In the first three posts in this series “How do I become a successful affiliate through internet marketing?” we explored the following  variables:-

• Part 1  “You”
• Part 2  “Product or service you wish to promote”.
• Part 3 “Internet marketing knowledge”

In this entry we look at “Your expectations” and what that will mean to your success as a affiliate marketer when promoting an affiliate product or service through internet marketing and social networking.

You may expect to be successful online over night or in a relatively short time, say a few weeks. We have all herd the stories of people becoming very rich literally over night from selling an affiliate product or service on the internet. The internet is full of stories of how “newbies” are getting paid $20,000 or $30,000 a month from a new affiliate program.

The truth is that this rarely happens.

Does it ever happen, does any one make real money online through affiliate programs?

These types of figures and this type of affiliate success is possible, however it would be more likely that the “newbies” are only new to that particular affiliate program and are not new to internet marketing. To explain, once you have mastered internet marketing strategies it is quite easy to duplicate the process. If you are wondering why you haven’t become an overnight success by promoting an affiliate product here are some key questions to ask;

• Do you have a good reputation online and have always been ethical in your online dealings?
• Do people trust you and trust what you recommend? If so it is easy to recommend products to them.
• Have you have built up a friendship or following base from social networking through sites like Twitter and Facebook? If you have then it is easy to spread the word about a new affiliate product you are promoting.
• Do you have a league of fans and or friends on social bookmarking sites like Digg, Stumble upon, Reddit or Delicious? If you do then people already know about you.
• Have people have had a positive experience buying from your recommendations in the past? If they have then people will trust what you recommend now and in the future.
• Do you have a good working knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Do you know how to apply the SEO principals in order to gain higher ranking in the search engines?
• Do you know what to do to increase traffic to your website?

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How long does it take to build a following or social network?

It can take several months or even years to build a following online and the only good way to build a following online is with a base of ethics and integrity. You need to position yourself ahead of the crowd by ensuring that everything you do is bringing value to another person. You can easily learn these skills to fast track your affiliate success by enrolling in an affiliate online program to learn internet marketing skills.

What sort of product or service should I promote?

Before deciding on a product to promote ask yourself what you actually know about the product, how it has helped you and if you value the benefits of the product. Is this something you are passionate about? Not about being passionate about making money, but about something that you would enjoy doing if there was more than enough money. You also need to consider if you believe the product is good value for money and if the company who manufactures and distributes the product is ethical to deal with.

So, what should I expect?

Keep your expectations realistic and always celebrate even small successes as they remind us that we are heading in the right direction. For most new people to internet marketing who ask the question how long does it take to replace your income by promoting products through affiliate and internet marketing the answer is always “It depends what you are prepared to do and how you intend to do it”. There are many variables, what one person can achieve in a matter of months may take another person several years. It all depends on the road you choose to go down and where you choose to learn the skills of internet marketing.

In the next installment we will explore the “mindset” of successful people and how that can directly relate to a new internet marketer in contributing to success.

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