These days, just about everyone is looking for ways to earn a little extra money. Even a few extra dollars would be very welcome. It really isn’t that difficult to make a little extra income to help pay some bills. Many people have their own web site or blog and for those who don’t, there are ways to get one for free. However, it’s always better to purchase your own domain and hosting if possible. Some domain names can be purchased for as little as $2.00 per year and hosting for under $4.00 per month. For those who already have a site, there are several ways you can earn some extra money. The most common methods are placing ads on your site through Google’s Adsense program and/or by joining one of the many affiliate programs and promoting their products.
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Since I’m always asked what are some of the best affiliate networks for finding products and services to promote, I’ve chosen what I feel are 5 of the top networks for affiliates. There are many more affiliate networks and new ones arrive on the scene almost daily. One of the most important things you should want to do as an affiliate marketer, is join a program that is not only well established but has credibility. The affiliate networks I have listed are not only reliable as far as payment to affiliates, but also have excellent resources, ad tracking and have solid reputations with both affiliates and merchants.
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Aside from the low risk to get started as an affiliate marketer, one of the primary reasons more people than ever are getting involved with affiliate marketing is; you become your own boss. You work the hours that are best for you and there are no deadlines to meet. If you equip yourself with the right tools and have a positive mindset, you are on your way to becoming successful as an affiliate marketer.

So, what are the things you’ll need to become successful in this industry? What qualities must you possess in order to do well? We already know that affiliate marketing is highly competitive so one must have “the right stuff” in order to move ahead. There are several things that you will ultimately need to achieve your desired goals and to be able to stand out from the crowd.

Here are the most important qualities you should have:
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I’m sure many of you have heard the phrase “multiple income streams” but what does it mean? Many business people create multiple income streams both offline and online as a way to make themselves and their businesses more secure. Today’s business people feel that having multiple streams of income can possibly save them from the “famine-effect’ of the industry.

If you choose to involve yourself as an affiliate marketer, it is recommended that you have multiple income streams. In the event that one of your income streams stops producing, you can still produce income from one of your other streams. If you ask any successful online marketer, you will find that they all have established multiple streams of income.
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So, you found a product you want to promote and you signed up for their affiliate program. You picked the marketing materials you’re going to use to promote that product and now, you’re all pumped and ready to go.

Finding the right products to promote is only a small piece of your affiliate marketing plan. Now comes the real challenge; finding buyers for the products and services you are selling. Something you should keep in mind is this; if there are buyers, there are always products to sell them.
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Every once in a while, I get asked the following question: “what are some of the best ways to choose an affiliate program”? So, I thought it might be a good idea to list some tips that can be used as a guide when choosing an affiliate program. Here are some of the things you may want to consider when choosing your next affiliate program:

1. This is interesting
Always look for affiliate programs that you have an interest in. If you find a product or service that you wouldn’t hesitate to purchase for yourself, in most cases, it will be something you would want to promote. You’ll also be enthusiastic about the product or service and prospects can usually sense that. If you have an interest, chances are, there will be many others who will have a similar interest in the product.
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Did you know that over 90% of affiliate marketers earn less than $100 per month? In all actuality, that figure might be closer to 95%. There are many reasons for those shocking statistics but one of the main reasons is this: affiliates will simply put a banner or text link on a web site or blog and expect sales to come pouring in and their pockets to be stuffed with cash. Judging by the statistics I mentioned, you really shouldn’t count on earning a significant income unless you are either very lucky (your odds would be better to win the lottery) or you learn how to become proficient in the following areas:
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If you’re looking for ways to increase your affiliate sales, a most effective way to do that is by contacting the merchant. Not only is this a way to increase sales but you’ll also save yourself some time and frustration.

Nobody will know a product better than the merchant. They also know what methods and strategies the other affiliates are using to effectively market those products. By contacting the merchant, you not only demonstrate enthusiasm but you also show a sincere desire to succeed.
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I am often asked about some of the tools I use to make my marketing tasks a little easier. I’ve compiled a partial list of tools that I use almost daily. All the tools I’ve listed here are free, powerful and will save you loads of time with your marketing tasks.

1. Kompozer
If you’re looking for a great HTML editor, Kompozer is the way to go and I give it my highest recommendation. Kompozer is a complete web authoring system that combines web file management and easy-to-use WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) web page editing. Kompozer is ideal for non-technical computer users who want to create attractive, professional looking web sites without needing to know HTML or web coding.
Click here for Kompozer.
2. Smart FTP
You’re going to need a software program when you’re ready to upload files to your web host. There are quite a few programs out there but the one I use and recommend is Smart FTP. It’s fairly easy to use but it is fast and powerful. There are also lots of user guides in the event you get stuck.
Click here for Smart FTP.

3. Roboform
I use many marketing tools but this one probably saves me the most time. If you’re like most marketers you probably have dozens of usernames and passwords all the different sites you frequent. Remembering all those passwords would be near impossible. Roboform saves all of your various log-in details inside a toolbar that sits at the top of your browser. When you want to visit a site, you just select it from the drop down menu and Roboform takes you to the the log-in page and logs you in.
Click here for Roboform.

4. Zamzar
Zamzar is an excellent free online tool that allows you to convert your files from one format to another, without the need to download bulky software. It supports a large variety of formats, and it’s perfect when you need to quickly convert something to a PDF  or when you need to turn a gif into a jpeg. They have upgrade options available but the free service is all you should need.
Click here for Zamzar.

5. Gimp
If spending hundreds of dollars on a graphics editing program isn’t in your budget, Gimp is a great free alternative. This is an outstanding program that has more functions than I can list here. If you’re like most marketers, there will come a time when you need a program to edit your graphics and Gimp will be an excellent resource.
Click here for Gimp.

6. Google Alerts
Google Alerts is a great time saver that is completely free and which really helps save lots of time. You simply tell Google what keyword you’d like to monitor and when that keyword appears in Google, you get an email telling you all about it. This saves you having to spend time looking for new content on different topics and instead, you can let Google notify you as soon as anything relevant hits the Internet.
Click here for Google Alerts.

7. Google Reader
Almost every blog publishes an RSS feed and when you subscribe to a reader, you’ll get the content delivered to you as soon as it appears. If you are not using RSS to stay up to date with the best content, I recommend that you start doing so. There are many RSS readers available but my favorite is the Google reader. It is free, saves time and very easy to use.
Click here for Google Reader.

8. Copyscape
Have you ever wondered if someone was copying your content? Copyscape gives you the ability to check and see if anyone is copying your content without your permission. All you need to do is enter your URL and hit submit. Their system will quickly check the Internet and see if anyone is using your content. This free tool can come in very handy.
Click here for Copyscape

9. Big Boards
Here is a great tool to help you find busy forums relevant to your chosen niche. Searching for those forums can be very time consuming but this handy resource will help speed things along. If you need to do some forum marketing or research, this is a great tool to have.
Click here for Big Boards.

10. Stock.XCHNG
This is one of the best resources for free photos on the Internet. I usually go here first when I need to find a picture for my site. You’ll find photos for nearly any category you can think of. Most of the photos have unrestricted rights but just in case, you should always check before using them.
Click here for Stock Xchng.

I hope you find some of these tools useful. The tools listed above are just a partial list and I’ll be adding more in a future post. I don’t want to be responsible for you suffering from information overload.

Are you currently using any of these tools for your marketing tasks and if so, what do you think about them?

Affiliate marketing has been around for quite some time and it’s now become a billion dollar industry. Many people are attracted to this business because of the ease in which to get started and minimum risk involved. Before you begin to promote your affiliate links and banners on your web site or blog, there are some things you should be aware of. First of all, this business is not for everyone. If you’re looking to make loads of money overnight or you have little patience, affiliate marketing is not for you. There are a couple of things that you must have to be successful as an affiliate marketer and those are; determination and patience. If you possess both of those qualities, there is no limit as to what you can accomplish in this business.

There are several ways affiliate marketing can be done. The most common ways are web sites, blogs, email and newsletters. As long as you promote to the right audience, any of those methods can work. Once you find the right audience and attract them with good content, you’re on your way to becoming successful. To make that work, you need to know where your readers go and what they look for. A good place to begin is; forums and message boards. However, you should exercise caution and patience and don’t come off as a know-it-all. It’s always best to take your time and generate interest in what you have to say. You can always add a link to your site in the signature line in most forums or message boards. More importantly, the forums and message boards must be related to your products or services. If your web site or blog is about dog training, you don’t want to participate in forums about weight loss.
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