Which is better for you network marketing or affiliate marketing? I have been involved with both network marketing and affiliate marketing. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Is one easier than the other? Both involve selling products or services. So, they are equal in that regard. However, for me I think affiliate marketing is a little easier than network marketing. Let's talk about both below:

Network Marketing

The definition of network marketing or multi level marketing is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of the salespeople they recruit.

In network marketing you are selling a product or service and you are signing people up to be in your network. Many times you have to be on a monthly autoship for the product or service you are selling. The companies like for you to do this to showcase that you too are using the product. The disadvantage of this is it can be costly. Some people can't afford the monthly bill every month. This has caused many people to end up in debt after a period of time.

You have to be continually generating new leads. These are people you are seeking to join you in your business. This can be a very tedious process. Some people are just not cut out for rejection and after a while they get discouraged. While you can get paid if a person only buys the product you get paid more if the person joins you in the business. It also takes money to make money in network marketing because you have to be on an autoship program yourself. This also helps the company pay for the websites that they supply the members with. Also, you have to buy other marketing materials such as: pamphlets, business, cards and promotional cd's.

It also helps if you signup with a good team leader. This is a person who is not only making money themselves but also helping the people on their team as well. They will be able to help you get started and explain to your team how to bring in and teach people about the business. It is very important that once you join a network marketing company you attend the weekly training calls they have for the members to help them learn the benefits of the products and services and how to promote them.

There is nothing wrong with being in more than one network marketing company but I wouldn't recommend it if you are just starting out. Also, be on the lookout for people jumping from one business to the next. These people are called network marketing junkies. They don't stay in any company long term, they go from one company to the next hoping to make fast cash. Which is really not possible. If you suspect someone of this, it is wise not to signup with them if you are thinking about joining the business. Find someone who is a good team leader who is stable and building their business.

Affiliate Marketing

The definition of affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate's own marketing efforts. The industry has four core players: the merchant, the network, the publisher, and the customer.

In affiliate marketing you too are selling a product or a service for a company. However, in affiliate marketing you don't have to pay to get started. There are usually no products or services you have to buy to get started. You can get started for free. The company gives you banners and text ads to use in your online marketing. All is provided for free. However, if you want to use other methods that cost that is totally up to you but not mandatory.

Some affiliate marketing companies have affiliate managers. These are people that help you with your marketing. You can ask them questions and they will also provide you with what you need to be successful and let you know about campaigns that you might like to run. Some companies provide you with training as well. You join affiliate marketing companies through affiliate marketing networks such as: Commission Junction, Shareasale, and Linkshare. Some affiliate companies like for you to have a website. While, not mandatory for all you should just check with the company and they will let you know. I know some internet marketers that don't have a website but they have a forum or adboard where they can advertise text links or banners.

If you do not have a website it is not hard to get one started. Website builders are great for building a website and getting online quickly. You can also build one for free and upgrade later on. The upgrade provides you with more features. The learning curve is not hard and the support is usually very helpful. You can also check out online marketing forums as well people in there don't mind lending a helping hand. Some affiliate marketing companies provide pages already built but you would have to pay for hosting and a domain name.

Conclusion

I like network marketing and affiliate marketing. However, I do think it is easier to get started in affiliate marketing because you don't have to pay to get started. This gives you time to learn how to do affiliate marketing without the stress of a bill every month. Thus, it can cut down on added stress if you aren't making a whole lot of money in the beginning. When you do start making money you can put it back into your business. Whether you want to purchase affiliate pages or domain names. Whatever you might want to help you in promoting the products. While, with network marketing you have a monthly autoship that you have to pay whether you are making money or not. You can't really save money because it has to immediately be put back into the business by purchasing the monthly products or services.

Also, with network marketing your success depends on how many people you signup. If you signup productive people who are working the business that helps you make more money. However, if you signup people who aren't working the business that can really be a big problem for you because you won't be getting paid either. It's the trickle down effect. However, with affiliate marketing your success doesn't depend on you signing up people. There are companies that will reward you for bringing in referrals but your overall success doesn't depend on them. If they signup and don't do anything it won't really affect you as long as you are selling the products or services yourself.


As you can see there or both benefits of joining network marketing or affiliate marketing. It just depends on what is better for you. You can be a network/affiliate marketer if you like both and believe that you have the skills and the time.

Are you both a network/affiliate marketer? If so, how is it going? Have you been in a network marketing company in the past? Was the experience good or bad for you? Which do you prefer? Network marketing or affiliate marketing?