4. Create a free newsletter or ezine

Submit your newsletter to ezine directories and promote it on your website. Keep in mind that most subscribers are interested in receiving “information” that can help them. If you use your mailing list solely for selling, you will never gain credibility and will end up with a high unsubscribe rate. After you’ve developed a relationship and trust of your subscribers, you can then recommend products you are promoting

5. Create a free ebook

As part of your ebook, include an advertisement and a link to your affiliate website. The ebook can be given away free or used as an incentive to sign up for your newsletter. Submit your ebook to ebook directories and offer it to other webmasters for inclusion on their website. The more exposure your ebook receives, more sales you can make.

By using techniques outlined above and always striving to become an “expert” on products you promote, you are sure to see an increase in your affiliate sales resulting in higher commission payments.

Membership and activity in at least, a couple of larger ones, plus a few of smaller (they can tend to be more responsive 'pro-rata') is a good idea. Safelists also offer opportunity to see how others are writing their email copy and seeing what other opportunities are available can be an educational experience for new operator. Safelists are also very much a good way to simply stay in touch with what is happening in Affiliate/Home Business industry.

Traffic Exchange - Again, there are some who may doubt usefulness of Traffic Exchanges however, again, I see them as a useful facility, especially for new Affiliate. Admittedly, traffic that your website will receive from exchanges is 'non-targeted' and very unlikely to consist of anyone other than those who are, again, in same position as yourself. However, as in case of Safelists, Traffic Exchanges are useful for building your Affiliate downlines and also for very same opportunities and experience that Safelists present.

Imaging Editor - In my opinion, a good image editor is essential for anyone involved in building and maintaining their own website/s (for a new Affiliate to pay for this service would be financially crippling). The good news is that there are a number of imaging programs, which will perform all modification and adjustments that most webmasters would need and one I suggest as best is freeware. It is called 'Irfanview®' and can be downloaded free at their website Irfanview.com.

Website Editing Program - As I just mentioned, having to pay someone to build and maintain a website (let alone more than one) would be financially crippling. Most of us have managed, over time, to gain a reasonable working ability with programs such as FrontPage® and DreamWeaver® and from there, at least a working knowledge of common codes.

It can be daunting for someone who has had no experience with these programs or 'html' coding but this is where 'perseverance' I spoke of earlier becomes useful. Besides, there are relatively cheap tutorials available and a ton of free advice in 'Webmaster Forums' etc.

Of course, these few 'tidbits' are simply what a new Affiliate will need, in my opinion, just to achieve an online presence. There is far more to getting to point where you will be attracting 'targeted' visitors to your website or actually referring paying clients to your merchants. In fact, there would probably be another dozen or so articles (or a good tutorial ebook) in just that alone. Did I mention that patience was another necessary requirement?