Hey everyone! Today I’m switching gears for a second to talk more about the technical aspects of blogging as opposed to Disney. Blogging is not easy by any means. I’m still learning and becoming a better blogger every day. I’ve almost been blogging an entire year, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself and the progress I have made!
One aspect of blogging that drives a lot of people to blogging is the fact that, if done right, you can make a ton of money blogging. I can’t tell you how many articles I read on Pinterest about people making hundreds, even THOUSANDS of dollars a month just from blogging! The prospect of being able to make money with my blog was definitely a reason I took the plunge and started Lissy Through the Looking Glass.
However, money isn’t everything! I love blogging about Disney and sharing my passion with you, which is why I continue to give you quality content. Still, I enrolled myself a few months ago in Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I had seen this course pop up in numerous articles as the GO TO course on affiliate marketing. I’m a firm believer that you never need to stop learning, so a course on affiliate marketing was definitely intriguing to me.
I love Disney, but if I can make a few bucks here and there as well, why not?! Here is my complete review of the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course, and the answer to the big question – should you enroll?!
**this post contains affiliate links! This means I may receive financial compensation for my recommendations. Please see my disclaimer for more information!**
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate Marketing is when you review products or make a recommendation for a product to your readers, and in return, you get some sort of compensation. More often than not, you get financial compensation for a review. Whenever you see that disclosure at the top of my posts, that means that post contains an affiliate link.
Just like many other bloggers out there, I would NEVER recommend something I did not fully trust. When you establish trust with your readers, you can make affiliate marketing recommendations in all your articles, and know that your readers will take your word if a product is good or bad. You should never be an affiliate for a product you wouldn’t use yourself!
What is Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing?
Now to the course itself. Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is a course that you can enroll in that helps you learn tips and tricks to step up your affiliate marketing game. The course was written by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner at Making Sense of Cents, and she has become the leading expert on affiliate marketing through the success of this course.
It is a Teachable course, meaning you sign up and access all the lessons through the Teachable website. The course consists of 6 modules with multiple lessons per module and some exercises here and there to help you tailor affiliate marketing to YOUR site.
Because each niche is different, the course sets out to teach you:
- Where to find products that work for YOUR readers
- How to give an HONEST product review, with both pros and cons, that can establish trust with your readers
- Tips to incorporate affiliate links in to all your posts without being pushy and sounding like a salesman
- How to make sure you are following all the rules and making appropriate disclosures
And so much more!
The Bonuses!
With every good course comes BONUSES! In addition to being able to access the course at any time after you purchase it, you’ll have access to:
- The Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Facebook Group. I use this group all the time to ask questions of my fellow bloggers AND to help promote my posts
- Access to the “Perfect Affiliate Link Checklist” that allows you to look at each affiliate link individually and make sure it is performing to its highest potential.
- Access to “Facebook Ads” by Monica Louie to help yourself create successful Facebook campaigns for your blog
- The ability to become a Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing affiliate after completing the course
These are just a handful of the extra goodies you’ll get with your purchase!
The Review – Is It Worth It?
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is no small investment. You can purchase it for a one time fee of $197, or pay over two months, with a payment of $105 each month. Obviously you save a few bucks if you pay the one time fee. Either way, that might seem like a lot to throw down on one course. Before pulling the trigger, you’ll want to know if it WORKS, right?
Well, after much thought and deliberation, I went ahead and enrolled in the course.
There were a LOT of things I really enjoyed about the course!
- The course is very well written and easy to follow. Michelle breaks each section up in to chunks, so you can focus on each part without getting lost or sidetracked.
- The worksheets were very helpful in helping myself plan out my affiliate links. It was a great guide to help me find appropriate products for my Disney niche, and helped me think outside the box so I could find a product for just about every one of my products
- I really enjoy the Facebook group Michelle runs as part of the bonuses. She posts almost daily and has threads for sharing posts, asking questions, and is a great resource for any blogger!
Some things I did NOT really enjoy about the course:
- I felt like I really flew through the course. While all the information was very helpful, I felt like the worksheets and assignments were quick and easy, so I finished the course within a week. I kind of wanted a bit more elaboration on some areas, or some more examples of how to use skills in other niches (she only provides links to her own blog).
- The printouts and worksheets are kind of scattered about the course. I would have enjoyed a download that was all the worksheets in one.
Does it WORK?
Let’s stop beating around the bush – everyone wants to know if this course WORKS.
Long story short – YES! It does!
Upon completion of the course, I wrote a review of Walt Life Subscription Boxes. I used what I had learned in the course to write a concise review of the product, and within 24 hours I’d gotten two affiliate sales through ShareASale.
Upon until that point, the only money I had been making through my blog had been through ads. I’m STILL not making a ton through ads, but any money I HAVE made has been through affiliate links. These affiliate links would not be generating ANY money if I hadn’t gotten this course. Before the course, I was just throwing links in to my posts and linking to them on Pinterest pins, hoping they would take. After the course, I know how to better incorporate them into my posts. I know how to build trust with my readers to get them to click the link and get them to purchase a product. I know how to write a review that reflects the good – and the bad – in a product. Without the course, I don’t think I’d be able to do that.
Don’t Delay, Enroll Today!
Yes, it is an investment. So is your blog! It’s true that you might be successful with affiliate marketing if you just play around with it, but this course really helped me figure out how to seamlessly integrate links in to my posts. I think I would be frustrated at this point in my blogging career if I didn’t take this course.
Don’t just take my word for it! Check out the testimonials and enroll for yourself! Even if you don’t gain as much out of the course as you thought, they have a money back guarantee!
Have you tried Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing? Let me know in the comments below! I have a whole page of blogging resources that you can view as well if you’re looking for more tips.
Additionally, be sure to check out this amazing article I stumbled upon called 10 Email Marketing Best Practices at JeffLenney.com. This article outlines important ways to utilize your email list to help with affiliate marketing – very important if you’re going to be successful using Michelle’s method! Be sure to check it out before sending out swarms of newsletters to your list!
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