How To Spot Scams In Affiliate Marketing

If you are sincerely interested in learning how to spot scams in affiliate marketing then you want to stick to the end of this article.

Not only will I be sharing the ins and outs of the industry but what a real affiliate marketer is and what it is not.

Knowing how to spot scams in affiliate marketing will help you gain an edge over the competition.

Seeing what is real and what is fake will also enable you to generate a significant income in a shorter period of time than some who does not because your mind and eyes will be trained properly.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

True grass roots affiliate marketing reminds me of the vacuum salesman years ago that you used to come by every now and then to try to sell me the Rainbow, literately.

That salesman had an agreement with the manufacturer that when he sold ONE vacuum he received ONE commission for his efforts.

His sole responsibility was to educate me and “show me why” his vacuum what worth $1500 and my Bissell only $50.

When I realized that the benefits outweighed those of my Bissel then I was sold and would purchase.

That is the duty of a true affiliate marketer. Find a quality product, service or program and educate the world on its benefits via marketing and then allow that content to draw in interested buyers.

What Affiliate Marketing Is Not.

So are you being to learn how to spot scams in affiliate marketing yet? Keep reading and by the end of this article you will have the basic know how on where to invest your time and money and where no to.

Affiliate marketing is not a fast ticket to free money nor is it cut and paste industry. Just like anything good that comes in life it takes time and effort to learn and develop the skills and know how to be a successful affiliate marketer.

It also is not a multi-tiered or pyramid type business like so many people are quick to assume. Because affiliate marketing is internet based YOU ARE in essence the “affiliate business” and not any program, offer or service.

When a program starts offering you money to bring more people in then that IS NOT affiliate marketing but a multi-level-marketing company (MLM) such as Mary Kay, Amway, Primerica and many other similar organizations.

These companies may leverage the internet to sell their products and recruit people into their MLM and that is perfectly legal but it does not make them an “affiliate marketer” but a “network marketer”.

In fact, a lot of these MLM companies do not allow their members to directly recruit from the internet because of the laws surrounding network marketing companies as a whole.

What Is The Difference Between Affiliate Marketing and MLM?

If you have been following along so far you may have been able to read between the lines and the differences between affiliate marketing and MLM.

But for further clarification purposes and to be sure you understand so you do not get caught up in something you do not want to be part of I will continue.

The biggest difference between the two is that as an affiliate marketer you call your own shots as far as what you want to promote, write about, endorse, etc,..for as long as you want, when you want to, and how.

You do not have any monthly dues to pay, quotas to meet, or people to train as you do in an MLM.

As an affiliate marketer, you do not have to recruit people if you do not want to personally. In fact, a lot of affiliate marketers make their money solely off of selling physical products such as from Amazon, Walmart, or Overstock.

An MLM will lock you into monthly dues or forced product purchases to keep your membership and position in their network.

Some will require in-person meet-ups to celebrate new rank advancements or for insider training and information.

There are some companies that have integrated the two and this is where you have to be careful.

So What Is A Pyramid Scheme?

Now to the meat and potatoes of what I want to get across in this article. So many people have been burned over the years especially in the early years of the internet out of their hard-earned money.

Thankfully nowadays due to international laws flying by night MLM companies cannot take advantage of people like before.

Websites that show any inkling of deceptive practices are blacklisted by Google and usually never indexed at all. This does not mean they will not try other methods such as social media.

When a program’s advertising strategy is that you can make a certain amount of money based on recruiting other people solely that is a red flag.

On social media, their members will post images of “income proof” which may be true but not legal or ethical. These companies disguise their scheme by offering digital products for high prices that you can learn for free on YouTube.

A legitimate MLM and its members will not post on social media or anywhere income proof. But will simply share value and insight with the community.

Though here and there share with folks how they are earning an income and if you would be interested in finding out more about it.

A pyramid scheme’s sole purpose is to draw you in with the income proofs but will not really have a product or service to give you in return for your monetary investment.

If they offer you a product it will not be worth your investment, therefore, forcing you to attempt to recruit others to recuperate or make a profit.

The Final Analysis

In my experience affiliate marketing has been good to me and allowed me to do things on my own time following in the steps of other successful affiliate marketers.

The mistake people make is trying to reinvent the wheel or copy what other people are doing online not knowing if it actually works and is turning a profit.

Affiliate marketing is quite simple when you know how to do it correctly so it turns a profit.

It is as simple at creating a website with a focus on an industry or product and monetizing it.

This you do over and over with each new site and post further growing your income.

This way you have internet real estate that belongs to you so regardless of any program of yours goes belly up you still have your websites that go up in the Google rankings as time goes by.

If you have any questions or comments kindly mention them below and I will gladly respond.