The obvious advantages to being an Affiliate include things like access to a professional web site that is already designed and monetized. Usually (but not always) this means the product has already been tested and proven to have a marketability and demand. More often than not, the site is replicated, meaning it is a 'plug-in' or ready made 'replicate' just like the one you sign up from that is promoted by every other affiliate.
Usually, such a site comes with a back office where pre-written Email, Ezine, and Solo ads can be copied and marketing helps like Splash Pages, Banners, and referral URL's can be found. There is a Domain name and Hosting is in place and all you need to do is choose your own Username and Password to set up and access an account. Voila, you are in business and open for business ... ready to advertise. And best of all, there may be a newsletter or some other type of instant messaging in place and attached to an autoresponder so that your follow up with prospects is automated.
Everything is done for you and the cost if there is one is minimal in comparison to what it would cost you to purchase individual components separately. There may be a division of benefits with a 'Free" option which allows basic services and one or more
upgraded or paid options which provide more tools or services. Most of the technical, expensive, and time consuming aspects of having a business are done for you giving the business mass appeal.
Sounds good but hold your horses. Before you jump in and start a campaign, lets look at the downside. While all the advantages make most Affiliate Businesses attractive, the foundation upon which most of them are constructed make them more a liability than an asset. Consider the following:
The most important considerations are ownership and control. An online business is like an offline business in many respects, not the least of which is its place of doing business (address). Whenever a site is advertised, its address or Domain is listed and given name recognition. This is called branding and what most Affiliates do is brand the business for the Domain owner. The more successful an Affiliate marketer is, the more recognition he gives to the Affiliate Program Owner.
Not only is the advertising effort misplaced, the results of that effort are as well. Assuming that prospects respond by joining or purchasing, the Affiliate gets the sales commission and may even build a downline of sub-affiliates, but ultimately the all important List of customers and prospects belongs to the Domain Owner. He is the one who controls the C-Panel and he legally steals business.
The single most important thing an Affiliate Marketer must do is own the Domain, control the Hosting Account with C-Panel, and control the Autoresponder Account. It is all about ownership and control. So, the only thing remaining is to evaluate the structure of an Affiliate Proposal and answer the question, "Will I really be in control of my business?" And the simple answer is, if you are not the owner of the Domain and Hosting Account you will not be in control of your business!
About the Author: Mark Moffett is an Affiliate with Plug-In Profit System. In addition to the foregoing, another advantage to the PIP System is the ability to promote multiple Affiliate Programs using a single URL (Domain), especially Affiliate Programs that do not retain ownership and control of the List of prospects.
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