, you’ll have the opportunity to be among the first to recommend new solutions as they hit the market.
2. Affiliate Marketing Lets You Test Different Niches for Profits
One of the best perks of affiliate marketing? Diversity!
You can dip your toes into dozens of niche markets and find what truly resonates with you.
Here’s what you get to decide as an affiliate:
- Can you easily compete in that niche?
- What’s your earning potential?
- Do you find it satisfying?
All three factors are crucial to your success in affiliate marketing. It’s smart to test the waters and see how easy it is to dominate a niche before you buy a domain and put in all your effort.
Potential earnings matter, but so does personal satisfaction. As an affiliate, you can explore many niches at once and discover what truly lights you up. If the traffic’s coming, but it’s hard to convert the visitors into buyers, then you might prefer to try another niche.
Yes, you’ll hear advice about keyword volume and competition, but it’s more important to pay attention to the niches that make you want to jump out of bed early to engage with your audience. After all, being an affiliate marketer is about being your own boss and pursuing what fulfills you.
3. Affiliate Marketing is Easy for Newbies to Master Quickly
One of the best perks of pursuing affiliate marketing is its simplicity. Many aspiring marketers are 
intimidated by the prospect of creating their own products due to the various technical skills and intricate behind-the-scenes work required.
However, as an affiliate, you’ll only need to master some basic skills that are easy for marketers at all levels. Things like the following:
Blogging
Starting a blog is a breeze, especially when you use a free platform like WordPress. All you need to do is select a name and URL for your blog and begin publishing posts. It’s essential to learn what your target audience is looking for when it comes to blogging.
Personality is a major factor that resonates with readers. They want you to share your insights, opinions, and advice with them. Blogs are an excellent platform for reviewing products and sharing your results. Moreover, they rank well in search engines.
Video Reviews
If you’re comfortable with video, then you should leverage platforms like YouTube and embed them onto your blog. In your videos, you can address your niche audience’s problems and present solutions that they can buy through your affiliate links.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is all about sharing. You can use sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to share your blog posts and links to high-quality products that you believe will assist your niche audience.
4. Customer Service Hassles Are Non Existent
One of the most time-consuming tasks when selling online is handling emails and requests from customers. They may have download issues, need clarification about the product, or want other help.
As an affiliate, none of that is your problem. It all rests on the shoulders of the product creator. It’s their job to handle the customer once you send them there, so you can continue working on what matters most – converting new customers.
If you want to maintain a good relationship with your audience, make sure that the vendor you are promoting has a good customer service reputation.
5. Zero to Low Startup Cost
Affiliate marketing is a strategy that doesn’t require a big investment upfront. In fact, you don’t need much more than your time and effort to get started!
Sure, some folks might choose to spend some money on things like a domain name, hosting, or advertising to give themselves a boost, but it’s not required. Having said that, if you do decide to pursue affiliate marketing, I would recommend getting hosting and your own domain. And if you’re just starting out and exploring different business models, the low or no cost of affiliate marketing means less risk for you financially.
You see, other business models might require a huge investment upfront, which can be scary if it doesn’t work out. But with affiliate marketing, you can start promoting products and services right away, without breaking the bank.
And get this – you don’t even need to spend money on promotion if you don’t want to. With free methods like social media, blogging, and video marketing, you can be just as successful as someone who pays for advertising. You can learn about how to set up these free methods with Traffic Shotgun 2.0 for Affiliate Marketing.
And here’s the best part – you don’t need to be a sales expert to be a successful affiliate marketer. Your job is simply to recommend solutions to your audience and let the vendor’s website handle the rest of the selling.
In closing…
Affiliate marketing is right for just about everybody. If you are ready to add a serious affiliate marketing plan to your online business, consider learning more with this free training in the Affiliate Marketing Club.
