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Promoting an affiliate program is a great way to make money on the Internet. Affiliates can earn generous commissions by advertising someone else's product. But choosing the right affiliate program is critical to your success in this field. There are certain key factors that your affiliate program should offer which will make this a win-win situation for you. Here are some tips to consider before making that decision:

1. Choose a product that you're interested in. You're going to spend time and money advertising this product, and it should be one that you identify with and are proud to promote.
2. The program that you choose should pay you automatically. Beware of the programs that require you to check in and request your commissions. I've learned from experience that they're more trouble than they're worth.
3. Watch out for programs that won't send you a check until you reach a minimum commission level. When you earn a commission, you should get it on a regular basis.
4. The best programs offer you ready-made promotional tools to help you succeed. They provide you with ads and articles that describe their products. I'm not suggesting that you copy their articles and ads, because you do want to stand out from your competitors, but you can certainly get great time-saving ideas which will help you describe the program to others. Some offer ready-made banner ads, or html codes to place on your website, which can be a real help!
5. Choose a company that offers more than one product. This way, once your customer is in their system and they go back and purchase another product later on, you will earn that commission as well.
6. Choose a company that does the work for you. My favorite type of company is one that offers a free newsletter. Once you direct your customer to sign up for the free newsletter, the company takes over and sends them follow-ups to promote their products. This is a real time and money saver for you.
7. Some companies offer affiliate support. They are in constant touch with you to offer suggestions and help when you need it. These are winners!
8. Pick a company that allows you to keep your customer for life. This will provide you with residual income for as long as that customer continues to make purchases. You will make money on products you're not directly marketing!
9. A two-tier affiliate program is a real bonus! This means that if one of your customers becomes an affiliate, you will earn commissions on their sales!
10. If your company offers a service with a monthly fee, such as an autoresponder or a paid newsletter, you get a monthly income! This is a great way to build a residual income.
11. Compare commissions before you decide. You will be spending money on advertising and you may as well pick a company that offers a decent commission.
12. Stick with one or two affiliate programs and promote them to the fullest before you branch out. Once you start making a profit, you can always branch out.

Keywords: affiliate program, internet marketing, home business

About the Author
Dorothea Carney, Oakdale, NY USA
dorotheastips@yahoo.com