MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing… 12 Rounds of Hard Hitting Facts
The topic of MLM vs. Affiliate marketing deserves top rank recognition, because these are the two heavy weight champions for newcomers starting out in the online world. So… the next twelve rounds will be hard hitting, toe to toe facts about the champs; and absolutely no hitting below the belt.
This is your opportunity to sit ring side, where you can judge for yourself, and score each body blow and head shot as you see fit.
And when the dust settles, and the MLM vs. Affiliate marketing votes are tallied up; you can decide for yourself which form of business has more teeth, and can truly go the distance.
Ding…ding…ding… it’s on.
MLM (multi-level marketing) is the sale of products or services from a parent company directly to consumers. The consumer then has the choice to continue purchasing the product from the company or become a sales rep for the company. When you become an independent representative for the company, you can sell the product or service for a profit and leverage your efforts by building a sales team to help in your marketing efforts.
On the other hand, Affiliate marketing is an internet-based practice in which a business rewards you (the affiliate) for each visitor that purchases a product or service from them through your marketing efforts.
Now let’s weigh the two to see which one hits the hardest.
MLM
- You’re able to leverage your efforts by building a sales team.
- Most of the time, you promote one company’s product or service.
- You receive passive residual income throughout your organization.
- You’re rewarded bonuses for high sales volume.
- There is an entry fee, and a recurring bill.
- The company provides you with a website.
- You market is not restricted to the internet.
- You’re responsible for training your sales force.
- You are able to make money, whether you’re sick or on vacation.
- Most companies provide training and support.
Affiliate Marketing
- Hassel free… you work alone.
- Sometimes, you are able to make money on your sub-affiliates.
- There’s no residual income; you must continue to make sales.
- You can only build your business online.
- You can promote products or services from a wide variety of companies all at once.
- It’s free to join, and has no recurring bill.
- You don’t have your own website, but you are given traceable links that redirect to company sale pages.
- Your links are tracked with cookies, which may or may not have a long life.
- Cookies may also be lost when other affiliates market to your potential customer.
- The affiliate company is responsible for customer service and product delivery.
What does all this mean to you?
Well… there is a lot to consider on the bout of MLM vs. Affiliate marketing. We covered some of the high points, but there’s tons of more information you should consider before you pick a definite champion.
As you research the internet, you’ll find that a large majority of business owners online are multi-level marketers or affiliate marketers.
The fact is these are two of the easiest ways for the average individual to get started making money online. Neither requires you to build your own website, nor create your own product.
For one to slam the other is ludicrous. If you look closely at the two business models they complement each other. Affiliate marketing is nothing more than a hybrid of MLM.
The two should not be seen as enemies… but as allies.
“The Street Smart Marketer”
The street smart marketer would combine the models making themselves an affiliate network marketer. This allows you to fuse the strengths of the two models.
Now… when someone doesn’t join your MLM program you still may be able to profit from that individual by offering one of your affiliate products. This also allows you to make some much needed funds to reinvest in your marketing efforts.
By combining the two approaches, you capitalize on passive residual income giving you the option to vacation or retire and still be compensated for your efforts.
Remember… the smartest thing you could do in this industry is the research. People tend to be bias when giving reviews because they may have had a bad experience, are currently using one method over the other, or haven’t fully researched their topic.
So… don’t label someone’s opinion as a fact before doing the research and finding out who’s the real champ.
What if you knew where the land mines were in affiliate marketing? Would it help?
