Strategy plays an important part in the success or failure of any affiliate marketing program. Many affiliates fail to devise a strategy that will help them succeed. There are several strategic techniques that can greatly improve your chances of success if followed diligently and consistently.

Strategy One: Choose a product that is needed & easy to sell. Amazon.coms affiliate program is a huge success because books and CDs are easier to sell online then say, a car or boat. Downloadable products, like software and ebooks, are also potentially good sellers.

Strategy Two: Dedicate your website to the topic of your affiliate sponsor. If your affiliate sponsor sells paint, then start a website about art, painting, or some related subject. However, make sure its one youre passionate about. If you dont care about the subject, then you wont be motivated to support it and it will show.

Strategy Three: Write articles on the appropriate subject, and submit them to article resource sites. Article resource sites and groups, like Yahoos Article Announce, allow the posting of articles. The articles are free to use elsewhere, but the authors information must also be included. If you place a link to your website in the article resource box, youll have a link on any site that posts the article.

Strategy Four: Dedicate a certain amount of time each day to affiliate marketing efforts. The key word in affiliate marketing is marketing. The more time you spend marketing, the more residual commission you earn.

Strategy Five: Consider advertising in popular ezines or email newsletters. An ad in a targeted ezine or email newsletter can generate a huge amount of interest. Most online users subscribe to at least two ezines or email newsletters dedicated to a topic theyre passionate about. Try to reach as many people as possible.

Strategy Six: Start an email newsletter or ezine. Granted, this may be more work than you want to do, but it could be a winning strategy. If youre in charge of all the editorial content, you can dedicate more space to promoting your sponsors. Youll also be able to make recommendations on products your readers would find of interest.

Following a strategy is simply smart planning. If you follow these tips consistently, you will see an increase in your residual income. Never stop thinking of ways to make your situation better and more lucrative. Who knows? You may even develop a winning strategy thats better than those listed above.