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Don’t you wish there was an easier way to make commissions in affiliate marketing?  Maybe you just aren’t using the right tools, or you need some useful tips.

Have you ever watched the home improvement shows on cable?  The host installs an awesome new deck or set of cabinets.  And, they finish the project quickly.  Inspired by the crafty host, you decide you can do the same.  Hours, days, maybe weeks pass and you still haven’t finished the project.

Maybe you might have missed the part where the host said something like, “Beautiful patio decks and cabinets will take forever to build if you don’t use the right tools.”

“Use the right tool for the right job“… that’s what my Dad always said when I was growing up.

It didn’t matter if I was tinkering with an old motor, making something for mother’s day, or helping my brother trim the hedges.  If Dad caught me using a tool that wasn’t right for the job he made me hustle and get the right one.  Usually these tools were very inexpensive, yet when I used them they saved me a ton of time because I could work so much faster.  It’s like that in affiliate marketing too.

It doesn’t matter if you’re following the blueprints given to you in a home-study course and have all the knowledge in the world about affiliate marketing.  If you don’t use the right tools it will take you much longer to achieve your goals.

So here are a few tools I personally use that will save you time as an affiliate marketer, and give you an edge:

• Use WordPress to create your blog.  You do have a blog, right?  I hope so, because a blog is one of the best ways to develop a following and build trust, which leads to increased sales.  A blog helps you establish a relationship with your readers.  They will learn to know you, like you, trust you.  Wouldn’t you rather buy from someone you know, like and trust?  WordPress is the quickest way to set up a blog and a WordPress blog will show up in the search engines more quickly.  Google loves blogs.

• Use Google Alerts and Google News to your advantage.  One of the fastest ways to find ideas for content for your blog is to go to Google News and type in search terms for your chosen niche.  You can also sign up to have Google Alerts send you an email with stories for certain phrases.  How about that?  Let Google simply send you what you need.

• Use and take advantage of the wide array of WordPress plugins to enhance your blog.  They have plugins for SEO, for including a newsletter subscription form, for bookmarking your site to social media, and almost anything else imaginable.   Plugins are tools that will ensure that your blog operates at maximum efficiency.

For the most part, the above tools are free (some plugins have a small fee).  All of them save you valuable time.

For one of the best “set it and forget it” tools for WordPress blogs, check out this plugin that will automatically insert Clickbank ads onto your blog:  WordPress Affiliate ClickBank Plugin.   Tip: just one of your Clickbank sales will pay you way more than someone clicking on an adsense ad.

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