In February, Carsten Cumbrowski of Internet Marketing and Web Development Resources Portal wrote the following in The ReveNews, "It is good to report about success stories in affiliate marketing. It shows not only the possibilities and potential, but also encourages newbie's to the industry to work hard and become successful as well. I am personally not a fan of Idols, but I recognize the power and usefulness of poster child's and heroes."

Indeed affiliate marketing is one of the most effective ways of making a full time income online. But as affiliate marketing grows the competition increases. You must keep up on the latest trends and be flexible enough to adapt to the ever changing ways of getting visitors to take a chance on your offer.

The problem is rough ninety five percent of all affiliate marketers do not make any money. Why? Because affiliate marketing is more than sending visitors to your main affiliate sign up page. It requires a lot of work to promote your services and/or products.

Failing to make money as an affiliate usually starts with poor planning. Planning a business, any business means researching. Many affiliate marketers do not learn enough about their target market or for that matter the product they are selling. Be very careful in choosing an affiliate program, likewise on picking a merchant. Find one with a reputation for integrity and paying on time.

The products and services should be something you want to promote. To get a sense if there is a hot market (including small niche markets with potential), type some keywords into your browse and explore the search engines. Use blogs, forums, rss feeds and social bookmarking to find the sites related to your product.

Get your own website or blog. I cannot stress this enough. I have seen many affiliate marketers use the main affiliate sign up page of a product or service in different traffic exchanges. That is leaving it toooooo much to chance. If thirty pages are exactly alike (and I have seen more in different exchanges) than why necessarily would a visitor pick yours?

Send visitors to the main affiliate page ONLY AFTER they have been to your site first. Include a sign up form so people can opt in to your email list. Your website is a very important tool in the whole affiliate program. Plan your site from the domain name to the content; especially the content. Affiliate marketers with content rich web sites are usually the ones who make the big money. Good content along with the right keywords increases your website traffic.

Before you decide on the domain name, do some keyword research. Many affiliate marketers fail because when they do get a domain, they choose a name not relevant to the market or product they are offering. Even when they provide the customer exactly what they are looking for, the chances are their website will not be found. If content is king on the internet than keywords are queen. Choosing the right keywords are the difference between success and obscurity.

I mentioned earlier being flexible enough to adapt. That means a willingness to constantly educate yourself and put into action any new internet marketing strategies. Many affiliate marketers do not grow their business because they are too busy focusing on the quick buck. Avoid that and go for long term success. Whether it is refreshing your understanding on the basics of affiliate marketing or figuring out how to use web 2.0., building a business takes time, so be ready to learn the ins and outs on a regular basis.

You probably will not become a super affiliate overnight but do not give up. It sounds simple but impatience has made quitters of many an affiliate marketer. They sign up to a program put up a link and expect instant bling-bling. And then reality kicks in. End of affiliate. Be patient, keep working your plan and pretty soon you will be one of those affiliate marketing success stories.