Affiliate Marketing: Handle With Care
- July 23rd, 2007 /
It’s really disappointing to see companies taking advantage of people. It’s even more distressing when it’s a competitor of your company making everyone else look bad by association.
Today, I discovered a company that offers a service similar to siteMighty, but the similarities end there. The most glaring difference between this company and our own is that it charges over $5,000 to get started. Immediately, a red flag goes up.
Being the marketing person that I am, the first question I ask myself is “What’s the pitch?” (btw, if you’re an affiliate considering this $5k+ program, your first question should be “What’s the catch?”). The pitch is important to me because it’s the value proposition we extend to our users and potential users. For the $5k+ company to pitch such an exorbitant fee, means that there pitch is either very compelling or untrue.
When we talk to our customers, we are very aware of the language we use and the promises we make. Especially for affiliate marketing, we have to be very careful about telling people “you’ll make X over the next month.” No one can tell you that for certain. People enter this industry (and join siteMighty) at varying stages of experience. Some of our users know how affiliate marketing works and can get started right away. Most of our users, on the other hand, are brand new to affiliate marketing.
These are the people we built siteMighty for. siteMighty is perfect for anyone who wants to start marketing affiliate programs, but has either no way to build a site, or no budget to hire someone to build a site. You can literally come to siteMighty with zero experience in site building and have a site up in less than 5 minutes.
Keep in mind that this is just getting the site up. Step 2 involves marketing your site, and, admittedly, in the beginning we thought all we had to do was get your site built and that was it. But there’s another step which involves setting you on the path to marketing and gaining traction with your siteMighty site. We’re figuring this out and have already implemented a number of features, tools and offerings to help our users market their siteMighty sites (i.e. training guide, 24/7/365 Live support, etc.).
We’re looking for love. We want you to love us at sign up, but also love us 7 months later when you’re rocking with your siteMighty site. We can’t expect someone to to come to us with no experience and start making $10,000 a month right away. Don’t get me wrong, $10k/month is a lofty goal, but it’s attainable.
The point I’m trying to make here is that we love affiliate marketing. We believe in it. But to do it well means that it takes time to get to know it. With siteMighty, you’re given all the tools and expectations you need to succeed. Plus, we’re here to help every step of the way. We’re nothing without our amazing users.
The bottom line is that we want to add value to the industry, overcome the stigma that a few in our industry perpetuate, and see our users succeed.
- categories: All, SiteMighty /
Jul 24, 2007 at 3:43 am
» Your Online Internet Marketing News Source - News Of The Day Go Article Marketing LLC: News From The World Of Internet Marketing says:
[...] Affiliate Marketing: Handle With CareEspecially for affiliate marketing, we have to be very careful about telling people “you’ll make X over the next month.†No one can tell you that for certain. People enter this industry (and join siteMighty) at varying stages of … digg_url=’http://go-article-search.com/2007/07/24/your-online-internet-marketing-news-source-news-of-the-day-132/’; digg_skin = ‘button’; digg_bgcolor = ‘#FFFFFF’; digg_title = ‘Your Online Internet Marketing News Source – News Of The Day’; digg_bodytext = ”; digg_topic = ”; Powered by Gregarious (42) Share This [...]
Jul 24, 2007 at 1:11 pm
I deeply appreciate Blake’s approach to affiliate marketing. He’s in it for the long haul. I unfortunately trusted Anthony Morrison and his Credit Card System that he is promoting at the Hidden Millionaires infomercial and seminars. I couldn’t be more disappointed in the service after the sale. Since I purchased a web site template from him for $4995, it’s been all downhill from there. They haven’t returned calls and support emails even though it’s a numbered ticket support system. Buyer beware!
Nov 29, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Ditto, I’ve been taken a few times myself. Won’t detail it here, but it’s worth noting that there are still some of us who’d like to deal fairly and squarely. Wish more, like Blake, would stand up and be counted.
Jan 03, 2008 at 1:20 am
Hi Blake, appreciate your post. Very nice and practical. I think many get ripped of their hard work.
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:53 am
This was a very important artcle with good advice to everybody that wants to run a business, not only to affiliaters. To start a business needs a lot of time and a lot of hard work before you can start to make money. This is also true for all kind of online business. Very few people get rich over the night, and if they do, they have worked hard for it for a long time.
Feb 01, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Hello,
Yes, indeed affiliate marketing is a way to go. Is an easy way to make money online. Just go to clickbank and sign up.
I just learned that Microsoft offer to buy Yahoo for $44 Billion Dollars and Yahoo turn it down. Does anyone knows why Yahoo turn it down??
Feb 06, 2008 at 1:15 pm
There are enough affiliate programs that you can join for free and some of them even offer a ready-made website full loaded with affiliate products, see my own site for examples.
Feb 08, 2008 at 1:51 am
This is no more that brain washing nothing is worth that much to be an affiliate of. Like the list building concepts being created from safelist concepts and the way the safelist market is kicked around on the Internet. I guess if it sells why not use who will buy it.
Feb 15, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Interesting article, appreciate your post. Will have to check out siteMighty.
Feb 16, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Interesting post, realy!)
May 02, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Thanks for your input, I look forward to more
May 11, 2008 at 8:00 am
Affiliate Marketing
has become the most effective easiest ways for anyone to “Make money online”.
YOU CAN generate a full-time income if you do what you have to do.
Most people around the world looking for solutions to their problems
All you need do is to find those solutions and give them to people who seek them
have a good time
EDDIN
Oct 30, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Wow, this may be an old article but it still packs a punch. $5000 to get started? Ya gotta be kidding me!
Great blog, keep up the good work
Nov 29, 2008 at 8:21 pm
A good post about affiliate marketing. I have never come across a $5,000 get started package for any affiliate program. If I had I would have hit the back button so fast … well, you get the idea.
Dec 21, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Affiliate sales sound so easy, and there are just so many pitfalls. Good affiliate companies are really tough to find. If you’ve got one, keep it! If you don’t, drop it like a hot potato and look elsewhere.
Mar 10, 2009 at 11:36 am
How long will it take to make money
through an Internet Marketing
Affiliate Program? It depends. If
you are familiar with the process and
use a professional, it could happen
much more quickly. Patience is
required, however, and you should not
expect to start earning anything for
several months.
Mar 25, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Affiliate Promotion Strategies
Affiliate promotion basically works on the principle of paying commission for the referred business. This model was introduced when the e-commerce concept gained prominence in the 1990s.
Mar 30, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Great article,thank of lot, i appreciate your post
Apr 08, 2009 at 7:48 pm
With the economy the way it is who has $5000 laying around? Great site, keep it up.
Apr 26, 2009 at 5:57 pm
eyv haceli sikiÅŸe devam
Apr 30, 2009 at 5:54 am
I just wanted to drop you a line and say that I really appreciate marketers like yourself. When I started in this biz, I got caught up in a couple of fly-by-night promotions and was very disappointed. I am glad I stuck with it, but am even more glad to find sincere marketers that are in it for the long haul and not getting quick cash.
May 10, 2009 at 8:33 am
Good site. I totally agree that marketing your website is more important than building your website. There’s no point once you have set up your website and leave it as it is doing nothing to generate traffic to it. The website will not make any sales for you if left idle. It must be marketed and the only way to market it is to draw traffic to it.
May 15, 2009 at 6:23 am
Site Mighty, have never heard of it before. Sounds very interesting, affiliate marketing can be extremely daunting when your totally green!
May 18, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Interesting article, appreciate your post.
Will have to check out siteMighty.
Many thanks
May 21, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Sounds nice! Will chk out sitemighty for sure very soon.
May 29, 2009 at 9:25 am
This is one good looking, sexy theme, love it! What theme are you using?
Jun 10, 2009 at 10:50 am
i hve learn a new info from tour siite today..thanks for the info
Jun 11, 2009 at 1:25 pm
There are a number of ways to make money online unfortunately not all good. Nice post
Jun 13, 2009 at 6:33 am
Nice one. I have stumbled and twittered this for my friends. My friends will enjoy reading it also.
Jun 13, 2009 at 6:46 am
Interesting post. I have stumbled this for my friends. Hope others find it as interesting as I did.
Jun 13, 2009 at 6:52 am
Interesting post. I have stumbled and twittered this for my friends. Hope others find it as interesting as I did.
Jun 15, 2009 at 4:58 pm
hi there blake. this was really a nice post. thanks for this post blake..
Jun 21, 2009 at 6:05 pm
there are number of ways to make money online but affiliate marketing is the best way without using much budget..
Jun 23, 2009 at 3:09 pm
washing nothing is worth that much to be an affiliate of. Like the list building concepts being created from safelist concepts and the way the safelist market is kicked around on the Internet. I guess if it sells why not use who will buy it.
Jun 29, 2009 at 1:16 pm
There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also.
Jun 29, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I usually don’t post in Blogs but your blog forced me to, amazing work.. beautiful …
Jun 30, 2009 at 4:17 am
Thoughtful insight! thanks a lot for sharing…
Jul 02, 2009 at 1:37 am
Blogroll links aint that great
but i am not the admin… 
… Just Telling 
Sep 03, 2009 at 1:24 pm
this post is very interesting, thanks
Oct 11, 2009 at 2:49 am
You can earn with us up-to $10 for every customer – http://monitor.mazecore.com/register_affiliate.php
Nov 06, 2009 at 2:04 am
Affiliating marketing is still one of the best way to make money online without shedding a cent… just my IMO.
-Dee Online Recruitment
Nov 08, 2009 at 3:45 am
notepanya thank you very much
Nov 14, 2009 at 7:07 am
Internet marketing is an application of crowdsourcing. It has become imperative with the tremendous growth of the internet. Internet marketing is cost-effective and affiliate marketing with its four core players the retailer, the network, the publisher and the ultimate customer is an offshoot of just that.
Nov 22, 2009 at 6:57 am
very interesting, thanks