Want to become a successful affiliate marketer? You share a dream with tens of thousands of other people who want to create for themselves a steady stream of income that actually sustains and builds on itself year after year.

For the uninitiated, affiliate marketing is a process whereby you entice someone to buy something from someone else. If the person you refer does buy something, you get a commission payment in the process.

In fact, affiliate marketing as a practice has been around probably as long as selling itself. Anytime somebody refers a person they meet, know or communicate with to another party and a sale is made that results in a commission payment, an affiliate marketing transaction has occurred.

Fortunately, with the rise in the importance of the Internet, affiliate marketing is even easier to get into than ever before. With all of the online marketing systems and affiliate resources available to you today, you can set up an entire campaign without ever having to set up a single direct affiliate relationship. You can do it all via special broker websites, all from the comfort of your home, favorite coffee shop or anywhere you can get an Internet connection.

Trouble is, most people who are interested in this exciting area really do not know how to get started. If you would like to start your own affiliate marketing program, here is how to do so in 5 steps:

1. Write down 5 things you know a little something about:
You literally have access to thousands of products that you can start promoting right now, once you know where to look (see below). But, you will find this type of marketing even easier to do – almost like second nature – if you choose to promote products that you have some interest in and knowledge about.

So, start by making a list of 5 things that you have always been interested in or even already know a little bit about. Remember, you do not need to be an expert in what you sell (far from it), but it will be easier and more fun to sell things that you already feel comfortable with.

2. Find a product to promote:
There exist companies that make it easy to get into affiliate sales by lining up in advance for you product providers, payment systems and processes to make these sales easier. These companies are essentially brokers, putting together affiliate marketers with sellers who want their products promoted. The following are two good places to start your search for a product.

One of the easiest ways to get started is to promote information products, such as eBooks, member-based informational websites, and software programs. ClickBank is a great place to find thousands of these products to sell. And, you can get set up in about 10 minutes.

Or, if you want to sell brand name products and services, check out CommissionJunction.

3. Buy a URL:
The broker site(s) you sign up with allow you to create a special affiliate link. This is where you will drive your online traffic. The broker site uses your link to keep track of the fact that you are the one who referred the sale (if one results) so that you can get paid for that referral. Unfortunately, these links are a bit long and unsightly, so the thing to do is to invest in a URL (as low as 0.99/year for a .info URL or about $10/year for a .com). Then, through your domain provider, set up a “masked forward” so that online users see your URL, not the ugly affiliate URL.

4. Build your own website (or don’t):
You may choose to build a website where you host one or more affiliate URLs; you can make the site search engine-friendly by adding lots of relevant content. Or, you can just stick with your affiliate URLs and send people directly to the affiliate’s own web site. Both can work great.

5. Promote, promote, promote:
Now, you are all set up to start ringing the virtual cash register. You just need to get people to visit that affiliate link! An excellent way to do this is by writing lots of original, useful content about the product area or topic area. Post your content to blogs, articles, and lenses. Important: make sure to feature your affiliate link and a convincing “call to action” within your content; remember, the goal is to get people to visit the link and hopefully to make a purchase!

Follow these 5 steps to getting started with an affiliate marketing program.

Author Bio: Get access to the Web’s leading full-service, comprehensive online marketing package at: Total Affiliate Marketing Solution.

Category: Internet
Keywords: Find a Good Affiliate Marketing Program in 5 Steps