Wouldn’t it be nice to stop chasing Family and Friends, Become a Network Marketing Pro with Digital Marketing?
Yes, the old way of making a list of 100 Family & Friends while not prejudging them to decide who will and who won’t be interested in the new Direct Sales, Network Marketing, MLM and/or “Home Based Business” Business that you have decided to share and build your wealth and dreams.
I’m not judging you or anyone else, I was also involved in a Network Marketing, Direct Sales, Multi-Level Company where I was advised to in the fastest manner possible share in person with everyone that I knew. Starting with the people who I knew the closest and who would support me the most.
In most cases as you well know, not only did most of them not join me with my new journey to financial independence, most of them answered “I’ll see how you do then get in if you do well”. In the back of their minds of course many if not most of them had already decided that I would not only fail miserably but that I would quit in no time at all.
Fast forward a few years and I’ll now share with you how I’ve been sharing the “Digital Marketing Veteran” way and how I also advise all Friends who would like to start and grow a true “Home Based Business” working 100% completely from home. Remember how the old way of working a “Home Based Business” involved more time away from home? Hotel and/or house meetings, driving all over town for sharing with Friends and Family either via a DVD or pamphlet presentation etc…. Not anymore!
There is a much easier and better way with Digital Marketing to become a Network Marketing Professional and 100% from home or from wherever you are and in any part of our world. There are over 3 Billion People currently online today, yes that’s Billion with a B!
What if I told you that you could start to generate a full time income from home with far fewer than 3 Billion people on your team? How about if I were to tell you that you can earn a very nice income with fewer than even 30 personal referrals out of the over 3 Billion people online? Even though you may be saying that 30 still sounds like a lot, remember that we are not talking about sharing with Family & Friends in person like you have done in the past.
I myself in the past 3 years have personally sponsored/referred over 3,000 Friends to either one or all of my Top Recommendations that I share right here on my website assisting Friends in earning an income online.
Below I will also share posts from my website here that you can click upon to learn more about the sites that I recommend for You and all Friends to earn a full time income from anywhere on the Planet!
- Wealthy Affiliate – Wealthy Affiliate Review
- Global Moneyline – 2nd Anniversary for Global Moneyline
- CBProAds – Your Pre-Made ClickBank StoreFront
- WebTalk – Online Business Community
- CashJuice – Online Business Community
So, exactly how do I suggest that You utilize the above sites in order to grow your current Direct Sales, Network Marketing, MLM, Work from Home, Home Based Company and 100% online?
I am so glad that you asked!
With Wealthy Affiliate you will be able to learn how to create a website and a blog while monetizing your website blog with Affiliate Marketing sharing your current company as well as any or all of the above sites as well just like I’m sharing with you. There is however, no promoting allowed within the actual platform so your sharing will be within your own website.
Global Moneyline is also an exceptional place to share all of the above as well.
CB Pro Ads is a ready made storefront that you can easily link your Clickbank ID to and have thousands of digital products available to anyone who visits your site.
The above is just a small introduction to each site and you can of course click on the more information “Blue Colored” words above to learn more.
There is also a search block and an archived tab at the bottom right with years of articles about the above sites and more as well.
Friends, when join all or any of the above sites to grow your current Business you’ll not be alone. I will always be here for you when you ask me for assistance and I will be glad to help you to earn an income online from anywhere in our world and 100% online with Digital Marketing.
Oh, back to your Family & Friends…..
Once you start earning an income 100% online and from home, your Family and Friends will take notice then approach you with curiosity. Not only will you then be able to share with the willing, you’ll also be able to show them that you are successful. Remember earlier that we agreed that the most common thing that our Family & Friends tell us is that they’ll “Wait and see how you do and join you when you’re doing well”?
The time is now my Friend, let’s get to where you’re being successful without chasing Family & Friends then they’ll come chasing you.
Comment below with any thoughts and/or questions, talk with you soon.
Tony
This is a great article comparing MLM and Affiliate Marketing. I always had hard time reaching out to the people I know when it came to generating leads. It is very annoying when you get bombarded with someone else’s ideas and suggestions. Sometimes they also get very persistent. I definitely think that Affiliate Marketing is much better.
Thanks for the top tips Tony! Programs such as Wealthy Affiliate and Global Money Online really do help those wanting to make money online a reality, and a very achievable one at that. When you think about how many people are online (3 billion + as you mentioned) and you break that down into single or double digit goals – sign-ups, referrals, etc – it really does make it sound even more achievable. I hope you help many more people with this post, and your website.
Your so right I’ve only been with Wealthy Affiliate for a month, and have been loving it with everything the teach you with building a website to how to write a blog to keywords I’ve learned more there in a month then i have in any other site i have ever tried. also like your 30 people philosophy that is so true which is very possible to reach that goal.
Thanks, Tony, for the interesting article on the “making money online” topic. I never knew there these platforms and the URLs of these platforms are very valuable since its members have the opportunity to earn from wherever they want while doing business online.
Sharing success is important and being successful online means being able to show this success to others and be respected while living on and doing what you like.
Nice article with very valuable information.
Hi Tony, I’ve been thinking of doing exactly the same thing myself. I’ve also been in MLM and Affiliate Marketing and the current Network Marketing company I’m with has recently incorporated an Affiliate Marketing model.
My only concern is, all the rules network marketing companies have about what you’re allowed to say and not say. I want to build a site to promote the products (anti ageing skin care products and supplements) but I don’t know whether it will go against the policies and procedures or not. Nervously excited to test it out. Do you have any advice on what’s acceptable and not acceptable to put out online.
Apples and oranges. Affiliate marketing all the way! I don’t really think you can compare the two as MLM is just selling 1 product for a company and the only way to make money with it is to build your pyramid. Whereas with affiliate marketing, you can sell anything, and are not reliant on the company structure or getting others to “buy in” to what you’re doing. That’s so hard, with friends and family. There are endless opportunities with affiliate marketing, whereas with MLM, you’re kind of boxed in, both in what you sell and who you can sell to. Thanks for bringing light to some affiliate opportunities, though!
I do believe it is an especially grounded site, yet I genuinely recognize that you may add some additional substance some more branch obliges, I had the choice to a couple of affiliations that you have added. In any case, everything considered it is particularly in general incredibly easy to take a gander at. Some more pictures would be better. It is astoundingly great the way it is by the by I figure it would be even more clear with additional photos. Or on the other hand clearly even some Video that you may add as well.
Hey Tony Lee Hamilton, thank you so much for this priceless article , it really hit me hard because I’m still dependent on family and friends for money. I love affiliate marketing and I’m still a beginner, I’d like to get better at this too. Affiliate marketing seems to be very much better than mlm I must say, it has so much to offer
This is a very interesting topic. One of the main differences between these two types of marketing models would be how they are structured and funded. With an MLM, like Mary Kay or Herbalife for example, you buy their products first before becoming an affiliate to sell them so that both sides can benefit from the company’s sales revenue shared with affiliates on downlines sold by other participants as well! On the opposite side in affiliate marketer, your commission-based income relies solely on commissions earned off new leads/sales generated through advertisements placed within websites such as Facebook Ads or Adwords PPC campaigns which means it doesn’t matter whether someone actually buys one product rather than another because all advertising costs would have been covered upfront thus making affiliate marketing my preference.
I am with you all the way – Affiliate Marketing is a great place to start. Believe me, when your friends and family see you doing well – they will be all ears and eyes and wanting in… and of course we will let them in because helping others helps ourselves as well. Thank You for the recommendations of where to start. Great post.
Personally, I’ve learned to run screaming from MLMs. I don’t believe that they will do well even if you’ve given them online exposure. What you learn from Wealthy Affiliates is affiliate marketing. This is totally different and can make you a lot of money in the long run. Either way, Wealthy Affiliates can give you an excellent basis in internet marketing.
Haha, I certainly know what you are saying about friends and family. In my case I have to admit that it is hard for me to hold it against them, considering my track record with failures in the past. But at the same time, you do expect a little more from them than from people you don’t, or barely know. I do look forward to them being proven wrong, I must say, now that I have found something credible and integral. I am very excited and hopeful about Wealthy Affiliate and am having a blast!
I would have to say that I most definitely prefer affiliate marketing over MLM by far. To me it seems that MLM are only for a few people and affiliate marketing I believe is for everyone. There are so many options in the affiliate marketing prospect for anyone, to chose anything they desire, and be able to make money. On the other hand I feel that MLM are harder for people to be able to make steady income in that market. That’s just my opinion though, the way I see it affiliate marketing is a way to have never ending ideas, to make never ending money, in infinite niches.
Hello Tony,
I am actually new to the concept of earning money online but I’m now starting with affiliate marketing so I know something about it now. However, I do not know what MLM is and how it works. I still don’t get the difference between these two. Maybe you could try to explain it further?
Thanks,
Jeelah
Hello Tony,
I am actually new to the concept of earning money online but I’m now starting with affiliate marketing so I know something about it now. However, I do not know what MLM is and how it works. I still don’t get the difference between these two. Maybe you could try to explain it further?
Thanks,
Jeelah
Interesting post!
I have seen people succeed with MLM but these people are top-tier salesmen. If it were me I’d go with affiliate marketing. It takes a while to set up the business but you don’t have to be a master communicator to get sales.
You also won’t run into the “I’ll join after seeing how you do” problem because you can promote products most people are already using.
Hello, thank you for sharing this information on affiliate marketing. Yeah, I’ve tried network marketing before too and it was so hard to earn money. I know it’s possible but I have to agree with you on affiliate marketing being the way to go. I know Wealthy Affiliate is an awesome place for people to join because of all the training they can get to help them become successful as well. I didn’t know you can advertise clickbank products on moneyline. I like that idea very much! It’s sometimes hard to find a place to advertise their digital products. Thanks for the information.
Hi there Tony,
I have been involved with both marketing techniques and I would choose affiliate marketing any day.
See, the MLM I was involved in required to invest $50 to buy the license to sell their products and then another $100 to buy their products which you are supposed to sell at a higher cost so that you make a profit.
If you ask me, compared to the fact that you can start affiliate marketing without investing a dollar, it is a no brainer that affiliate marketing is the winner here.
But I also appreciate that we are all different and some people have had success with genuine MLM programs.
For me its affiliate marketing as the opportunities are endless, although this article has really opened my eyes more on MLM but affiliate marketing is just exceptional. With WA your opportunities are endless as their training is exceptional, they allow you to earn while you learn. I still remember when I told my brothers I wanted to start affiliate marketing they were like what’s affiliate marketing? But now they are calling me telling me that they’ve also started learning.
Affiliate Marketing is simply promoting the products and services and earning affiliate commissions. As an affiliate marketer you are free to promote different products and services and earn commissions from each of them.
MLM, also referred to as network marketing, and sometime labelled as pyramid schemes distribute their products and services via person-to-person sales.
For me affiliate marketing is the clear winner but whichever way you choose to go, approach it with your eyes wide-open.
Thanks for sharing informative article with us. Much appreciated.
I am super excited about everything I learned here today! What tremendous insights to many of my unanswered questions. I am new to all of the online opportunities and was really needing some accurate information to make a fully informed decision. I was looking for some credible, reliable, and accurate information to start my online business.
Thanks to Tony’s review here I was able to lock in on the Wealthy Affiliates program as being perfect for me and my situation. I have very little experience and needed an education for success. I truly feel as if affiliate marketing was the best choice for me personally.
I honestly felt like the Wealthy Affiliate program just had so many aspects covered in their educational program that I had to at least give it some further attention. After being on their platform for only 2 days I was immediately motivated to join and become a member of the group. I have never been so excited about anything. Excellent program, Thanks again, Tony!!
I am still new with affiliate marketing. However, as I read this article, it makes me very excited how the world is changing in job market. Many my friends and family think affiliate marketing is a scam and believe I will fail. I believe I will prove them wrong as the article says all face these critics and changes as soon profits are being generated. I like the article and to be honest it inspires me to continue explore affiliate marketing and keep on learning to make new ways of income.
I hope I can learn some tips how to make a profit.
I do believe that affiliate marketing is the way to go to generate money online. It’s actually a creative way plus you don’t need to bother friends and family as you mentioned. Affiliate marketing all the way for me. Many today don’t know much about affiliate marketing and multi level marketing, this article will be very helpful to them as their eyes are opened to the real deal.
Thank you for your interesting article on MLM and Affiliate Marketing. I think I prefer Affiliate Marketing because it doesn’t have such a bad name as MLM does. All the websites you mention in your article however, are all interesting ways to utilise to make money from home as well as reach so many people all over the world without pitching our business Opportunity to our family and friends.
Hi Tony, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on the differences between MLM and affiliate marketing. I hate opening facebook only to find that my “friends” are trying to make money from me – usually selling something that is substandard!
That’s what I like about Wealthy Affiliate – you don’t need to sell to your friends / family. I’ve not heard of the other websites you mention, so I’m going to definitely explore the links you’ve shared.
How long would you say it would take the typical newbie to generate $2k per month from network marketing?
Yes, I’ve tried network marketing but it was not a very pleasant experience for me. I think digital marketing is much easier for introverts because you can write by yourself and in your own time. With network marketing, it was very hard to “chat” about what you’re trying to sell. Much easier to “talk” to strangers through your website.
Hi Tony,
Great piece of content there distinguishing between MLM and Affiliate Marketing. One already sounds old and dry of any income while the other seems pretty promising with the potential to earn even a fortune. As MLM benefits a handful of individuals and collapses most of the time, My choice will be affiliate any day. Sorry MLM but the possibilities are endless with affiliates.
Thanks for pointing out these differences. I think it will be helpful to others looking into making money online.
All the best,
Sergej
I’m not sure it’s a fair comparison, MLM and affiliate marketing. But I’ve never tried MLM, so what do I know. I do know that the difference between success and failure is grit. If you give it your all and don’t give up, you’re very likely to succeed. I guess that is also true with MLM.
I’ve never heard of some of the programs you mention, I’ll be sure to check out the opportunities.
wealthy super affiliate website is very organized, includes many useful resources and a series of guided training lessons to help new users hone their skills. Site has made an immediate impact straight off the mark. Its advanced wizard combines with the ready-made styles and layouts to put everything on a plate, making the whole website building process a really enjoyable experience. This nifty website builder is the perfect solution for private or business internet users. Its vast array of simple.
I really enjoyed your post. I have been around home based businesses since before the internet was such a big opportunity. I remember when drop-ship mail catalogs were the way people were making serious home based income. I agree that affiliate marketing is the best opportunity to available. With so many opportunities in affiliate marketing, it seems like there are always products and ideas to find, that have very little competition.
Affiliate marketing is much greater when it comes to potentially earning income within the system. MLM businesses are two differences on how both of them run. Also, to keep different users who may drop by the site every one in a while, spruce up the place with a little decor here and there. It can’t hurt right?
Great article thanks for sharing. I actually do both MLM and Affiliate Marketing, and to be honest I get better results from the affiliate marketing model. They both have their own pro’s and cons. With Affiliate marketing i love that you can choose what products you want to promote, ones that you feel completely comfortable with. I also love the fact that you don’t have to go chasing after people to try and get more members on your team. Then with MLM I also like the fact that you don’t do it alone, if you have a great group of people on your team and with a company that helps all, not just the ones at the top. As I said they both have their pro’s and con’s and i am glad I do both, but affiliate marketing is definitely an easier model!
Great article thanks for sharing. I actually do both MLM and Affiliate Marketing, and to be honest I get better results from the affiliate marketing model. They both have their own pro’s and cons. With Affiliate marketing i love that you can choose what products you want to promote, ones that you feel completely comfortable with. I also love the fact that you don’t have to go chasing after people to try and get more members on your team. Then with MLM I also like the fact that you don’t do it alone, if you have a great group of people on your team and with a company that helps all, not just the ones at the top. As I said they both have their pro’s and con’s and i am glad I do both, but affiliate marketing is definitely an easier model!
I have spent countless hours and thousands of dollard trying to build a MLM network. I think the only ones that get rich on those business plans are th ones at the very top. I also have done a home-based business selling cosmetics. I didn’t get rich on hat endeavor either since I was my own best customer! I agree that affiliate marketing is the best way to start an on-line business, especially with a company such as Wealthy Affiliate that teaches you step by step the process of building your business!
Hi there, I found this article not only useful but the best ways to utilize your network marketing and grow your business right! I am an affiliate marketer and wealthy affiliates has helped me to create a website and to progress fast or slow depending on your strategies… I found Global money line curious and I have joined clickbank weeks ago but not really used… I will certainly pay more attention to it now, thanks for the high awareness:)
Thank you so much for the article! I love affiliate marketing because you can really be yourself when you are in that line of business! You chose what topic you want to cover, you chose how often you want to post online, you get so much more freedom with affiliate marketing over MLM. I must agree with you that Wealthy Affiliate is the way to go as well! There is so much you can learn via Wealthy Affiliate and I recommend it to everyone!
Hey,
Thanks for showing us the platforms which could teach us how to make business online and possibly even change the quality of life in the long perspective!
I have heard about some of them already and have tried a Wealthy affiliate myself. So I can say, doesn’t matter which one you choose to go for, you have to be ready for a lot of work!
Another great post giving food for thought on digital marketing. affiliate marketing is great but it’s always good never to write any options off and as you have listed, there are various platforms you can utilize to get traffic and earn money in all sorts of ways. It’s a good list of valuable links that you have shared, especially QWealthy Affiliate which has to be the Best Affiliate marketing Group Online.
I enjoyed your comparison of MLM to Affiliate Marketing. You are exactly right when you say MLM requires lots of away from home activities. You provide several in-depth reviews of Affiliate Marketing. I agree with you that once your business starts to generate an income those around will take notice.
My first business was MLM. Yes I was trained to share great products with family and friends and encourage them to do the same. After trying for sometime I gave up on MLM. So I can relate very well with the content in that article. The article will definitely help everyone who is struggling with MLM. It will also provide information to MLM gurus to think in other terms as affiliate marketing is way much better than forcing people to do what they don’t want.
In our country, MLM was very popular in the early years, but the official definition is also illegal. I have a very familiar friend who indulged in it and made life very bad; in recent years I have contacted Affiliate Marketing and found This is very suitable for online business, so I found WA and found that it is really a great platform for non-native English speakers to learn Affiliate Marketing and make money online.
I have to agree Tony! The invitations to the BBQ’s tend to dry up when you go there and all you do is try and sell the latest whiz bang program and try to convince your hosts of how much money they can make selling it too.
Eventually you run out of friends.
A good article happy to see it out there.
Great post and thank you for comparing MLM and Affiliate marketing. However, I have been the victim of Mlm where I once joined GNL international.
After JOINING the company, I was told to Get other people into the system and the people that i told, they told me that i first work and see if i can make money.
It is true that affiliate marketing is still the best as there is no direct recruit.
I used to think that MLM was all there was to sales. It is actually a wonderful idea. IF you are the person who starts it. Then you get a cut of EVERYONE who comes below you. But if you are not at the top of the pyramid, it can be horribly frustrating. I have also run to all of my family and friends repeatedly and completely burned them out. Like just about everyone else, MLM has not been good to me.
Affiliate Marketing is so much better! You are the middleman in many transactions with different suppliers. Yes, your suppliers make money too, but there is not an entire pyramid of people chipping away at your profits. PLUS you get to work at home online and for those of us who enjoy writing and creativity, it is a wonderful outlet. I really enjoy working on my pages.
I used to think that MLM was all there was to sales. It is actually a wonderful idea. IF you are the person who starts it. Then you get a cut of EVERYONE who comes below you. But if you are not at the top of the pyramid, it can be horribly frustrating. I have also run to all of my family and friends repeatedly and completely burned them out. Like just about everyone else, MLM has not been good to me.
Affiliate Marketing is so much better! You are the middleman in many transactions with different suppliers. Yes, your suppliers make money too, but there is not an entire pyramid of people chipping away at your profits. PLUS you get to work at home online and for those of us who enjoy writing and creativity, it is a wonderful outlet. I really enjoy working on my pages.
Well, Tony, I tried several, what we used to refer to as “get rich quick” MLM ideas and most of my friends and family disappeared faster than a summer shower. Didn’t take me too long to understand that those ideas were not the best way to keep friends and family. Wealthy Affiliate is the much better way to realize the possibility of a real business and keep your friends and family close as well. I’ am not doing well enough to brag, but that is mostly my fault. WA is definitely the best way to realize a dream of financial wealth.
Barbara
I have been involved in both – MLM and Network Marketing! I certainly prefer Affiliate Marketing. Even though you earn commission on products that are not yours, you are still a creator, not just a seller! You create content! High quality content to be educational for people!
I understand the concept on Network Marketing and do think that is it a powerful tool but only if you are really into the products being sold and you are the kind of person who has lots of time to talk to prospects as they have to be approached individually. Not even going to mention the aftercare. I’m all about working smart and saving time. With Affiliate marketing you are targeting and communicating with thousands of people at the same time (providing you are getting traffic). This would never be possible in MLM.
Do you think it’s worth for someone to be involved in both – MLM and Affiliate Marketing? Just wondering what your thoughts are on this.
I used to do MLM some years ago and found it wasn’t for me. I totally agree with you regarding family and friends joining your network. Since I became a member of Wealthy Affiliate, some of my friends have take an interest in what I am doing in Affiliate Marketing. I agree with everyone above Affiliate marketing is the best way to build a business.
Thanks for a great article. I think I agree that MLM is a bit of misled adventure and most people looking to work for themselves have been burnt by these before.
I love how you speak about affiliate marketing and for sure it has a far greater chance of success that MLM. I love that you get all the training and walkthroughs mentioned at Wealthy Affiliate. Seems to be a no brainer to what business I’d go into. Affiliate marketing all the way.
Great article! The old way of marketing is why I never wanted to market over all these years. Now with the digital world, we have the world at our feet!
I did find the first section of your blog to be a little bit text-heavy. Perhaps a suggestion to include more pictires at the top of your article like you have successfully done at the bottom.
The best ever Well for me, the possibilities are endless with affiliate marketing so that would definitely be my choice
Great post,
I’ve had a experiences in the distant past with ventures I have taken on board, eager and ready to sign up all my friends, family and social media followers.
Its funny how those that are the ones you would think would be there to support you are usually the last, and yes when you’ve made a success of it.
Can’t blame them really!
I like your thinking and I would never advise anyone to take that old school approach again, (you lose a lot of followers too!)
Some great info on who you would suggest to go with if I chose to go that route, thanks for sharing.
Mitch X:-).
wealthy affiliate is one cool network to learn and actual design a website and to blog. While making money on the side by generating all the traffic you need to your side. It has everything you need to start as a
a novice and make it as a professional. As that one can earn credits that can be converted to cash as a comment or and as a reviewer. Asides all that, you can also make extra income through the affiliate networks partnerships like, cashjuice and moneyline
If you have really personally sponsored/ referred one thousand friends every year for the last 3 years that would be absolutely incredible!
When you say friends? Are you referring to people that know, like, and trust you?
I would be super curious to see some income reports from some of your friends! I think that it is awesome to have a large referral base. But if your referrals are not finding value in the things that are being referred does it really matter?
Hey Tony,
I agree 100% that the old school ways for MLM are tiring. Driving all over town, attending events is so so time consuming and energy sapping. I think what you highlight here is that if people want to build online – whether with MLM and definitely with Affiliate Marketing – that getting a website, SEO/Blogging skills is essential. Its great that you have recommended a platform and training where all this can be learned. Very convenient.
great article. especially true as regards family and friends. they will only support or give you the btime of the day if you become successful . which brings me to your apt idea of going back to them after you are making it online to add to your downline and then bring them online. dunno about MLM. never trusted that business strategy but affiliate marketing is king any day. thanl you
I like the lucrative of MLM but am yet to come across a good company with a good product. The wealthy affiliate makes more sense to me, thou your suggestions are very good and suitable for people who want to achieve a very big breakthrough in their online business. Anything that does with referrals, I find it a bit difficult for me.
This is really good to see here andi value the overview of what you have shared with us all. For a start, what has been shared in distinguishing between these two has given the view that everything and all is possible toe nshre the proper running of things withing the appropriate scope of work. This is rslaly good to see here
Hi Tony, thanks for another great article, I have just recently started my online journey, and even though I have not had major success yet, but following your and WA guidelines I can see some progress for future success, there is always something new I learn from you and some platform you share that can help with my work, so I thank you for that.
Hey Tony
Affiliate marketing is definitely the choice here. Its more sustainable and with the skills you learn its easy to branch out into different digital marketing career outsourcing opportunities. MLM just seems like a pyramid scheme that will eventually run dry. There is only so much product ones family and friend network can buy or bring in referrals for , the sales funnel starts depleting whereas with affiliates the income streams are endless
thanks for making the comparisons:)
Janine
Interesting topic! This is the first time I have seen an article comparing multi level marketing to affiliate marketing. The two, in my opinion, could not be any more different. My experience with MLM has never been really positive. I always felt guilty when trying to convince friends or family no matter how good a service or product was. Also, it seemed like I was only making people higher up money instead of myself. Your income also depended on how well the people you brought in did. Affiliate marketing is not only simpler it is less stressful.
I am new to this online business, but in my opinion, there is a difference between MLM and the affiliate marketing method, and affiliate marketing is more likely to survive than the MLM method. From what I know, the affiliate market is more reliable to serve as a passive source of income compared to MLM.
Thank you Tony for the article, very informative and insightful
No question affiliate marketing is the stand-out pick here. With affiliate marketing you are satisfying someones need for something they want which is going to enhance their life in someway. MLM generally involves someone pitching some $2000 course which you then just pitch to someone else and down it goes. Not great but it’s legal, Wealthy Affiliate is much better.
I agree, this is good info that everyone should be aware of. I personally run into people all the time that are under the impression that affiliate marketing & MLM’s are pretty much the same thing, but anyone who understands them knows they could not be more different! I personally feel like MLM’s are just scammy in general, but affiliate marketing is actually a intuitive & legitimate form of salesmanship.
I find affiliate marketing empowering. In my case, I went from spending hours on the internet, doing completely useless stuff to overcome boredom. Since I discovered affiliate marketing, to say the least I’ve become more productive online. Unexpectedly eager to learn when I thought I was so done with my studies. The best part is that I’m enjoying researching my interests. Thanks for putting together this awesome article, Tony.
Great article and I too have experienced hitting up all your family and friends only to be let down or even ridiculed by the very people whose support you need most. Not fun to say the least. As for this online thing, something tells me it isn’t as easy as it is made out to be. You will need to put in a LOT of front-end work before you see any results. How long do you figure it is really before you see a full-time income?
I agree that friends and families should not be your go-to for joining your online business. Finding an audience with like-minded goals is the best policy to use in your online business.
I like Wealthy Affiliate because they teach you how to help others by creating informative websites. By sharing your knowledge with the world you are making the world a better place.
In my opinion, affiliate marketing is definitely the way forward between those the concepts. MLM seems to work well for the ones at the top, and is often based heavily on recruiting rather than sales of the product. This was my personal experience anyway. Affiliate marketing is pure promotion of a product recommended by the promotor, no recruiting involved. It’s not even a hard sell, if the product is good, it will sell itself. Win, win!
Hello Tony! I just read your article about MLM Vs Affiliate Marketing and it really got me thinking about how things have changed over the years. A few years ago, MLM was very popular but now there mention of it sends a shudder down the back of most internet marketers. Affiliate marketing is the best way forward these days in my opinion but like anything else online, it all depends how its done. There are people who give affiliate marketing a bad name by using dodgy back hat techniques so its nice to see that you recommend a decent training website!
This is a very important distinction to be made that might make it hard for people to appreciate what you’re doing as an entrepreneur. While there are some legitimate MLM businesses out there, quite a few are a bit non-transparent. Affiliate marketing on the other hand is a field that many big name companies use to get their products more exposure. I love how you structured the article and found myself having flashback to my old endeavors reading it.
After joining 3 MLM companies: Amway, Herbalife, and Melaleuca, I realized that the business model is definitely not for me. Over the years of joining these companies, I never earned a cent from any of them. What a waste of money for me on those starter kits. Learning about affiliate marketing was a game-changer for me. Ever since I launched my own website I have been monetizing it with affiliate marketing. A marked difference indeed.
Hi Tony
You have given quite a simple way to explain the main difference between affiliate marketing and the network marketing though both sounds the same to a newcomer . however in today’s world the affiliate marketing has made the practice of marketing very simple and anyone can try and succeed .The five areas you explained with the new websites are amazing .I have tried quite a few of them and they really works. thanks for your inputs Tony
Warm Regards,
Gaurav Gaur
I have used Wealthy Affiliate to learn how to create a website and research keywords. It does have some interesting training on PPC ads. There are many people who love to use PPC and are great at it. I have been focusing on content marketing and organic traffic. Both methods work and the training at Wealthy Affiliate is good for both.
I have read many things heard many talk each one who speaks of pros and cons of MLM then you grow and some one else speaks about the pros and cons of Affiliate Marketing. It always breaks down to what are you looking for ? To me Affiliate Marketing reaches more people , It gives you a wide range and 1000 upon 1000 workable items to search and become a pro in a nitch . Not that in MLM you could not do this its just very limited on what you do with it . I love how Affiliate Marketing is online , its access friendly !
Affiliate Marketing in my opinion is way better than getting involved in a MLM business. Usually, there is a lot of pressure put on people to build their downline as for affiliate marketing there is no downline. Affiliate Marketing is easier to start an online business and the cost up front is super cheap compared to MLM’s.
You know, when I try to compare two things, I usually tabulate it on a piece of paper. And at the end of the day after much comparism, I’ll get to know the one that I think is the best. Affiliate marketing and MLM are very much different. Though they share some similarities, but not same. MLM is not advisable for beginners but affiliate marketing is. This I think is the major difference. If you’re someone in search on how to make money online then it is advisable to begin with affiliate marketing. Then later you can consider switching after gaining enough experience.
This brings back some lousy memories make a list of the closest friends and family members and don’t forget you need a stock of items to give or sell to them and get them to join you Today is sure better all you need is a computer and an online connection witch most of us have already and you can find information on just about everything in the world to day No more pestering you fiends and having them run from you any more
Hi Tony, thanks for this great article! it is very inspiring. congratulation to you for help 3,000 people in 3years find a new way of making side income. For a person who did MLM before and is now in affiliate marketing, I totally believe that affiliate marketing is much much better, because with affiliate marketing, your success does not depend on your family, friends or even downline!
I would have to agree with most of the comments. I work online Affiliate Marketing and I would not swap this for any other carrier. The overall result is complete financial freedom and flexibility, this is what people desire at the end of the day.
So in my opinion affiliate marketing wins over MLM opportunities.
Thanks for the blog.
The possibilities are indeed endless in affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is way better MLM.
Wealthy affiliate is a wonderful platform that will equip you with lots of knowledge on how to become successful in an online business. You will be taught how to create and monetize a website, how to create keyword content, write reviews etc.
MLM are pyramid schemes that will make you loose your hard earn money while affiliate marketing(using wealthy affiliate platform) you can make more than the money used in investing in it.
Is this article about using affiliate marketing together with multi-level marketing? If so, that’s a pretty cool idea. If you can use network marketing and refer people to your affiliate links, it’s definitely possible to make commissions. You’re definitely right in that you don’t need to have tons of referrals to be successful. Just a few referrals to good-paying affiliate programs will make a pretty nice income.
Multi-level and network marketing seems like a mixed bag. I have had friends who have done really badly because of false promises and others who I have seen do really well so I will not knock it. However, I have seen brands like Kleeneze and Betterware in the UK fail after the rise in online buying so I feel much safer with affiliate marketing.
As with anything, some training providers are better, more ethical or just more suitable for individuals so it is great to have articles like this recommending a range of different trustworthy providers
MLM is one huge way that we did it where I come from. we went hard and made sure that we got close to the high rankings and positions to be able to earn more. But with affiliate marketing, it is an equal playing field with tools that everybody can use. thank you for your information once again, I have learned something.
Honestly, MLM shouldn’t even be compared to affiliate marketing,. One is a scam, and the other is legit. Maybe initially, MLMs were a viable business model to get the word out there about a new product, especially if traditional advertising was unaffordable. But today, that whole concept has been compromised, and everyone is just out there using MLM as a get-rich-quick scheme and selling people dreams.
This is a very interesting article. I had no idea of the differences between MLM and Affiliate Marketing before reading this. The article was well written and helpful. I am glad I found this article.
I’ll be sure to check out the other articles here! It seems like a great place to learn about affiliate marketing.
MLM vs Affiliate Marketing is a total no brainer. The MLM is a get rich quick scheme which doesn’t work. I know because I have been involved with both. you are not lining the pockets of the people above you. You have explained the differences perfectly in this article. Thanks!
Ok. So reading your article Tony, but with all the respect I still didn’t get it what is MLM. But is certainly not as good as Wealthy Affiliate.
People keep saying that affiliate marketing is the best, despite other moneymakers online business.
But, where is true after all. I know I’m very new in this domain and we all come here to make money, to have a forever passive income. But why will we have to work so hard to get it. Shouldn’t be so hard isn’t? Thank you so much.
The article is definitely relevant. Touching on actual difference between the two modes of making money at home that are often confused with each other. Often people struggle to tell the difference and I believe you made it clear and to the point. Adding your personal experience was good as it made me relate to you better. The different alternative options of affiliate marketing platforms was also great to give people more insights and room to explore what works for them. All in all it was a great topic.
Affiliate marketing as been on for years now, and the arrival of the internet is what led to the creation of digital marketing. The internet has indeed brought a lot of good things. For me, digital marketing stands out so well from MLM. The convenience and comfort is the first pronouncing feature of digital marketing. I will surely go for digital marketing anytime, anywhere.
Hello tony! For many years I was involved in multi level marketing schemes that did nothing more than take money out of my pocket, make my family think I was always looking for them to give me some of their money, and never making enough money to cover my original costs. But fast forward a few years and I have been doing affiliate marketing with wealthy affiliate. Thanks!
hello tony,Some competitions are not really worth it and I feel like this one is one of them. MLM is not a legit comparison to what affiliate marketing offers. There is a stack difference between the two and I feel like the possibility of making money through affiliate marketing is even greater. Thanks for sharing this with me
Thank you for all the new information you shared with us in this article. Thank you and for reminding us of the old methods we need to replace, it’s still the 21st century: )
I like your strategy, first, make a success and then share the good news with friends and family. All praise for the selected pictures in the article. A warm greeting and a lot of success in the work!
Thank you for this comparison. The old way of starting a home base business with family and friends could have been frustrating. The best way you mention is affiliate marketing because you are on WA platform. You can learn and create a website, blog, monetize your site and you still can reach more traffic. Affiliate marketing you have a lot of options , networks, you can choose from. If I were to start an on line home base business it would be affiliate marketing on a WA platform. Thank you for your information.
In my own opinion, I would say Affiliate Marketing and MLM are very much different as Affiliate Marketing is a well more secured and more assured means that would earn you passive income for a long time but for mlm the case is quite different as only the people that comes in first benefit from it while the last set of people tend to earn little or noting. I have been on WA for a while and it’s been awesome
Hello there, I have seen many online business and I know that this MLM can never be compared to affiliate marketing. Some competitions are not really worth it and I feel like this one is one of them. MLM is not a legit comparison to what affiliate marketing offers. There is a stack difference between the two and I feel like the possibility of making money through affiliate marketing is even greater. Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece of information.
Hi there Tony
I have always loved coming back to your blog, for motivation, new ideas and blogging tips.
I must admit I have never been tempted to join any MLM, as an introverted person and not very social, it will be hard for me to recruit people to join MLMs.
But having said that, I think that if anyone can make money in affiliate marketing, I think they should also do well in MLM. In my opinion, the best time to be a member of an MLM if to find those very active uplines and take advantage of their spills.I remember when I got started online, I joined some MLM not even knowing exactly what I was doing.
Someone by the name of North Owl who had a forum was my upline, the MLM was a forced matrix so although I never managed to recruit as I should have, I managed to make income just because the guy could recruit. (it helped that he had an MMO forum).
Great post with real openers, I`m still in affiliate marketing but I will have to check more in MLMs, maybe not join any time soon but to know more.
Cheers Roamy
Your topic is very attractive( MLM vs Affiliate Marketing). I really love your recommendation of wealthy affiliate. The best online affiliate marketing platform in the universe and moneyline also works in getting new referrals which help boost a website traffic . You can make money just by blogging and promoting.Thanks for your well written post.
Hello Tony! This is such a good and timely post. Glad you shared. I think Network marketing revolves around how many people are actually in your network, i.e. how many you sign-up under you and how much product these people sell through their network while Affiliate marketing ís users receive cash for their efforts; whether it be driving sales or signups
Hey Tony!. Thanks for another awesome Article!. This was well written. One obvious major difference is the products you will be selling. Typically, MLM will have a very specific brand and range of products, which cannot be deviated from. Think a brand like Herbalife which has a set range of health supplements.
Great article, thank you so much for sharing. I am well aware of MLM, but will choose affiliate marketing any day. Though they both have their advantages and disadvantages. I feel the advantages of affiliate marketing far outweighs that of MLM. Affiliate marketing does require patience and perseverance but is definitely worth it in the long run. Most of these MLM companies don’t last unfortunatly.
Haha, those introductory paragraphs described perfectly what it was like back when I got hyped on Amway for a bit. Prejudging them as to who will be interested and who won’t be was exactly how it went for me. Ultimately, however, even those that I was willing to bet my money on that they would be interested in didn’t want any part of it. Yeah, I absolutely hated that about MLM. It made no sense to offer only people that I know (still, I didn’t exactly voice, I just tried my best doing what uplines told me I should be doing. Needless to say, it didn’t really work.
To that end, for me, affiliate marketing has always made perfect sense. There is no MLM in the world I would change it for.
Hello Tony, Thanks alot for sharing this beautiful piece of information. I am very glad I came across this. Your reviews are always the best. I am really a newbie in affiliate marketing and in wealthy affiliate. I really have much hopes and optimism in rhis journey of mine. Thanks once again Tony and I really hope and expecting to see more of your mind blowing articles. Keep up rhe good work.
Well, your article is “The Truth”.
I had been involve into 4 online gig so far, the 4th one being Wealthy Affiliates. (My last Stop)
OMG, putting a lot of time ,effort and throwing everything in the garbage, I DID !!
Trying to randomly ask people and family to friend you ,for nothing. Yep exactly..what a waste!!
Basically you read my mind .. I hope a lot of people with the intention of building something real will bump into your your blog…
Building your business on your own, with your own traffic. That is your own reward. And i Love it!!
Thanks for all that valuable info. And thanks to WA.
Nice Work !
I do not like mlm programs because there seems to be a inclination that if you can just do a little bit of work your down line will do the rest for you. That is not the fact. Most of the time the only people that benefit from the “down line” is the owner and the first 10-20 people the owner launches with. I rather stick to selling quality products and programs that deliver.
Hey Tony!
Thanks for explaining in your article on MLM vs Affiliate Marketing!
I’ve always been caught in the middle between these two marketing approaches. I would have to say that MLM does have astounding revenue potential that can be attained through direct selling, etc, and at times achieve fast results in a short time. Although, I realize that not all MLM platforms gives you the chance to earn as much as top tier, as its sometimes regulated by the higher ups. Which can sometimes be deceiving depending on which MLM platform you join.
Affiliate Marketing has a more startup approach, where we as marketers have to develop websites and connect users to affiliate partners. It has a slower development and cautious approach, but the control is more individualistic where you set your own marketing target and goals. Which I guess provides more opportunities to grow your own business compared to MLM.
Personally, I feel both are online strategies to work from home and it really depends on the user on which platform they choose to develop upon, weighing the pros and cons of each. With time and effort both can yield success if its utilized correctly with work into it.
Thanks again for the read, and its got me reflecting on the key differences between MLM and Affiliate Marketing!
Wow, I think you’ve got some good stuff going on here on your website mentoring people through the journey of affiliate marketing and internet entrepreneurship. I really like the way you are getting people exposed to new waters especially on webtalk. Just to note my only concern about your site is that I feel it lacks enough content. Really hope to see your site again with more interesting topics I could learn. Maybe you could visit my site at The Get Tech to share your views on how I could grow my business further. I could really use your expertise as a mentor figure.
I have done the MLM ” thing” a couple of times, and never again. The chances of doing good are rather slim based on my experience. Stumbling upon affiliate marketing and learning it through Wealthy Affiliate has been a life-changer in many ways for me. I am quite new to it, only 9 months in, but the occurrences of commissions are increasing. And it doesn´t take an enormous amount of work, but I have learned to be consistent and continuousøy.
I am registered with all of the sites you have listed in the article, and they are good sites to work on and easy to promote.
Roy
Hello there tony I really think that The business line can be very wide and if you are not careful you’ll end up going for the wrong one and this is one reason I adore this articles a it gives you the best understanding about two major part of online businesses. For me I’ll always go with affiliate marketing as mlm has so much complexity and I really don’t like the stress of dealing thanks once again for sharing this with me.
Your article got me curious to read more content. I liked your clean uncluttered website but I do miss the sidebar with the content of your blog.
I was not sure of where you wanted to me follow a link that was unclear to me. Your site is informative and give a very good overall understanding of an online business
Overall it was an interesting article.
I enjoyed reading your article and actually participate in a few of your recommended programs. I think my favorite is CBProAds. ClickBank is somewhat the forgotten network for many affiliate marketers drawn more to WarriorPlus and JVZoo. But with CBProAds you can get a complete, searchable, ClickBank storefront where customers can search the entire ClickBank inventory. The best part, of course, is you earn commissions for anything they purchase. Ca-Ching!!!
Affiliate Marketing and MLM are not same in any way. Affiliate Marketing is a well more secured and more scalable online business that has the possibility to earn passive income for a long time but mlm only the people that comes in first benefit from it while the last set of people tend to earn little or noting. I joined wealthy affiliate just last year December 2020 and I can affirm than WA is one of the best platforms for those wanting to get into affiliate marketing. This is because I have in the past been dooped by the all-done-for-you deception platforms and I was deceived to believe their words till I ran out of cash. Here in WA, you study at your time, ask questions knowing you’ll get replies immediately, spend much time but spendings less money. But then, thanks for your always great works, I really wish to always come back for more.
Affiliate Marketing and MLM are not same in any way. Affiliate Marketing is a well more secured and more scalable online business that has the possibility to earn passive income for a long time but mlm only the people that comes in first benefit from it while the last set of people tend to earn little or noting. I joied wealthy affiliate just last year December 2020 and I can affirm than WA is one of the best platforms for those wanting to get into affiliate marketing. This is because I have in the past been dooped by the all-done-for-you deception platforms and I was deceived to believe their words till I ran out of cash. Here in WA, you study at your time, ask questions knowing you’ll get replies immediately, spend much time but spendings less money. But then, thanks for your always great works, I really wish to always come back for more.
Yes, affiliate marketing is definitely better than MLM, simply because you have such a wider audience. But with that, what do you think are the best ways of tapping into that larger audience. It is obviously not as simple as just writing articles, submitting them, then getting views. Or is it? You still need search engines to trust your site and put you up in the search rankings. Or how would you get an audience?
One can never go wrong with Affiliate Marketing with the correct training applied. It doesn’t happen overnight though and takes a good load of quality content on one’s website. This has to be maintained and is ongoing as the aim is to become an authority on that particular niche market.
MLMs on the other hand put a lot of pressure on one to keep obtaining more recruits all the time. This takes away the focus on creating quality content for the website and energies are thus divided. Affiliate Marketing gets my vote.
I do believe in faith, but faith is not blind. When it comes to making money online is worth it to do a thorough research. Learn as much as you need about affiliate marketing or MLM because there are many scammers online trying to scams people out of their hard earn money.
I myself have been victimized by a couple of them. To be honest with you I won’t even attempt to promote anything to anyone unless I see the result myself. It has to be legit, and thanks God for technology because there are way to find out if they are legit or not. But that may take patience and time.
Your post has lots of great information that can be helpful to many of us.
Thanks for sharing. Great work.
Nicole,
I remember when I joined network marketing and I was strongly advised to get a list 100 people including family and friends who I’ll share the business opportunity with. That’s too much stress LOL. Digital marketing is just the way out of that stress. With digital marketing, you do everything online. Thanks Tony for this post.
I recently read a good chunk of a book on MLM. I can see its strong points, and it definitely seems like it would be a good fit for very charismatic, outgoing people. Meanwhile I flourish online, which is why I have chosen Affiliate Marketing. Truthfully I have not been in the business long enough to determine if either is “easier” than the other or “has a higher chance of success” than the other. MLM still has a pretty bad rep I think, so maybe AM has an advantage on it from that standpoint at least.
mlms are nice businesses to venture in but i would always prefer affiliate marketing any day and any time because it is something i have done before and it is really profitable as well and it is also enjoyable as you get to select your preferred niche and work with it.
After reading through this, and not forgetting to thank you for this, I would say that it’s is obvious business line can be very diverse and if not careful you might end up going for the wrong one and this among others is one reason I appreciate this articles it gives about the perfect understanding about two major part of online businesses. For me I’ll always go with affiliate marketing as mlm has so much complexity and I really don’t like the stress of dealing. Very would jutaxposition of the two concepts.
I really don’t know how many MLM programs I have tried. They all claimed to be easy and a great way to make a lot of money. I never found this to be true and definitely did not experience this particular outcome LOL. So I would agree that affiliate marketing is definetely a better way to go!
It could be argued that MLM is a version of Affiliate Marketing. I mean the world revolves around affiliate marketing. It comes in the form of the food you buy, to the car you drive
MLM is certainly a good way to do business and very effective as it is recommendation only and we all like to do business using recommendations.
The downside to doing MLM in its proper form is that when it comes to building a team, you do need to choose your team very carefully, because a well chosen team will form part of your income going forward, so while there is an initial drop in your own income, that SHOULD be overridden moving forward
But, with the examples shown in your post, these are LESS dependent on the efforts of others and more on your own results, but with better income than MLM will produce.
For a start off, Wealthy Affiliate teaches you how to build YOUR Own business and there is nothing better than your own business.It a;sp needs to be advertised as well and you have some good place to advertise on your link tree too
I enjoyed the article and look forward to reading more of the same
Hi there, thanks for your recommendations! I much prefer the idea of affiliate marketing myself, because it can be focused and received only by or on the people that are already interested in the topic. MLM always seemed a bit iffy to me in the way that if I later found out the product or scheme was not as useful or optimal as it first promised, I’d feel partly responsible for encouraging others to sign up under me. Although, to be fair it can create a significant passive income if you find the right places! But that’s just my thoughts and i’m sure if you could find the right schemes it could create a big passive income in the long run, whereas affiliate marketing is based pretty much on the number of people buying whatever is advertised and you need a huge reach to make it successful. 🙂
I decided a few months ago to start building my online affiliate marketing business and joined Wealthy Affiliate, where I am very happy with everything this platform has to offer – from the training where you take the first steps, to the help and support of the whole community.
However, I have never been impressed with the MLM system, because in most cases you work more for others than for yourself.
Thanks for the great article and for all the shared sites that you recommend.
I wish you all the best
Nina
Hey Tony!
I’m so glad I came up with this afflicted marketing of a thing, and also happy I was able to joint this platform, and so far have learn that With Wealthy Affiliate i will be able to learn how to create a website and a blog while monetizing my website blog with Affiliate Marketing sharing my current company as well as any or all of the above sites Thanks to you.
I really have a hard time vouching for any MLM system. If you look at the MLM systems you can easily draw lines that connect everyone similar to that of a Pyramid Scheme. It’s easy for new people to see that the MLM system is lucrative, however they don’t seem to get that the Pyramid Scheme part of it could easily fall apart once they are in the system.
Affiliate Marketing is so much better anyway, you are not depending on another person to be referred by you to a system. You’re just providing people a reference to a product that they are actually trying to buy or a service that actually works properly. I personally live by that of the Affiliate world and will recommend anyone looking to make a start online, to look at Affiliate marketing systems.
Will & Kait
The mere fact that in MLMs your success does not depend on how much you earn but rather how much your team members work, especially your downlines alone pushes me away from any MLM company. I also believe that Affiliate marketing is not a quick rich business but require time and effort but it has endless opportunities.
Your reasoning is quite wise and seasoned.
I think you do a good job explaining the process of chasing your family and friends and getting them to do the same for you as they approach you with curiosity. The potential to earn a full-time income online, as outlined in this post is the most inspiring. You make luck seem accessible to all when you say that even with 30 contacts, you can be very successful in a business with over 3 billion people.
The one issue I had is I didn’t detect the difference between MLM and Affiliate Marketing.
Still, I will deeply consider your generous, lucrative offer. I find most of your posts clickable if you know what I mean?
Hey Tony,
MLM uses products as its vitrine, as its storefront. It is not the main product. The main product is the people or the recruits. I’ve been approached to join a couple of MLM offers. I’ve joined one. I bought products, and I tried to recruit. Needless to say, I didn’t stay much.
Affiliate marketing, on the other hand, is promoting and referring products and/or services, and getting a commission for them. When you manage to create rapport and trust with your readers, then they will start buying the products or services you suggested to them. You will have gained authority.
Marios
Great info here on mlm vs affiliate marketing. I agree that it would be awesome if friends come chasing me instead of me chasing them. I’m so surprised that more family and friends don’t support me but I guess thats life. I hope I can show them one day how successful I am.
Thank you for this great informative article.
Hello Tony, thanks for this. Even if I was in my dreams, I will always choose affiliate marketing. Affiliate Marketing has changed alot of lives, employed alot of people and most of the times give newbies good society to learn mucha nd grow. Wealthy Affiliate platform has gotten my heart already. I have bookmarked this right vay
When it comes to doing business, you have to go about it with the right step and therefore you will have to go with various strategies for it to grow well. marketing strategy for the sale of products or services where the revenue of the MLM company is derived from a non-salaried workforce selling the company’s products/services. Thank you
Any day or any time, I will place affiliate marketing ahead of network marketing and mom. I like what affiliate marketing offers and the potential attached to it. This is really amazing to see here and I can think of making a worthy and interesting approach to everything else. Thanks for sharing this
For me, the sign that a good opportunity is real is this: can you learn how to build a business with it. I am always suspicious about those “systems” that promise a high revenue; all you have to do is to follow what they say and the system will take care of everything. I am not judging MLM because many of those businesses are legit. But it’s well-known that a lot of them are fragile. You can’t really count on them to have a long term revenue. Affiliate marketing is not a system. If’s a type of business. You have to learn the basics of online business. Then, you will have to build your own system. The Knowledge you get in the process will last forever.
Awesome post i got to say. I personally love affiliate marketing more but that is just my opinion. You provided us with a great review of both affiliate marketing and MLM. Both are great opportunities to get started online and make some money. You don’t need massive investments in order to succeed, you need a good will and strong attitude, Believe in yourself and you will achieve anything.
Hey Tony. Great article! I’m just starting my journey with e-marketing and your posts about earning possibilities of internet are precious. Thank you for clear and detailed info which is great starting point for all beginners. I’m looking forward to use your advices as with every post you publish I’m learning something new.
I’ve never been a fan of MLM companies. In fact, I usually try to avoid them like the plaque (even though there are some companies who have products that I love). 3,000 friends? How on earth do you keep up with all of them? I have a hard enough time keeping up with my couple hundred friends (handful of close friends). Lol
Have to agree with you though, that affiliate marketing is hands down better than any MLM business plan. You get what you put into with either of them!
Thanks a lot for sharing this information and wonderful post about the mlm and affiliated marketing this is a really nice platform to make more money and to get to improve my standard of living and get to live the American dream have always had in mind. Thanks thank so so much.
Great post comparing the differences between a Multilevel Marketing program and affiliate marketing. They really are 2 very different types of generating income…if you can even call an MLM such a thing. Though I do love and swear by affiliate marketing. Ive used it to monetize my blog for 8 years now!
If I were to be drunk and they still asked me to pick one of the two then I will surely still be picking affiliate make because it makes a lot of emphasis of making sure that you understand that you can only make money when you sell the product but not when you bring in people to the business. That is the best thing about it.
It has always been a traditional thing for me not to recommend MLM businesses because I don’t like how they go about their businesses. Makes it a lot harder for people to make money or rather it is impossible to make some while affiliate marketing is a very good means of earning online.
Hello Tony! Thank you for this! Such a timely post! Well I got just started on Affiliate Marketing tho, don’t know too much, so I wouldn’t say anything on it. But as for Multi- Level-marketing ? I got tired of always going on to try and convince family and friends to join a platform, i became a laughing stock. So I stopped it and thought of sitting at home and making money online.
Hi Tony thanks for your tested opinion on this. Sometime ago I used to debate this! Affiliate marketing is way better. I so much hate those times when I walked up to try and convince friends and family to join something which they obviously are not even interested about. With affiliate marketing you keep making money at the comfort of your home
I don’t think you can do an honest comparison with affiliate marketing and network marketing. I use both much as you do and have fun using both tools to my advantage. Network .marketing is a relationship sport more so than affiliate marketing and requires different skills to perfect. For networking to be successful, you have to be passionate about what ever company and product you are representing. I am very much into nutrition and simply use and share with others what works for me and do not spend a great deal of time recruiting. I find that people who like the product spread the word w/o being told. Just my two cents.
Hi There! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to review your website. I know it look long hours and a lot of thought to be able to draft your website into what you feel the public could relate to. I completely concur with the information you displayed on your website. Great advice! I am in awe of all of the opportunities WA offers. Great insight! Thank you, for sharing your experience with me.
Best wishes!
Kind Regards,
Ayoola
Hi Tony, I really enjoyed your articles on MLM. Like you, I to believe Affiliate Marketing is the way to go. I also belong to CBPro Ads from Clickbank. I haven’t made any money yet but I’m trying to see what works. If you’ve had any success with CBPro’s I’d love to hear about it.
True2U
Wow this comparison is really nice, but for me i would pick affiliate marketing over multi level marketing any day probably because I have been into affiliate marketing for a long time now and it is really profitable and it is also nice and enjoyable as well. Thank you so much for this article
Thanks for your MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing tutorial, Tony! I’ve got to know some people who chased friends and family around in order to earn points (PVs) and upgrade their status in the network. I considered this practice to be extremely unfair and stressful. So, digital marketing is preferable to that system of marketing for someone like me.
I got started with Wealthy Affiliate years ago and learned how to go the digital marketing way. I found ultimate success in that rather than following the chasing system of marketing. Even though I’m more than willing to try out Multi-level marketing, I’d be glad to do this with my digital marketing initiatives.
Tony,Great blog post about how to merge MLM/home based business with affiliate marketing and other roads or avenues of promoting these types of products and services. I too have never been successful at trying to collaborate with friends and family in MLM. I always get excited, but it is too much work! I never want to even ask friends or family even if I am enthusiastic about the product. It feels like I am violating a sacred trust or like I am being the “bad guy” trying to get them to buy a product or service; and they never buy but look at me with distain at even the idea of MLM. It never feels right. In your blog post here, you give a great solution to these two problems, so that one does not have to ask or do door to door sales. This is a great way to expand the home business network, right from a computer! I love that you pull it together so well. You are inspiring and passionate. Thank you for bringing these other opportunities my way. Blessings.
Lily
Tony,
Great blog post about how to merge MLM/home based business with affiliate marketing and other roads or avenues of promoting these types of products and services. I too have never been successful at trying to collaborate with friends and family in MLM. I always get excited, but it is too much work! I never want to even ask friends or family even if I am enthusiastic about the product. It feels like I am violating a sacred trust or like I am being the “bad guy” trying to get them to buy a product or service; and they never buy but look at me with distain at even the idea of MLM. It never feels right. In your blog post here, you give a great solution to these two problems, so that one does not have to ask or do door to door sales. This is a great way to expand the home business network, right from a computer! I love that you pull it together so well. You are inspiring and passionate. Thank you for bringing these other opportunities my way. Blessings.
Lily 🙂
I got involved with MLMs far back as 15 years ago. Like you rightly said, up till now none of my friends nor family joined me in any of those MLMs. With every one of them, I had to buy the product and then sell a certain amount monthly. It places so much stress on you with very little gain. I am happier with affiliate marketing!
You make some very interesting points here , whilst comparing MLM’s and affiliate marketing.
Whilst I 100% agree that affiliate marketing is the most viable of the two , I still believe that MLM’s could have a legitimate place in the MMO marketplace. I genuinely believe that most MLM’s are just structured wrong and they are only there to give the people at the top the cream! A genuine MLM opportunity could restrict the number of levels and offer reasonable priced competitive genuine products!
Until I find such an opportunity, I will however stick with affiliate marketing!
Just want to stop and say thank you for this MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing review. I as an affiliate marketer am always wondering if there is a better way to make money online or if I should just stay where I’m at. Posts like this are very helpful in me making my decision. So thanks again for this information!
Your Friend, Johnny
Hi Tony,
I think MLM is way more difficult to succeed than affiliated marketing. With MLM, it is all about bringing in new members, upsells, training and three away calls. It never stops. The rewards are great if you got in at the right time and you good supportive upline.
With affiliate marketing, you work at a different pace and create and promote what you feel comfortable with totally different.
Joseph
I always had reservation over MLM because of the taught of you are paying the product very high of its value because of many downlines shall receive an income or commission of what you purchased. While it is true that our friends and families are the last persons will believe on us before joining in because they want proof that you have succeeded. I could say that it is better to approach people that we do not know and have business with, what do you think?
Ho Tony, thank you for sharing this post with us today MLM vs Affiliate marketing. For me, it is hands-down affiliate marketing. I have tried MLM before just like you write to write a list with 100 people I know. For some reason I did it, but I have to tell you that I did found it highly uncomfortable to stalk my friends and family and as expected it cost me more money than I made.
Since a year, I do affiliate marketing myself, and I found the whole process much more promising than the MLM experience. I have to admit that the supporting network van Wealthy Affiliate has been exceptional while learning and building my business. I am really enjoying my journey and seeing my business grow. I never looked back since signing up with the WA platform and learning about affiliate marketing.
Have a great day.
Jude
WA review
Tony,
I took some time out to review your article on MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing.
I enjoyed the premise of comparing the MLM and Affiliate marketing. Absolutely you are correct that these two systems attract individuals that have the same goals, working from home. The truth that you expose of the two systems both require work and determination is great to hear.
The time is now my Friend, let’s get to where you’re being successful without chasing Family & Friends then they’ll come chasing you.
With the intention of being helpful, one thing that I noticed, “Friends, when join all or any of the above sites to grow your current Business you’ll not be alone.” maybe missing the “you”.
Great article Tony, enjoyed the read so much that I read a bit further; the about Tony page.
About Tony Lee Hamilton ~ The Wealthy Super Affiliate
Absolute inspiration. After reading the about Tony page, now I understand what the Super affiliate represents. I have been wanting to hear a success story and have found one. Very inspiring, your story will help keep me working.
Thank you Tony,
Well written and certainly worth the read.
Chris
It is, indeed, nice to be in a business where you don’t have to try to recruit everyone you know into it with you. I like the concept of affiliate marketing.
However, it has its share of problems. Commissions are often so low that you really put in far more effort for very little money. On the other hand, when I was in an MLM company, my monthly checks ranged from a pittance to a great payday. I have been in affiliate marketing for about the same length of time as I was in my MLM company, and certainly have not made as much. Very possibly I am doing something wrong.
However, an advantage of MLM is that you approach each person with the same information, so you only have to learn one main sales approach. On the other hand, if you do not like face-to-face selling, then affiliate marketing is the far better deal. The jury is still out for me as to which one is actually the better business model.
Hi there Tony,
I have never tried MLM. These methods always seem to me to be in the interest of the ones who are running it. I can see a resource for money to be made but you may as well just get a job, it seems to me you are basically working for someone else. I can see the advantage of the freedom to do this on your own time and sort of being your own boss but you are still working for someone else’s advantage.
When I started researching affiliate marketing, I was much more interested. This seems more like the freedom to make your own business into whatever you like. This is what I have begun. In my research I too have come across Wealthy Affiliate, this platform has helped me to launch my business and given me the training I needed to understand how to flourish.
From all the information in this article, my money is on WA!
Thanks,
Chad
About 20 years ago I tried to make money with MLM. But I quickly gave up because he’s not my type. In MLM it teaches you to be aggressive in promoting products and that’s how I don’t like it. Because what you don’t like, don’t do to anyone else! I discovered WA after five years of searching and are now two-year premium members. Here you can learn everything you need to have an online business. And with this business you don’t force anyone to buy! Carmen
Tony, while I normally agree with your articles, I believe here you have committed a faux pas. Affiliate marketing and multilevel marketing are two different beasts entirely. With affiliate marketing you partner with companies and promote their products, getting a commission for each sale. With multilevel marketing, you enter at the bottom rung of a pyramid wherein you can only succeed if you convince other people to take your place at the bottom of the pyramid.
Affiliate marketing is all about autonomy and helpfulness. Multilevel marketing is all about convincing people to join you in a scheme selling a product which you may or may not believe in.
I am into affiliate marketing and I found this article very helpful for me. Everybody should hear about the opportunities of starting and growing business online. Thank you for sharing this useful information with us. Wealthy Affiliate is the best platform for this, I love it! And you can start it FREE.
Hello,
you did a really good job explaining the difference between multi level marketing and affiliate marketing. Both is good in their own way but I prefer affiliate marketing because I have been part in affiliate marketing about 3 years and have good experience with it. Keep up the good work
There are a lot of differences between the 2 and I am glad to have learned of them from you. I didn’t even know what MLM was until I read your article. I am glad to learn of the choices I have when going into digital marketing. I would say I am considering joining one of these but I have already joined Wealthy Affiliate and I am super happy with everything the program has given me!
There is no comparison with MLM and Wealthy affiliate when it comes to blogging or marketing haven’t know that wealthy affiliate has the largest tendencies of success and making money from it is assured without stress, but MLM has only capacity to benefits a few set of people. Haven’t said thanks for sharing this here am fully with WA.
No comparison for me affiliate marketing is miles ahead.
Affiliate marketing is entirely up to you to achieve your own results, MLM relies on other people joining your program.
I back myself and know my capabilities and limits I don’t want to have to rely on others. You have given some good options there, I reckon Wealthy Affiliate is the best.
from the outcome of your article Tony, it appears you come out on the side of mlm rather than affiliate marketing…
is this because it gives you a recurring income…..
this can also be had from affiliate marketing with certain offers.
and you don’t have anyone to answer to in your upline…
as you say the old days of selling to your family and friends has almost gone – there are those who still try this , but quickly find that it is a dead end…
so finding an audience online is a very good idea…
do you have any tips on finding an audience in the make money online niche as i have an offer they could want…
Overall, the article isn’t the easiest to follow.
The topic is MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing, and although both are brought into context there seems to be an insufficient focus on MLM. Affiliate Marketing is well described but there isn’t anything noticeable on MLM.
I might include a detailed description in relation to how you wrote on Affiliate Marketing. Other than just including MLM in a list mixed in with other subjects/topics
I hope this helps
As someone who has looked into many different opportunities online, I have looked into both MLM and affiliate marketing. I believe that affiliate marketing is the way to go. I feel like writing content and recommending quality products is a much better avenue that has seen great success. MLM just seems like a get rich quick scheme that doesn’t work effectively or provide long term benefits.
The idea of working from home is the fact that I have battled over time, but truly reading your article has dissected my brain, making me see more possibilities of making it a reality, every single opportunity I have picked from reading your post I will ensure I utilise to the best of my ability and ensure that I yield maximum result. Thanks for sharing
Very interesting read comparing the two. The one that catches my eye is affiliate marketing. MLM has a history of not adding up to a steady income over time as affiliate marketing is a great option for those who haven’t tried it yet. Thanks for this informative concept. It is also nice to see what others have to say about the two.
Hello there!
That is another helpful one. Infact, this article this time is an eye opening one for anyone who is sensitive enough to understand how utilize the informations there for their businesses. I am ready to utilize the recommended sites in order to grow my current Direct Sales and Network Marketing, MLM online.
Thanks
This article very helpful. Thanks for explaining it well for folks out there who has no clue about making money online. The last time I was involved in MLM schemes, I lost about $100k in crypto in a bad project. Lesson learned, life goes on and never do it again. Ever again try to make easy money that way. On the other hand, I’m with you a 100%, doing affiliate marketing by learning from the best in the business via Wealthy Affiliate is the way to go. Great Article.
Hello dear, thank you for your article. It has always been very clear to me that any new marketer will have a better chance of succeeding as affiliate. MLM companies are complicated and it leads you to failure without you realizing why you fail.
My suggestion is that we hold on to the affiliate companies and we will be successful.
I tryed MLM as a young man in my 30s. Started in atlanta Ga . I went to many towns in ga. Allways on the road short of money. I was making other people lots of money. I prefure the afiliate program at wa to MLM any time of the day
Hi Tony! I had my MLM experance years ago I Around 30 years of age . It was selling perfumes and colon for men and women. I was in the big city of Atlana Ga . I do this for about 6months. By that time I learned this is not for me. Now I am trying the affiliate program at WA. Have not made know money just yet. But I fill I am learning alot and I can see money to come; for I am meeting people learning and not even leaving the house like I did with MLM I was on the road all the time and made other people lots of money myself just enough to get to the next town. I chose the affiliate program at Wa hands down
Affeliate marketing provides endless opportunities for me.it provides a real value for my effort and my number one choice is affiliate marketing.I see a limitation within MLM marketing as it is time-consuming. Also, your series of the article regarding online marketing also point out most of the time the value and worthiness of affeliate marketing.
Exciting website properties and happy to join in on your success now that you have done it! You have my interest. I tried several MLM programs 20-30 years ago and failed miserably. I quickly returned to traditional work and career ladder climbing. Did pretty good at it with 6 figures, but at the expense of mental and physical well-being! Now I am at Wealthy Affiliate and working to build my online business, step by step. This brings me to your site and reading your blog here. Your article reminds me that I made the right choice! Rupert.
Thanks for the article my guy! From this article I can definitely tell affiliate marketing is better. I have a strong desire to make a passive income online and be financially free, and I believe that affiliate marketing can do that for me. Thanks again, I’ll stick with Wealthy Affiliate!
Tony, I have commented on many of your posts. And you know I totally respect you. I took this post with a grain of salt. I felt that your presentation of MLM was good and if it is what floats your boat appeals to you, go for it. That being said, I cannot agree or disagree on your analysis of MLM. My take on this is, if you are comfortable with MLM than go for it. Personally I am and never will be a person comfortable with it. I will always choose affiliate marketing over it. However if I was a newbie, I would split test both of them to see what would be the best match between the two of them.
Hi Tony, Your reviews are the best. MLM and affiliate marketing gives numerous opportunities.
Thank you for your inspirational story and for another great piece of work from my best affiliate marketer showing us that wealthy affiliate is the absolute best way making money online. I feel so lucky and opportuned joining the wealthy affiliate family. I honestly think that referrals and getting good downlines is the best way to reach one’s goal. One must always be determined.
I personally love affiliate marketing. I love not having to bother my friends and family and neg them for sale after sale. I also feel like affiliate marketing is more residual income than MLM. Yes you can grow MLM into residual income but it sure takes alot of time and efforts and nagging sales left and right.
Hello there, thank you so much for sharing this. this is a very awesome piece and a very detailed one. I’m really happy I came across this. Have learnt a lot from affiliate marketing which entails the digital marketing which is a home based business. I’m super excited to try it out and I would really love to recommend it for my friends
Mlm is an outdated business model, I worked with it at Oriflame, but I was not satisfied. mlm everyone promises you that they will join and that they will help you as rarely as possible to keep and come real and join and push yours while in digital marketing otherwise you don’t have to chase anyone people find your own
I didn’t know what MLM was until recently though I did hear of it for quite a while. I am currently working on affiliate marketing but can see how MLM link.
what you said regarding family and friends couldn’t be more right! When you succeed it is such a wonderful feeling especially when you can prove those people who didn’t believe in you wrong!
Thanks for the insight
Hi Tony, I have never joined any MLM company so far but I am into affiliate marketing, and I will be checking out Global Moneyline for lead generation. I read your full review about it, and I´ve also seen the video reviews you recommended. It seems to be legit, and since you are a member yourself and you have seen benefits, I´m sold. Thank you. Marisa
Good comparison, Tony! An MLM will cause anybody to make more effort and loose more time. On an Affilliate Marketing, people reads contents, and if is interesting to the person, and see the links, and clicks it, from different companies shown on the site, you might automatically get earnings, while you are in home.
This is a very thought-provoking article. I have been involved in several MLMs over the years. Each time I would tell myself, “this one will be different” only to give up within a short period of time. I would quickly find out that I just was not cut out for approaching people and discussing with them this “awesome” way they could make money. I much prefer affiliate marketing. My success is based on my efforts alone. I don’t have to step on anyone’s back to reach a new level or climb the ladder.
I found information about affiliate marketing a couple of years ago when I had reached my breaking point with the whole MLM thing. I had been approached by a family member wanting me to join them in their new marketing business. I have to say it was really interesting but I had reached the point where I just did not want to do that anymore. I began researching affiliate marketing and decided I would much prefer to try it instead. I have found that I love building my own websites (I have several now) and love coming up with my own ideas and content to post to them. I love researching the affiliate programs that I want to align myself with and share that information with others.
It is my sincere belief that affiliate marketing is the way to go!
Thank you for sharing. Doing online digital marketing is difficult especially when you have no one supporting you and a friend who doesn’t believe in you when you just started. I have been on a wealthy affiliate for 1 year now, and the platform has made me release that nothing comes easy and why most people fail in this online business is that they lack access to legit places. I guess with these five’s, you are good to go.
I’ve tried MLM many times before and I struggle with the concept. It’s a good one but you have to have a wealth of knowledge and information before you dive in to any MLM companies or schemes.
Affiliate marketing however is always working for us. It’s fun to do and you are the one in full control!
Going by the success rate of both like business I have been d at how good and fast-growing affiliate marketing have bent over the years and the mode of operation have been something you’ll simply love to go with. MLM companies are very much available for people who are interested but not everyone is good at building a network of people who are willing to invest in that line of business
Hey Tony-Lee; MLM versus affiliate Marketing? Different folks different strokes! I have personally gone into MLM Marketing Twice believing that it was the best fit for me during those days, because of the people who invited me both times. I lose my money and my precious time.
Not because any of them were not money earners, but because I was an amateur who lived on an island where those who invited me had already exhausted the market and have enriched themselves enough to exit shortly after they pulled me in. There was no one to coach me in the market I knew nothing about.
DorcasW
I’ve always argued that affiliate marketing is way better than MLM. Many people won’t go for these MLM companies because the only people that benefit are just the ones on the upper level. If you approach me to do MLM I’ll definitely ignore so I prefer Affiliate marketing and I don’t think there should be a comparison
This is a brilliant article about how you can earn money online. It’s true it’s never easy to refer our closest people like family and friends as you’ve stated, they’ll always want to look for your failures or success first. I always tell myself that I’ll continue earning while others are out there doubting. It’s awesome of you to share these sites where we can earn a full-time income and I’m even impressed by the fact that you’re offering free assistance incase we join via your links unlike many others who would encourage you to join something you don’t even know or understand and after joining, you are on your own. Thank you so much for sharing this helpful article.
Interesting view on affiliate marketing and MLM. I think that with the affiliate marketing model the process of marketing and earning commissions is both, safer and simpler, than with traditional MLM. The internet, affiliate links, and regulations, give affiliate marketers more control and earning potential than MLM alternatives with smaller companies and outside of the internet.
I’m all into affiliate marketing be because it is the bata business anyone can do online and that is why I always recommend it rather than others, It is very thoughtful of you to share this article here, it’s very nice and interesting one to read through. Mlm is not to be recommended because of the difficulty in it.
Thank you for taking your time to review this two fields. Before I got into the whole thing, I always think they both share the same approach since they are both marketing techniques too. But later on, I decided that affiliate marketing is way of f the pace ahead of MLM. It is not just on par based on he fact that so much more is being offered. I love the overview here
Multi-level marketing is so different than affiliate marketing. From its base structure and company organization hierarchy to the way profit is made it is clearly fundamentally different. MLM is not only a scam usually, but also a huge waste of time. No matter how much you try to sell to your family and friends it will impact their lives or change it for the better. With affiliate marketing you can provide a product/service that helps anyone, not just your family and friends, and help solve a problem. Affiliate marketing is far superior in all ways.
I think it is interesting how you utilize the two totally different types of marketing as one entity. I haven’t thought of that. I too have an MLM company that I am involved in as well as affiliate marketing. I will take your advice and attempt to use the two together to see if I can add results. Thank you for this insight
After reading what you have here, I can say without any doubt that this is probably the best comparison that I have seen of this two make money online platforms. I think that you have really written this one very well and it would be a big plus for me to try to join in on affiliate marketing.
Without putting so much into consideration, I would definitely go for affiliate marketing. The comfort and convenience that comes with affiliate marketing is enough to make it more preferable to MLM. Also, affiliate marketing does not require much skill and knowledge like MLM does for one to make it. Thanks for this interesting comparison between Affiliate Marketing and MLM.
Thanks for your very insightful article. The first line of this blog is the strike-home for me. Everywhere I look, it seems MLM is all about chasing your family, friends, loose friends, then acquaintances, and more often than note, loosing a bunch of relationships along the way. For me, that is incredibly toxic. I much prefer the ability to use my strategies to target directly interested people online – safer for my relationships and bank account. 🙂
Affiliate marketing is amazing if you know what to do! I saw you listed Wealthy Affiliate, that is truly amazing. I started out as a total beginner and not even 3 weeks in, I have a pretty good blog up and running with every page/post indexed to google… it’s just amazing.
Hey Tony Lee Hamilton, thank you for sharing this article. Affiliate marketing is by far the best online venture anyone can go into on the web, it is really lucrative and also generates good income and it is saddening that many out there don’t know about opportunities like these and still get drained in the rat race of 9 to 5, struggling to make ends meet
I don’t think I understand in your post what the difference between MLM and affiliate marketing is. I understood this article to focus more on education sites to help you grow an online business.
Having an online business is so freeing. I also have a in person service business and it is very stressful dealing with clients and employees. Now with Covid, its been even worse. That is how I stumbled upon online businesses and I have to say its been the silver lining in it all.
Hi there! Prior to me exploring the online business world, I would have assumed that MLM and affiliate marketing were all the same thing. But after exploring it a bit, I do see that affiliate marketing is a better option than MLM. Thanks for article and also for offering several different online business programs.
I think there are a lot of similarities between MLM and Affiliate Marketing just by the nature of the two. For example, both involve a certain amount of marketing to friends and family. I really enjoyed how you explain that an Affiliate Marketer can make a very nice living by referring only 30 out of the 3 Billion people on the Internet and with an emphasis on the fact that these people do not have to be “close personal friends and family” is the biggest difference I have noticed between MLM and AM. Every MLM business I have seen always wants you to create your list but I have not even thought about creating a list of friends and family for AM. Instead, I follow the same mindset that you discuss. When they see me being successful with AM, their curiosity will do the work for me! Thanks again Tony!
Can you even really compare the two? Two very different sets of business structures. I dislike MLM and am learning about Affiliate Marketing myself. Both have potential to get you where you want to go, but you have to put in the work. You are still selling in either one, or persuading people to buy the products you sell to make money. I like the idea of not having to recruit others though!
No doubt about it affiliate marketing is superior to MLMs. With MLMs, for example, you don’t really own anything for yourself like you do with affiliate marketing and your very own website. One of the biggest turn-offs for me with MLMs besides the sales aspect is that it limits your creative freedom. With affiliate marketing, you are in control of all the creativity, which makes it more rewarding in the long run. You’ve provided some great links here in regard to affiliate marketing. One that I haven’t checked out quite yet is CashJuice, so I’m looking forward to checking it out through your link here, thanks again!
I, myself, have also been part of the traditional network marketing industry or MLM as others call it. What I loved about MLM is that I can interact with people, meet new people, have personal relation and stuff like that since I like talking to people. However, when it comes to building a home-based business, I would definitely prefer affiliate marketing since this is literally home-based. Plus, I can choose the topic I want to discuss which makes me more confident since I have more knowledge regarding my niche than getting started to a new MLM company where you have to learn everything about their process and products, and with affiliate marketing, I can promote however I want.
I to have been through the ups and downs of MLM’s, Pyramid Schemes, and then learning all about affiliate marketing.
I can appreciate what you are trying to do in this article. I have never heard of some of these places that you discuss so I will most assuredly give them a look.
I think personally, I will stick with affiliate marketing. MLM’s are nice if you can find a solid one that offers a really good product. However, those are far and few between. Where affiliate marketing is a much more straight forward approach once you understand how everything works.
Wishing you success in all you do,
Joshua Horton
Affiliate marketing vs MLM is like Karate vs MMA, there is a comparison, but when you learn the details of each discipline for making money online, one will always come out above the competition. Personally I try to avoid MLM’s as much as possible, yet they seem to be getting smarter at hiding the fact that they are trying to just add you to their downline.
Have you had any experience with an MLM system that was successful for you?
Interestingly enough, i have been approached by many close friends and family regarding MLMs and it has always been me thinking ‘nope, it’s just not my thing’. So as you said it’s something that people will already have made up their minds about before even trying it to begin with. I do prefer affiliate marketing personally, and have seen many people succeed at it, without badgering others to join them. Their own personal success stories are enough to gain followers and i think that is a much better way.
There is a misconception out there, that affiliate marketing is MLM, especially for people who don’t know what affiliate marketing is. The difference is huge, in affiliate marketing, you can promote any product you’re interested in, to your audience and get your commission, but in MLM you promote one specific product in a pyramid way, and the more referrals the more money. MLM has been proven over time that it is not a sustainable business model on the contrary to affiliate marketing.
The possibility of making money with affiliate marketing is far greater than that of MLM. As a member of wealthy affiliate, although a beginner, I’ve learnt a whole lot of strategies that I doubt I’d learn diving into MLM.
I am also eager to try other methods you reviewed on your article
Really interesting read. About 15 years ago I tried to get into the industry and the beginning of your article resonates with me so much. I remember all the list building and fear along with the fear of failure and lack of understanding of how to actually achieve anything. It used to be a total minefield. I am so glad that I have found Wealthy Affiliate and the training and support that it offers. I will also have a little nosey at the other platforms that you mention. Thanks again!
Very good and interesting topic! Even if many marketers say that MLM and affiliate marketing can’t be more different, I think that it is not so easy to identify the differences between these two types of online businesses, especially when you are at the very beginning of your online marketing experience. So, it is very important to share content that explain the differences, as you did.
Personally, I prefer affiliate marketing, but of course I’ve nothing against other types of online business 🙂
I think the potential to earn money from the internet is unlimited as you have access to everybody in the world with an internet connection. the thing I like about affiliate marketing is that once you get good at it you can have passive income and then use that to scale up and outsource the work if you wanted to
The only thing I would caution against when it comes to this type of option of business which can be very lucrative is that you do need to be a people type person to engage in this type of business. You will need to keep contacting and harping on people who do not really care about you and who you will need to keep contacting even though you need to accept failure you will have to keep catching these people, they will not return your call online. It is frustrating and if you are not that type of person you will want to try other ways of gathering income for yourself and yes there are other ways…
Thanks for this post, Tony! While Multi-level marketing involves recruiting people into the business of networking and direct sales, affiliate marketing aims at helping you build a passive income stream from the comfort of your home. On a more serious note, it would be extremely nice to stop chasing friends and family around all in the name of becoming a network marketing pro or giant.
Wealthy Affiliate is a perfect example of a platform where affiliate marketing is taught in-depth and people are trained to find success in the business with time. Global Moneyline is equally a traffic exchange platform that helps drive traffic to an affiliate marketing business.
Michael
We,very well know how the MLM companies failed. Moreover, We will be having the risk of responsiblity for our downline members. In affiliate marketing there is no such risks and earning potenital is permanent and more. But we cannot ignore MLM ompletely.There is nothing wrong in giving a try if it is in the market for a long time. I will read your Global money lines review in detail.We can give example of bitcoin. It was even banned in some countries, But the Analylitcs predict a good future for bitcoins. Only thing is we should land in a right platform.
Thanks for a great article.
From the little knowledge I have, I can tell that Affiliate Marketing is better than MLM. The comfort and convenience that comes with Affiliate Marketing makes it a better choice. Affiliate Marketing can be done digitally, MLM on the other hand is more about physical appearance to be able to make a sale. I, for one, will choose Affiliate Marketing without thinking twice.
Yeah MLM VS Affiliate Marketing is a very interesting subject, for anyone who has stopped chasing friends and family and started posting great targeted content as a blogger or affiliate marketer will know what a huge difference it makes in their life. Instead of you chasing many non-potential customers around like with MLM, your targeted customers start to chase you.
This makes all the difference, the biggest difference of all is your friends and family don’t need to avoid you when you give them a call. You don’t need to try to force your auntie to buy a box of junk on auto-ship so that you can get a 5% commission. The day I discovered attraction marketing was the day everything changed in my business.
Anyone who has not used attraction marketing to get customers online is missing out big time.
Thanks for the great reminders of all the pros and cons 🙂
Best Regards
Sotiris Bassakaropoulos 🙂
This is a great article.
I have been involved with MLM company in the past, and I did feel in my guts that this was not gonna work for me.
Firstly I did not believe in the product, simply because it was a B.S and made only for one purpose – to make money for the one who offers it.
Then, I started to search on how to make money online, and by the process of elimination I have found out that affiliate marketing is probably the best method.
If I am not mistaken, the statistics for 2020 show that there are more than 4.5 BILLION online internet users. This is a lot of internet users. In many ways Affiliate Marketing is much much better than Multi Level Marketing. For me there is just no comparison. With Affiliate Marketing you build your own sustainable online business, and you are in full control. With Affiliate Marketing you have endless options and opportunities. There is just no comparison between the two.
I can see the positives of both sides. I sold Kirbys for a year and a half in 2008 and ended because of the recession. I never made sales from family members, so I learned early on that “3-2-1” as we called it in Kirby isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I also learned early on that selling to strangers and putting in the footwork canvassing is the best way to grow your brand in record time. Converting appointments into “shows” and then selling them the benefits of a product you assumed they already needed. Kirby also had a MLM structure in it’s “profit sharing” model. I took advantage of that to create my own distributorship…none of which involved close friends of family.
In my mind, affiliate marketing is just digital canvassing. You’re creating a website and reviewing the benefits (or lack thereof) of a product. Customers will decide to purchase that product from you if you present a strong argument that they should, otherwise, it’s likely they’ll just give you a click and move on. I like the affiliate marketing model because once you set up the funnel, customers just kind of automate themselves. In a MLM environment, you’ll find yourself constantly turning over leads in order to convert more product, with affiliate marketing, you only need worry about commissions for sales of a service or product, usually from reputable vendors.
I too used to work in network marketing as a door to door salesman before moving my work online. It makes sense that there are a lot of similarities between the two and I never put those similarities into practice consciously. How do you go about referring people in your network so it doesn’t seem predatory or pushy? Is there a difference or do you keep it all the same?
Affiliate Marketing is e clear winner here. A lot of the MLM Companies are pyramid schemes these days, and you can easily “burn yourself” On the other hand, going with Affiliate Marketing, there is no mistake. Everything depends on you. Your dedication, your willingness to succeed, your determination. Affiliate Marketing all the way!
I had never even heard of MLM until I came across you website. However, I think affiliate marketing is better. There are less startup costs, more opportunities, and a better to chance to find something you’re passionate about within affiliate marketing. For me, personally I’m happier exploring affiliate marketing. It’s good to think about other options though,
It is so great to see you doing well in this industry. It goes to show that there is big money to be made online. We just need to be careful not to fall for the scams or borderline scams that are all over the internet and stick to the tried and trusted ways of making money online.
I’m kind of confused with what you are comparing here. It is kind of hard to understand the flow of the article. It is interesting to learn more about different programs. Maybe it’s just me that doesn’t know much about what MLM is?
I do agree with you about family and friends not understanding venturing into things like this. I think the biggest thing is we have to be careful who we share our dreams with. Much success for the future to you!
Hello there! I want to say that some competitions are not really worth it and I have a feeling that this one is one of the pairs that shouldn’t be compared. MLM is not a legit comparison to what affiliate marketing offers. There is a stack difference between the two and I feel like the possibility of making money through affiliate marketing is even greater. I will prefer Affiliate Marketing any day any time.
I’ll focus my MLM Vs Affiliate Marketing discussion on the product being offered. One thing I’ve always noticed about MLM is the tendency to promote the perks/benefits of making it to the next level in the “family” more than the actual product. However, with Affiliate Marketing, it’s quite clear that unless you can tell a story about the product, you’re not about to convince anyone to fork out their cash.
You are very right Tony.
I do have an experience of a “Home Based Business” yet spending more time away from home trying to grow the business. And yes Family and Friends telling you that they will get in if you do well. I’ve been there.
But all I can say is Affiliate Marketing as compared to MLM is the best like you said on your post. MLM is very tedious and time consuming. Having been there I must say I will never go back there again. Affiliate marketing is the way to go
MLM is not for everyone. However, some people can be very successful in MLM. They have certain characteristics to succeed. Affiliate marketing is easier to start off with but who knows, one can make good with both. You don’t try, you don’t know. Determination and persistence is the key to success.
I appreciate reading your blog on Affiliate Marketing
Very helpful: Your discussion of the advantages of being an Affiliate Marketer. If particularly appreciated “earn while promoting anything as there are 1,000,000 niche ideas” – which is true.
An easy, 100% legitimate business model. Again, true.
“Easy but not without time and effort”. No, not if you want to provide your readers with rich content – that takes time and effort but is well worth it.
I also appreciated getting your recommendations under “Multiple sources of residual and passive income”.
Hello there, Affiliate Marketing is in all ways better than any MLM organizations since it has the biggest propensities of success and achievement (without losing your shirt!) and for several people, it starts bringing in cash from it relatively fast if you are focused and work hard and consistently. Thanks for sharing this awesome article.
You’ve explained it so well! When I told my family I was starting a website for business, one of the reactions was “there is too much competition on the web”. Meaning “you’ll never make it.”. I didn’t respond but I thought to myself “wait and see”… It’s been 2 years now that I have started online marketing and my website is now monetizing. When I recently announced that I started monetizing, then my family started asking questions and being very interested. So yes, it is possible to be successful online!
I was asked to contain my comments to a discussion about the topic. As such see my comments under:
There is indeed a lot of confusion surrounding MLM and Affiliate Marketing. So if this is indeed true assume that you need to start from the very basics. That being firstly articulating easy to understand definitions of MLM and Affiliate Marketing. If the head of your article reads MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing I would be looking for some type of comparison between the two. Some type of outline of the pros and cons to better determine what would be in my best interest if I were to become involved with either. For instance, I do not particularly like having to get ‘friends and family’ to join up and this is something that MLM’s are known for.
You list out five recommendations, however I do not know which is MLM or Affiliate Marketing save the obvious Wealthy Affiliate program. Further, while you give a brief summary of WA and GML you do not mention anything on the three other programs. I think some more information here would have been useful to understand the distinctions between the online programs.
I think that given Covid19 and the financial stress everyone is under that some indication of the start up and recurrent costs for the programs referred are required. Additionally, other factors like time commitment, reviews by known authorities, earning potential etc. would all help in making a decision or better comparison.
Hope this is helpful.
An interesting comparison of two platforms. My choice is always AM, I’ve been on WA platform for almost a while, and I really like it. The good thing is that it doesn’t work on the pyramid principle. The other thing I really like is that you don’t have to invest much to start with and you can upgrade later if you want. The best part is that it’s really not a scam and you get as much as you earn. I have recommended WA to family and friends and everyone is very happy with it.
I’ve also been involved with MLM over the past 20 years, and it is because of the negativity I got from friends and family that I started looking for an online way of working from home. If Affiliate Marketing had been around back then, MLM would not have got a look in. As you say there are 3 billion people online at any one time, why would you limit yourself to friends and family who give you the most heartache. I’ve been building a website for 3 years now and am almost at the point I can replace my full-time job with an online income, and I didn’t have to go to a single meeting, fill my garage with stock, or sell to my friends.
Tony, thank you very much for the excellent article. Firsthand, I can say that the difference between MLM and wealthy affiliates is enough to choose WA’s preference. I was trying to grow my direct sales business; I ended up with a large inventory. I think the MLM idea is a wonderful one, but unfortunately, it is very detached from the objective reality. I definitely choose WA. Again, thank you for such a wonderful piece of an article.
I think they are two very different platforms: mlm and affiliate marketing. MLM focuses so much time and energy on recruiting, where as affiliate marketing is focus on the power of content creation and product/service promotions. I personally prefer affiliate marketing because i think it’s easier to scale and it’s more profitable. Appreciate your article Tony!! Thank you as always.
Hi Tony,
Thanks for this very interesting article. I’ve looked at a few schemes that turned out to be MLM. And as soon as I get to the nitty gritty (which is usually well concealed) and realise what they are, I shut down immediately. It just doesn’t sit right with me.
You’ve given me some interesting ideas here though, that I hadn’t seen before. So I’ll be checking them out now.
I’m very interested in the affiliate marketing opportunity and will take a good look at all your links.
Thanks again for the work that’s gone into this article.
Adrian
Thank you for this article, personally, affiliate marketing is the way for me it takes some time to build your online business and gain trust, but once you are established it’s just a matter of consistency and relevancy… I too have had a situation where family and friends want to wait and see my success before they engage. There is such a wealth of information out there for doing business online. thanks for bringing them to our attention.
Hello Tony! Thank you for sharing this article on MLM vs affiliate marketing. I have read and heard a lot about both Affiliate Marketing and Multi Level Marketing and I think they are both great ways to earn money digitally but in my opinion I think affiliate marketing is more profitable than Multi Level Marketing. On that note, I prefer affiliate marketing to MLM
Hello,
First of all, your site seems really beautiful and simple to navigate. Thank you for sharing content this simple and easy to read.
I have been making money with affiliate marketing the last couple of years, and I’m very happy with it. Affiliate marketing is really worth it. As per MLM I think it is more difficult to earn with MLM. I never tried such an opportunity.
Hey Tony!
The article you dropped there is incredibly commendable and very helpful. I am more excited that you also drop some recommendations to help us make better choices. I hope to be able to achieve my financial freedom and success too because I’m willing to follow every step of yours.
Thanks
thank you for sharing this beautiful piece of information with us. I must say I really enjoyed going through your review and it contains valuable piece of information one needs to be aware of. Affiliate Marketing and Multi Level Marketing and I think they are both great ways to earn money digitally but in my opinion I think affiliate marketing is more profitable than Multi Level Marketing.
It just seems that affiliate marketing is just better than MLM in pretty much every way you’d imagine when it comes to efficiency, earning money online and it’s also more scalable.
Did you ever have any form of major success with MLM though? Or perhaps it was similar to a lot of people who try it and soon realize there are better ways off?
Hi Tony! I feel like MLM is the best way to make your family and friends run away from you.You have to be a seller to be able to make money. Not everyone is a seller. This is what is great with affiliate makerting, no direct sale! So yeah, I guess it’s easier to show your family your progress and your success with affiliate marketing. No one approvre at the beginning, but once you start making money, you become a star! It’s great that you are wiling to help your family and friends to have success with their online business.
I think there is a big difference between affiliate marketing and MLM. In my opinion I think its long term vs short term, and I would always choose a business model that has the potential to grow over a long period of time, and not just make me a quick buck in the short term.
Yes, MLM has one or two advantages, but affiliate marketing outweighs it if you choose the right learning platform as you have advised above.
Hello Tony. Your article says it as it truly is. I have been in the MLM marketing and to be honest, I don’t like it. Affiliate Marketing using Wealthy Affiliate is the best way to go. It turn your world around for the better and creates and atmosphere you can breath in.
Thank you very much for the information..I’m not judging you or anyone else, I was also involved in a Network Marketing, Direct Sales, Multi-Level Company where I was advised to in the fastest manner possible share in person with everyone that I knew. Starting with the people who I knew the closest and who would support me the most.
Hello, this is a very awesome piece and a very detailed one. I’m really happy I came across this as the information I’m getting from here is standard. Thank you very much man for this wright up it’s really educational I always gain from it when ever I read. Keep the good work up.
Wealthy affiliate, for me is the game changer, struggling to survive on just one major income has just come to an an end, the knowledge I has giving me a new turn, because I am already learning and at the same time earning to improve myself as well as my living standard, the most important thing for me, is to delicate my time to this work and ensure maximum productivity
Thank you very much for taking your time to provide us this great review on MLM vs Affiliate Marketing. I went through it thoroughly, I think there should not even be a comparison between them because Affiliate marketing is way better I am not interested even knowing it is a great opportunity, I would not competely recommend to others. It is just a Get rich quick route, I am just stick with wealthy affiliiate and ignore some noise in the online platforms. Nice work Tony
Hi, Tony Lee.
I had experienced chasing friends and family to purchase a product so I can get commissions. It’s not a very good experience although they bought the product. Later on the chasing resulted into misunderstanding that’s why I never wanna do that again.
You are truly an inspiration especially for newbies on digital marketing.
I’m glad I came across this post and learned that there are other sites where we can join and earn aside from WA.
Thanks for sharing another valuable blog.
All the best.
Ruth
Hi Tony,
I can relate with this article and have been on the losing side. Trying to find an online business has not been easy so my family has won a couple of times. However, I have invited them to join me again, joined WA. I wish I came across your this article then, I would not have failed.
I enjoyed the read and have gained confidence in Wealthy Affiliate, and definitely come back to this site to read more and stay informed. Can I get more information on MLM?
Ntlhane Ratlhagane
I am a super fun of your website now and often come back to get some affiliate marketing ideas. I have some experiences with both MLM and affiliate marketing. I don’t like MLM which is not focus on solving people’s problem, but selling. Affiliate marketing is in all ways better than any MLM businesses because it focuses on finding something that can help people to slove their problems. If you could slove other people’s problem, people will willingly pay for the services. I made money on affiliating marketing, but never made penny from MLM businesses.
Hello,
From my experience, my #1 rule is never make business with family and friends! In many cases, their answer was exactly as you said: to try first, and then to see how things are.
By making a comparison between MLM (I want to mention that I am not a fan of it), and Affiliate Marketing, in my opinion, you are more closer to earning an income as an affiliate than in MLM. As far as I know, MLM brings money to people from the front lines and, as a business model, it doesn’t go that far. Instead, through Affiliate Marketing you can get a passive income for long time if you do the work Right.
Great article, great information as always. Thank you for sharing.
MLM has always meant pyramid scheme to me. Not sure if that is technically the right way to describe it, but it has kept me away from MLM. As a result, I have had more trust in affiliate marketing. Although I have yet to see a penny from my affiliate sites, I do see potential there. Hoping my hard work pays off and going to be steering clear of MLM opportunities. Thanks tony.
Hello there, thanks for sharing this awesome article I know it would be of great help to the public as it has been of help to me…For me I would still stick with the good old Affiliate marketing as it has all the qualities of a good and well set up business.
MLM – typically offers a product or a range of products that are predetermined by the company or owner of the scheme. This can be a bit restrictive as there is no real option to expand or add further items to your product line. but in Affiliate Marketing – you will enjoy much more freedom of choice when it comes to the products you choose to sell. so i prefer affiliate marketing.
For me I would say affiliate marketing and MLM shouldn’t be compared because affiliate marketing is a well secured and more legit type of online business on like MLM where people who come in first get to benefit from it while people who come in last earn little or nothing at all
Being the two largest and most opted for form of online marketing I understand why it is important to be able draw a comparison between the two and it is good that you have given a detailed analysis of each of them, how they work and how much profit is to be expected from both. Thank you you for sharing this article.
Hello there! Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful piece of information. I’ve gone through it and it’s a really detailed one. I find it very helpful because it contains valuable information everyone should hold on to. I’ve always argued that affiliate marketing is better than MLM. Anything associated with a Ponzi scheme is a no no for me. WA remains the best platform
I’ve also gone the MLM route a number of times, all with the same result (failure). I lived and I learned and I swore off them, only to be sucked in again. Fortunately, the World Wide Web has opened many doors for those of us who seek to be independent of the rat race. I will back you up on Wealthy Affiliate and Webtalk, as I use them both with great success. I’m going to check out CBProAds now! Thanks for another great tip, Tony!
Hi Tony,
For me, affiliate marketing is better because you don’t have to force or push people to buy stuff from you. They buy the things that they really need through your affiliate links.
As an entrepreneur, all you need to do is build your website, write legitimate articles including trustworthy reviews, and soon you build trust in your readers and your business just grows from there.
Thanks for this information.
Marita
Nice one. But again, I will say that I am still very much skeptical about MLM. Something about it don’t sit right with me. I am also not disputing the validity of MLM, it is also a great way to make money, but I will stick with Affiliate marketing, I feel like it is not comparable to MLM in any way. Affiliate marketing gives me this sense of confidence over MLM. One has to be careful these days as there are a lot of scams out there.
You remind me long back ago mostly 7 years past. I was searching for home based business and jump to MLM, the result was not like the way I expected but I thank God MLM lead me to find all about affiliate marketing and the fruits of it. I actually ended on joining Wealthy Affiliate, but now I am attracted to clickbank too after reading your review and how profitable it is.
Its very good to see this formatting here and I have seen it’s o many times but I needed clarity and I’m happy to have it here and this is very good. I currently have a friend who is part of an mlm and they are actively recruiting new members and the whole thing seems very structured, not to mention the upfront costs.
Thank you Mr Hamilton, the juxtaposition of MLM and Affiliate marketing is quite a very robust one. I think Affiliate marketing exposes you to a bigger audience and is exponential in growth unlike being dependent on friends and family participation to grow bigger. With the prevailing work condition world wide, I think networking is far the best way of making success that the limited MLM tactics. I hope to reach a good number of the Billions of internet users. Because right now, it is not all about working, but it is all about working smart. Affiliate marketing is working smart! Thank you
Thanks for this opportunity to read through this amazing article and it’s good that you are able to serve the comparison between MLM businesses and affiliate marketing, it’s been a very long time that one bee reading through these two businesses and this is the best comparison I’ve come across.
To me I think a comparison between affiliate marketing and mlm shouldn’t exist because affiliate marketing is way better than mlm. With affiliate marketing you are almost certain to succeed unlike mlm. Affiliate marketing is easier to start even as a beginner unlike mlm. I go with affiliate marketing anytime or any day.
The two concepts are good and all targeted at getting money but to the best of my understanding,I will say that affiliate is far better than MLM. Affiliate does not require referrals and stress of not wanting to be the last person on the queue. With affiliate, registration for membership is the only thing required and every other things will fall in place
Thank you fir sharing it all here. I actually value what has been shared here in terms of affiliate marketing and creating the distinction to mom. To my beat of knowledge,MLM will only make you more poorer unless you are among the early starter or you are the founder. It is strictly meant to enrich some at the detriment of others
We already know who the winner o this contest will be and that is affiliate marketing not because you were judging if there to them here but because you just showed me now that I can make something good out of affiliate marketing more than MLM and I have done some MLM businesses that didn’t work for me in the past.
whaooo.. this is extremely lovely!!!
Hello again! I’ve been looking for an article that would properly distinguish between affiliate marketing and Multi Level Marketing and I’m very happy I came across this. After going through this article I’ll say that I consider affiliate marketing over MLM. Though they both have their advantages and disadvantages. But the advantages of affiliate marketing far outweighs that of MLM. That been said, I’m not sure I would embark on any MLM program
I saw that you listed CashJuice in your list. I just heard about them earlier today as well. It really is crazy to think that there are 3 billion people online. I also believe that marketing online has changed substantially even in the past 5 years alone. When you mention the idea of recruiting friends and family into our online businesses, it makes me sort of shudder, cause i remember the MLM Network marketing days of like 2013 right when I dove into this world for the first time. My heavens I think I was brainwashed or something haha. So glad to be a part of Wealthy Affiliate now of course. Just the thought of MLM makes me want to run the other way. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I feel that the entire online marketing culture has evolved so much. For instance, just look online at how huge companies like Shopify and Etsy are. We’re now living in a world of print on demand, and I see that kind of thing everywhere now. And who knows where it’ll be in just a few short years again. Thanks for the post!
Online businesses are very diversified and it is very hard to understand all that is why we need to try and specify the dimensions we want to take. MLM businesses are what’s are I don’t really like list in online businesses and I always try as much as possible to stay away from thwm because they are always bad, I recommend affiliate marketing.
Hi Tony, These are indeed excellent recommendations you are sharing. I do wonder the extent to which MLM and affiliate marketing can be treated in the same way or served by the same marketing techniques. While MLM may have much in common with the make money online niche of affiliate marketing, I don’t think the same applies to a different affiliate marketing niche. But this is just my personal opinion and I only have my own tastes and inclinations to go by. My own skirmishes with MLM and Network Marketing led me to conclude many years ago that this was not a realm for me. ON the other hand affiliate marketing is something that I understand and can see myself working with. The key seems to be directing your energies in the most efficient and targetted ways to your success. Best regards, Andy
There’s a steep advantage of affiliate marketing over mlm, comparing both is even shocking to me, over time, the success rate of affiliate marketers have show that it’s way better to venture into. One very key reason is the fact that you can success in affiliate marketing without the inclusion of people directly, wheres mlm depends on you and other people in your circle to thrive, hence making it the my least favorite option.
I have seen stories about people making money online and I always think it is an MLM Scam. So yes, I have tried MLM and had big hopes and dreams of finding the hidden secret. Well, it did not work. And luckily I was smart enough to get out before I lost too much money. But, by being persistent, I continued to find out how people are making money online. I found the secret at Wealthy Affiliate, and it was easy to understand and implement.
I prefer affiliate marketing over MLMs. With affiliate marketing you can be your own boss and you do not need to chase family and friends. None of them will avoid you, because you do your business online and do not need to knock on their doors all the time. I also think that there is more growth as an affiliate marketer.
I have never been involved with a MLM company. I suppose it seems like I had dodged a bullet with that one. So I can not speak from experience with both on how one works better than the other personally. I can speak to affiliate marketing through Wealthy Affiliate however though. I believe the platform is amazing. I started out knowing nothing about affiliate marketing or how to write or keep up a blog before being with WA. I do see that the money you can learn with affiliate marketing can be almost limitless. I am learning more with each one of your posts I read. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I believe we all know who the real winner is. Both have their perks and benefits but I prefer Affiliate marketing over MLM anytime.
While MLM can get you profit easier due to the pyramid style of compensation, Affiliate marketing definitely steals the show due to the amount of work which needs to be put in. Hard work pays though its slow with Affiliate marketing.
More commitment is required to build up from scratch, growing up one’s network down the road.
I sincerely feel that the support and amount of training we get with Affiliate marketing is second to none
MLM v Affiliate Marketing? There’s no comparison. Anything that involves pyramid selling, or pyramids in general, wreak of scam. MLM demands that you recruit. Affiliate marketing, once you’ve laid the groundwork, runs on autopilot for the most part. What I love about affiliate marketing, as opposed to MLM, is that I don’t have to rely on others to get paid. In affiliate marketing (at least in WA), I find a niche, set up my website, post content and drive traffic to my site. I don’t have to worry about pulling teeth out of live people to get sales. In your article, I would expand more on the benefits of being an affiliate marketer, and focus on describing Wealthy Affiliate, and how WA can help anyone start their own online business. Great job.
MLM v Affiliate Marketing? There’s no comparison. Anything that involves pyramid selling, or pyramids in general, wreak of scam. MLM demands that you recruit. Affiliate marketing, once you’ve laid the groundwork, runs on autopilot for the most part. What I love about affiliate marketing, as opposed to MLM, is that I don’t have to rely on others to get paid. In affiliate marketing (at least in WA), I find a niche, set up my website, post content and drive traffic to my site. I don’t have to worry about pulling teeth out of live people to get sales. In your article, I would expand more on the benefits of being an affiliate marketer, and focus on describing Wealthy Affiliate, and how WA can help anyone start their own online business. Great job.
Being able to do work from home has become substantially more simplified in recent years, and especially now during the pandemic. It’s a difficult time for everyone, but it is also enabling and proving that an economy can still have a strong presence from just being online. Affiliate marketing is a prime example of work that can be carried online very heavily and function very well.
I’m in a position where I’m realizing there really is no comparison to affiliate marketing. I have done many MLM companies as well as many direct sales. The get togethers and the time and the events for MLM. And parties and events for direct sales will wear you out FAST. Let’s just say the past couple of months have been very eye opening as I didn’t really know what affiliate marketing is until very recently. I just wish I could have read your post 15 years ago!
Hey Tony, thanks for your post on MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing! I have done lots of research on how I can stop chasing family and friends around all in the name of earning/gathering PVs or moving up my membership rank from one level to another, and digital/affiliate marketing appears to be the way-out.
Digital marketing was all I learned about and paid for when I got started with an online business community. I completed a given number of courses which opened my eyes to the digital marketing world and the numerous opportunities that await me. Now, I would be willing soon to apply this to Multi-Level Marketing.
Thank you so much,
Joyce
Hey.
Thank you for sharing this product post with an amazing platform, my self when it comes to multi-level marketing and affiliate marketing I prefer most to use affiliate marketing programs, because the affiliate marketing is the industry where I met with many like-minded people they helped me to start my journey and also gives me a bundle of knowledge on online business, before I was tried MLM but finally I didn’t get anything.
I think it is hard sometimes doing MLM. You have to make sure that is legit and a scheme. I guess because I am an affiliate marketer and is comfortable with it. You had click bank CBPro? What if you have an account already with click bank? Some online business can be fraudulent making sure if it is legit takes researching. Good post.
Thanks for this tutorial, Tony! Initially, I was lured into network marketing and assured that I could make a great fortune from it. After I was made to pay for a membership package, I started attending group meetings and also attended several Webinars and seminars, all to no avail. It was then I decided to stop what I have been doing and moved into the business of affiliate marketing. I figured out a lot of things about becoming an affiliate marketer and this has kept moving me ahead of the common challenges attached. I have seen friends give up and quit all because they couldn’t figure it out.
I’m not a huge fan of MLM in rarely any facet. The intention always seems stain with selfish ideals. On the other side of the coin I love affiliate marketing. I mostly like it because there is little overhead, no employees and it is remote and can be done anywhere in the world. I suggest stay away from MLM!! nice article!
I consider affiliate marketing over MLM. First of all I do not like the business model of most MLM. Affiliate marketing way more reliable and has a higher chance of success than MLM business. There are some good MLM businesses but I prefer affiliate marketing. Thank you for the post.
I don’t think you can compare MLM and affiliate marketing. I am pretty sure that both are completely unrelated. For me, MLM is definetly a scam. You have to buy the product and “teach” people to sell by telling a lies. There are no such fast money to obtain, even for someone that work in the company, they have at least 1 hour to earn the money. Which means taking time. While in here affiliate marketing is totally different. I will not say it is not a scam. Some of scam can be using affiliate marketing method. However, most of all, affiliate is a method itself to be independent marketeer and does not has to be related to any platform. If you know the basic digital marketing you can become affilate marketer if you want. The same as becoming YouTuber, if you can create a good video content and knowing how to market yourself or placing your product on the market, than you can get the money as a youtuber. It can be your real job. And by becoming affilater, the same as creating your own business, no fast way to get money and no promises. Just based on, how you work on it. Hence, that is why it is such a shame to compare MLM and Affiliate Marketing.
To be honest Tony, I have been kind of running away from MLM marketing since I long time ago I was so much into it. I simply am not into making people do something they don’t decide to do on their own, and with MLM you appear to be so pushy before and after someone becomes your network’s fellow. I am more into having to do everything from my side and having people joining me because they are inspired by my story, but then not having to depend on their commitment! That’s the key!
In MLM you never stop interaction just because you invested your time and results depend so much on others too.
With Affiliate, you commit, you work, you see results as much as you are ready to receive!
MLM and Affiliate Marketing are very different worlds. I jumped into the MLM craze, and I stuck with it for a while. I slowly got away from it after realizing I was continuously spinning my wheels. It was no fun bugging friends and family to look at some product they didn’t really care about. It was a great product I was promoting, but pushing it on people made me feel very uncomfortable, and I started not to like myself. I’m not saying MLM is bad, but it isn’t for everyone, and it definitely was NOT for me. I just discovered Wealthy Affiliate a few weeks back, and I am having a lot of fun with it. I am learning so much about writing blogs, reviewing products such as my YouTube channel, and building out my site. Am I making any money yet? No, but it will come soon. I just know it. On with the training…
And that is what I aspire to do. Every time I mentioned to my family and friends that I want to start an online business, you can see the look of scrutiny in their eyes, almost screaming “grow up and focus on an actual job”. But I’ll never give up of course, so I am still working on my journey as an affiliate marketer. Guess I will have to be patient and prove it to them once it kicks off.
There is no comparison between MLM and WA it is as clear as day. WA is giving you everything in one place, from learning to making money. I am happy to have become a WA member and thank you for that.For me, I would say Affiliate Marketing and MLM are not mates as Affiliate Marketing is a well more secured and more scalable type of online business that has the possibility to earn you passive income for a long time but for mlm the case is quite different as only the people that comes in first benefit from it while the last set of people tend to earn little or noting.
Before I became a digital marketer, I had a friend of mine try to get me involved in an MLM company he and his wife were representing to make money.
I don’t remember exactly what we were selling other than becoming a member of their MLM marketing team, but I remember that it was just like you said. Joining and then being pushed to step to family and friends to ask them to join, only to be looked at like you were crazy by the family and friends you talked to about it. I tried it for a few days, I think, and at first, I remember that it seemed like a sure path to wealth. At least that’s the impression that I got after the pitch. LOL.
It did get me curious about finding ways to make money, though, which led me rather quickly to the Internet, where I began trying my luck with affiliate marketing. Now that is a legitimate way to make a sizeable income as a self-employed entrepreneur.
Cheers,
Jeramy
MLM seems like another way to go but i think affiliate marketing will still be my future go to plan for creating a passive income business. I actually never knew of MLM before now so i happy to enlightened about the concept. Thanks very much i hope you have a good day!
I once joined a mlm company called sunnony it promised all the riches in the world but after a year and a half of working with it, I lost both my money and time in an investment which never brought any profit after so much hard work and sleepless nights. When I started affiliate marketing in 2018 I realised this is the best way of making money online and it seems I was not wrong, it has made me over 20K in a space of 2 years
Thanks for your inspirational post. I just don’t like the idea of selling something to friends which I am not 100% sure would benefit them. Friends are not there to use as selling bait. That is my personal opinion unfortunately. So I prefer to keep business life and personal life seperate. Most MLM businesses are more focused on getting people involved than the actual product that is supposed to help them. As soon as I am required to gain followers and first and foremost I have to turn to family and friends because, the product quality is not good enough to stand on its own two feet that is the sign to turn and run away.
I’m new to the affiliate marketing arena but I do see a huge upside to it. I have had experience with MLM and have seen some that have been a great success. For most of the people I knew in the MLM world, they were like me and spent much more than they ever made. If you have a product that requires a strong in-person sales pitch an MLM may still be the way to go.
Affiliate Marketing drew me for a few reasons. First I can do it on my time rather than trying to schedule meetings with people and work around their schedule. Second, the products are of high enough quality that they almost sell themselves. and finally, the people are coming to you searching for a solution, rather than me having to go find less than willing people to give my pitch.
We’ll see how it work for me, but I think affiliate marketing is the way to go.
Hello Hamilton! With so many people playing, working, and shopping online, it’s no wonder that digital has moved to the forefront of the marketing department’s priorities. From maintaining relevance in their customer’s mind to building a profitable brand, companies, organizations, and businesses are starting to invest a lot in digital marketing. Thanks!
Hi Tony, I agree that Affiliate Marketing is one of the best choices, and it is worthy of investing time and work. It is also true that we meet a lot of difficulties at the moment that we start an online business and the fact that friends and families most of the time are skeptical about us and do not support us in this new journey. The best thing to do is to be consistent and continue the hard work, and one day all it will reward like in your success story.
Best
Alketa
I like a lot of the points that you make here. The creepiest part about MLMs to a lot of people is that they seem to rely on having people hit up their friends and family to buy (or sign up for) inferior products they don’t want in order to support their friend. Affiliate marketing avoids those awkward scenarios altogether!
You make a key point when you say; “Wouldn’t it be nice t* stop chasing Family & Friends” about digital and online business opportunities but most people do only have those resources and contact as a way to start. So how do you overcome this and not have your family and friends become annoyed with you for trying to sell them something “again”! But as your suggestions and the Wealthy Affiliate suggestion mentions, it will be fascinating to see their curiosity once I start earning an income 100% online and from home. I will enjoy seeing their reactions.
Comparing MLM and Affiliate Marketing is like comparing oranges and apples. Affiliate marketing can easily become a real and work-from-home business and making you real money. Affiliate marketing cuts off the unnecessary chasing of the shiny object.
I have checked out all the affiliate businesses you recommended: Wealthy Affiliate – Wealthy Affiliate Review;
Global Moneyline – 2nd Anniversary for Global Moneyline; CBProAds – Your Pre-Made; ClickBank StoreFront;
WebTalk – Online Business Community; CashJuice – Online Business Community. I found out they are real and good affiliate platforms. However, I like most the Wealthy Affiliate because you get the most from it – they provide all you to build your website and you have the community for assistance with any difficulties you may encounter.
Both mlm and affiliate marketing are the way of make money online in now days.You have perfectly explain the both digital marketing and you compared exactly about MLM and affiliate marketing . I read your post and understand that affiliate marketing is a best way to make money online.agree with you.Affiliate marketing a source of making passive and secure income and the earning is limitless.I agree with you that Wealthy Affiliate is tbe best affiliate marketing course newbie affiliate marketers. I am very thankful to you for giving us such a wonderful information.
This article gave a thorough breakdown between the difference between MLM versus Affiliate Marketing- with the MLM being a shady business practiced and is frowned upon by the industry and with affiliate marketing an actual legitimate business model to earn real income. Tony gave several resources that are ideal for anyone starting affiliate marketing.
I too market both affiliate programs AND network marketing programs. There are characteristics that are similar in both business models, and some that are different as well. I believe that the key to success in either business model is helping people… with affiliate marketing you are working to match prospects with products or services that solve their problems. Network marketers have two basic challenges… selling their products or services, and building their teams. Chasing friends and family is NOT the answer to either. Use Wealthy Affiliate and create content that will attract the type of customers ANS team members that really want to work with you.
Well, comparing MLM and Affiliate Marketing, one can easily arrive at which is better. I do not think it is necessary or essential to compare MLM and Affiliate Marketing. The advantages of Affiliate Marketing are by far greater than that of MLM. With just little knowledge about MLM and Affiliate Marketing, it can be seen that Affiliate Marketing is better than MLM.
Thank you for sharing this – I think Wealthy Affiliate is the best opportunity on this list BY FAR. They offer premium hosting, excellent training, and comprehensive resources to build one’s site from the ground up.
Affiliate marketing is the future, because I believe social media is the future. Companies will soon understand how important a digital presence is, and jump on.
Thanks!
Aaron
MLM’s and affiliate marketing are two totally different aspects, indeed. It does make sense to start out by referring family and friends, but sometimes the ‘we’ll wait and see’ is the most common answer.
Of all that you have listed, I am actually a member of one of these programs. I have been with it for years, and it has helped me to grow a substantial business, which is growing by the day.
Are all of these programs helpful for growing business online? Are some just to share links?
Anyway, thank you for sharing this information. It was very informative. I do believe you are genuinely invested in these programs, and I wish you much success in each of them.
A lot of pretty current accounting specifically has a lot of similarities with consultancy which can particularly be very difficult which fascinating, which really is quite significant. Both corporations for all intents and purposes are trying to increase profits in a sort of big way. Some people for all intents and purposes take different paths Adolescents on the Internet for all intents and purposes believe that multi million dollar companies essentially make feelings-based choices The definition of “success” for the most part is simply a by-product of the privilege, demonstrating that a lot of really current accounting specifically has a lot of similarities with consultancy which can actually be very difficult which fascinating, pretty contrary to popular belief.
Thank you Tony for this interesting article. For me, affiliate marketing is easier and safer to use. I think Affiliate marketing is better than MLM companies in every way as it has proof of having a lot of success with it, and if you work hard, you can make good money from it.
Wealthy affiliate is a real deal! You can create websites, you can market etc. It’s the best platform to teach and train you guys for online marketing. It was started in 2005 but still legit and fantastic. I swear wealthy affiliate is the best! It can change your future too and build a better reputation.
Such an amazing piece Tony, but the truth is I have seen couple of MLM since I was growing up and I have always frowned at it because the process of talking to people to convince to earn something seems so very desperate in their sight, like one have to refer people to be able to money but with affiliate marketing, it is not so, so I prefer affiliate marketing.
I am also an MLM distributor and I am proud that I don’t chase friends and family members!
Thanks to this training that I got, first from gurus who are advocates of doing MLM via online means. Second, I am thankful that I became a member of Wealthy Affiliate which taught me how to utilize online business to build MLM teams globally via Internet. If it weren’t for these training, then I would be depressed chasing people in the offline.
With regard to the people I’m recruiting, I still meet people who think MLM can only be done through hosting home meetings or selling products by visiting friends in the offline. Also, there are upline sponsors who are hard-headed they would not innovate. I don’t care, as long as I am building a team online just like what you’re doing, Tony, I’m okay.
I hope more people see the beauty of this idea you’re trying to hammer here.
This article was very nice and motivating, these platforms are very good also. Many today don’t know much about affiliate marketing and multi level marketing, this article will be very helpful to them as their eyes are opened to the real deal. This article was very helpful to me personally also, as i got the self confidence i needed
Thank you for this thorough review. I really appreciate your articles and look forward to receiving them as I continue to build my online business. Thank you for being readily available to help us succeed. I have been involved in MLM in the past and I choose Affiliate Marketing over MLM. Thank you for sharing your ideas and your choices with us. You are a great teacher. Thank you. This article is very helpful.
Finally a text like this about comparing these two things. Each of us is an individual for ourselves and different things suit everyone, but I personally think that these two things are very different in terms of positive and negative things. I personally prefer Affiliate Marketing. It is a safer option for me, it does not depend on the arrival of new members but on your effort and resourcefulness. What I don’t like about MLM is that newer members can earn much less than older ones which is definitely not a good option for them.
However, I believe that everyone has the right to choose and that they should persevere in either of these two options 🙂
Hello, Tony Thanks for the site and content. I enjoyed reading your article. I can relate to MLM and the old way of doing things back in the day thanks for the tip, at this time I enjoy writing my own content. I’m sure that one day I will get around to hiring writers, but I need to know what I expect from them only after I’ve learned how to. have a great day loved the post.
Samuel
You have proved that Affiliate Marketing is way ahead of everything else, especially MLM.
Must admit the MLM always seems a bit dodgy. I could not badger family and friends just to make money. If asked I would be happy to do so but otherwise I don’t mention it.
I do have CBProAds but not done much with it. Your reminder about it is a timely one, thank you.
Yes, we had similar experience. But then I found my life saviour, Wealthy Affiliate. Never did I regret joining and signing up for that premium membership which cost me $19! I had learned a lot from their training and their open community. I love too their support team which is there 24/7. And of course, they taught you how to make a website and what niche you should choose. Really helpful indeed. So for those who wants to start their affiliate marketing journey, please do so!
This highlight the benefits we can get on Affiliate marketing compare with MLM. It is much better and stable to have Affiliate Marketing and have it as a stable business that will pay you for many years.
Investing through the domains will surely help us establish our opportunity for future generation of income. Just keep going and learn in Affiliate Marketing. I would really prefer to it if I want to stand firm in this industry.
Hello there! Thanks for this article. MLM and Affiliate marketing is something people want to get involved in but most times some people like me are confused because they don’t know which is better. This is a very interesting comparison but from what I’ve read so far, I feel comparing them is like an insult to affiliate marketing. It appears better and it’s something I’d like to get myself involved in. Thank you.
MLM bares too much effort for one to succeed and at the same time, people are aware of the scams such scheme carry making it difficult to recruit p[eople. On the other hand affiliate marketing can be seen as a great opportunity to earn extra income with great commissions. In most cases when it comes to affiliate marketing, most products already come with advertising resources making it much easier to market by just simply copying and pasting.
Hi Tony,Another remarkable post. I much prefer affiliate marketing over MLM because I would rather promote products rather than selling them.I think you have to ask yourself first which one suits your personality best and also how much capital you can invest. You have nicely compared MLM and associated marketing. I agree with you. My favorite among these two is definitely affiliate marketing because the money that can be earned through it is truly limitless.
A very important review, here is a comment from me.
Ah MLM. Yes been there – got the T-shirt.
Affiliate Marketing is such a wonderful alternative to pestering family and friends. People find you, not the other way around. Whilst I am not anti-MLM, I am certainly Pro Affiliate Marketing.
I am making the transition from MLM pest to content creator and marketer. Even my husband has become a supporter once discovering that it is possible to make money from Affiliate Marketing.
Making up to 30 referrals or even more these days is really difficult for your business because there are a lot of criticism and discouragement from both friends and family. Registering in one of those sites listed on this review is really the first step in growing your business because they give you the necessary training you’ll need especially with WA. Also I’ve heard so much about money line and I think it’s really amazing.
Being able to run your own business is priceless. Running your own schedule, doing what you love and getting paid is only a few of the advantages as an affiliate marketer. The key is to find out what you really enjoy doing, writing, etc and becoming an affiliate marketer around your niche. Everyone has a dream and a special hobby that can become work.
I can not explain how much it means to do what you love and make money.
That is what I hated the most about MLM marketing, chasing my friends or the top 100 list of people I know. My friends and family didn’t want to come around me of fear that I was trying to sell them something lol. Affiliate marketing is a way better approach to marketing for me. And as a member of Wealthy Affiliate everything you need to build a successful online affiliate business is in one place! From the comfort of your own home you can make a living with affiliate marketing without even mentioning your business to a single friend or family member!
I hate MLM business!!! Sadly, lately, my Facebook feed is filled with people promoting MLM business. I do believe that affiliate marketing is the way to go to generate money online. It’s actually a creative way plus you don’t need to bother friends and family as you mentioned. Affiliate marketing all the way for me.
MLM is a NO-NO for me because what I have experience. All of these programs are all the same, only those at the top make the money. Those at the bottom do all of the hard work along with investing money and in order for you to make money you have to recruit and your team must work or you will make nop money.
Affiliate marketing is not like that because the whole setup is different and the rewards are far greater. I would tell everyone to go with affiliate marketing. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Tony! I am one of your referrals on some of these recommendations like VIP Downline builder, Cashjuice and Moneyline. I also think affiliate marketing is way better than chasing friends and family and more effective too. I have friends who joined me on some affiliate programs too, but it was their own choice. I never asked them. I just built a Website with Wealthy affiliate and started writing. I connected with many new people and got good advice from you Tony to join these programs. And it have helped me a lot in my progress.
I am not a fan of the MLM business, which is obvious, otherwise I would not have being a member of the Wealthy Affiliate platform. I always know that the WA platform is easier to make use and offers a lot more room for advancement. Actually that’s my own thought and I am aware I’m never alone in this. Affiliate marketing is simple to get along with and it is in all ways much better than the MLM businesses.
I will go for affiliate marketing because it is just way more peaceful to do. I have been a member of many MLM company and I know what it can cause to your family and friends. It made me feel so desperate and I never succeeded in any. I like their products and I still use some personally whenever I need them. But It was hard to try to sell them or have them join my network.
With affiliate marketing, I get to work from the comfort of my house, I do not bother anyone I know to buy or join.
Thanks
This is an interesting topic, I have been part of MLMs and Affiliate Marketing and I believe each have their own merits depending on the products.
The MLM I was and still am involved with is Karatbars. What I have found is that Karatbars is only lucrative if and once consumers understand the business model and then they might buy into it but most don’t
Thanks to the recent increase in online shopping made even more in demand since Covid, I think that Affiliate marketing will only grow strong in months and years to come
MLM vs Affiliate marketing?? hmm ..what can i say,,that i have been in both. One particlurly MLM taught me a lesson that probably not meant for me. I injected in a lot of money and failed to fine the next person to buy my products, it so happened that my team mates were equally lazy as well.Affiliate marketing is the one am currently engaged on. still figuring out my way but atleast there is hope.
This seems to be the case with lots of folks I hear about including my self with people not having the confidence to step out and take that step with you instead they want to watch you to see if you would make it and it’s sad that people miss out on so many great opportunities that way I’ve tried getting people on board with the idea and there skepticism is what holds them back in most all cases great article I share a lot of similar experiences my freind
Multi Level Marketing and Affiliate Marketing in my opinion are the two most popular or most important ways to make money digitally as they are great ways to earn a passive income. I actually prefer Affiliate marketing to Multi Level Marketing like you have mentioned it involves a lot of convoluted steps.
There are very good businesses there and I have to admit it’s best you go into an affiliate marketing business. Affiliate marketing to me is way better than mlm because mlm has been proven over the time to not be always lasting and there seems to always be issues that erupt with the ones sustaining. Thanks for the really clear article
Although I have never done MLM I have been able to see how they work as for some time many years ago I was a computer technician to one such company and I have a pretty good idea how all this works. In my opinion affiliate marketing is vastly superior, easier, with much less risk and with the possibility to make much more money than you would with MLM. But this is just my opinion.
There is nothing compared to financial stability. No one really cares about how you got your result, it’s the result that they are after. Journey to success land is personal because not all can picture what you’re seeing, so you do it alone and when you get there, you’ll have as many followers as possible. Result motivates. I really appreciate this
Thank you for sharing Tony,
I agree that once we reach a better position in life, all our family and friends approach us with curiosity to know how we do what we are doing. The funny part is that if we reach them at a time where we need them they won’t approach. They will only approach when they will see us successful in the level of life which everyone is happy and dreaming to be.
But we should remain as we are and be helpful with everyone, no matter how they were before our success did not bother us because we reached anyhow to the level that we wanted to. In fact not doing so they have waisted their own time in not taking action towards their success.
Best of luck and thanks for sharing,
Meena
This is a no contest to me because we all know who the obvious winner is here. And just to clear the air, I think that wealthy affiliate is the best because I just joined and I am seeing so much impact in it already. I have tried other MLM businesses on the other hand that didn’t work for me so I think affiliate marketing is the obvious winner.
MLM is not a bad business but I’ll say that affiliate marketing is much more preferable. I really concur to what you said about referring people closest to you. I’ve experienced that. And the annoying answer I get is when they tell me that they will join later. It’s very frustrating. But with affiliate marketing, I don’t have to bug anyone. I get to do my thing, then sit, relaxed and wait for results.
I would say I prefer affiliate marketing to multi level marketing which is because I would rather promote products rather than selling the products, affiliate marketing is better option because I get to put my time and effort in it plus the amount to start affiliate marketing is it that much compared to multi level marketing, thank you for sharing this wonderful informative article.
Regards
Blessing.
Hello Tony Lee Hamilton, thank you for sharing this resourceful and informative article on MLM versus Affiliate marketing. Personally I will always choose affiliate marketing over and MLM scheme because it has a higher chance of being successful and profitable as well. And not to forget the simplicity and straight forwardness of affiliate marketing compared to MLM businesses which are stressful. Thank you for this article.
A year ago I had no idea what affiliate marketing nor what multi-level marketing was but after a challenging journey of expanding my knowledge on these topics I can finally have a sense of certainty that I know what I’m talking about when referring to any of these money-making methods. However, I would rather stay on the affiliate business than join any MLM company, but that’s just me.
Hey
I’ll say that I consider affiliate marketing over MLM. Though they both have their advantages and drawbacks. But the benefits of affiliate marketing far outweighs that of MLM. once we check out these business model and what to travel for, we should always consider watching the future. Most of those MLM companies don’t last. You’ll see some being chased by FTC, closed down, or as a newbie to MLM, you’ll not earn much or maybe revisit your capital. But with affiliate marketing, you get to possess way lot peace of mind. you fully control.
Mohamed
There are lots of business forms and it is necessary for you to know the type you want to go into, MLM is not a good business model and I can’t recommend it to anyone because it didn’t work for me and it’s been really difficult to make money from it. Thanks for this amazing one.
Mlm is always not a good option to anyone considering the lot of challenges that are associated with it. However, to make the real difference, a lot more has to be sacrificed to help achieve it all. What has been shared here is both revealing and great to see here. Thank you so much for all tthat has been shared with us all here. Thanks
Multi-level marketing (MLM), also called pyramid selling, network marketing and referral marketing is a shady marketing strategy for the sale of products or services where the MLM company profits from people selling the company’s products/services while the earnings of the participants are derived from a pyramid-shaped commission system.
I never truly understood how this can benefit everyone, as at some point it stops being sustainable. It’s shady and you miss the point of selling the service or product (some companies don’t even have a legit product/service to sell!!!).
Affiliate marketing is much more transparent. it’s about selling products, but also about helping people (linking a problem with a solution that might not be evident for everyone). It’s about you and your own effort. You rip what you sow, and I couldn’t agree more with that philosophy. It’s also much more profitable because it really works.
Thanks for yet another informative post.
Sofia
I’m in affiliate while my sister is attempting MLM. The difference is astonishing. I’m think I’ll send her a link to this page to help her see the light of day as it were. MLM seems to be a useful as ‘flogging a dead horse’ as they say out here. This article really brings to light some of the stark differences.
Affiliate marketing is so much better than MLM. Thank you for making this article and informing people of the difference between the two. Hounding friends and family about your product is not the best way to do things and you have a very limited audience and you will lose hope very quickly. Affiliate marketing has a much higher reach that is worldwide.
Hey Tony,
For me I don’t see a difference between MLM and Affiliate marketing. It all depends on your dedication and commitment. With a great platform like Wealthy Affiliate you can learn digital marketing and apply it to your MLM or Affiliate marketing and succeed. It will both take commitment and dedication. Wealthy affiliate is a good platform
Affiliate marketing is an excellent way to make commissions. I like the fact that you can start out small and slowly build your business up to a huge empire depending on your time and dedication. There are some people who do not understand the difference between MLM marketing and Affiliate marketing, with this information review now others can understand the concept. I will be sharing this article with my social media followers.
Personally I don’t trust MLMs and have always been defiant towards this. Affiliate marketing is always better than MLM. As an affiliate, if you are patient and work hard, you will be rewarded sooner or later. As a MLM you need to chase people to join you just to have a chance of nobody joining you which equals you making no money. Thank you for this information.
Hello Tony, I really enjoyed reading and learning a great deal from your article ‘MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing’.
I appreciate that you gave an in-depth review of each of them, explaining how they work.
I am sure your hard work will pay off as a lot of people will realize what both depict.
This is an interesting comparison of MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing. I got information about Wealthy Affiliate, Global Moneyline, CBProAds, WebTalk and CashJuice. I personally prefer Wealthy Affiliate because it’s more than just a business. It is a community of dedicated people who support each other. I especially love one of your sentences: “The time is now my Friend, let’s get to where you’re being successful without chasing Family & Friends then they’ll come chasing you.” There is much we can learn from you.
If only I had found this comparison 10 years ago, LOL
I did my fair share of those MLM trials. I spent a ton of money, well maybe not a ton, but way more than I should have. I felt the anxiety, the rush of excitement, the confusion and frustration of failure and the exhaustion of trying to figure it all out.
Many years later I found WA and affiliate marketing, thank goodness. Thank you for sharing your interesting comparison of the two and congrats on your success.
I’ve also written a few times on the differences between these two concepts. I love your first paragraph. Let’s face it, the typical MLM modus operandi is to chase your friends and relatives first until no one will talk to you, and then move on to strangers so that they will avoid you too. There are better ways, and I like that you given some options here.
I am glad that there are ample of ways to start a business that don’t directly involve you chasing after your close ones. It is a great relief that the new way of doing things get you to spend so much more time at home instead of working away from it.
If we want to make progress and earn, online marketing is the best way that will allow us more time for home life. The list of such platforms that will help us to achieve that are definitely worthwhile to get engage with.
I like the intro. The topic was good, quick and to the point. It had great detail and made sense. The pictures and visuals were generic and I’ve seen them used on some of the other post by this same creator. It made me also skip it because I thought I’d already read this.
For me, affiliate marketings wins every time because you can be far more targeted in your approach, rather than trying to rope in everyone you know. I’ve noticed lots of people in my network trying MLM at some stage but not sticking with it because they did not find it a sustainable way to make money, while feeling good about how they were making the money.
Both MLM and affiliate marketing are huge opportunities for people who want to make money from scratch, but there’s a big difference between them. When I worked with one of the biggest MLM companies, I saw several successful members and heard their stories in meetings and training. However, one has to be a certain type of person suitable for this type of business. I’ve found out it wasn’t for me.
Affiliate marketing, on the other hand, can be done by anyone who is patient enough to learn good writing/blogging or making videos, and all the necessary other skills like SEO, promotion, etc. Of course, for some people, it comes easier to write than for others. But it can be learned and mastered, I believe.
I really enjoyed your article. I have tried MLM many years ago and found it to be extremely difficult. Not that I did not work very hard at it but because it’s the type of business where you depend on others way too much in order for you to make any income. The downline concept works fine if you are one of the top and newest members of the organization. With Affiliate Marketing, you get ranked in GOOGLE, BING AND YAHOO and as you mention, TREE BILLION people become your audience as you move up to the first page of the search engines! Thanks for your informative article.
I really enjoyed your article. I have tried MLM many years ago and found it to be extremely difficult. Not that I did not work very hard at it but because it’s the type of business where you depend on others way too much in order for you to make any income. The downline concept works fine if you are one of the top and newest members of the organization. With Affiliate Marketing, you get ranked in GOOGLE, BING AND YAHOO and as you mention, THREE BILLION people become your audience as you move up to the first page of the search engines! Thanks for your informative article.
Working or investing in a multilevel business is not a bad idea, but you must take into account some precautions to collaborate with one. MLM (Multilevel Marketing) is based on direct sales and the network of associates (people who are in charge of distribution). The model is a kind of “alternative” to wholesaling.
But I think it has many disadvantages compared to affiliate marketing such as:
It requires a record higher than that of a job (effort = payment).
Negative perception of low income (this discourages members).
Create your client portfolio without the support of the company.
On the other hand, affiliate marketing has advantages that in my opinion are more attractive such as:
The cost per acquisition model is fair and profitable.
Coverage and new advertising spaces are increased.
You don’t pay per clicks (CPC) or impressions (CPM).
It allows you to attract new customers and have a high impact.
When looking for a good opportunity to start a business to make some extra money or full income from it, many will find these two business models and might wonder which one will work better. Thanks so much Tony for sharing this post as I’m sure it will help many to know the difference and why affiliate marketing might work better for many.
I signed up to a couple of business opportunity with some of the most known MLM companies, and both didn’t work for me, I was tired to ask my friends and family to sign up or to buy a product or to tell their friends about my business. This is why I like more how affiliate marketing works, from the moment you start to create your website, you are working on your own business and you learn how to create content for your clients. I’m currently working with affiliate marketing and I like how it works and I think is a better business opportunity.
Hey tony, I’ve been on both sides, MLM and Affiliate marketing. When comparing the two in my eyes, it seems like most of what you discussed in the article is true. Your success while being involved in an MLM is heavily dependent on your social skills and how many people you try to refer, but i know some people that make it work. For me at least, i would have to go with being an affiliate.
Thank you so much for the great reviews you have given on MLM and Affiliate Marketing. Affiliate marketing and MLM are two different platforms where many are involved in their respective positions. Affiliate marketing is currently the most common and widely used way to earn money, rather than MLM. From my own experience, I am making money myself through affiliate marketing and I have little interest in MLM. So I would say to those who are brand new to join like Wealthy Affiliate Platform from which you can learn a lot and become a successful affiliate marketer.
In conclusion, this comparison is not only a guide but also a model of the team that Wealthy Affiliate supports to become a successful affiliate marketer.
Hi Tony
I feel that it is a battle between two opposites; MLMs with all the risk it entails and the more safer Affiliate marketing. Often with MLMs you have to put the capital upfront at the beginning and you will not see a return, evening you put in all the hard work. With affiliate marketing you can see a return on your investment pretty quickly, especially if you are prepared to put the effort in.
Chalk and cheese in my opinion.
Thanks
Antonio
Okay. This is one where a marketer has to decide how much risk is worth it MLM is riskier and may leave a marketer strapped for cash. Affiliate Marketing is way more beginner-friendly. The worse that could happen in the case where a marketer doesn’t make sales is their affiliate account may be terminated. It is disappointing but would not be the end of the world. In my opinion, Affiliate Marketing wins hands-down.
I must say that this is a very clever way of marketing. It’s like hitting many birds with one stone. I subject line is so catchy that it made me think which one is better MLM or Affiliate marketing. Based on my experience affilaite marketing is much better and the best platform to use is none other than Wealthy affiliate.
There are just too much controversy when it comes to MLM. It’s like your luck depends on too many factors that are totally out of your control. With Affiliate Marketing, in the other hand, your successes largely depends on the effort you give. And I always love seeing all my efforts bearing fruits in a long run.
I would personally go for Affiliate Marketing.
This is exactly why I got into Affiliate marketing and why I’m always on Mr hamilton’s website. Love your content, sir. MLM may not consider itself to be a pyramid scheme, but the way in which they do things literally makes the shape of a pyramid. Be careful who you listen to, guys. I personally find MLM to be one of the most scammiest forms of marketing.
First, I am not familiar with MLM or digital marketing which is why I am struggling with this business model on WA. So don’t take my comments hard. Your article is entitled Affiliate Marketing vs. MLM. So I was expecting to see a side-by-side comparison of both models and I didn’t see any comparisons. Nor did I see a clear definition of each model.
I know that MLM is multi-layered/level marketing but I am not familiar with the details. I am assuming your audience is familiar with these terms and have some experience with the concept. So if you are trying to reach a beginner audience like me, I wasn’t sure what to do to learn more. Or how I would benefit financially from digital marketing.
Personally, I would like to see a clear definition of each model and side-by-side comparison. Maybe you could give a mini-tutorial unless you’ve done so already in another article. Advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons of each model are always good articles.
On an appearance note, I would like to see narrower margins, articles with narrow margins are a lot easier to read than wider margins. WA uses narrow margins on their site which is easier on the eyes.
Otherwise, it looks like you’ve succeeded in this business and people are responding to your articles. Congratulations!!
You describe it well, there is a gigantic difference between MLM and affiliate marketing. I had a sister in law trying to get success with Herbalife sales and employing people and she made some good money. In the beginning.. Then it started to slack, of course, there wasn’t anybody left to sell too in her friends and family circle! With affiliate marketing, it is the opposite, when you put the work in it, in the beginning, you won’t make much money, but the longer and harder you work, you will get more successful !
Cheers for your post, Tony, in this day and age it is vital for internet users to understand the difference between multi-level marketing and affiliate marketing.
Since very often it’s not really clear what the differences are. One major difference that I am aware of is recruiting people for MLM platforms, while AM is about promoting any products you like and not forcing anyone to join, and that’s why I have chosen to be an affiliate marketer myself. Thanks again for your useful info!
Reading your post brought back memories. I joined my first MLM company in 1996. It was based on the phone card craze and was a disaster. The company expanded it’s niche to include skin care products. This confused the heck out of its members. Eventually it went out of business. I eventually joined a legitimate MLM skin care company that is doing very well. I bought shares in the company at $7 that are now worth $200. I even enrolled family and friends. It fizzled when they tried to recruit and failed.
When I came across Affiliate Marketing a couple of years ago, my eyes opened to a better way to do MLM just like you are promoting. As long as the products are fairly priced, you can tread the MLM business as a purely direct sales activity using affiliate marketing techniques. And later brining up the business opportunity to a select few dedicated customers who become customers for life because they love the product.
It all makes sense Tony! Thanks for the post.
Edwin
I see you have all your favorite money-making platforms working for you together seamlessly to enable you to earn multiple streams of income. This is what every internet marketer aims for so that eventually he can basically run his business on autopilot.
With any platform that requires referrals though it does take constant work. Wealthy Affiliate is my favorite on your list, as this platform teaches you how to generate an income using things you know about or hobbies, whereas all the others are more related to making money online. Wealthy Affiliate teaches you to build an affiliate marketing business, and if you don’t have referrals you can still make money, which is what I love about this platform.
I don’t like the comparison of MLM vs Affiliate marketing, as they are a completely different way to make money. MLM are just like the description multi level marketing. Affiliate marketing allows you to promote more then one companies products and totally more open and honest.
Thanks for the post, as I do know that many people attempt to make money with MLM, but in my opinion very unsuccessfully.
Thanks for writing the difference between MLM and affiliate marketing. I also agree that we tend to be more successful with affiliate marketing. I’m really annoyed when my close friend asked me to buy his products and even join his underlines. Currently, I’m building an affiliate marketing blog and I hope it can be successful as yours.
I recall the draw of MLM’s some years ago, but I can only think of a few people who were successful at it. You are giving some good arguments that Affiliate Marketing is a better route than MLM’s. Your top recommendations are really good and I will look at each of those options.
Are there any changes to MLM’s that make it a better option nowadays?
Hello! You have highlighted some great point about online business. You have suggested different online business courses and sources like wealthy affiliate and webtalk.
I am also a number of wealthy affiliates and I achieve a lot of informative knowledge. Therefore, your suggestions are wonderful and suitable for someone who wants to achieve breakthrough in online business.
Thanks for your sharing. I am always looking for your new post and pages. Your idea help me improve.
One thing that I find with MLM opportunities is that your success depends on others or your downline! You have to recruit people that are as motivated as you to achieve success. Talking from experience, I was once involved in an MLM. I tried to recruit some family members. Many of them said right out the bat that they were not interested, and the few that sign up only did so to stop me nagging them. They were not interested in promoting and getting referrals.
So I learned my lesson the hard way and now rely on affiliate marketing, where my success depends on my own efforts.
Hi Tony,
Thanks for yet another enlightening article!
Though still challenging, I definitely prefer Affiliate Marketing. I have never been able in about two years to get to grips with MLM. Maybe I need many more years. Affiliate Marketing is not at all complex. It’s just that world conditions are constantly changing, for the worse. So more and more Regulations, Terms and Conditions, Algorithms, etc are being instituted, to our despair.
Have an enjoyable Final Quarter of 2020!
Hi Tony,
In review of your training, this topic as been a thing I research on Google to know the different between the two systems. MLM vs. Affiliate Marketing, there is no comparison in both system because Affiliate marketing is strong in all area than MLM, your article is cute good and impressive.
Thank you.
Aluko.
Many people won’t go for these MLM companies because the only people that benefit are just the ones on the upper level. There are some that are legit but most of them as far as I know try to get the most people to join but then don’t do anything else. When you try to get family members to join, usually you will get that skeptic face. I love affiliate marketing, because it is more geared toward an individual and you actually have to do the hard work.
Hello Tony,
I always read your articles with great interest as you offer a wealth of experience and success. I think MLM is definitely very difficult and not something that I have been particularly interested in. However, Wealthy Affiliate for more makes so much sense. Lots to learn and so many people around willing to help along the way. Hearing about other peoples success and struggles makes things real and enables me to get a better understanding about this business.
I think the point that you made about introducing family and friends to business to grow your own success is really difficult however, as you mentioned when you become a success you can help them which I believe is a much better way.
You always offer such great advice which I really appreciate it. You provide great links to help so many people lead the life that they deserve.
Greatly appreciated
Thank you
Hi Tony,
I do like the idea of going the affiliate marketing way. After all who likes to hear no? In MLM you do have to have some persuasive skills I believe and be prepared to be turned down over and over again. In the Affiliate marketing on the other your income stream calls for no interaction except for what is done via your website content. This lends more anonymity and makes it possible to be more open with persons and the fear of rejection is absent.
Cheers,
Candy Benn
What an interesting comparision. MLM or multi level marketing and affiliate marketing are such different business models. Yes I would agree affiliate marketing is definitely the way to go ( for me) but I have also seen a few mlm companies that have a decent business model in place. Apples to oranges, some like apples me I prefer ornges.
Well the beauty and the success of Affiliate marketing is just so easier to get started with and can quickly be achieved without having to refer or bring people that you know in. You don’t don’t have to be a disturbance to anyone. They just have to register at their free will, while you are busy working on how to earn some commissions from other products online.
I am now way near that level of success, but I place great value on your recommendations. I have put behind me those years of starting and stopping those MLM schemes after I realised that I hate myself for always chasing my family and friends to do business with me.I am putting more into my WA preparations and just joined Global money line on your link. I still need to figure out how it all works,. Thanks for your dedication to sharing your success.
I totally understand you Tony,
Especially the “I’ll see how well you do it first”, I used to get a ton of those. Doing MLM is super tough right now, people are getting clever and they know well to stay away, and those that don’t know well enough, they at least knew how to avoid by reading the traits of a scammer. It’s not wrong, but I believe sharing our stories online or through a blog like yours is a major convincer for any business that we do today.
Hi there, very interesting and intriguing post, your writing has a special and gentle style 🙂
I think the comparison between MLM and affiliate marketing is huge, and that affiliate marketing is the best way (in my opinion) to generate income from the internet without a big investment
Either way, I think not only me, but many more people loved reading your post content, looking forward to see more!
Thanks,Edi.
The upline in MLM will have more interest to help push their downline to succeed. Some MLM that I came across requires the left and right side to match before commission can be earned. So there is incentive for such coach to keep pushing, training their downline to succeed. With affiliate marketing, the onus is on ourselves to reach out to our coach and the community for help in achieving our own success. I would prefer the latter but hope my coach pushes me abit more.
This page started the exact same as a different one I read so since it started the exact same i just quickly scanned over the contents and find that it is very useful information for people looking for this information and can be a big help for people looking to start a career in something. It may even help them choose a niche that they can enjoy working on.
If it is the same page.then very good, well made and very informative information.
Good luck
I never connected the dots between an MLM type business and an online affiliate marketing business. I like the options that you provided. I am going to check them out. I am looking for an additional revenue stream that I can do online. I am planning on retiring soon and I cant just do nothing, if you know what I mean. Thanks for this!
I have previously been involved in several MLM companies, some were suitable for me some were scams and some not sustainable. Affiliate marketing offers everyone the chance to be successful online, but you must learn how then put in the hard work. and you can build a sustainable business. MLM, in my opinion, can build you a successful business but you may have to roll the dice of chance a few times to be a success
I am not a supporter of the MLM business, which is obvious, otherwise I would not have joined the Wealthy Affiliate platform. I think it’s easier to use and offers a lot more room for improvement. Of course that’s my opinion and I know I’m not alone in this.Affiliate marketing is well easier to get started and he is in all ways better than any MLM businesses.
My attitude- I’ll always go with affiliate marketing.
There is a huge difference between MLM businesses and affiliate marketing and the people who deal with it. The exceptions are those who can make money from an MLM business as they can make money from affiliate marketing. It’s a real business that when you have quality content it is like a money-making machine. There is a huge difference.
I actually helped put myself through grad school with AMWAY. I did pretty well. Later, I went to Bestline and made some money but it was terminated. A number of years ago I tried ACN. I had some success in all of these, but the constant need to go to meetings and recruit got to be a lot. I began affiliate marketing about 4 years ago. I love to write and find that working on my own for me is much better than recruiting. I think it took longer to make money through affiliate marketing but it is very satisfying.
Thanks for the article I found it to be very interesting. I haven’t done any MLM but know people who have I’m of the opinion that Affiliate Marketing is the way to go. I have joined Wealthy Affiliate and think it is an exceptional program with all a person needs to go forward and make an income from home.
If you would have asked me about MLMs ten years ago, I would have been all excited about them and promoting them. Although at this time I know that there are many good MLM companies with high quality products, I’m sick of all of them in this industry promoting themselves as the perfect company (where in reality they’re so far from it, as any of us).
I have heard about Global Moneyline quite frequently lately. I’ll definitely check it out myself.
MLM business can really be painful. I remember my days there, and yes that was a common advise to list a group of 100 people – family and friends , We are really grateful for this digital age, that you can still achieve the same without spoiling your immediate relationships.Of the 5 you have recommended, I am currently fully into WA, just signed up for Global moneyline and will on a latter stage explore others Thank you.
Tony, Another great article that tells the truth about making money online. For many years I was involved in multi level marketing schemes that did nothing more than take money out of my pocket, make my family think I was always looking for them to give me some of their money, and never making nearly enough money to cover my original costs. But fast forward a few years and I have been doing affiliate marketing with wealthy affiliate. It took a long time and a lot of work but I am finally making a significant income stream that more than covers all the money I have shelled out to join wealthy affiliate as a premium member.I would highly recommend it to anyone especially since you don’t need a credit card to start out!
I want to say you cannot compare a Multilevel marketing MLM company with affiliate marketing as they are two poles apart. There is simply no comparison between the two. It is like comparing apples with oranges, or even lemons.
The MLM business model is based on having to recruit people to make money and is so far removed from affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is always better than MLM. As an affiliate, if you are patient and work hard, you will be rewarded sooner or later. This can’t be said of MLM. They are usually purposely hard to understand, and have few benefits to speak of. Maybe as the Online King, you can make a good profit, but not the everyday Joe that is looking for some decent money online.
Hi, it’s me Aps again. I think I missed out on a very crucial aspect of Affiliate Marketing and a product that is ideal in this space. Yes, I too am talking about Wealthy Affiliate and I wish to reassure other readers about how WA has worked so well for me. Tony of course is a veteran in WA as well. It’s all due to WA that he has been able to make such a name for himself around the world. He is recognized online as one of the celebrated affiliate marketers.
Regards,
Aparna
Well, looking at MLM and what it’s usually promoting is simply so terrible. In my honest opinion, Affiliate Marketing is in all ways better than any MLM organizations since it has the biggest propensities of success and achievement (without losing your shirt!) and for many people it starts bringing in cash from it relatively fast if you are focused and work hard and consistently. On the other side though we have MLM organizations who can quickly put a poor fool into debt!
MLM vs Affiliate Marketing is a total no brainer. The MLM is a get rich quick scheme which doesn’t work. I know because I have been involved with both. The affiliate marketing strategy is much preferable to the MLM because with Affiliate Marketing you are working for your self, you are not lining the pockets of the people above you. You have explained the differences perfectly in this article.
I think you have to ask yourself first which one suits your personality best and also how much capital you can invest. Personally, I love the lucrative of MLM but I have yet to come across with a good company with a good product yet. Along the process I have wasted a lot of money and also stuck with the products that I do not need. Anyways, I prefer affiliate marketing more since the more I put my time and effort, plus the capital to start is not that much and i can work on my schedule, the reward I will see. It will just take time and I am in no rush. For me, Affiliate marketing is a better choice.
Hello,
Personally I don’t trust MLMs and have always been defiant towards this. I’ve met a lady once who was very nice by the way to start an MLM business in cosmetics. Fortunately with affiliate marketing there is no such thing. All you have to do is writing regularly to attract traffic, build your reputation as an authority, and recommend products as you would do with a friend. So I’m team affiliate marketing. Sorry MLM!
I much prefer affiliate marketing over MLM because I would rather promote products rather than selling them.
Selling is a skill that either comes naturally, or something you have to learn. Getting it right can be very difficult, and personally I’m not comfortable with it.
I also don’t like the idea of having to sell products to my family and friends, and also try to possible recruit them to sell as well.
Affiliate marketing on the other hand allows you to simply promote products, and of course those products are already proven to sell.
As your article alludes to, affiliate marketing wins over MLM in so many ways!
I have never liked the MLM model. It just seems so wrong to beg others to sell for us with the idea they will do the same to their family and friends, and the continuing cycle will make us all rich. Some might make money. Most do not. It just isn’t a sustainable model, in my opinion.
Affiliate marketing is so different! In fact, there can be several of us promoting similar products and not harm each other’s sales. We aren’t dependent on the work of other marketers. Our own efforts lead the game, so to speak.
Thanks for pointing out these differences. I think it will be helpful to others looking into making money online.
These are such good points, Diane. I would agree. I have been involved in several direct selling/MLM businesses and I much prefer affiliate marketing. My success is contingent upon my efforts.
MLM is just straining and time consuming, It also leads to loss of many relationships due to chasing people to join under you. It is such an old broken system. I definitely vouch with affiliate marketing more especially if one has a blog. It is simple to implement and has a better congversion rate than MLM. Nice article Tony. I loved it.
Hi Tony,
Another remarkable post. You have nicely compared MLM and associated marketing. I agree with you. My favorite among these two is definitely affiliate marketing because the money that can be earned through it is truly limitless. Wealthy Affiliate is surely the best platform in its industry for educating newbie affiliate marketers. Thanks for sharing such useful information. Keep it up.
All the best,
Dusan
When it comes to whether or not joining an mlm or sticking to affiliate marketing would be better for me, I like to think I enjoy the freedom of affiliate marketing more. I currently have a friend who is part of an mlm and they are actively recruiting new members and the whole thing seems very structured, not to mention the upfront costs. Every time I think about joining I think about how much fun it is building my website and doing things my own way, and I decide against it.
I have read and heard a lot about both Affiliate Marketing and Multi Level Marketing and I think they are both great ways to earn money digitally but in my opinion I think affiliate marketing is more profitable than Multi Level Marketing. Affiliate Marketing is a well more secured and more scalable type of online business that has the possibility to earn you passive income for a long time.
Multi-level marketing (MLM), also called pyramid selling, network marketing and referral marketing is a controversial marketing strategy for the sale of products or services where the revenue of the MLM company is derived from a non-salaried workforce selling the company’s products/services, while the earnings of the participants are derived from a pyramid-shaped or binary compensation commission system.
I would advise people to go with affiliate marketing. Thank you Tony for the article.
I’ll say that I consider affiliate marketing over MLM. Though they both have their advantages and disadvantages. But the advantages of affiliate marketing far outweighs that of MLM. When we look at these business model and what to go for, we should consider looking at the long term. Most of these MLM companies don’t last. You’ll see some being chased by FTC, closed down, or as a newbie to MLM, you may not earn much or even get back your capital. But with affiliate marketing, you get to have way lot peace of mind. You are in full control.
This web Blog is a very easy and to understand the subject it talks about. Has a great variety of meaningful information. Well organized and enjoyed reading. Keep up the fine work.
For me, I would say Affiliate Marketing and MLM are not mates as Affiliate Marketing is a well more secured and more scalable type of online business that has the possibility to earn you passive income for a long time but for mlm the case is quite different as only the people that comes in first benefit from it while the last set of people tend to earn little or noting.
I have been with wealthy affiliate for a very long time and i must tell you the are one of the best platform for those wanting to get into affiliate marketing.
Family members just never seem to understand until we succeed. It seems that the majority of people are afraid of going their own way. I think that is a great pity. We could have much more great entrepreneurs if this was not true. The 90/10 rule would also vanish if people just trusted themselves and not society.
Some competitions are not really worth it and I feel like this one is one of them. MLM is not a legit comparison to what affiliate marketing offers. There is a stack difference between the two and I feel like the possibility of making money through affiliate marketing is even greater.
The business line can be very wide and if you are not careful you’ll end up going for the wrong one and this is one reason I appreciate this articles a it gives you the right understanding about two major part of online businesses. For me I’ll always go with affiliate marketing as mlm has so much complexity and I really don’t like the stress of dealing
Surely an interesting juxtaposition between these two concepts. They cannot be more far apart. Affiliate marketing to me is way better than mlm because mlm has been proven over the time to not be always lasting and there seems to always be issues that erupt with the ones sustaining. Affiliate marketing is well easier to get started with and can quickly be achieved with without having to refer or bring in people that you know in
Comparing MLM and affiliate marketing is just so bad, affiliate marketing is in all ways better than any MLM businesses because it has the largest tendencies of success and you making money from it is assured to an extent, but MLM businesses online benefits a few set of people which makes it not so good.
Well for me, the possibilities are endless with affiliate marketing so that would definitely be my choice
Great article – and I fully agree!
The old way of marketing is what has always put me off marketing!
Now, the world is at our feet