Affiliate marketing is hot and if you play your cards right, you can cash in on some of the most lucrative niches. Instead of racking your brain to discover the right target market for your business, why not take advantage of products that continue to sell well year after year?

First, do your homework. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel so this part is not too difficult. All you need to do is fill a need. Usually, the most profitable niches are simple to identify because they are relatable to the population at large.

If you still need a little direction for choosing a product, here are five more hot affiliate marketing niches for 2010.

Hot Affiliate Marketing Niche #6: Pain Relief

You may think that prevention is a big seller, but the truth is that cures bring in more sales. Products that relieve joint pain, back pain, or migraine pain are among the favorites in this niche.

You’ve probably heard that you need to sell to the pain of your target market. In this niche, you can take that point literally. Pain relief has a wide open market. For instance, a product to relieve joint pain can be sold to athletes with overworked joints as well as elderly individuals who are suffering from arthritis.

Hot Affiliate Marketing Niche #7: Improving Relationships

Self-help continues to be a big seller, and what better way to help yourself than to improve your relationships? This niche is huge and can be broken down into various micro-niches. Here are just a few suggestions:

• How to Improve Your Marriage
• How to Improve Communication within the Family
• How to Communicate with Your Teen
• How to Get Along with Difficult Co-Workers

The list goes on….

Because self-help is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, it’s a perfect way to get started in affiliate marketing.

Hot Affiliate Marketing Niche #8:  Gadgets

Gadgets are big sellers and the more updated and unique they are, the more people seem to want them. Cutting-edge gadgets are hot sellers, so you’ll want to take advantage of any opportunity in this niche market. Keep abreast of modernized gadgets with enhanced features so you can stay on top of the trend.

Hot Affiliate Marketing Niche #9: Computers

Computers are here to stay, and with the continuous changes and updates to software, hardware, and computer systems, this niche market is red hot year after year.

Software is a particular favorite since instant downloads enable customers to enjoy their product immediately after the transaction. People use computers for entertainment as well as for work; therefore, the sky is virtually the limit with the types of products you can promote.

Hot Affiliate Marketing Niche #10: Games and Entertainment

Online games are big, and this market is not only hot but the potential for growth is exponential. As technology changes, the opportunities to make a lot of money in this niche continues to grow.

There you have it – five more profitable affiliate marketing niches for 2010. Choose just one, and you will enter a market with high income potential. The good news about being an affiliate marketer is that there are many possibilities to choose from. Start with one, and you can build your affiliate marketing business as you gain the experience and insight it takes to create a profitable online enterprise.