A lot of people think they can just post an affiliate banner on their site and whammo!  They'll earn thousands of dollars!  Well, it doesn't work that way.  There are certain steps that you need to take and rules that you need to follow if you really want to maximize your affiliate sales.......

• Choose affiliate products and services that relate to the theme of your site:  If it doesn't, you will actually end up damaging your credibility and decreasing your sales!   Find out what your target market is looking for and then choose affiliate products that meet their needs while complementing the theme of your web site.
  
  
• Avoid falling victim to the "Flea Market Syndrome":  This is truly the biggest mistake that affiliates make.  It's absolutely critical that you con't allow Affiliate Programs to clutter up your main site or the main goal of your site.  Your site will end up looking like a giant flea market!  If you promote too many Affiliate Programs on your site, you'll end up confusing your visitors because your website will lack focus.  Remember to stay targeted!
  
  
• Test everything!:  If you really want to maximize your affiliate sales and income, then you need to work at it.......and test everything!  This is where Real Time statistics that the Affiliate Program should be providing you with will come in handy.  Test different affiliate banner ads and text links......try putting them in different spots.  Try writing an article, or adding a personal referral.  There are many different promotions you can test.  While this might seem like a lot of work, it's definitely worth the time and effort.
  
  
• Drive targeted traffic to your web site:   The fact of the matter is, to make money with an Affiliate Program, you'll need to "play the numbers game".  Here's why......  For every 100 or 20 people who visit your web site, only 1 to 20 people will click through your affiliate link.  Out of every 100 people who actually click through your affiliate link only .5% to 1% will buy.  Now, that means that for every 100 to 200 visitors you send them, one or two people will purchase.  So it's a numbers game.  You need to be driving a ton of traffic to your web site.....and you need to maximize the number of people who click through your affiliate links.
  
  
• Use personal endorsements and testimonials:  Personal endorsements and testimonials are a powerful way to capitalize on the relationship that you've already developed with your customers and subscribers.  You've established yourself as a reputable, credible person with a considerable amount of expertise in your area of interest.  So when you personally recommend a product or service to them that is not your own, they will regard your "friendly advice" as a favour rather than a cash grab.  By writing a simple letter of recommendation like this, you can increase the response you receive by 400% or more!  This is a really, really easy way to increase your affiliate commissions.
  
  
• Promote your affiliate products and services to your newsletter subscribers:  If you have a list of newsletter subscribers that you've been regularly mailing and e-zine or newsletter to, then you are in the perfect position to promote affiliate products.  These people love to hear from you!  If you've spent time establishing your credibility and developing a rapport with them, then when you recommend a product or service, generally speaking the response you receive is going to be very, very high!
  
  
• Don't spam!:  One myth that just won't go away, is that you can make thousands and thousands of dollars by joining Affiliate Programs, purchasing lists of millions of e-mail addresses, then spamming these people with your promotions.  This does NOT work!  In fact, this is the absolute worst way you could ever promote an affiliate product.  Here's why........ The people you're email have zero interest in what you're selling....... These people have no idea who you are, so why would they believe anything you say?........Most Affiliate Programs strictly forbid spamming - if you're caught, you'll forfeit all your commissions and be expelled.  On top of that, you'll ruin your reputation as an honest, credible business person and will lose your Internet connection.  Don't do it!!  You won't get rich quick by spamming.

(Excerpts from "The Internet Marketing Centre - Marketing Tips Newsletter)