Affiliate Marketing: Avoiding The Scams

By: Nell Taliercio

Affiliate Marketers make their money by selling other people's products or services. These affiliate programs allow them to earn commissions based on the sales generated through the affiliate marketer's special link. In some cases, they can earn money by getting people to sign-up to a special list or offer that the affiliate company provides.

These programs can be good income generators, provided you put in the work necessary to make your commissions. There are numerous affiliate marketing opportunities out there for anyone to choose from and each one offers differing monetary rewards for the commissions. The problem is, that not all of those opportunities are legitimate ones. Yes, the annoying scammers have gotten to this part of the internet too.
 So, as an aspiring Affiliate Marketer, what can you do to avoid falling into one of these Affiliate Marketing traps? Here are some things to look for when deciding on one of those opportunities:

Website

Take a thorough look at the website of the product, that you're considering taking on in your affiliate marketing business. The website should contain a decent amount of information about the product you would be taking on. It should also provide good information on the affiliate program that they are offering. Make sure that the site has contact information in case you need to ask questions or get support.

Any website, offering affiliate programs, that have no contact information is not worth your time. If you can't get a hold of them when you need to, how can you be sure you'll get the money due to you. Also, if the site has more information on how much money you could make from their program and less on what the product is and does; then it's not likely the program is legit.

Research
 As with anything on the internet, you should be doing your research to determine if the program is on the up and up. Look to see if anyone else might have used that program and find out what their experience was. Also, look for information about the company, if any is available, to see if they seem legit.

Don't Pay

Legitimate programs will not charge you to sign-up with them to sell their products. There are some cases where you may be paying for other items, like their magazines, special software or some other type of service. But, as far as signing up to simply market and sell their items, there shouldn't be any charge for you.

Affiliate Marketing is a legitimate business opportunity. You'll just have to sort through a lot of programs to make sure you're signing up for one that won't scam you. Take your time and thoroughly research the programs that interest you and you should be able to avoid some scams that could cost you a lot of money in the long run.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

*Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find work at home job information and tips at: www.justonlinejobs.com

3 Key Skills to WAH: Organization, Self-Motivation and Time Management

Organization, Self-Motivation and Time-Management.  These are three very important key words for those who work from home. You need to be well organized in your work habits as well as with your schedule, tasks and to-do lists. (Organization: Organization is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, controls its own performance, and has a boundary separating it from its environment) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization

You need to be very self motivated in starting and completing your workday from home, especially if you have family around you such as your spouse or the hustle and bustle of your kids. Self Motivation: Self-motivation is the ability to motivate oneself, to find a reason and the necessary strength to do something, without the need of being influenced to do so by another person. Working in a careful and consistent manner without giving up.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-motivation

You will certainly need to have time management, as this is very important and coincides with being self-motivated. You must schedule your time wisely each day to complete the tasks at hand. (Time Management: Time management refers to a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_management

These three skills are key in working at home. Without them you will have a home office that runs more like a zoo. So remember to make Organization, Self-Motivation and Time Management key aspects of your home based business.