My name is Sachin Dwivedi, and I am a travel blogger. On my channel, I share real-life stories and experiences. I have posted travel-related content on my blog and informed people about journeys around the world. In addition, I am also a sports enthusiast and a real estate consultant. My passion is to explore new experiences and share them with my followers. I spend most of my free time writing blogs, and I enjoy expressing my thoughts and experiences through writing. In today’s article, I will talk about the pros and cons of affiliate marketing, based on what I have learned from my own experience.
Starting Affiliate Marketing
I decided to start affiliate marketing on January 1, 2023. My plan was to use my travel-related content for affiliate marketing, where I could earn a commission by sharing travel deals and offers. It was a new and exciting challenge for me, and I was excited about monetizing my travel blog.
To get started with affiliate marketing, I first purchased hosting and a domain from Hostinger and named it Sachclicks. Sachclicks is a platform where I could integrate my blog and affiliate links. I also started working on SEO for my website, and gradually, traffic began to flow in. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is very important when doing affiliate marketing, as without traffic to your website, making sales becomes difficult.
As the traffic grew, I added Expedia coupon codes and affiliate links for the best hotels in the USA. These affiliate links offered discounts on hotel bookings, and in return, I earned commissions. Within 3-4 months, I started making good sales, and I thought affiliate marketing could be a good source of income for me.
My Experience with the Commission Junction (CJ) Platform
I took a big step and started affiliate marketing through the Commission Junction (CJ) platform. Commission Junction is a renowned affiliate marketing network, with affiliate programs from many major brands and platforms. It was even listed among Google's top lists, and I thought it was a trustworthy and reliable platform.
I started affiliate marketing through CJ, but this turned out to be my biggest mistake. I didn't know that all my hard work would go to waste, and I would never receive any payment for the sales I made. I kept working with CJ, and within 6 months, I had made $400 in sales. However, when I tried to receive my commission payout, I found out that I wouldn’t be getting any payment from CJ.
I emailed the CJ platform multiple times, submitted my bank details and documents, but they never gave a satisfactory response to my complaint. The support system at CJ was very poor, and they never resolved my issue. This was the worst experience of my affiliate marketing journey. Both my time and money were wasted, and it was a huge blow to me.
Reasons for Failing in Affiliate Marketing
I realized that one of the major reasons for failure in affiliate marketing is choosing the wrong platform. If you don't select the right affiliate marketing platform, your time and efforts can go to waste. Even after all my hard work, I wasn’t able to earn any commission, and all my efforts were wasted. This is why many people fail in affiliate marketing—they choose the wrong platform.
This situation demotivated me, but I didn’t give up. I learned from my mistake and shifted my affiliate marketing efforts to other trusted and reliable platforms. This decision turned out to be very good for me, and I began earning good commissions afterward.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Platform
I revamped my affiliate marketing efforts and this time, I selected trusted affiliate networks. Choosing the right platform is the most important step for affiliate marketers because it can lead to good earnings and ensures that your time and effort are utilized efficiently. I earned better commissions with the new platform and achieved my financial goals.
The biggest benefit of affiliate marketing is that it can become a source of passive income. You recommend products to people through your blog or website, and when they purchase those products, you earn a commission. You need to update your website regularly, but once your traffic and SEO are optimized, you get good long-term results.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Affiliate Marketing
Benefits:
- Passive Income: The biggest benefit of affiliate marketing is that you can earn continuous income after creating content, as long as your content ranks in search engines and generates traffic.
- Low Investment: Affiliate marketing doesn’t require much investment to start. You can create your own blog or website and integrate affiliate links.
- No Product Creation: You don't need to create your own products. You promote other brands' products, and when those products are sold, you earn a commission.
Drawbacks:
- Need for the Right Platform: If you choose the wrong platform, your time and money can be wasted, as I experienced in my earlier experience.
- Competitive Field: Affiliate marketing is highly competitive, and to get good results, you need knowledge of SEO and digital marketing.
- Commission Structure: Every affiliate program has a different commission structure. Sometimes you earn high commissions, and other times the commissions may be low.
Conclusion
Affiliate marketing can be a good and profitable business model if you choose the right platform and consistently put in effort. My experience has taught me that to succeed in affiliate marketing, you need the right platform, SEO knowledge, and hard work. My first experience with Commission Junction led to significant losses, but I learned from it and shifted my efforts to trusted platforms. Today, I am earning good results and commissions from affiliate marketing.
My advice to you is that if you want to start affiliate marketing, always choose trusted platforms and optimize your content. It’s a long-term process, but if you remain consistent, you will see good results.
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