Getting started in affiliate marketing isn't as easy as it gets portrayed by so many "hype" sale pages that we see in our day-by-day searching on the internet. Often, these sales pages will tell us that we can make "umpteen" thousand overnight or this week or next month, and the reality is that, to make it as an affiliate marketer, you must be willing to work for it, often more hours than most will in any other job.Don't get me wrong, there are some really good programs offered online, but they are good because of the content that is offered to you and what you do with that information can help you to make it online.Absolutely, no matter what you chose to market as an affiliate, you have to create traffic, be it by advertisement or through a website or landing page. Without traffic, there are no customers...period!Even in a brick-and-mortar business, if you don't get customers into your doors, you have no sales. No brainer, huh? So, traffic would be your biggest quest.The thing is, getting traffic will require time and work! It isn't going to just happen. You will have to make it a priority and that is one priority that will be time-consuming!There are many ways to create traffic, and which is the best way is often debated by many. As for me, I have seen more traffic from article marketing than from any of the others that I have tried.Article marketing - writing articles that will help readers to learn new skills or to hone their already established skills. These articles should be well-founded and should be factual and not overly-hyped. People read articles to learn and don't come to an article to buy. Keep that in mind. Yes, you will want your articles to create traffic and would hope that this traffic will create sales, but write the articles to be informative. Give the readers something that they can use and you will have already earned their trust.If you aren't an expert on your subject, research it until you are. None of us wants to be told how to build a house by a mechanic or how to fix a car by a carpenter. When readers search articles, they are looking for advice, for enlightenment, for answers...they are searching and your article should give them what they are looking for.A well-written article will build a trust for you in your readers, which in turn should have them clicking on your link to see more of what you have to offer. That is not only traffic, but targeted traffic! When they come to your site, they are looking to find more and it is up to you to offer what they are looking for.Visit Talk Affiliate Marketing for more on article marketing and affiliate marketing, including great blogs, articles, information, products and books.