So you’ve spent some time figuring out what’s what with Internet marketing. You realize there are lots of different ways to make money online, but the one that really resonates with you is affiliate marketing. You’re ready to dive in and become a successful affiliate earner. Maybe you’ll even make the Leader Board in some of those big launches.

Usually the best place to start is with some research so you can study the subject and also learn best practices. Look for the quality products about affiliate marketing – the ones that get rave reviews from buyers because they’re getting results from what they’ve learned from the product – and buy them to study. Best practices are tried and true business tactics that don’t resort to blackhat shenanigans or exploiting loopholes in the system.

Another idea is to watch over the shoulders of successful affiliate marketers and do what they do. This is a great way to learn. Don’t copy them exactly; you need to show your own personality. Perhaps pick three super affiliates and optin to their lists. That way you can be the potential customer and you’ll see exactly how they promote products to you.

I recommend you make a spreadsheet and track specific things about these marketers such as: how often they email, how often they pitch in their emails, what social media outlets they use, how often they promote via these outlets, whether they offer bonuses of their own with purchase and what those bonuses are, how they use content to recommend products (podcasts, interviews, PowerPoints, infographics, video, webinars, blog posts, guest posts, article marketing, advertising, etc.). This way the bigger picture of how these marketers are successful will become clearer.

Get coaching. You may be able to get group coaching or access to an insider forum as part of a package you purchased about affiliate marketing, and that’s one way to get some special attention and your questions answered. Group coaching is certainly a less expensive option, but to really move forward quickly, one-to-one individual coaching is usually a better way to go. Yes, it’s not going to be cheap but if they can train you into a super affiliate extraordinaire, then the money you’ve paid them to coach you might be well worth it.

Pick a coach that walks the walk. This person has to have a lot of success and experience with this income stream before you should even consider them as a possible coach. It also needs to be someone you respect, who doesn’t spam people, and who resonates with you. Give it lots of thought and choose carefully. If you don’t know anyone offhand, ask other people whose opinions you value.

If you’re determined to become a successful affiliate marketer, take some time to do some research, learn strategies from quality products about this subject and follow a successful marketer to see how they do it. If you want to jump ahead several paces, consider investing in a coach who can help you.