If you’re a ClickBank affiliate, you’re aware of gravity. Indeed, you may choose to promote products based solely on this particular indicator. If lots of affiliates are promoting the product, it must be great, right?

The short answer is: Maybe.

Perhaps the product is attracting lots of affiliates because it’s a great product, and it’s selling like the proverbial hot cakes.

On the other hand, the product may simply have had a huge launch. Launches attract affiliates. As the product’s gravity surges, more affiliates jump on: this is the reason why product creators aim to make their launch as big as possible: success breeds success.

What hidden gems are you missing out on when you focus on gravity?

Here’s a secret about ClickBank gravity: low gravity means little competition. As long as a low-gravity product meets a need, and it has a good sales page, then chances are you can do very well with it.

I like to test lots of new products — products which are so new, that they have no gravity at all. Some of these products are duds, but the occasional one is a little goldmine. With no competition, you can sell these products day after day, making a juicy little income on just four or five of these treasures.

Here’s what I do. I visit the ClickBank Research page on Wealthy Affiliate regularly, at least once or twice every week, and I check out the new products. If I find a product in a niche in which I’m interested, which has a good sales page, I buy the product (this is essential), and if I like it, I start promoting it.

Here’s what’s wrong with this method: I need to shift a lot of dirt before I find a diamond.

On the bright side, if I’ve found a diamond, I’ve found a product which will make money for me for months (if I’m lucky for years) to come.

It’s predicted that social media marketing will be the big thing for many companies in 2010. They’re jumping on this particular bandwagon because they know they’ll make sales. But can affiliate marketers make sales on these sites?

The major challenge with making sales on popular sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube is that the traffic is focused on entertainment. People don’t visit the sites to buy, they visit to enjoy time with their friends. However you can certainly make sales if you approach the process in the right way.

Here are three ways to sell:

1. Integrate Twitter and Facebook With Your Website or Blog: It Increases Stickiness

Popular, fun sites can help to build traffic to your blog. Once readers reach your blog, your aim is to get them to read as much of your content as possible. Although they may not buy on their first visit, they’re becoming familiar with you, and they may buy on a subsequent visit.

There are many ways to integrate Twitter and other sites with your blog. Most major blogging platforms offer plug-ins and widgets to display your latest postings on your blog.

2. Build Relationships and Sell

One of the benefits of the social media sites is that they help you to build relationships with prospective buyers. You become a real person, and buyers prefer to buy from people they know.

Ensure that most comments you make are simple friendly interactions, rather than pitches — however don’t stray completely off-topic. You’ll need to stay on topic to increase your targeted traffic. Remember that by and large, this traffic is of low value. So you’ll need many more visitors to achieve conversions.

3. Listen to the Conversation: Can Your Affiliate Products Solve Problems?

Use the search tools which are available on the sites you’ve chosen. Set up alerts for keywords related to your affiliate products. Then just listen to the conversation, and respond as appropriate.

When you’re responding, ensure that you avoid direct selling. Forward people to a helpful blog post you’ve written, or offer your own insights. Sales happen on your affiliate products’ sales pages; you’re offering fun, as well as information.

Need a fast flood of traffic? Try this great new social bookmarking and blog commenting tool.

Want to become an affiliate marketer? At the top levels, marketers are making millions. Many more marketers are making a great income.

Unfortunately however, many marketers never get traction: they waste money and years, chasing the next bright shiny “new” object, and barely make enough money to cover their basic costs.

Here’s the ONE affiliate marketing essential

There’s just one affiliate marketing essential you must have, and here it is: you must have a relationship with your buyers.

People will buy from your affiliate links consistently, if they know you and trust you.

Look at the top marketers: they build their lists, in any way they can. They know that their mailing list is cash in the bank to them.

Occasionally I browse affiliate marketing forums, and it’s easy to see who’ll make it in affiliate marketing and who won’t. The people who’ll make it aren’t looking for tricks.They avoid anything with “auto” in the title. They know that their success depends on their own efforts, and only on that.

If you understand that affiliate marketing is all about relationships, you’ll do well.

Need a fast flood of traffic? Try this great new social bookmarking and blog commenting tool.