The great debate… affiliate marketing versus network marketing.
On your road to financial freedom you will come across many opportunities to make money.
But what I have found consistently is the opportunity to get involved in network marketing and affiliate marketing.
So what is the difference?
What is network marketing?
Network marketing, also known as multi-level marketing or MLM is all about building a team to sell products.
Some of the bigger network marketing companies you may of heard of are Avon, Mary Kay, Nu-Skin and Tupperware. They are also big in the health industry with products such as Isagenix and Herbalife.
It is really all about leverage, building up a sales downline, where you build up your team to sell your products and you get a commission as well.
There are many types of compensation models with all of the different companies. So if you want to create financial freedom with this model it is important that you are passionate about your product, but you must also research exactly how you are compensated.
I lot of people think network marketing is a pyramid scheme and a scam, however the majority are most definitely legitimate business’s and are perfectly legal.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is performance based marketing where a business will reward you for your own marketing efforts to sell one of their products.
For example if you were to write a review about a certain product that is on Amazon and someone reads that review, clicks on an affiliate link and buys that product. Then Amazon will pay you a percentage of the sale for your efforts.
In a way you are a bit like a commission salesman, and the best thing is there are thousands of products that you can sell and hundreds of affiliate programs you can join. Have a look at the diagram below and see how simple it is to earn an affiliate sale using the internet.
So who wins?
I have had several opportunities to get involved in network marketing but I have never taken them up. However I believe that if the product resonates with you and you enjoy working with people, networking and have strong leadership skills, then network marketing may be a fit for you.
I personally know of people that have created financial freedom using this model, so with hard work it is certainly achievable.
In my opinion however I believe that affiliate marketing wins hands down.
With the right tools, support and training you can use affiliate marketing to propel you toward financial freedom.
You can create a business in any niche that interests you and create a lifestyle business using the power of the internet.
This has been my secret weapon for financial freedom and if you want to learn the right way, then Wealthy Affiliate is the place to start.
With a FREE website and training course you can leverage their knowledge to build the foundations of a successful long-term affiliate marketing business.
Check them out now and start taking the first steps toward financial freedom!
If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below.
To your success,
John W. Newman
Dream It… Believe It… Then Achieve It!
Join me on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.
DISCOVER MY SECRET WEAPON FOR FINANCIAL FREEDOM.
Hi John,
Awesome post between the differences of affiliate marketing versus network marketing. You’ve laid out the differences nicely between the two marketing methods.
I think you can gain a lot of benefits from a developed network/mlm if they offer truly good products that help people and are better products than are currently in the market.
Unfortunately, most of the MLM/network marketing techniques is high pressure sales that rely on the product and more so on your down-line to perform in order to make any serious money.
Versus affiliate marketing you are more independent and representing whatever niche products you love and know work. So you don’t have to rely on a network so much.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. I might also add that once you get a nice website built and have a decent supply of monthly traffic, that affiliate marketing can work on auto-pilot financially.
Thanks for the great read,
Todd
Totally agree with your points Todd.
As far as I am concerned,affiliate marketing is a far better model and wins hands down!
Thanks for your feedback 🙂
I got to be honest I am new to the world of making money online and if someone had said the phrase network marketing in my head I would have heard affiliate marketing, I was unaware they were different things. So Ive learned quite a bit, good job.
There are a lot of people in your situation Burny!
Although there are similarities, network and affiliate marketing are actually quite different.
It is important to know what you are actually getting involved in when you decide to take up these opportunities and that is why I am a big believer in getting yourself educated.
I am glad my post helped shed some light for you!!
Wow, your website looks awesome!! You have a lot of valuable information and I will be visiting this one again to get some advice. Cheers!
Phil
Thanks Philip I am glad you like it!
Thanks for dropping by!
Hi John,
This reminds me when I was experimenting with an MLM company back in 2013. It was my first encounter with such marketing technique and I was almost convinced that it will worked until I got all the cold shoulders from friends and families. It made me feel like I was doing something wrong.
Shortly after that, I found Wealthy Affiliate and I have been with it for almost a year now. Affiliate marketing has given me a lot more exposure than MLM and I am convinced that this skill will be sought in various industries for many more years to come.
Cathy
Thanks for your comment Cathy.
I have to agree with you about Wealthy Affiliate and affiliate marketing in general and I am certainly glad I found them when I did.
But as I have said before it all depends on your personality and what is a good fit for you, but for myself it is affiliate marketing hands down!
Hello, John.
This is a great post a might just well attract a lot of attention 😛
Being both an affiliate marketer and a network marketer myself, there are pros and cons to each one, but it’s hard for me to choose since I love the online business building side of things and also connecting with people in my offline network marketing business.
I suppose I have the best of both worlds!
But having said that, there are many people who prefer affiliate marketing to network marketing and vice-versa. I guess it depends on personal preferences and mindsets.
Cheers for the post. Neil
Thanks for the comment Neil!
I guess it depends on your personality, either affiliate or network marketing could be a good fit for you or BOTH!
As long as you work hard and put in the effort they are both a great model for financial freedom!
And they are definitely better than working the rest of your life in a j.o.b!
Hi John.
Interesting read. I play with both affiliate marketing and network marketing and treat them both basically the same. I have seen affiliate marketing opportunities that offer a second tier affiliate so that it looks more like network marketing and I run my network marketing business essentially as an affiliate marketer (just the way you described doing it online) with the option to build a network underneath.
Ben
Great take Ben!
As long as you put in the effort you can definitely find success with either model and in your case both.
Best of luck with your businesses.
You’ve been busy with this site I can see John! Lots of useful info 🙂
Thanks Murph!
I am glad you have found my site of value!!
Hey john this is a great article and a great debate I should say. You did a great job showing us the difference between the two answering the questions people will have.
Thanks so much for your comment Harmony!
I am glad you liked my article!