Today’s post is going to sound a bit emotional because I am kind of angry, I want to talk about how to do affiliate marketing ethically, and the reason why I want to cover this topic is that I have come across content that is created by seasoned affiliate marketers and it has really ruffled my feathers, to say the least.

Obviously I am an affiliate marketer and I do have content on this website where I am recommending products and services, the main product that I recommend on this website and I do mention it a lot is Wealthy affiliate. The reason why I recommend this product, is that I have a lot of experience with the program and I am using it myself every single day. So I feel I am more than qualified to recommend it.

Plus if you decide to join the program, I am right there with you. Will I get a commission if you join? Yes, if you click on my links and upgrade to premium membership, I will get a commission.

Now Let’s Get To How To Do Affiliate Marketing Ethically

Before we get into the article, let me just say that I am not saying all affiliates are unethical, but there are a few, that are just super unethical. One of the big discussions in the affiliate marketing world, is the high ticket products and services. Some argue that it’s not ethical to just promote a product for the sole purpose of earning a big commission.

Now do I think it’s unethical to promote high ticket products just for the purpose of making big money? No, I don’t think it’s unethical, affiliate marketing is a business just like any other business. Let’s say you love Rolex watches, is it unethical to start a blog and review Rolex watches? of course not.

It only becomes unethical when you choose to promote a high ticket product that is not of high quality especially digital products, and maybe people who have purchased the high priced product are devastated by the loss of their money, we have seen products that cost thousands of dollars being promoted online and they are just not even worth a dime. Yet affiliates are singing praises and recommending these products.

Are All High Ticket Digital Products And Services Scams?

Now, there are some products out there that are worth the money, and people are willing to spend thousands of dollars on these products and the affiliates promoting these kinds of products are a happy lot. That being said there are some people who chose to promote products that they know very well are not going to add any value to the lives of their audience.

They just promote these products just to grow their bank accounts. And even though some are high ticket products like there are some products out there where you can make up to $1500 per sale, so obviously even if you make only one sale per day, you are looking at a good payday every month.

But it’s not only about the high ticket products some affiliates are promoting products that are not bringing in big commissions and this is what I don’t understand. It would make sense to promote the high ticket product because of the size of the commission, but when one promotes websites that are not paying big commission, it makes me wonder.

That is targeting people who are trying to make money online, maybe for the purpose of getting clicks or just making small commissions. And I think it’s just wrong, for example, and I have mentioned this before, I have tried many sites in the past when I was trying to figure out how to make money online. Now how did I find those sites? I found them by going to Google and typing how to make money online.

Preying On People Who Are Searching For Ways To Make Money Online Is Just Wrong

When I would type that phrase, I would come across all kinds of articles, and I would read and click on their links, once I get to the website they sent me to, I would be disappointed. But not before I spend hours either watching videos that I was supposed to get paid by watching, or clicking ads that didn’t make me not even a dime.

Then they would start suggesting that if I want to make money then I have to upgrade, and I was like OK, I joined this site because I was told I will get paid if I click ads, watch videos, and fill out surveys, etc, why then I am I being told to spend money?

As I am running this website, I can easily get on those sites and grab an affiliate link and do a review talking about how wonderful they are and how you can make money using them. I could simply write an article like one of the ones I read that made me join those sites. And I guarantee you I would get referrals and make commissions.

But when I think of the frustration I went through, and how I cursed the names of the authors that lend me there, I would never do that. To be honest I feel sick to my stomach when I think that someone knows very well that the only people who make money on those sites are people who own the sites and charge companies to advertise on those sites, And the affiliates who drive traffic to those sites.

You, Will, Not Make Money On Paid To Click Sites Unless You Refer People To The Sites, It’s That Simple

As I mentioned, the only people who will make money on these sites are the owners of the sites and the affiliates who tell lies to entice people to join, that’s it. the rest are just slaves who spend countless hours clicking ads and never even make a dollar.

I would rather recommend products that are going to add value to my audience instead of chasing commissions, that will give me restless nights, I sleep very well at night because I know even though I am not at the level of the big affiliate marketers, my conscious is clear. I think it’s very important to follow your ethics and morals even when running an online business.

Do Wealthy Affiliate Members Call All Other Programs Scams?

Another debate that is going on online and I have seen many questions especially on Quora.com, about this, people are asking why are Wealthy affiliate members always calling everything else a scam. If you go through my websites, you will see many reviews and I do recommend many other products.

This is despite the Wealthy Affiliate being the main product that I recommend. I am I in the business of calling other products scams just to make Wealthy affiliate sound like the only affiliate training program out there that is legit? absolutely not. If you read my review of Affillorama, You will see that I gave it it’s due credit, and I did not call it a scam because it’s not. I actually think it’s my number two recommendation after Wealthy affiliate, because you can learn a lot about online business on that program.

I actually learned a few things from them too, so yes Affilorama is a legit affiliate training program, the only thing and I mentioned this in my review, I did not like is the fact that the owner is not involved with the members, and I also didn’t like that the forum is spammy. Other than that they have lots of useful training material.

I do not think it’s ethical to throw a product under the bus just because you are trying to make your product that you are promoting appear to be the only legit product. I think the ethical way is to compare both products and see which one adds the most value to the consumer. I also think that it’s ethical to give each product a fair review and then let the consumer make the decision.

Remember That There is Another Affiliate Who Is Promoting That Product

Unless you are absolutely sure that a certain product is a scam, then it’s very wrong to label products as scams just because you are not promoting them. The thing is, there are other affiliates who are making a living promoting that product and I don’t think it’s ethical to knock their hustle.

And also is good to have a healthy competition, there is no need to bad mouth a product. The only time you should absolutely scream scam from the rooftop, is when you know for a fact that the product is a scam.

What About Throwing Your Lamborghini At Us Is That Ethical Affiliate Marketing?

OK, first of all, let’s just be clear, I do not own A Lamborghini, I am I jealous of the affiliates who own Lamborghini? no, I am not I think it’s cool to own such a car. Do I think that it’s ethical to rub it in our faces? no, it’s not ethical, especially when done in a braggy style.

Is it OK to share your success to encourage others? absolutely yes, it’s very important to show proof of your success especially if you are creating training or writing a book. What I don’t agree with, is when affiliate marketers brag about how well they are doing. And we know most of it is not real anyway.

I have seen this a lot especially on YouTube and actually most of them are cases of fake it until you make it. There is this ad that keeps popping up on me when I am watching videos on YouTube and it’s just ridiculous.

The ad is of an affiliate marker who is talking about his big life and how he can travel to exotic locations in the world anytime he wants, and in the ad he is implying that he is in some exotic Island, the only problem is, you can see clearly that he is using a poster as background to make it seem like he is on the said exotic Island.

He should have looked at the ad carefully before he posted it, you can clearly see the borders of the poster.

Conclusion

Although the whole point of starting an affiliate marketing business is to make money online, I think it’s very important to do it ethically and morally. Just like running a business offline, you should have the best interest of your audience at heart and that means you will be able to make money online for many years.

But if you just focus so much on making big money as soon as possible, you might be able to make a couple of big commissions but your audience will not be happy with products and that means they will not come back or recommend your site to others.

The thing we have to keep in mind as affiliate marketers, is that although we are running online businesses, we are actually recommending these products to real people. Which means, we must be considerate. They have placed their trust on us to review and recommend products and services, therefore it’s our duty and responsibility to give them recommendations that will add value to their lives.

Well, thank you for reading and please share your opinions below.

Rose
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