There are countless number of people who decide to venture into affiliate marketing and give up very easily even before they make their first $100. The reasons range from information overload, lack of focus all the way to laziness. Here are important points to keep in mind about this business from the start or else you will join the bandwagon of those who have failed. Trust me, it takes a lot more to get out it. So better start well.

Affiliate Marketing is a Business

Treat affiliate marketing business as a business. I know it sounds redundant, even a silly thing to say but this is where you either make it or break it. Go into it like you would before going into any business; find a group of people with a problem which they are willing to pay for, find a product or service that will meet that need and offer it to them and get paid for it. You will need to develop your business plan, marketing strategy, traffic generation strategy, in short, treat it as a business no matter what your motives are. In my affiliate marketing business, I produce 1 article, or blog post or squidoo lens or hub page per day.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Not all marketers are the same. Some like the thrill of pay per click to drive traffic to their sites. Others, like me, enjoy writing articles to accomplish the same. Still others like using videos or participating in forums or social networking sites. You have to choose your path for driving traffic to your sites. You will do well to analyze your strengths and use them in your business.

No Such Thing as Free Lunch

In the affiliate marketing business, you come across claims of how you can invest nothing and get hundreds of thousands of dollars in return. In my experience, the truth is that you either invest money to buy tools to earn money much quicker than you would using the free tools. Free tools mean that you invest more time to earn the money. There is nothing for free and time is a cost that you will have to factor into any business. So whatever claims are out there, you will invest either money or time to get the returns you are shooting for. That is just the reality.

It is Possible to Earn Money

In spite of all the stories about how hard affiliate marketing is, it is possible to earn money. It may be discouraging at first but it is possible. I still recall when Google sent me a verification code for my adsense account. It was big family news. No matter how small the amounts seem to be, celebrate them because the few cents add up to dollars then tens of dollars, then hundreds, then thousands and on and on it goes. It is possible to make money.

I hope that you will take what you have just read seriously because this works. You owe it to yourself to start well.