Affiliate Marketing vs MLM and Pyramid Schemes...

Let's talk a little about the difference between Affiliate Maketing, MLM ( Multi-Level Marketing) and Pyramid Schemes. If you're just beginning your online career, it's maybe confusing in the begining, so I decided that it would be useful to know more about tem, so you will be able to recognise them and not lose your time with any scam.

First of all, I have to say that MLM is not something I do, it's not something you will find in this blog. I'm an Affiliate Marketer and the difference is huge. In Multi-Level Marketing, you have a product, which is being pushed through multiple levels. You earn money by selling this product, but you also earn when you recruit people to sign up for the same program and sell this product. This continues again and again, multiple levels deep. Still sounds good but keep on reading.

What about Affiliate Marketing? Affiliate Marketing, explained simple is when you sign up with a company , you get your affiliate links to promote a product and every time the product is purchased through your affiliate links, you get paid a comission. And this is it. You promote a PRODUCT, you don't try to sign up people, who will sign up other people and so on... You just promote a product. You focuse on products you like, you promote them through your affiliate links and earn a comission. That's it.

The confusing part actually comes with the 2-tier Affiliate Programs. In this case, you earn a comission from your sales, you sign up people to promote the same product, and earn from their sales, but it stops here. It doesn't continue multiple levels, it's only 2. So, don't confuse 2-ties affiliate marketing programs with MLM, they're diffrent.

Why do I prefer Affiliate Marketing? Well, it's a lot more friendly, a lot more focused on a product, and actually -a lot more profitable. The worst about MLM, is that there are so many programs out there claiming to be MLM, as they are actually not. To be an MLM, a program have to have a product, a quality product to push through multiple levels. Most of the claiming to be MLM programs are Pyramid Schemes, and this is definetelly what you don't want to be involved in.

How to recognize a Puramid Scheme? It's really easy... You've probably seen many of them. Just look for a product, if you can't find what exactly the product is, it's a pyramid scheme. Haven't you seen all these really long web pages, where someone tells you that you can earn thousands and thousand of dollars, tells you about there story, shows you their bank account balance with the thousands of dolars in there... They NEVER tell you specificlly what the product is and how it works. They tell you that you will make a lot of money, without telling you HOW you to do this, what product you to promote... and the truth is that there is NOT a product, there is a pyramid scam, which only purpose is to take your money, then make you try to take someone elses money... and so on. There's no product, there's just a scam... and it's definetelly not MLM.

Just keep this in mind the next time you try to "get rich quick"...

Stumble It!

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate Marketing is... hm, no, I don't want to start explaining Affiliate Marketing like in a dictionary... If you prefer to see a "dictionary-like" explanation visit Wikipedia's page about it. I'll start with "Welcome to the world of advertising, welcome to the most profitable, most friendly, interesting, provocative and exciting way to help people find the best products online". Welcome to my world of Affiliate Marketing. Just being here, reading this blog makes you a part of probably the largest online community... the one of Affiliate Marketers.

First of all, you probably already know that affiliate marketing is promoting someone's product for a comission. Maybe you're interested in the comission itself, maybe you're trying to start working from home, but I'll be honest with you. The best way to be a good affiliate, is to love what you do... love the products you promote, love to spend time in front of your computer, blogging, designing websites, writing articles, posting ads, just be able to find something that inerests you personaly in everuthing. You have to love all of this to be a good affiliate, as you're going to do it a lot. It's like using your hobby, your interests to convince other people that what you offer them is the best thay can ever find.

But let's look at what affiliate marketing is, what it offers and what would probably interest you.
As you already know, Affiliate marketing is an Internet-based marketing practice, which is absed on promoting businesses and products for a comission based rewards. There are many places, where you can find and choose affiliate programs, suitable for you, including affiliate networks, affiliate management companies, separate websites, having there own affiliate program and of course other affiliates, promoting affiliate programs (this is a case of 2-tier affiliate program, where you promote both a product and find other people to promote it as well, so you usually get paid for both your sales and your sub-affiliate sales... it's a good one, just don't confuse it with MLM, but I'll explain you the difference in another post). Overall it's easy to find tham and easy to "make money with affiliate programs".

Affiliates use different types of methods to promote a product. You might count on organic search engine optimization, paid search engine marketing (which you have to be careful with, for example, using AdWords might cost you a lot if you don't know how to usi it right, but I will teach you in another post, don't warry about it), e-mail marketing (please, don't confuse this with spamming...), but also not standard methods like publishing reviews of products and services, blogging, posting in forums (not just spamming your affiliate link, of course...), affiliates use website to drive traffic to other websites.

Ok, well this was the basics... Now you only have to read ahead and choose the programs and techniques which suit you best. Most of the affiliate techniques, that I will show you are absolutely free, but they will cost you some time to do. Go through the Affiliate Marketing Tutorials and get ready to make affiliate marketing your new hobby, then it will be easy for you to "make money online" (as many people find this phrase stimulating :) )

Whatever you do, it will work for you only if you enjoy doing it!!

Good Luck in your new "Affiliate Career" :)

Stumble It!