In the course of my work week, I will often engage with an affiliate who signs up for our network with little or no experience. It can be a challenge to work with someone new to the industry, but the rewards can be great (as I have experienced).

For affiliates new to the industry, here are few ideas that can assist a “newbie” in getting started:

• Do your research on the industry: Have an action plan to learn as much as you can about what affiliate marketing is and how it works. Look for online resources, books and seek out a mentor if needed. Find out what networks have to offer and look for a few to start with.

• Use your Affiliate Manager as a resource: Ask questions and learn from your AM as much as possible. Let he/she make suggestions for you about campaigns and provide feedback. Show a willingness to learn from them and they will reciprocate that back with more information.

• Social networking: Join sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc, and reach out to affiliates and affiliate groups. Grow your social network and pick up valuable tips. Some super-affiliates like Jeremy Palmer and Ed Dale offer free information portals for affiliates as well.

• Join forums: There is a wealth of information that other affiliates are willing to share on forums. WickedFire, Associate Programs, DigitalPoint and Earnersforum are a few of the premier ones.

• Blogging: Create a blog and network with other bloggers. Blogs have a lot of great info on what offers are hot, what networks to work with, and best of all the experiences of the blogger. A few to look at are from ShoeMoney, John Chow, Nicky Cakes, Jim Kukral and Zac Johnson.

• Test some offers: Ask and find out what is converting and how other affiliates are promoting campaigns. Replicate their success and make tweaks and adjustments (if needed).

• Be Persistent: Set goals of what you want to achieve (e.g. $2000/month). Continue to learn and ask for help if you need it.