In the world of affiliate marketing, any information advantage is worth taking, yet a lot of basic assumptions go unquestioned. There's a wealth of information on affiliate marketing, some relevant and some not, and it's worth cutting through it to make sure that you're only getting the information that you really need. While many affiliate marketers are loaded to capacity with expert tips and tricks, it's ultimately the basics that are responsible for 90% of your success. With that in mind, lets get started on the four most important tips and tricks for affiliate marketers.

#1 Appeal to your audience, not someone else's.

There's nothing worse than spending masses of time and money trying to convince someone to buy your produce when they have no interest in it, or any real need for it. While catch-all affiliate programs will often try to capture everyone, the smartest affiliate marketers identify their audience and do everything they can to convert them to their product. Don't waste your time marketing your sporting gear to retirees, target it to the 20-somethings who are deeply involved in the field you're covering. You'll see your conversions shoot up, along with your profits.

#2 Only market products with a healthy commission.

That 1% commission on a $2000 product might bring in a decent amount of money for you, but how often are people really going to commit that much money to an online purchase? Spend your advertising time and money on marketing a product that will convert and provide you with a healthy commission at the same time. There's no point chasing down big sales when it's exponentially easier to make 20 smaller ones.

#3 Make sure your sales copy is clean, easy to read, and free of any errors.

You'd be amazed how many sales pages are devoid of any real substantial information, populated by misspelled words, and unnecessarily long and boring. Make sure you're not one of those people that throw up a pre-assembled sales page rife with spelling errors and expect to make a massive amount of money from it. You might convert 1 in 10,000 people to buy from you, but the lack of professionalism will have a massive negative effect on your conversion rate. Invest some time and money into a good sales page, and watch your buyers roll in.

#4 Don't get upset if things don't initially go your way

There are always bad days in affiliate marketing. Whether people are more focused on other things, or there just isn't an incentive to buy that week, don't let it get to you. If you're got everything set up properly, and your website looking professional and convincing, you'll ultimately get some sales. Pessimism is the death-blow of any affiliate business -- if you let it consume you you'll ultimately fail. Smart affiliate marketers let their pessimism inspire them rather than destroy their chances at success. Take the inspirational route instead of letting your negative emotions control your success.