However effort need not be hard work and these four simple ways to affiliate marketing success will show you the way.

Most affiliate marketers try things the simple way, it is only natural that they should because when they sign up to an affiliate program they are usually told; place this banner on your web site, send out this copy and paste email and the money will roll in.

Well it might but I suspect that not to be the case, you need to put in that bit of effort I mentioned before.

Simple way number one is to write a review on the product or service you are promoting. You already have the information you need because you must have read or seen something to make you sign up to the affiliate program in the first place.

Rewrite in your own words whatever it was that enticed you to sign up and put it on your blog, as an article on your web site, post it on forums and social network sites and of course submit it to article directories.
The great thing about doing this is that it gets you and the product or service known for free.

Method number two is to create a free gift based on the products or services you are an affiliate for and give it away on your opt-in page.

Using the product review idea you could source some associated affiliate programs, write the reviews and turn it into a product review e-book which will have your affiliate links embedded into it.

Blogs are my number three way of staying ahead of your affiliate marketing competition, they are easy to set up and if you really have a passion about what you are promoting with your affiliate programs are fun ways of communicating with your already captivated audience.

I say captivated because your blog visitors would not be there if they did not already have an interest in whatever it is your blog is about, so take advantage while they are there.

You can even have several blogs relating to different aspects of your affiliate programs; if you were for example promoting photography you could have a one blog on general photography information, one on camera reviews, one on photography courses and all with links back to your affiliate marketing web site.

Think of all that free advertising for your affiliate programs, plus you are creating new niche markets to find new affiliate programs to promote.

Method four is the big hot thing of the moment, social networking. Think of the millions of people around the world that belong to one social network site of another, it can be mind boggling.

The point being is that every one of those millions is a potential customer for your affiliate product or service. One word of warning about this method is not to get caught up in the general theme of getting as many friends as you can.

It is not a race, treat it as a business, join in only where appropriate, promote yourself, your affiliate product quietly but efficiently and the friends who are going to be your customers will find you, let them do the work while you enjoy yourself.