You’ve done your research, learned the basics of what affiliate marketing is all about, different popular marketing methods and some of the ins-and-outs, ups-and-downs of affiliate marketing.

Congratulations!  So what’s next?

Let’s go over a few of the steps you need to take once you’ve decided that affiliate marketing is right for you.

The first thing you’ll need to do is choose which affiliate program is right for you.  Do you want a pay-per-sale, pay-per-click or pay-per-lead program to be part of?

I’m sure you already know the basics of each of these programs, so now it’s probably more a matter of checking out the affiliate programs that are available and seeing what type of support and pay they offer.

The importance of knowing how your prospective affiliate program pays is more than just a matter of how much they pay.

You’ll also want to know when payouts are made, too.  While for some people waiting 1, 2 or even 3 months for their payout is not a big deal, for others it can be.

Just like many traditional businesses, not all affiliate programs pay on the same schedule.  Some make payouts daily, while others pay out weekly, monthly or even as far out as 90 days.  Some programs withhold payouts until you’ve accrued a certain set amount of payouts.

You’ll want to be sure to clearly understand the payout details before signing on and getting to work.

Support for a new affiliate marketer is very important.  Most newbies have a fair grasp on certain aspects of affiliate marketing, but if you’re like most newbies there’s still a lot for you to learn.

You’ll want to know things like if the affiliate program provides you with a website or if you need to provide your own, do they offer support for marketing issues like driving traffic, technical support and other issues of that nature.

All of this can make a very big difference in how successful you are.  Be sure to ask any questions you may have and write down the answers and information you receive from each affiliate program you contact.

This will be very useful when the time comes to make your final choice.

Once you’ve chosen the right program and signed up the real fun begins.  You’ll be in for an exciting ride full of lots of learning, networking with other affiliates, hard work and eventually, money-making.

But what you hear very little about are the rules and regulations of articles on affiliate sites. Before you end up in a sticky situation let’s take some time to discuss what rules and regulations are out there that you should be aware of.

When it comes to affiliate marketing, most affiliate programs have their own rules and regulations regarding content articles on their affiliates’ sites.

While some are clearly· stated, others are not. The following list is just a few of the most commonly-known rules regarding content articles on affiliate sites.

· Links may only be placed in certain areas in articles. (dependent upon program)

· You may not tell or ask a reader to click on a link. (dependent upon program)

· Your article must be written in a certain font style and size. (varies from program to program)

· Stale content is not allowed. (this is becoming a widespread rule, especially since the Google revolution)

This is particularly important to marketers regardless of the rules, since your visitors want fresh content.

The fresher the content the more likely you are to have repeat visitors. They will come to your site looking for new reading.

· Filler content is not allowed. No one wants to read an article full of "fluff". If you’re going to take the time to read an article you want to feel like you’ve gotten something out of it when you’re done reading.

· Articles topics must be related to the product or service on the site. This is to prevent people from "stealing" traffic by have content on their site that is totally unrelated to the products and services they offer. After all, fair is fair!

Before placing content on your affiliate site be sure to take the time to fully understand your program’s rules regarding content. It will save you a lot of wasted time on re-writing your content and the possibility of a lot of trouble.

While we’ve all read success stories on various topics, some of the most encouraging stories to read are those that are written about people in a similar situation as you.

The following tidbits are based on true success stories of affiliate marketers.

Without naming individuals’ names or giving site links I’m going to give two-sentence bits on several different affiliate marketing success stories.

This article would quickly become a book if I were to include bigger portions for each case.  If you’d like to know more about any of these success stories a quick Google search for affiliate marketing success stories will turn up what you’re looking for.

Ebay’s affiliate program has produced many, many successful affiliate marketers.  Using a variety of marketing methods such as Natural Search, Content/Niche Site and Paid Search, eBay’s affiliates have reaped the rewards of being part of a successful affiliate program.

Not nearly the scale of eBay’s affiliate program, but producing successful affiliates nonetheless, is AllSat.com’s affiliate program.

This two-tier affiliate program offering DishNetwork satellite systems has provided a very comfortable living for many of its affiliates.

Now I understand that I’ve only given two examples of affiliate marketing success stories, but there are so many more out there like these.

My hope is that by giving you just enough to really catch your attention you’ll take the time on your own when you’re finished reading this article to do a Google search of affiliate marketing success stories and read more.

Believe me, when you’re done reading a few of the stories out there you’ll be feeling very inspired and ready to take the leap into affiliate marketing.

If you’ve already taken the leap and perhaps are feeling a bit down because your progress has been slow, then this might be just the pick-me-up you need!