Affiliate programs – there are many different ones available to sign up with to start earning an affiliate commission. From there the aim is to drive traffic to the webpage where the product can be bought, or to join a list with a view to be offered a product later on.

One way this works is the advertiser would pay the affiliate program owner a fee to insert a link on their site, and in return the program owner sends traffic to the advertisers link, then when a customer buys through this link the advertiser earns a commission. A fairly simple process, but as with anything there are do’s and don’ts, and if you’re missing some ingredients it makes your job as an advertiser harder.

Is affiliate marketing a smart work from home choice or not? Listed below are 9 reasons why the odds are in favor of it.

1. Low start up costs

A large majority of people simply don’t have thousands in the bank to invest in a traditional bricks & mortar business, and those that do, don’t want to risk their hard earned savings, a lot of capital is required. Affiliate marketing offers a very low start up cost which is suited to those looking to get going with a small budget.

2. Must not take up too much time

For many people their time is valuable, more so than money in some cases. No one really wants to be tied down working 8-10 hours a day at home. The affiliate model is flexible enough so it does not take up too much time.

3.Profits from efforts need to be seen early on.

Anyone starting a business ideally wants to see profits as soon as possible, with a traditional business it’s not uncommon for profits to be seen months or even years later. Starting an affiliate marketing business, profits can be seen early on, sometimes in as little as a few days.

4. A global marketplace

Affiliate marketing offers you the luxury of being able to sell your products worldwide. Once you’ve done the job of selecting your product, market and setting up sites and tools for affiliates your ready to go, traditional business doesn’t have any flexibility to operate this way. An affiliate based business taps into a global marketplace all year round.

5. Must be enjoyable and hassle free

A major attraction for internet and affiliate marketing is the fact you can get started with almost zero risk and on the most minimal budget, it has a perfect blend of factors built into it for anyone to take advantage of which are enjoyable and hassle free.

6. Your shop open 24 hours a day 7 days a week

Having a shop open 24 hours a day 7 days a week has to be the ultimate advantage in comparison to a traditional business, it’s like having a sales force on the road for you that never sleep.

7. Work when it suits you

In today’s fast paced world, people are busier than ever working, playing, spending time with families and so on, it doesn’t matter what time you set about working on your affiliate marketing business, work when it suits you and tailor it to fit around any lifestyle.

8. Must be able to run from home.

The thought of renting office space and hiring staff and training them doesn’t appeal to many people, plus most people aren’t cut out for that type of hands on people to people work. Affiliate marketing is definitely a must be able to run from home type business.

9. No special skills or talents required

Affiliate marketing is something the average person can pick up and start moving with right from the word go, with no special skills or talent required. Compare this to working for a company, when you’re new there is often a learning curve training period to follow before you are ready for unsupervised work.