Spam! The very word is something that rages in the meekest of people. It is almost considered a four letter expletive these days and something that should never be spoken about. One place where it should most definitely never be used is in the world of internet business. 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 main instigator of the personal computer isn't impervious to spam then, who is? Now I am not going to go on and on about what spam is, how annoying it is, because everybody should know about those infuriating advertisements sent via email clogging up your inbox. Instead I want to show how spam can affect affiliate marketing and your business.

So firstly, what is affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing is the promotion 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 for a percentage of the sale. So one may logically assume that by "spamming" or sending out advertisements to as many people as possible, then they will target a vast and enormous audience and in turn achieve more sales. Therefore, for more earnings. Well this is an extremely simplified and just the wrong view to take. Indeed Spamming in this way can actually hurt your affiliate business. Up to 80% of all emails these days is categorized as “spam” and many of these 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 recognition is that the recipient will just delete the message and block any further messages coming from that email address. You will 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 an aspiring entrepreneur will want. Furthermore, you could 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!

In the UK, 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 only two 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 internet report that provides you with simple Do's and Don'ts that you should follow if you wish to be a successful affiliate marketer. Not sending Spam emails is just one of those. It is highly recommended that you read this report before embarking on your career as an affiliate as it could save you a lot of aggravation and possible legal trouble.