Thinking about starting your affiliate business? There are three phases that you go through.

1. Pick an affiliate.

You must find out which specific audience youd like to target. Most people go with whatever program with the first one they check out. They never consider if their target market will purchase this product. As long as people will pay for it and you can give them a quality product, you will be able to make a lot of money.

Choosing the right affiliate program to start with is very important. Brand yourself as resourceful by having quality products that have lots of value. You need to know what commission rate they plan on paying you and the programs refund policy. You need to know when you get paid. Most take 30 to 45 days to mail you a check based on your previous month. Many affiliate programs cost nothing to join. However, some do require a start-up fee. It should be a discount for you to buy your own products. You must purchase whatever you plan to sell. If you dont, why do you expect anyone else to?

2. Setup your mini-site.

Now, this is where most affiliates drop the ball. Affiliates promote their affiliate website but not there own. It takes seven visits for a prospective customer to turn into a paying customer. So what happens when they dont buy from you the first time? How will you follow-up? Theyll visit someone else who probably will follow-up and get their business. You should be promoting your own email list. Highlight the benefits to your visitors of joining, then, set up a series of pitches, articles, etc. with your auto responder. The best formula to use is to promote for at least two whole weeks every other day before you introduce another product. Now all you need to do is set your website up. Find a domain name and register it. Then, find a quality web hosting service that server has no down time because its bad for business. Now, design your site with two pages. One has a strong headline, bulleted benefits and a place to sign up. The other is a Thank You page, where you can confirm their order.

3. Build Your List.

The best way to get customers to visit you is through advertising. Free advertising includes adding your site to your signature when you send out emails. (Never spam.) Swapping links, starting an ezine, and submitting articles are also free and time-consuming. Paid advertising includes ezine ads. Solo ads work better than classified ads.

Finally, develop a marketing plan. Treat it like a business and not a hobby. And for others, treat it like a job.