Affiliate Marketing’s Bad Rap

From VentureBeat courtesy of Scott Jangro on FB:

“Be very careful when you sign up to affiliate networks. Do all your analysis. Profile the traffic, and then make an educated decision for yourself. Even though we were managing to get $200,000 a week of sales for all but nothing, this is not a sustainable business model.

Read more at http://venturebeat.com/2013/08/12/the-big-ugly-affiliate-marketing-scam/#f1Ue76oSercfP2GX.99”

To be honest, I can’t blame the guy. Despite the correct admonitions by affiliate marketing heavyweights in the comments, it’s a shame that an industry with so much promise continues to field a bad reputation from large scale brands (and state governments looking to make tax revenue from affiliate sales).

I love and believe in the affiliate channel, especially when it is “democratized,” but it only takes a few bad actors and not enough storytelling to ruin the message.

One Reply to “Affiliate Marketing’s Bad Rap”

  1. I somewhat agree and somewhat disagree. When I was heavily involved in the affiliate industry (albeit years ago) I brought huge brand name lead gen advertisers to our publishers. But then, I would spend half my day going through thousands of bogus leads. These are not the type of advertiser you want to screw over once.

    I felt that the affiliate industry as a whole was not regulated enough. Most turn a blind eye because, hey – they are making money. Those who spoke up and truly believed in the solution dwindled away.

    I’m not sure where the industry is now, but I really hope there are some sort of standards and ethics within the industry. Lots of great people.

    Reply

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