Most of us dream of being our own boss. The Internet has paved the way to making this dream a reality for many people. But, for every successful affiliate, I bet there are hundreds who have tried and failed. There is no dearth of affiliate marketing ideas in the Internet, however the following three affiliate marketing tips will keep you from falling prey to the many ‘home based business opportunity’ scams that abound.

What’s the Big Attraction of Affiliate Programs?

The main attractions of internet business are freedom from authority, flexible work schedules, and the possibility to make millions from the comfort of your own basement. While freedom and independence are very tempting, most affiliates fail to realize that 90% of all new businesses fail within the first year! I don’t mean to discourage you, but only intend to warn you of the realities of online money-making. Anyone can get into online business as it involves very little start-up costs, and there are many wonderful affiliate programs. There are also many useful affiliate marketing ideas and tips to get you started online. Unfortunately, the risk of failure is also high. One has to be cautious about the programs and products they choose to invest in.

Top 3 Affiliate Marketing Tips to Protect You from Internet Fraudsters

The good news is it IS possible to make a decent living online. The bad news is we live in an age of very tricky Internet business fraud. If you think that you are investing very little in your online business, think again: it is not just your money, but also your time, energy, and mental focus that could be siphoned away in this business if you are not careful about what you invest in. The following affiliate marketing ideas will give you a heads-up on the tell-tale signs of internet business fraud:

Scout Around for Information

If you have trouble finding any information about a particular affiliate program or product, that should ring a warning bell. Credible affiliate programs will definitely have a track record that you can dig up. So, don’t give in to the temptation of buying the latest ‘push-button traffic generation software’ that has just been launched. It doesn’t matter if they are offering a ‘massive discount’ on it for the next 48 hours only! Wait for at least 6 months to see if it is still around and has backed up its claims. THEN you can consider buying it.

Ask For Testimonials

The landing page of almost all product recommendations will have a screenshot of a ‘income sheet’, showing you that they make $10,000 every month. This is supposed to prove to you the ‘success’ of the product or program. Most landing pages will also not talk about HOW they make so much money. It will be couched in ‘top secret’ phrases that never reveal what the product is really about. So, don’t fall for that trick. Instead, check for real testimonials. No, I don’t mean the ones posted on their website! (Anyone could have written them). Contact them for specific names and addresses of people you can get in touch with to find out how the program helped them in their business. You can also try Googling for actual user reviews. If you try searching for ‘XYZ scam’, am sure there is a good chance of you digging up any dirt that is there regarding the specific product or program. My favorite way of checking up on a program or product is to check for reviews on an authoritative site, such as the Warrior Forum.

Review Testimonials Carefully

Now that you have gathered a bunch of testimonials, read and review them carefully. Of course, don’t expect a 100% recommendation. There may be a few bad reviews here and there, and that shouldn’t turn you off. Sometimes, people choose the wrong product and then crib about them. Just try to weigh the good against the bad. If the number of good reviews far outweighs the poor ones, you can be assured that you are dealing with a legitimate product or program.

There are many affiliate marketing ideas and affiliate marketing tips on the Internet. But, nobody gives you a heads up on the dangers lurking in the form of fraudulent ‘affiliate marketing experts’. People will try to lure you with ‘free affiliate marketing reports’ and ‘killer super affiliate marketing techniques’, but the onus is on you to verify every single internet opportunity for its track record, credibility factor, and success rate.