Affiliate marketing is dead or will die.
It will not work in the future.
It’s a waste of time.
There are so many things being thrown around the web lately and it’s really got me questioning things.
Not the fate of affiliate marketing but why anyone would even think such a thing.
After a good 10 seconds of thinking, I just realized how things were when I started back in 2014.
It brought back all the memories of when I decided to give affiliate marketing a try.
Took me back to the very first website I created and everything that happened around me.
How all the gurus had something “better”.
How doubt set in and how I got over that hump.
But why would anyone tell you affiliate marketing will not work anymore?
Well, there are a few reasons as to why anyone would say such a thing and I want to tell you all about them.
These same tactics/excuses were thrown around in 2014 and they are now being cast once again.
So before you go thinking that affiliate marketing is dead or will die, let me explain why these thoughts would even cross your mind.
Bait and Switch Ponzi Schemes
This is the biggest reason why people think affiliate marketing won’t even work to begin with.
There are many other product creators that deter people from one of the best business models out there and I can not stand it.
After many Ponzi scams, I finally learned about the affiliate marketing business.
I dove in and realized that the only way to make a real income online, you needed a real business, some hard work, and some determination.
That’s what I KNEW, until I came across some good old advertisement.
“Affiliate marketing is dead”
“Why make $2 when you can make $2,000”
That’s what got me questioning what I was doing and it’s probably what has some of you thinking as well.
Do yourself a favor and pretend you never saw those ads.
All it is going to do is set you back and lengthen the money making process.
Those ads will lead to nothing more than a high ticket Ponzi that utilizes the pay to play model.
Buy the product and sell the same exact thing so you can make some thousand dollar commissions.
That is nothing new but it is the #1 reason why anyone would think that affiliate marketing is dead.
This type of bait and switch nonsense has been going on for years and it is something that will probably not stop either.
As long as you can understand how these scammers work, you should and will know that affiliate marketing is here to stay.
Now there are other reasons as to why anyone would think such a thing and I can explain that too.
No Results
“John, I’ve been doing affiliate marketing for 5 years now and I’ve only made $5”.
Sounds crazy but it does happen a lot more than you think.
For one, why would you go even 2 years without making a single penny and not thinking that something is wrong?
Sure it might take some time to make your first sale but it should not take years to happen.
Two, why would you even keep going?
At a certain point, you have to cut your losses if something isn’t “working”.
Stop whatever it is that you are doing and try to figure out what is going on.
We all know that businesses take time to grow and all that but it’s kind of different with something like affiliate marketing.
If you aren’t seeing any results after even just a year of doing business online, you might want to pay attention to what I’m going to cover next.
Lack of Affiliate Marketing Knowledge
Affiliate marketing is the most simple business model to follow and I’m sure we can all agree.
You take other people’s products, sell them, and make a commission.
The part that most don’t understand is the process it takes from start to money.
They jump into things and can’t wait to make that first $1.
If you aren’t with an actual community or you don’t have some kind of coach or mentor, please pay attention.
Affiliate Marketing Takes Time
I can not stress this one thing alone because most don’t understand it.
Going at it for a month and not seeing any results is normal.
Publishing content regularly for 2 months and seeing no results is also normal.
The idea of putting in work and not seeing results is hard for anyone to do and that’s just how it is.
So if that is something you can’t see yourself doing, then affiliate marketing is not for you.
My first website didn’t make me any real money until month 3 but even at that, I wasn’t seeing anything worth bragging about by month 4.
I didn’t stop though and within 6 months, things started to look regularly awesome.
Understand that the business takes time and you my friend will see the success that most will never get to.
Consistency is Key
When you start a blog and decide that you want to make money with affiliate marketing you need to know that there’s a structure that is required.
Don’t for one second think you are going to beat out the competition if you are going to do 3 blog posts a month.
Don’t think that doing 5 posts this week and none for 3 weeks is going to work either.
Go with something like 3-5 posts a week and stick to it.
Remain consistent and you will see results.
If of course you follow the next topic.
Quality VS Quantity
Being consistent is a huge must but that does not mean you need to settle for some mediocre crap.
I know some bloggers that can knock out a thousand words in 30 minutes.
They beat me when it comes to creating content but not when it comes to making money.
Why?
Lack of quality.
If you can knock out a post faster than most, that is great.
Not going over your post and fixing it up is just stupid.
Don’t do any half-ass work and put in the time needed to get things to where they need to be.
There’s grammar issues that need attention and that’s when something like Grammarly can help.
There’s also SEO that needs a lot of knowledge, so don’t try to shortcut anything.
What good is doing a post if you aren’t trying to get it ranked in the search engines?
Besides advertising, there is no excuse.
Failure to Invest
Affiliate marketing is a real, deal, business.
It requires the right knowledge and it requires an investment.
Not just money but lots of time.
Time to work on blog posts, time to learn the best ways to do things, and time to focus on growing and improving.
If you can’t make that investment, then you have no business trying to make money online.
And if you are trying to go about things with some free crap that you found on YouTube, good luck.
Trying to take the free route can work but the chances of succeeding online are extremely low.
Getting the best training will come at a cost and so will a coach or mentor.
Most coaching programs are usually not worth it, so do not just jump into anything.
With sites like Wealthy Affiliate, you can get some free coaching and advice, so start there if you aren’t making the proper investments.
Remember that this is a business and you need to treat it like one.
Don’t do it and you will fail faster than when you first started.
Wrong Mentality
In the world of business, everything starts with your mentality and it very much applies to affiliate marketing.
Go into things thinking that you “might” make money and you might as well not even try.
Affiliate marketing takes commitment and it takes KNOWING that the business works.
If you are excited about things, keep that excitement going and take the necessary steps.
Set goals, chop at them slowly, and you can bet that you will make money.
Conclusion – Affiliate Marketing Will Always Work
Affiliate marketing is not dead.
It is very much still around and will not go anywhere either.
With more people shopping online and the numbers growing at a significant pace, there is no better time to start an affiliate marketing business.
Unless you love your current 9-5, I recommend starting an affiliate marketing business but also utilizing the tips discussed in this post.
If you can do such simple tasks, I can guarantee that you will see some results.
Don’t be part of the 5 year club that makes $5.
Do things the right way and make $5,000/month in your first year.
That’s what I was able to accomplish with a 7 month old site, so there’s no reason why you can’t do the same.
Remember now, affiliate marketing is working now, it will work tomorrow, and it will work in the future.
Unless the internet disappears, I wouldn’t worry about the fate of affiliate marketing.