Dos and Don’ts Of Affiliate Marketing

It’s important to understand the dos and don’ts of affiliate marketing so you don’t run into problems when you are first starting your business.
I am going to go over the don’ts first because of their importance and to hopefully put you in the right mindset of being ethical and transparent.

Don’ts of Affiliate Marketing

Don’t promote scams or schemes
-Pyramid schemes
(can involve some MLM companies that drive recruitment over selling an actually product or service)

Examples of scams/schemes:

There are several posts and articles written about these examples and why they are considered scams/schemes.

Motor Club of America (MCA)
Project Payday
Zip Zilch Nada (ZNZ)
Forced Matrix
Gifting
(I encourage you to perform some research on your own)

More Don’ts:

Don’t spam your affiliate links
Don’t mislead potential buyers
Don’t use misleading marketing strategies
Don’t purchase email list
Don’t use traffic exchanges
Don’t buy ‘clicks’
Don’t buy YouTube views
Don’t buy FB likes or Twitter followers
Don’t spam your email subscribers or only promote products to them. You will lose subscribers.
Don’t rely on free blogs like Google offers
–Google can delete your blog for any reason they want.
-There are some really good reasonably prices domain sites and web hosting that do not cost very much.
Don’t fall for in the introductory prices offered for domain names
Example:
Godaddy offers a 0.99 cent domain for 1 year.
After that 1 year period, the annual cost can be as high as 15.00 +
I use LifeDomains.net- annual cost is 9.97 for a .com or .net
Don’t use a web hosting company that is not compatible with Word Press (if you chose to use WordPress)
Example:
Godaddy and Word Press don’t play well together.

Dos and Don’ts of Affiliate Marketing

If you build a Word Press website, use the correct plug-ins, test your site loading speed and include the required disclaimers and policies.

Don’t subscribe to countless email lists as a beginner
Why?
Your inbox will be filled with too many emails and you will get overwhelmed with information overload.
Find a handful of people to follow and learn from them.

Do’s of Affiliate Marketing

Always follow the Terms & Conditions (TOS) of every site or platform you work with.
Always maintain an ethical and transparent mindset.
Utilize social media to connect with your audience to build a long lasting positive reputation.
Always research the products or services you promote.
Offer free information/advice to build trust.
Learn how to outsource to the right people. Remember, you get what you pay for in most instances.
Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn an honest and ethical income, but you have to commit to consistent actions.
Follow all FTC guidelines, rules and regulations related to affiliate marketing