Does it bother anyone that when you promote a product, people assume that because you’re being paid a commission, you aren’t totally honest? I always felt that way about salesmen – that all they wanted to get just a little more of your money, and once they got you to buy just one thing from them, they would bombard you with all manner of special offers and similar products that you just can’t live without. I was very reluctant to get into this field because of that reason. I never wanted to rip people off, and a quick look around a certain marketing forum told me that a lot of people who create products aren’t totally honest themselves. However, I’ve learned that affiliate marketers, and marketers themselves, can be completely honest, aren’t necessarily greedy people, and that many of them just want to help people.
I’m a blogger, first and foremost in this field. It’s not my goal to sell products, but to write about the subjects I enjoy, such as learning Japanese. It’s an ongoing process, and I never claim to be an expert. I review products, some good some downright terrible, and am always completely honest in what I say. In fact, I wasn’t even an affiliate marketer when I started my first blog. I’ve since added affiliate links to the products I recommend, but I’m not going to change my opinion about a program (think the horrible Rosetta Stone) just because it would earn me a big commission to convince someone to buy it.
Actually, I’ve come to think that a lot of affiliate marketers are pretty honest people, as they won’t get return customers if they rip them off, but that still isn’t enough reason for me to make affiliate marketing the sole drive behind my own sites. My sole drive is to help people learn, and to entertain them and inform them with reviews of everything from movies to products, to share the latest news from Japan, and just enjoy writing about it. I like doing reviews for products because I happen to own a lot of them, so I can safely say that I’ve tried everything I review, and sometimes I would recommend it for a certain group of learners, and other times I’ll declare it to be a waste of time and money. That I like, for I feel that I’m helping people, not making money.
A lot of us aren’t greedy misers, either. Many marketers who make a lot of money (I’m not one of them) put a lot into charity, and many aren’t looking to make millions and live in mansions across the globe. I’m just looking to support my family, and when the stores and companies around me aren’t hiring, I have no choice but to make a job for myself. All I’m trying to do is win some bread, not put Liberace to shame! And if one does make a lot of money, that’s okay, too. There’s nothing wrong with that, so long as you earned it and didn’t lie and step on people to get there.
Moreover, a lot of these marketers started off as regular bloggers who decided to continue informing people while making a passive income in the process, like AJATT. A lot of people trust Khatzumoto, and we normally wouldn’t call him a marketer. He’s very helpful, full of great advice, and is a big inspiration for me in my own journey to master languages, but he does get some money when he recommends a product, and that’s not a bad thing. He doesn’t rip people off, nor does he blog for the sole purpose of generating an income, and if he continues to go in that direction, then that just means that he’ll have even more time on his hands to share his advice with the rest of us.
All in all, I really think this is a legitimate field. There are scammers out there, but you can find them everywhere. Most of us are nice, caring people who don’t want to harm anyone. I’m glad I’m here now, and everyday I learn. This is a journey that will be long, but I think it’ll be worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment