SPAM. In affiliate marketing, using SPAM could cost you more than a sale

Spam is something that infuriates most of us. It is now considered a four letter word that should not be used these days and something that should never be spoken about. Spamming in Internet Marketing should most definitely not be used.

One great anecdote is from Microsoft's own Bill Gates: "Like almost everyone who uses e-mail, I receive a ton of spam every day. Much of it offers to help me get out of debt or get rich quick."

If the man who brought the personal computer to the home isn't impervious to spam then, who is? I am not going to go on and on and on about spam, what it is, and how annoying it is, because everybody knows about those infuriating advertisements sent via email filling your inbox. Instead I would like to demonstrate how how spam can seriously affect affiliate marketing and your business.

So, what is affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing is the promoting of and selling of products online by an associate on behalf of a company. Sign up with the company and you are authorised to sell their products and you take a percentage of that sale. So you may logically assume that by "spamming" or sending out advertisements to as many people as you possibly can, you will target a vast audience thereby achieving a greater chance of many more sales. Unfortunately, this is an extremely simplified and the wrong view to take. Spamming like this can actually hurt your affiliate business. Statistics suggest that up to 80% of all emails these days is categorized as “spam” and far too many of these unfortunately come from affiliate marketers, believing that sending blanket emails is the best way in which to promote, expose and gain their product recognition.

The most likely result of spamming to gain exposure of your products is that the recipient will just simply delete the message and block any further more coming from that email address. You will then find yourself potentially to be on a “spam blacklist” So in essence; before you have even made your first affiliate marketing sale your email is blacklisted. Certainly not what the aspiring entrepreneur will want. Furthermore, you may very well be breaking the law.

In 2007 Robert Soloway lost a court case which was brought against him by an Oklahoma based Internet Service Provider; they accused him of spamming. He was ordered to pay over $10 million in compensation for his actions. Not something you want for your business!

Another case in the United Kingdom of the same year, Gordon Dick successfully won the sum of £1368.66 against Transcom Internet Services for spamming his email account. And these are not the isolated cases on record that have brought spammers to court. Spamming for market penetration is a mistake that so many affiliate marketers make. More often than not it ends their affiliate market careers, but worst still, it can land them in court with a hefty fine and blacklisted name.

If you are interested in becoming an affiliate marketer then you should read "Affiliate Marketing 101".

"Affiliate Marketing 101" is a free report that provides you with simple Do's and Don'ts that should be followed if you wish to be a successful affiliate marketer. Don’t send Spam emails is just one of them. I highly recommended that you read this report before embarking on your career as an affiliate Marketer as it could save you a lot of aggravation and possible legal trouble.