11 Commonly Asked Affiliate Marketing Questions…Answered

Many looking for a way to work from home and run their own business turn to the Internet for answers. It’s only natural that people turn to the World Wide Web to find information on the topic, since television commercials seem to abound now with claims of people who are making money running their own at home business. Maybe you even know someone personally who runs an online business. It’s not as uncommon as many think. The Internet is full of opportunities to turn your dream of working from home, being your own boss, and having control of your financial future into a reality.

With its vast amount of information on almost any subject you could imagine, people in households around the world are jumping online and Googling “ways to make money online” every day.

One of the more frequent terms that pop up when searching for ways to make money on the Internet is Affiliate Marketing. But, what exactly is affiliate marketing and how can it help you create a thriving and profitable business? 

In this report you’ll find 11 of the most frequently asked questions on the topic of Affiliate Marketing along with the answers to each of them. You’ll learn what affiliate marketing is, the basics of how it works and by the end of the report you’ll have a better understanding of what everybody online is talking about.

Who knows, you just might decide that affiliate marketing is something you’d like to try for yourself. If so, I wish you success! Just remember any business worthwhile does take time and work. It won’t happen overnight (although it is possible to do some work before you go to sleep at night and wake up to money in your pocket the next morning with affiliate marketing).  

When done correctly an Affiliate Marketing business can produce the income, security, and longevity anyone looking to create a successful business could ever need or want.

Defining Affiliate Marketing 

Q: What is Affiliate Marketing?

A:  Affiliate marketing as defined by Wikipedia.com: 

“Affiliate Marketing is an Internet-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing efforts.”

 

 

 

 

I don’t know about you, but when I first read that definition, it wasn’t exactly jumping out at me, making me go “Oh yeah, I get it. Now I know what I want to do to make a living!”

 

Of course you can read more about the practice of affiliate marketing at the Wikipedia website, but we’ll save you the trouble, because although it isn’t hard to understand, it is a bit overwhelming and really doesn’t tell you in easy to understand terms what affiliate marketing is.

Affiliate marketing is the process of referring others to a product or service and being paid for your efforts.

A great example that I’ve found most people can easily understand is that of a car salesman. When you go to a dealership to purchase a new car, you’re normally greeted by a salesperson. He or she will do their best to answer your questions, show you the car including its features, engine, warranty, and even let you test drive it. Once you decide the vehicle is the one you want to buy, they will then walk you through all the paperwork, getting financing, taking your down payment, trade-in and everything else involved in the process from start to finish.

Once the deal has been made and you’ve driven off the lot with your new car, the dealership receives the sticker price of the car.

But, what about the sales person who worked with you all afternoon? He listened to your needs, recommended the car that you fell in love with and are now sporting around town in. What does he get out of the deal? After all, he did all the work – he should get something for making the sale. And, he does. He will receive a percentage of the sales price of the car you just bought. This is known as a commission.

Affiliate marketing is the same thing, only in this particular case you are doing the referring and “selling” on the Internet.

Q: How exactly do you make money from Affiliate Marketing?

A: We touched on the answer to this question in the previous question. When you (the affiliate) refer someone to a product (or service) and that person makes a purchase, you receive a commission on the sale.

However, there is more to it than that. After all, how can a company know for sure that you are the one who sent this person to their website since you’re not there to tell them and the person buying may not even know your name?

When you sign up to become an affiliate with a company or individual, you’ll receive a special link (your affiliate link) that is embedded with a tracking code to let the affiliate program owner identify you among other affiliates and their own marketing methods.

When you use this special affiliate link to refer someone to the company’s website the person’s visit is tracked to you via that special code. There are various software programs that make this possible and the process is beyond the scope of this particular report. Just remember that visitors to the website are tracked back to you from this special code within your affiliate link.

Whenever someone who uses your link purchases something from the company’s website you are credited for the sale and receive some sort of payment.

Common types of affiliate payments:

• Sales Percentage – This method is the most common form of payment to affiliates. Example: For every sale you refer as an affiliate, you’ll earn 50% of the total sales price. You refer $50 worth of sales and we’ll pay you $25. Percentages vary and are set by the company or individual who runs the affiliate program. They can vary from 5% all the way to 100%.
•  Pre-set dollar amount – This type of commission is not extremely common, but it is out there, specific dollar amounts could include things such as: For every $5 worth of product sales you refer to us, we’ll pay you $1 or a flat $20/sale.
•  Credits – Some sites pay their affiliates in credits that can be used for future purchases of their products. An example of this would be receiving 1 credit for every dollar’s worth of product sales you refer.  

Is This for Real?

 

Q: There are a ton of get rich quick schemes and just plain scams online. Is Affiliate Marketing a legitimate way to make money from home?

A:  Yes, absolutely! Affiliate Marketing is a valid and legal way to earn money (and when done right, earn a nice living) on the Internet.

Of course that’s the short and easy answer, I know. I realize you are more than likely sitting at your computer reading this report and thinking something along the lines of:

“That’s what they all say. Prove it to me.”

Wait! Don’t click that little X in the top right corner of this document without reading further. I’m going to tell you WHY Affiliate Marketing is legit!

Let me first assure you; there probably is not one successful affiliate marketer out there who wasn’t taken by some kind of rotten scammer when they first started looking for a way to work from home. They’ve all been there, done that. It’s those who are ready to get serious about making a living online and continue to  work hard that will succeed.

There are many differences with Affiliate Marketing that make it a proven way to make money without being scammed. Here are just 5 of those differences:

 

1. There is no cost to start. – Find products that you like that have affiliate programs, sign up and begin promoting.  
2. You control the decision of what products you choose to promote.
3. If the program is legit, you can easily find others promoting the same products and services on their websites.
4. It takes work on your part! – No promises of making a 6 figure income without doing any work.
5. With affiliate networks such as Clickbank, Commission Junction, and others, it’s easy to get started with well known, reputable companies who have been around long enough and have a reputation of paying their affiliates on time every time.

If that isn’t enough reason, I encourage you to research further. Visit sites like Clickbank,, Moms Affiliate Network, Affiliate Classroom and others. Do all the investigating it takes so that you feel comfortable with the fact that Affiliate Marketing is a REAL way to make money.

Here’s how I worked:

I sent an email to my list of customers with my affiliate link in it. You’ll see that my customers clicked my link 23 (CLK) times. Those 23 clicks resulted in 38 sales (Tier 1 Referred Sales).

This particular program pays 50% commission on all sales, which if you take a look at the Product Sale Commissions column you can figure that I sent this company $330.66 in sales in September. I received (Paid Commissions) $165.33 for my work.

You can rest assured that Affiliate Marketing is in fact a genuine way to make money on the Internet.

Affiliate Marketing Training

Q: Do I need special training to become an affiliate marketer?

A:  In short, no you do not need any special training to become an affiliate marketer. However, understanding how Affiliate Marketing works in order to get started and be successful at it is a plus. We’ve already covered what Affiliate Marketing is in this report so you’ve got that part of the equation covered. J

A few things you will need to get started are:

1. A website or blog to promote your affiliate products on. - There are ways to be an affiliate marketer without a website however. Keep reading to find out how you can promote affiliate products and services without a website.
2.  A PayPal account. – The most popular form of payment for affiliate program owners is Paypal, but some do offer to send your commissions via regular mail in the form of a check. If you don’t have a Paypal account you can sign up for one for free at www.paypal.com.
3. An understanding of those whom you will be promoting the products and services to.

There are many resources available online that can help you succeed as an affiliate marketer by giving you a more in depth look at the process. Here are just a few that I recommend.

MomAffiliateNetwork.com – This site not only lists some great affiliate programs for those who market to moms, Internet marketing niches, and more, but you can also sign up to receive free tips to learn more about Affiliate Marketing.

Affiliate Marketing Sweetie – This site is perfect for learning more about affiliate marketing including what it is, how it works and tips for being successful at it.

Affiliate Classroom – Get a free copy of the most recent Affiliate Classroom Magazine as well as a plethora of information on Affiliate Marketing here.

Super Affiliate Handbook – This is THE guide to help you with your Affiliate Marketing efforts.

 

Bonus: Free Affiliate eBook  – Excellent report available for download on this page.

 

I’m Not the Sales Type

 

Q: I couldn’t sell water in a desert and forget about a life jacket to a drowning man too! Can I still be a successful affiliate?

A: I have to be completely honest with you, if you can’t sell a life jacket to a drowning man…well he’s just stubborn! Ok, bad joke, but the point is this; if you can talk to people then you can promote affiliate products.

The key isn’t in pushing a product or service down people’s throats, but instead talking to them just like you would a friend or family member. If you can recommend something to your spouse or neighbor then yes, you CAN be a successful affiliate. 

More importantly, it’s not as hard to recommend affiliate products to your audience as it can sometimes be to those close to you in every day life. And, as an affiliate marketer you are doing just that…

Recommending products to others already interested
in the information you have to share.

Unlike a door to door salesperson who knocks on everyone’s door in the neighborhood without knowing anything about the residents — trying to get them to buy t-shirts or magazine subscriptions, affiliate marketers already have an audience. The people they are promoting to have already expressed an interest in what they have to say and information they have to share, which includes recommendations for products or services they have a need for.

What makes it even easier to be an affiliate marketer versus an on the street salesperson selling to any and every body they come in contact is that you have help. If you’re not good with putting words together that make people want to buy a product, don’t sweat it. If you’re afraid you’ll sound too pushy, don’t be.

As a member of a good affiliate program, you’ll be given plenty of tools and resources to help make sales easier for you to achieve. You’ll receive graphics, pre-written sales copy and more to help you. 

As an affiliate it’s your job to get people to a company’s website. Once the person is there, it then becomes the company’s job to close the sale. 

So, yes, you CAN be successful as an affiliate marketer even if you don’t think you could sell a life saving device to that man drowning in the ocean. But honestly, I think you absolutely could sell it! Remember, he is your target customer don’t you agree? 
 

Costs Associated with Affiliate Marketing

 

Q: I’ve been scammed one too many times into paying money for something only to discover it’s a scheme or worse, those requesting the “fees” just take my money and are never to be heard from again. Does it cost anything to become an affiliate marketer?

A: Depending on how you choose to promote products you may incur costs to do so, however to get started and actually become an affiliate marketer, there are no costs associated with it.

There are no start-up fees or any other fees required to become an affiliate marketer. No money is given by you to the affiliate program owner or anyone else to participate in the programs. 

You simply find products you’d like to promote and sign up for their affiliate program by filling out a short form. The information you provide will vary by affiliate program but here are the main ones that almost every program asks for.

 

• First Name
• Last Name
• Email Address
• Login Information including login name and password (if they aren’t automatically generated)
• You paypal email address (so they can send your commissions)
• Your Mailing Address (especially important if you are receiving your commission payments via check)

 

Some programs may also ask for your telephone number and/or your Tax ID or Social Security number. Don’t be scared however because they ask for this information. If you live in the United States and make over $600 in any given year in commissions, the affiliate program owner is required by the IRS to send you a Form 1099 for tax reporting purposes and will need your Tax ID or Social Security number for this reason only.

I personally have found that if a company needs to send you a Form 1099 and you don’t provide your Tax ID or Social Security number at sign up; they will ask you individually when the time comes. They can alternatively ask you to fill out a form W-9, which is an IRS form and is completely legal. That being said it is up to you whether you feel comfortable giving them your information at sign up or waiting until the IRS requires it.

While we’re on the subject of taxes, affiliate income is taxable income so be sure you are reporting it to the IRS, even if it is less than $600. Other than that, taxing is out of the scope of this report. However, you can visit www.irs.org and research information regarding self employment income for more information.

At the beginning of this answer I mentioned the fact there can be costs associated with affiliate marketing depending on how you choose to promote a product. While the details of these types of promotions are also out of the scope of this report here are just a few items that may incur costs should you so choose.

•  Purchasing a website specifically for promotion of a program
•  Buying the actual product or service in order to get a better idea of how it works, what the customer service is like, etc.
•  Paying for options such as taking out newspaper ads, Google Ads, or other forms of advertising for the product beyond things you may already possess

Again, these are extra costs that you choose whether or not to acquire. They are NOT required to be an affiliate marketer by any means.

 Website Not Required

Q: Do I need a website to be an affiliate marketer?

A:  Although the majority of affiliate marketers who do business online have a website, it is not a requirement in order to promote products in an affiliate program.

Affiliate marketing has been around a long time, although many people may not have called it that until recently. People were recommending products and services of businesses long before the Internet made it possible.

There are many ways to advertise an affiliate program that do not require the use of a website to do so – that being said, we highly, highly recommend that you DO have your own website so you can build an ongoing business from your promotional efforts.

Here are a just a few ways you can promote an affiliate product without having a website or email list.

• Print Products – You can have business cards, brochures, and more printed up that direct people to the affiliate program’s website via your affiliate link.
• Newspaper & Magazine Ads – Place an ad in a magazine or your local newspaper using your affiliate link as the point of contact for those reading.
• Online Search Engine Listings – Google, Yahoo, and AOL are all great ways to advertise using your affiliate link without owning a website.
• Car Decals – Have window stickers, bumper stickers, door signs, etc. advertising your affiliate link on them.
• Radio & Television Commercials – Create a commercial or have one done by a professional that you can submit and have played on air.
• Forums & Message Boards – Most message boards allow you to place a link in the signature area of your posts. Check with the rules of the site before posting your affiliate link here because some do not allow advertisements in your posts.
• Twitter.com, Squidoo.com, and other Social Media sites. – These sites are growing in popularity and are free to use for business purposes.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to being able to market your affiliate links without owning a website or mailing list. This is just a few of the ways you can do it. There are many more out there and a bit of creativity is all you need to come up with your own ideas as well. 

Finding Companies & Products to Promote

 

Q: What types of companies actually pay people to promote their products and services?

A: This is another area with endless possibilities when it comes to affiliate marketing. Every day more and more companies are realizing the benefits of having affiliates promote their products and services and implementing affiliate programs into their marketing arsenals, if they haven’t already.

Some of the biggest companies in the world use the force of affiliates to create increased profits for them. Here are just a few well known companies that know just how smart it is to recruit others to promote them and pay them good money to do so.

 

• Nike
• Microsoft
• iTunes
• Progressive Insurance
• Walmart
• Amazon

 

And that’s just a very small list. There are companies everywhere from small online only businesses all the way up to Fortune 500 companies and bigger who will gladly pay a commission (and good ones too) to promote their products and refer sales to them.

There is almost no field, at least that I know of and I work daily with affiliate programs, that doesn’t have tons of companies willing to pay someone in some form or another for promote their products for them.

Q: Where can I find products to promote?

A: Affiliate programs are not hard to find, especially online. Here are some ways you can find programs to promote with very little effort required.

  

1. Website Searches – You can easily do a search on the Internet for companies in a specific market that have an affiliate program. For instance if your market is dieting, simply do a search with words like “dieting sites with affiliate programs” or “dieting affiliate programs.” 
2. Visiting Sites You Already Know and Shop At – Do you have a particular website or company that you love to shop with? If so, head to their site and check to see if they have an affiliate program. Chances are they do.  
3. Affiliate Networks – This is probably the most popular There are a ton of sites which specialize in nothing but affiliate programs and those who wish to sell their products through them. Some of the more common affiliate networks include: 

Clickbank – This site makes it simple to promote tons of products in hundreds of fields. Simply sign up and receive an ID that you can then use to promote products listed in their Marketplace. New companies are adding their products to Clickbank’s affiliate marketplace on a daily basis.

Clickbank also allows companies and individuals to sell their own products through them. They will manage the affiliate programs for these companies and individuals. This is great for the company, but it’s even nicer for the affiliate. No need to sign up for hundreds of programs and receive separate checks for each one. Instead, Clickbank pays affiliates their commissions on a regular basis. (At the time of this report writing they had recently implemented the option of weekly direct deposits of commissions.) You also have the option of getting paid bi-weekly, semi-monthly and more

Other popular affiliate networks include:

·        Share a Sale

·        Linkshare

·        Commission Junction

·        Mom Affiliate Network

Finding affiliate programs to enroll in and promote is not difficult at all. As a matter of fact, it’s probably the easiest part of the whole process.

Q: How do I know which products are the best to promote?

A: We’ll make this very easy for you and just get straight to the point. The following one thing is the biggest determiner of whether or not you’ll convert clicks into sales in an affiliate program – YOUR MARKET!

You have to have a market that is interested in the types of products you are promoting. For instance, you will do no good promoting chocolates to a dieting market or engagement rings to married couples. You must do your research and know your market before determining which types of products will appeal to them.

Let me make this clear because it could mean the difference between success and failure as an affiliate marketer if you get it wrong. Don’t forget this basic but crucial fact:

 

You MUST know your target customer in order to successfully promote products and services they will actually buy!

Would you recommend a dating service to your spouse? I don’t think so – or at least I hope not! The same goes with affiliate marketing. Suggesting products your market has no use for will get you no where and fast. It just plain doesn’t make sense.

Now, that being said you could have an eager market and find the perfect product that could make their dreams come true, only to find the product stinks. So, how can you tell if the product really lives up to its name?

Some programs, especially those listed in Clickbank, will actually give you statistics of how well their program converts lookers into buyers. If you have access to these stats use them to help determine if it’s worth signing up to promote the product.

Another thing you can do is purchase the product for yourself. If it is what it says it is, you’re good to go. If it isn’t or you find it’s not worth the investment for whatever reason, you know you probably shouldn’t promote it.

Lastly, read reviews on the product or ask others who promote it how it does. There aren’t many products out there that you can’t find a review for online. Take the time to search for reviews of products from various sources and take the writer’s thoughts into consideration before jumping into an affiliate program you’re unsure of.

 

Getting Paid

Q: How and when do affiliate marketers get paid? 

A:  Payment times and methods vary from affiliate program to affiliate program, but the majority of online affiliate programs pay their affiliate commissions the month after sales have been made.

Let’s say you referred 5 visitors to a site that converted into sales for that company in the month of January. In a program that pays the month after, you would receive your commissions for those five sales sometime in February.  

As for how affiliate marketers get paid, I stated earlier in this report that Paypal is a very common method of payment for affiliate managers. Some also pay by paper check or direct deposit into a checking or savings account. And some will give you the choice of how to be paid.

You’ll need to verify payment percentages and dates with each program you sign up for. 

 

In Closing

 

By this point you should have a better understand of what affiliate marketing is and how it works. You now have answers to the most common affiliate marketing questions and are equipped with everything you need to get started with your own successful affiliate marketing business.

Whether you choose to promote products or services online or off, you know where to go to find products, how you’ll be paid, and even a few tips on how to market your recommendations.

You can learn more about affiliate marketing, including in depth techniques and tips to become what is known as a Super Affiliate by visiting Affiliate Classroom.

On the following page you’ll find a list of all the resources mentioned in this report to move forward as an affiliate marketer.

Here’s to your affiliate marketing success!

 

Additional Resources for Affiliate Marketing

 

Website Builders & Platforms – If you don’t already have a website here are some ideas for getting started with one.

 

• Internet Based Family (very easy)
• WordPress (highly recommended)
• Professional Web Site Builder – Used by many high-earning affiliates.

 

Website Hosting – You’ll need hosting in order to get your site or blog online unless you choose one of the site builders above. I recommend the following due to their outstanding customer service and low cost.

• Mom Webs Hosting
• Reliable Webs Hosting

Affiliate Networks – Find affiliate programs to promote

• Clickbank
• Share a Sale
• Linkshare
• Commission Junction
• Mom Affiliate Network

Resources – Learn More & Grow Your Affiliate Marketing Business 

• MomAffiliateNetwork.com
• Affiliate Marketing Sweetie
• Affiliate Classroom
• Super Affiliate Handbook
• Free Affiliate eBook