Affiliate Programs have exploded on the internet. Thousand of people join them every day. Amazon.com is probably the best example of such phenomenal success.

If the affiliate program is so popular and so widely available and booming like mushroom...Why do most affiliate have a hard time making $100 per month ? And some never see have receive a check ? It's probably because they are not effective in their marketing campaign or doing noting at all.

But some affiliates are making big bucks. They are the one with an income of ($100,000 and over per year). There is also a big majority who still make a good income (around $10 000 to $75 000 a year). Of course the vast majority of affiliate will never make that much money. They fail miserably.

So what is wrong with them ?

THEY DON'T SET GOALS

Most people fail at anything because most people don't have a clear vision of where they are heading. They don't take the time to learn and experiment. They give up too easily.

Yes, it feels "unproductive" to prepare and set up a system... But it's how the successful succeed.

The solution? Planning and learning.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT AFFILIATE PROGRAM

Choosing the best companies is an art in itself. Choose affiliate program that are already successful and well established like SFI. Choose the one that offer good training and good marketing aids.

Successful affiliates select the best companies. They use new ideas and creativity to attract customers. They never give up.

DEVELOP A GOOD WEBSITE

Lot's of people don't know how to design a website. Or don't have the money to hire a webmaster. Even the ones who can design a website. They design poor content or poor design. Produce low value gateway pages. They use free web hosting. They don't master the search engine.

The solution? Take what you know, what you love, and turn it into a Theme-Based Content Site. Attract highly targeted, interested customers, provide solid value through content, then refer them to your affiliated merchants.

DRIVING TRAFFIC

Having lot's of traffic to your website is a big challenge. But it is essential to be successful. Or at least to make a reasonable amount of money.

You have to make your site "search engine friendly". You need content for the search engine to spider your website.

You need to know how your webpage is index and how well it is ranked on the SE to better perform.

Use every marketing method to drive traffic.

a.. PPC Campaign

b.. Linking Strategy

c.. Writing Articles

d.. Ezine Publishing

e.. Newsletter

f.. Banner Advertising

g.. Viral Marketing (EBooks, Freeware etc.)

h.. Offline as well. (Business Cards, Flyers, Radio Spots etc.)

CONCLUSION

Affiliate Program are great. You can really make a substantial income at almost no cost. This is the simplest way to start a business. You can really succeed if you keep learning and experimenting.