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.
[...] 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 [...]
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!
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.
Hi Blake, appreciate your post. Very nice and practical. I think many get ripped of their hard work.
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.
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??
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.
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.
Interesting article, appreciate your post. Will have to check out siteMighty.
Interesting post, realy!)
Thanks for your input, I look forward to more
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
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
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.
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.