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.

This can be particularly difficult to sort through, especially if you’re fairly new to it all.  There’s also the added complication of people you know giving you advice, however well-intended it may be, that’s simply not in the best interest of your business or marketing venture.

Below is a short list of some of the marketing tactics that simply don’t work well enough to be worth your time.

Contests – Although they may seem like a fun way of attracting potential customers to your site, the truth is most people just aren’t interested.

There’s also the fact that many people are leery of web contests because of the potential for scams and viruses.

Then there are also the potential legal issues involved in running a contest, which could be very costly and time consuming.  All-in-all contests are simply not the way to go.

Banner Ads on General Sites – Most banner ads you see are on general sites and not worth wasting your time or money on.  They simply won’t pay off.

The only banner ads I’d recommend are those that are linked to search terms on major search engines.  These will generally provide you with the kind of results you’re looking for.

Free Trials – These are only effective if you have a truly great conversion campaign to support them.  Most people will take the free trial and never buy after that unless you have a solid conversion campaign to follow through with.

This can be a very time-consuming process and may take many months before you ever see a profit.

There are many other marketing tactics out there that are not worth giving a second thought to.  However, don’t be discouraged by this.

There are an equal number of effective marketing methods that will provide you with the traffic you need to see a profit in your venture.

Just remember to do your research before you jump in to a marketing campaign to save yourself from spending time and money on a method that’s not suited to your needs.

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!