Do You Need Money To Start Affiliate Marketing?
One of the most frequent questions I get on Quora is ‘Do I need money to start affiliate marketing?
If you are pressed for time I’ll answer that question right off the bat: The answer is ‘yes.’
All of us are familiar with affiliate marketing success stories. Most have a familiar thread running through them.They are generally involve some sort of rags to riches triumph after experiencing an epiphany or insight.
Many of these stories are true. Others could have been written by Hans Christian Anderson.
At the end of the day one thing is certain: some sort of investment was required to start affiliate marketing. These fledgling marketers had to lay out some dough to become successful and, (Good News Alert!) in many instances, the original investment was repaid over and over again.
It’s the proverbial $64,000 question and, no pun intended, the fact is that your success will depend a lot on how much money you are willing to invest. And, here’s the rub: you will need to invest wisely.
Still, keep in mind, that even with expensive, expert coaching, the vast majority of affiliate marketers will find themselves going through a trial and error process. And that process will expand with more products or lead generation offers that you promote.
Remember that if you can consider this process a learning experience rather than a descent into abject failure you’ll have a considerable head start on many of your peers.
Buy don’t get me wrong. To start affiliate marketing and have some success doesn’t necessarily require an outlay of significant cash.
There are ‘free’ methods that only require your time. But this can be slow and frustrating and, as the saying goes: Time Is Money.
Be aware that even the ‘done-for-you’ packages will require you to get your own traffic. And, at the end of the day, the 97% who fail at internet marketing do so not because the are inept, inexperienced or without some useful talents. It’s because they either don’t have the resources, or are unwilling to risk the resources that are required to start affiliate marketing and build a business.
I understand how tempting it is to sit back in the comfort of your home doing YouTube walkthroughs with a boss badge on your lapel or dreaming of lounging on Maui with your laptop collecting the big bucks.
But the fact is that the genesis of all those success stories and the creation of an honest way to start affiliate marketing requires time, effort and the willingness to invest in tools and methodologies that will be of benefit to your progress.
You might also appreciate How To Become An Affiliate Marketer Guide For The Perplexed.