Review of Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing: can you make money as a stay at home mom?

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I’ve always had an entrepreneurial heart. In 2015 I started my first blog wanting to live a lifestyle that allowed freedom from the 9-5. When my son was born, my business dreams got put on hold. Now, as a stay at home mom, I found myself longing to do something for myself again, as well as contribute financially to my family. Here’s everything you need to know about the course that’s allowing me to do that.

DISCLOSURE: There are SOME affiliate links BELOW AND I MAY RECEIVE COMMISSIONS FOR PURCHASES MADE THROUGH LINKS IN THIS POST. ALL PRODUCTS ARE ONES I RECOMMEND AND DO/WOULD USE MYSELF.

STEFFANIBAKER.COM IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR SITES TO EARN ADVERTISING FEES BY ADVERTISING AND LINKING TO AMAZON.COM

Have you ever read an article that talked about an amazing product and how it changed that authors life and it immediately sparks your interest? What’s even better is when they give you a link to click that brings you to the EXACT product or service they’re talking about so you can benefit too? That’s affiliate marketing. What happens is that they get a commission for someone purchasing a product through their link.

What’s so great about affiliate marketing as a business owner is that it helps you bring in an income while further helping your audience.

I love following other online business owners that help you turn something like blogging into a business that helps you provide for your family. Someone I’ve always admired is Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Makingsenseofcents.com. I’ve loved how transparent she is about her income as a blogger while staying so real and personable. She’s trustworthy, which is another huge part of being successful at affiliate marketing.

Michelle has made over $1,000,000 in affiliate marketing over the years in her business. So what makes her so unique to be able to do this? Well, nothing. She just put in the time and work and it paid off.

I had followed Michelle for a couple years before she created her course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and was thrilled when she decided to share all her strategies and tips to make money online.

I recently revisited the course and want to share my thoughts with you, because I know the feeling of wanting to create an income and do something for yourself as a stay at home mom.

So here’s my honest review.

First off, the basics of Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is online course created by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Makingsenseofcents.com,

You get instant access to the digital course with printable worksheets within the lessons, access to the private Facebook group and several bonuses.

There are 6 modules:

• Module 1: What Is Affiliate Marketing?
• Module 2: How To Find and Apply To Affiliate Programs
• Module 3: Follow The Rules
• Module 4: How To Get Your Readers To Convert
• Module 5: Strategies and Ways To Promote Affiliate Links
• Module 6: Rinse and Repeat

And currently 10 bonuses:

1. How to always get approved to an affiliate program
2. How to drive thousands of visitors to your blog with Pinterest video
3. 9 things you must do when something goes viral
4. How to increase your page views
5. Affiliate products and services worksheet
6. The perfect affiliate link checklist worksheet
7. How to maximize your reach, your impact and your revenue with Facebook ads
8. Editing and writing strategies that will take your content to the next level
9. How to legally protect your blog video
10. How to drive traffic to your blog with Pinterest, How to always get approved for affiliate programs and even editing and writing strategies to take your content to the next level.

Whether you are a blogger, influencer, social media content creator, or anything to do with online business, you can benefit from this course. Affiliate marketing, also sometimes referred to as digital marketing, is such a valuable skill to have. It is an actual way to make money through your online business.

Furthermore, these skills make you more marketable as an employee because EVERY business can utilize affiliate marketing to bring income into the business. This course teaches you from start to finish how to create income through affiliate marketing as it relates to your business.

Not only does she cover the logistics and tech of adding affiliates to your business, she also covers things like how to measure if your affiliates are working the way they should (SMART goals, amiright?) and one of the most important parts of all.. how to get people to TRUST you to actually BUY from you.

WHO needs this product: stay at home moms looking to make money from home.

Honestly… anyone looking to make money needs this course. But who I want to encourage is stay at home moms looking to work and bring in some extra income.

Affiliate marketing gives you the opportunity to get back into working while sitting on your couch at home while your toddler naps.

It gives you the opportunity to bring in money for your family, and turn your hobby or passion into an actual business. If there are things you do anyway, read, crochet, dance, workout, cook, bake, paint… whatever it is. You can help others enjoy these things too, all while you’re making money from home.

Positives & Negatives

First things first, I’m going to start with the negative.

1. This is not, I repeat, not a get rich quick scheme. Don’t get me wrong, you can start making money right away when you get things set up, but like any well run business, income reliability takes some time.
2. There aren’t videos in the main modules. However, this ends up being ok due to the detail she provides. I also find myself more focused on the material vs. just listening to it while I’m distracted by doing the dishes and not truly absorbing the content.
3. The worksheets are too simple for my liking. I prefer thorough workbooks that guide me through step by step how to utilize the worksheet. All of the information is there in the previous lesson, I just like it to be in front of me when I’m working on the worksheets also. So, if you’re like me, print out your worksheets ahead of time so you can take notes on them as you read through the lesson it pertains to.

On to what’s amazing about this course.

1. Michelles writing style is so personable. She writes like you’re talking to a friend.
2. You leave each model feeling empowered. She simplifies things so that you feel encouraged to do the work.
3. Her customer support for the course is incredible. I’ve reached out several times and receive very prompt emails from her or her team with help. Again, you can feel that you’re talking to a real person.
4. The modules are to the point. They aren’t covered in a bunch of fluff that requires 2 hours of reading for one topic. She is thorough and detailed while eliminating all the extra bs that distracts you from the lesson.
5. The course helps you focus on which affiliate marketing will be useful to you and how to identify which will be a waste of your valuable time.
6. Michelle gives you a comprehensive list of affiliate programs to apply based on your specific niches and even ones that you can apply for as a NEW BLOGGER.
7. You learn how to protect your business legally, including the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) requirements.
8. You learn whether or not you qualify for programs based on your state and how to still make an income if you live in a state that certain affiliates don’t allow participation in.

Real talk: my thoughts on this product & how it’s helped me

I personally love this course. I finished it feeling empowered and ready to incorporate affiliate marketing into my blog. I appreciated that Michelle simplified something that seemed to be complicated and difficult.

Michelle includes so much more than just the logistics of using affiliate marketing, she gives you a complete, well rounded way to develop an actual strategy that will benefit your business income. The last lesson in Module 5 is Michelle’s exact method for having made over $500,000 from ONE affiliate product. I love that she wrote this course to truly help others reach success.

Topics such as using and improving existing content in your strategy, how and where to place affiliate links so they’re user friendly and how to provide the information you need to your readers to help them most while still making money without being spammy.

What is the price?

$197. Or 2 payments of $105/month.

To me, it’s a no brainer. That cost is so minimal compared to so many other digital marketing courses and for the detail Michelle gives it’s so worth it.

Not to mention, she truly is an expert in the field. Someone who has made over $500,000 from a single blog post because of affiliate marketing and has so many years of experience is someone to learn from.

FAQS

1. Is it hard?

No, but there is a technique to it. It’s not just as simple as talking about a product one time or tossing a link in a post somewhere.

2. Do you need a ton of followers and page views?

Not necessarily. That’s why I love affiliate marketing as one of the first ways to make money online. What you do need, is to create an honest relationship with your email list and create good quality content.

3. Can I start making money from affiliate marketing as a new blogger?

Short answer, yes! Learn from Michelle’s mistakes and let her teach you how to do it right from the beginning.

Final thoughts

I think it’s so important for stay at home moms to find themselves again… to be able to express them selves. While I found blogging before I became a (human) mom, I have been enjoying the outlet now more than ever. What’s even better is the opportunity to continue to stay home with my son, instead of go back to work outside the home for financial reasons.

It’s something that’s accessible to anyone, you just need the guide to do it. And this is it! So get creative mama, and believe in yourself.

Quick tip for when you start the course:

Don’t jump the gun. Follow the course as it’s laid out. When I first bought this course I skipped around and ultimately it did me no favors. When I revisited the course, I followed from start to finish and there was a significant difference in my understanding and application of the content.

Also, don’t rush through it. Follow the modules and if you already have an outlet to incorporate affiliate marketing, try and do it as you’re learning about it so that you don’t get overwhelmed.

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