Despite how it can feel when you walk into a major department store like Wal-Mart or Target, the majority of all businesses in America are small businesses. Small businesses can cover just about every product or service you can think of: artisanal crafts, local restaurants, independent rental properties, car shops, cybersecurity firms, and much more. In fact, thanks to the affiliate model, there’s even such a thing as small business marketing.

Content Creation In The Internet Age

“Content creator” is a catchall term that’s started becoming popular thanks to the way the internet has blurred the line between formerly separate disciplines. Thanks to online access, people today can write informative articles and reviews, post vlogs and podcasts, record music, take photos, and do whatever else they want. They can then upload their creations to social media sites, video hosts, and personal websites for everyone to see and rate.

However, while millions of people consider content creation nothing more than a hobby, for some people it can become a career. Some are able to go the traditional route of having people pay to access or download their creations, but others enter the world of small business marketing instead.

Affiliate Marketing And You

The affiliate marketing system is simple. With the help of a third party like Wealthy Affiliate, independent marketers can enter into agreements with affiliate programs and networks. The individuals then promote the products offered by the programs and get paid a commission if someone uses a marketer’s link to buy something.

While you can certainly take the direct route and compose ads to put on other websites, that’s not the only way to go about small business marketing. Other avenues include YouTube videos, social media posts, and email lists. However, the most common method is probably website creation. By writing up content related to an affiliate network’s products and services, you can entice viewers into reading what you have to say on a subject while hosting program ads at the same time. This is how content creation can turn into a small business marketing firm.

Making A Profit On Honesty And Good Writing

One of the greatest strengths of the website model is the fact that honest opinions aren’t just possible, they’re encouraged. When people see direct marketing campaigns, they know that the company behind it is putting its best foot forward, emphasizing all the good points while glossing over the negatives. Consumers don’t consider selling products like this shilling because the advertisements are clear about its intentions.

However, creating an informative website is indirect marketing, and in indirect marketing, honesty and trustworthiness are key. The website and its content need to be the main draw, not the advertisements, because the content is what will keep people coming back for more, keep them seeing the advertisements on the site, and keep them clicking through to buy something that interests them.

People expect advertisements to avoid the whole truth, but they expect reviews and personal opinions to be honest and to present both the good and the bad. A bad review might discourage a site’s visitor from buying a certain product, but few people will trust a glowing review that ignores or disagrees with what other reviews say. That sort of review is what people call shilling, and if people see such a review on a website, they won’t trust anything else they see and they won’t come back to read more.

As such, it’s better in the long run to write reviews and other website content that points out the flaws of a good product than it is to downplay or ignore them. True honesty improves a website’s reputation and brings in more visitors, and more visitors will click on more ads.

Passion is another key feature of good small business marketing. The affiliate system isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, and it takes a lot of time and effort to build up a website and a social media presence to the point where you can start making a significant income. To do so, you need to feel a real passion for your subject of choice, not to mention a certain amount of skill in both content creation and marketing strategies.

AffiliateMarketerTraining.com is a resource for affiliate marketers of all stripes and all experience levels. Our articles and blog posts are written by people who have already achieved success through affiliate programs, and the advice they offer can get your campaign off the ground or take it to the next level.