Topics Include:
- Starting a Business
- Exploring Franchise Opportunities
- Winning "her" Way
- Marketing on a Budget
- Driving Sales Online
- Take Care of Customers
- Building a Better Business
- Designing a Web Site
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Free Business Seminars from Microsoft
Microsoft Office Live Web Seminars bring you some of today's most dynamic business authorities sharing insight and advice on topics important to small business success. And best of all, they fit the budget of small businesses - free.
Topics Include:
Topics Include:
Thursday, June 12, 2008
5 Steps to a Successful E-Commerce Website
Ready to take the e-commerce plunge?
This Free e-book from MicroSoft gets you ready to sell online.
New types of services, technologies, and marketplaces make it easier than ever for the average small business owner to start an e-commerce business today. That’s why Microsoft Office Live Small Business and StartupNation have teamed up to help you create your online store with a new e-book.
Get your free copy of "5 Steps to a Successful E-Commerce Web Site" today. Just download this 31-page e-book in PDF format to learn about effective online selling strategies, the latest e-commerce tools and solutions available, and how to optimize and promote your online business.
Download 5 Steps to a Successful E-Commerce Web Site here.
This Free e-book from MicroSoft gets you ready to sell online.
New types of services, technologies, and marketplaces make it easier than ever for the average small business owner to start an e-commerce business today. That’s why Microsoft Office Live Small Business and StartupNation have teamed up to help you create your online store with a new e-book.
Get your free copy of "5 Steps to a Successful E-Commerce Web Site" today. Just download this 31-page e-book in PDF format to learn about effective online selling strategies, the latest e-commerce tools and solutions available, and how to optimize and promote your online business.
Download 5 Steps to a Successful E-Commerce Web Site here.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Blogging eBooks, Resources, Tools & Training
Blogging To The Bank 2.0 - Learn how to blog for money from a millionaire blogger.
Web 2.0 Wealth System - Profitale WordPress For Everyone. Step-By-Step Video Course And Complete Custom WordPress Blog With Multiple Income Options Integrated. If You Can Upload One File You Will Be Profitable.
Social Bookmarking Automation Software Blog Comment Software. 2 New Software! BookmarkingDemon.com - Tagging With Social Bookmarking And Get Targeted Traffic And High Pr Backlinks Automatically
Atomic Blogging SystemBloggerGeneratorWordpress Adsense System : Blogging For Profits. EBook(R) Reveals How To Set-up And Optimize Your Wordpress Blogs To Create Profitable Niche Google Adsense Websites
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Blogging eBooks, Resources, Tools & Training
Cash Fusion Success Videos. Hyper Article Marketing, Super Affilaite Blogging Blueprints In Video Format. Learn How To Write Articles That Bring In $10,000+ Over And Over! There Is No Other Product In Video Format To Show These Highly Guarded Techniques!
Hige Pr Backlink Generator. Quickly Create 1000s Of Unique Blogs And Give Yourself 10s Of 1000s Of Instant Backlinks! ... Shoot Your Pr Sky-High!
Wp Affiliate Pro - The #1 Plugin For WordPres Blogs. Instantly Identify, Manage & Track Your Highest Performing Affiliate Links Over Your Entire Wordpress Blog In Less Time Than It Takes To Pour A Glass Of Kool Aid And Make More Money Doing So.
Exploit The Power Of Blogs For Free Targeted Traffic. Advanced New Software Sends You Boat Loads Of Free Laser-Targeted Traffic, Hundreds Of Relevant Backlinks, And A Raging Torrent Of Search Engine Spiders To Any Page You Want!
New Automatic Rss &Blog Submission Tool. Submits To Over 58 Sites
How To Build A Money Making Blog. How To Set Up Your Blog, Post Great Content, Grow Your Readership, And Make Money Doing It!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Make Your Own Greeting Cards
Card making is a popular craft that anyone can enjoy without spending alot of money. Most of the supplies needed for card making can be found around in your home. Look in your childrens' rooms or schoolbags and you should be able to gather the basic tools and materials.
Listed below are some basic card making supplies that you need to make your first card.
A4 size white cardstock
double sided foam tape
a pair of scissors
color pencils, watercolors, or crayons
steel ruler
cutter
rubber stamp
black inkpad
black writing pen
First, cut the white cardstock into 2 pieces. Fold one piece of cardstock into half at the centre to make a single fold 4" x 6" greeting card and put it aside. Then ink your rubber stamp with the black inkpad and stamp on the other piece of white cardstock. Color the stamped image and trim around the black outline. Now attach the colored image onto the front of the single fold card with double sided foam tape. Place it in the middle of the top portion of the card. And finally, write a greeting below the stamped image. And voila ... your first handmade greeting card.
Now make more of these and send them to your friends. Let them know how much you love and treasure them and their friendship.
About The Author
Flora Tan is a passionate cardcrafter who spends most of her time making beautiful handmade cards. To find out more about card making, just visit her card making website: http://www.making-greeting-cards.com
Listed below are some basic card making supplies that you need to make your first card.
A4 size white cardstock
double sided foam tape
a pair of scissors
color pencils, watercolors, or crayons
steel ruler
cutter
rubber stamp
black inkpad
black writing pen
First, cut the white cardstock into 2 pieces. Fold one piece of cardstock into half at the centre to make a single fold 4" x 6" greeting card and put it aside. Then ink your rubber stamp with the black inkpad and stamp on the other piece of white cardstock. Color the stamped image and trim around the black outline. Now attach the colored image onto the front of the single fold card with double sided foam tape. Place it in the middle of the top portion of the card. And finally, write a greeting below the stamped image. And voila ... your first handmade greeting card.
Now make more of these and send them to your friends. Let them know how much you love and treasure them and their friendship.
About The Author
Flora Tan is a passionate cardcrafter who spends most of her time making beautiful handmade cards. To find out more about card making, just visit her card making website: http://www.making-greeting-cards.com
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Greeting Cards: For In-Between Freelancing
"U.S. consumers purchase approximately 7 billion greeting cards each year, generating nearly $7.5 billion in retail sales." *
Have you ever wondered who actually writes all of those greeting cards you purchase? Sure there are staff writers who may develop themes and specific greeting cards. However, there are numerous freelance writers who have received checks for the use of one or more of their greeting card ideas.
"There are an estimated 3,000 greeting card publishers in the U.S., ranging from small family-run organizations to major corporations. GCA-member publisher companies account for approximately 95 percent of industry sales." *
With so many greeting card publishers it is easy to see that this may be a market worth looking at. Many freelance writers who have sold ideas to greeting card companies find the idea a profitable means of using their downtime.
When these writers find themselves without a pressing deadline or if they have a few moments to spare, they will often jot down a few creative ideas. When they accumulate dozen or so ideas, they send them onto a greeting card company for consideration.
"The exchange of greeting cards is one of the most widely accepted customs in the U.S. There are cards for virtually any occasion or relationship, and they are widely available. Approximately 100,000 retail outlets around the country carry greeting cards." *
Greeting card companies often pay $25-300 for accepted original ideas. One of the best ways to match your idea with a publisher is to conduct some research of your own. For instance some card companies only accept non-rhyming poetry while others only accept humor. Some want inspirational thought while others deal in the cliché.
"Nine out of 10 Americans say they look forward to receiving personal letters and greeting cards because cards allow them to keep in touch with friends and family and make them feel they are important to someone else." *
The majority of the publishers in the greeting card industry will not provide online submission guidelines, but will supply them to you with a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). Find a publisher you like, check out their website and ask for submission guidelines. Expect significant rejection, but know that the ideas did not take much time to develop during a time when there were no other pressing deadlines. Then when an idea is accepted you have the knowledge that this is an easy add on to your existing freelance writing structure that resembles fishing, but has a prettier end result.
* Statistics provided by The Greeting Card Association
About The Author
Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters (http://www.faithwriters.com) and many other web projects. FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online destinations for Christian writers. Please visit the website at: http://www.faithwriters.com.
Have you ever wondered who actually writes all of those greeting cards you purchase? Sure there are staff writers who may develop themes and specific greeting cards. However, there are numerous freelance writers who have received checks for the use of one or more of their greeting card ideas.
"There are an estimated 3,000 greeting card publishers in the U.S., ranging from small family-run organizations to major corporations. GCA-member publisher companies account for approximately 95 percent of industry sales." *
With so many greeting card publishers it is easy to see that this may be a market worth looking at. Many freelance writers who have sold ideas to greeting card companies find the idea a profitable means of using their downtime.
When these writers find themselves without a pressing deadline or if they have a few moments to spare, they will often jot down a few creative ideas. When they accumulate dozen or so ideas, they send them onto a greeting card company for consideration.
"The exchange of greeting cards is one of the most widely accepted customs in the U.S. There are cards for virtually any occasion or relationship, and they are widely available. Approximately 100,000 retail outlets around the country carry greeting cards." *
Greeting card companies often pay $25-300 for accepted original ideas. One of the best ways to match your idea with a publisher is to conduct some research of your own. For instance some card companies only accept non-rhyming poetry while others only accept humor. Some want inspirational thought while others deal in the cliché.
"Nine out of 10 Americans say they look forward to receiving personal letters and greeting cards because cards allow them to keep in touch with friends and family and make them feel they are important to someone else." *
The majority of the publishers in the greeting card industry will not provide online submission guidelines, but will supply them to you with a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). Find a publisher you like, check out their website and ask for submission guidelines. Expect significant rejection, but know that the ideas did not take much time to develop during a time when there were no other pressing deadlines. Then when an idea is accepted you have the knowledge that this is an easy add on to your existing freelance writing structure that resembles fishing, but has a prettier end result.
* Statistics provided by The Greeting Card Association
About The Author
Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters (http://www.faithwriters.com) and many other web projects. FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online destinations for Christian writers. Please visit the website at: http://www.faithwriters.com.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Google Adsense - Ads That Make You Money!
Imagine... being paid checks by the largest and most popular search engine, simply for displaying a few ads on your website for FREE?
Well, this is exactly what the Google Adsense program is all about! And when you think about it, it's a revolutionary way of earning yourself a useful online side income. But let's back up a bit...
In the past, many webmasters displayed ads from various companies, via pop-ups, banners, pop-ins and pop-unders. However, visitors to these sites soon got tired of these advertising methods - I mean, who'd like to go to a website where they'd have to close pop-up windows every other minute? This resulted in a dramatic loss of traffic, and in turn made many webmasters to lose profits.
That's when Google announced a novel program – Google Adsense. Instead of having to use banners and pop-ups to advertise companies and gain a commission, website publishers could now earn a decent profit by displaying unobtrusive text ads on the content pages of their website. Since the ads displayed were often directly related to what your visitors are looking for on your site, you had a way to both monetize and subtly enhance your web content.
One of the main reasons for its popularity, is the fact that the Google Adsense program is incredibly accurate. By stepping beyond the boundaries of simple keyword matching, it has quickly become one of the most prominent tools to display accurate advertisements. A list of keywords is still used as the basis of triggering ads, but complex algorithms now ensure that non-relevant ads no longer show up on your site.
Google Adsense also gives you the option to be selective about the type of ads you wish to display. This helps you direct your visitors towards certain type of products and avoid non-relevant or competitor ads. To make it possible for everyone to integrate Adsense into their sites, the program offers a wide variety of settings that allow you to alter the ads' size and appearance.
Google offers their Adsense program to just about all website owners. After signing up for the program, you'll receive an HTML/ XML code to paste on all of your web pages. Then, Google will dynamically generate ads that are relevant to your web content. Whenever a visitor clicks on one of the Adsense ads on your site, Google credits your account with a percentage of money that was paid by the advertiser for that ad.
To sign up for this terrific program, hop over to http://www.google.com/adsense It's super easy to set up - just a few clicks of your mouse and you're ready to go! Once you start displaying targeted Google Adsense ads on your website, you can expect to generate a sizable income depending on the traffic flow to your site and how many visitors actually click on the ads.
About The Author
Lewis Low is the founding editor of OnlineBizPromo.com For more Practical Online Business Ideas and Work-From-Home Opportunities, visit his Work-At-Home directory at http://www.OnlineBizPromo.com
Well, this is exactly what the Google Adsense program is all about! And when you think about it, it's a revolutionary way of earning yourself a useful online side income. But let's back up a bit...
In the past, many webmasters displayed ads from various companies, via pop-ups, banners, pop-ins and pop-unders. However, visitors to these sites soon got tired of these advertising methods - I mean, who'd like to go to a website where they'd have to close pop-up windows every other minute? This resulted in a dramatic loss of traffic, and in turn made many webmasters to lose profits.
That's when Google announced a novel program – Google Adsense. Instead of having to use banners and pop-ups to advertise companies and gain a commission, website publishers could now earn a decent profit by displaying unobtrusive text ads on the content pages of their website. Since the ads displayed were often directly related to what your visitors are looking for on your site, you had a way to both monetize and subtly enhance your web content.
One of the main reasons for its popularity, is the fact that the Google Adsense program is incredibly accurate. By stepping beyond the boundaries of simple keyword matching, it has quickly become one of the most prominent tools to display accurate advertisements. A list of keywords is still used as the basis of triggering ads, but complex algorithms now ensure that non-relevant ads no longer show up on your site.
Google Adsense also gives you the option to be selective about the type of ads you wish to display. This helps you direct your visitors towards certain type of products and avoid non-relevant or competitor ads. To make it possible for everyone to integrate Adsense into their sites, the program offers a wide variety of settings that allow you to alter the ads' size and appearance.
Google offers their Adsense program to just about all website owners. After signing up for the program, you'll receive an HTML/ XML code to paste on all of your web pages. Then, Google will dynamically generate ads that are relevant to your web content. Whenever a visitor clicks on one of the Adsense ads on your site, Google credits your account with a percentage of money that was paid by the advertiser for that ad.
To sign up for this terrific program, hop over to http://www.google.com/adsense It's super easy to set up - just a few clicks of your mouse and you're ready to go! Once you start displaying targeted Google Adsense ads on your website, you can expect to generate a sizable income depending on the traffic flow to your site and how many visitors actually click on the ads.
About The Author
Lewis Low is the founding editor of OnlineBizPromo.com For more Practical Online Business Ideas and Work-From-Home Opportunities, visit his Work-At-Home directory at http://www.OnlineBizPromo.com
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Power Of Online Auctions As Traffic Generators
There are thousands of online auctions on the internet. People love them because they can usually find great bargains. If you have an online business, you can use them to increase traffic to your web site.
You could create an electronic book or report that relates to your online business, then auction it off at an online auction. You could increase traffic to your web site by placing an ad for your web site in the electronic publication. Some online auctions will even allow you to link directly to your web site.
Electronic publications won't cost you anything to ship. You could send them via e-mail or allow people to download the electronic publication from your web site. You can also auction them off for a lower price. When they visit your web site you could offer them a higher priced product.
You could also get traffic from people who don't bid or don't get the winning bid. You could direct them to your web site to download and read a free sample of the ebook or report before they bid. If they want more detailed information about the ebook or report, you could also direct them to your web site.
You can also get traffic to your web site by auctioning a physical product. Print your web site advertisement on a flyer or brochure then insert it into each product package you ship.
Before you start auctioning any product at an online auction, read the terms and conditions. Some auctions may not allow the auctioning of electronic products or directly linking to your web site where you have other products for sale.
About The Author
Brian Sakamoto is a wbmaster of http://www.theaffiliate-business.com and http://www.marketingonlinepro.com. Also a partner of http://www.marketingonlinepro.com/ezinead.html.
You could create an electronic book or report that relates to your online business, then auction it off at an online auction. You could increase traffic to your web site by placing an ad for your web site in the electronic publication. Some online auctions will even allow you to link directly to your web site.
Electronic publications won't cost you anything to ship. You could send them via e-mail or allow people to download the electronic publication from your web site. You can also auction them off for a lower price. When they visit your web site you could offer them a higher priced product.
You could also get traffic from people who don't bid or don't get the winning bid. You could direct them to your web site to download and read a free sample of the ebook or report before they bid. If they want more detailed information about the ebook or report, you could also direct them to your web site.
You can also get traffic to your web site by auctioning a physical product. Print your web site advertisement on a flyer or brochure then insert it into each product package you ship.
Before you start auctioning any product at an online auction, read the terms and conditions. Some auctions may not allow the auctioning of electronic products or directly linking to your web site where you have other products for sale.
About The Author
Brian Sakamoto is a wbmaster of http://www.theaffiliate-business.com and http://www.marketingonlinepro.com. Also a partner of http://www.marketingonlinepro.com/ezinead.html.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Sell Successfully with Online Auctions
The Internet has literally hundreds of auction web sites, all trying to cash in on the online auction craze. There are five basic techniques I will discuss that will dramatically increase the success of your online sales. I have actually put these to the test myself and they really are successful.
1) Keywords in the Listing – The single most important element in an auction listing is carefully selecting the keywords you use in your listing. Start with your title and fill your title up with keywords that accurately describe the item. Do not use keywords that are not relevant to your item, you will only waste the buyer’s time and yours. Use as much of the allotted characters allowed to write your title. In the description, write it using keywords to best describe your item. The more keywords you use there is a better chance a potential buyer will find your auction. Be careful not to use spamming techniques of any kind, it is a waste of time for everyone and could result in being banned from the auction site.
2) Misspelled Keywords – A technique that is commonly overlooked is the use of misspelled keywords in your listing. Intentionally including misspelled words can increase the audience of your listings. For example, on eBay as of right now, searching for the term “jewelry” – correctly spelled, there are 192,701 auctions with “jewelry” in the title. If you create your auction with “jewelery” also in the title and description, there are 2,018 items listed, so by misspelling words you can increase the traffic to your auction.
3) Low Starting Price & Reserves – Start your auction at a low opening bid price and secure your desired selling with a reserve price. Lower opening bids will encourage more bidders to bid up the price to an amount they are willing to pay. For example, I recently listed an older Dell Latitude laptop on eBay and started the price at $0.99 with a reserve price of $150 and successfully sold for $197.50. Coupled with a low opening bid, you want to make sure there are plenty of keywords in the title & description so there will be sufficient traffic to your auction. A well-written auction would not allow an item to sell for $0.99, since we know the item will sell for much more than that. When we set a reserve price, it means we do not have to sell the item unless the bidding price meets or exceeds the reserve price. A reserve price insures the seller of not having to forcefully sell the item if the reserve has not been met, but the seller has the option to do so if desired. !
The reserve price set by the seller is not shown to the buyers, in order to encourage bidding up the price to find out what the reserve price is.
4) Timing of Auctions – An important technique to know is the timing of your auction as to when it closes. The auction should be timed to close during the late evening hours, such as 10-11pm at night. Research indicates most ideal time to close an auction and encourage the most bids is Sunday at 11pm. The idea is to time the auction when the majority of people are home and able to place final bids. I’ve researched this myself with several auctions and had them close at different times and the ones that close late at night receive a higher number of bids than those that close during the day.
5) Pictures – Pictures are a vital element of listing an auction on any site. Buyers want to see what they are purchasing before placing a bid. Include multiple pictures of your item, such as different angles, back side, or inside if it can be opened. Be sure the pictures are professional looking and is presented clearly to the buyer as to what they are bidding on. Typically, picture sizes should be under 100K to ensure fast loading for users with slower Internet connections. If they have to wait too long for a picture to load, they will click off and go to the next auction, thus you have lost a potential bidder.
The techniques outlined here are just the beginning of creating successful auctions. There are several books & websites online that are dedicated to successful selling. However, implementing these techniques will dramatically increase the success of your auction sales.
About The Author
Jason Ziarko http://www.ejzbids.com
jbziarko@ejzbids.com
1) Keywords in the Listing – The single most important element in an auction listing is carefully selecting the keywords you use in your listing. Start with your title and fill your title up with keywords that accurately describe the item. Do not use keywords that are not relevant to your item, you will only waste the buyer’s time and yours. Use as much of the allotted characters allowed to write your title. In the description, write it using keywords to best describe your item. The more keywords you use there is a better chance a potential buyer will find your auction. Be careful not to use spamming techniques of any kind, it is a waste of time for everyone and could result in being banned from the auction site.
2) Misspelled Keywords – A technique that is commonly overlooked is the use of misspelled keywords in your listing. Intentionally including misspelled words can increase the audience of your listings. For example, on eBay as of right now, searching for the term “jewelry” – correctly spelled, there are 192,701 auctions with “jewelry” in the title. If you create your auction with “jewelery” also in the title and description, there are 2,018 items listed, so by misspelling words you can increase the traffic to your auction.
3) Low Starting Price & Reserves – Start your auction at a low opening bid price and secure your desired selling with a reserve price. Lower opening bids will encourage more bidders to bid up the price to an amount they are willing to pay. For example, I recently listed an older Dell Latitude laptop on eBay and started the price at $0.99 with a reserve price of $150 and successfully sold for $197.50. Coupled with a low opening bid, you want to make sure there are plenty of keywords in the title & description so there will be sufficient traffic to your auction. A well-written auction would not allow an item to sell for $0.99, since we know the item will sell for much more than that. When we set a reserve price, it means we do not have to sell the item unless the bidding price meets or exceeds the reserve price. A reserve price insures the seller of not having to forcefully sell the item if the reserve has not been met, but the seller has the option to do so if desired. !
The reserve price set by the seller is not shown to the buyers, in order to encourage bidding up the price to find out what the reserve price is.
4) Timing of Auctions – An important technique to know is the timing of your auction as to when it closes. The auction should be timed to close during the late evening hours, such as 10-11pm at night. Research indicates most ideal time to close an auction and encourage the most bids is Sunday at 11pm. The idea is to time the auction when the majority of people are home and able to place final bids. I’ve researched this myself with several auctions and had them close at different times and the ones that close late at night receive a higher number of bids than those that close during the day.
5) Pictures – Pictures are a vital element of listing an auction on any site. Buyers want to see what they are purchasing before placing a bid. Include multiple pictures of your item, such as different angles, back side, or inside if it can be opened. Be sure the pictures are professional looking and is presented clearly to the buyer as to what they are bidding on. Typically, picture sizes should be under 100K to ensure fast loading for users with slower Internet connections. If they have to wait too long for a picture to load, they will click off and go to the next auction, thus you have lost a potential bidder.
The techniques outlined here are just the beginning of creating successful auctions. There are several books & websites online that are dedicated to successful selling. However, implementing these techniques will dramatically increase the success of your auction sales.
About The Author
Jason Ziarko http://www.ejzbids.com
jbziarko@ejzbids.com
Saturday, May 10, 2008
3 Affiliate Marketing Tools
The term affiliate marketing is used to describe an advertising agreement between a website owner and a merchant. If you have researched Internet home business opportunities, you know that affiliate marketing is one of the most simple and profitable opportunities on the web. Most affiliate marketing programs cost nothing to join, which means that there is no financial risk involved for you.
For the most part, getting started is easy. There is no previous sales experience required, and as mentioned above, there is no charge to join most of these programs. Most programs provide all of the marketing materials you will ever need, including site graphics and links. You also don't have to worry about many of the other things that come with an online retail business, such as inventory, order processing, and shipping.
However, these programs, like any work at home business, requires an organized plan of action if you want to succeed. To assist you in developing a plan, Web Business Tools has created a list of affiliate marketing tools that are essential for every work at home business.
Tool Number One
Your Own Website
When it comes to affiliate marketing, your website is not only your most important tool; it is the key to your success. In addition to being user-friendly, your site should also be credible and professional looking. If you are interested in using one of these programs as an Internet home business opportunity, you will want to begin by building a website that will serve your needs. To come up with ideas, search the web and see what others are doing. Assess these other sites to determine what you like and what you don't like. Make notes as you go and use them to develop an original and unique website that can stand out among the competition.
If you are unable to build your own website, there are many different professional web development companies who can. They may also be able to help you develop optimized content that will be relevant to your Internet home business opportunity. If you are not interested in hiring someone, there are also software programs that can be purchased which will teach you all about website building and website development.
Tool Number Two
Incentives
To be successful in affiliate marketing, you must encourage people to click on links for the products and services that you are promoting. To help build a clientele, create an opt-in email list, newsletter, or e-zine. If you really want to increase the profits of your work at home business, offer incentives, such as free software, services, etc., that will encourage people to subscribe to your publications. As with any Internet home business opportunity, promotion is the difference between success and failure.
Tool Number 3
Links
Affiliate marketing success depends heavily upon the traffic that comes through your website. Your search engine ranking typically determines your traffic level, but another factor is link popularity.
To gain link popularity, you can submit your site's link to other websites, free newsletters, etc. The more times you submit, the more chances you have to become a popular destination, which in turn, provides you with more chances to make your Internet home business opportunity a success.
Having your own work at home business can be a satisfying experience. If you want to make the dream come true, give affiliate marketing a try. By taking time to learn more about affiliate marketing programs, affiliate marketing tools, and other Internet home business opportunities, you can develop a successful work at home business.
About The Author
Cliff Posey, owner of CRP Marketing, owns and operates http://webbusinesstoolsonline.com. Cliff Posey has also operated several other successful web businesses including Love Song Cards and Radio Career Consultants. The content in this article was developed from his experience in these businesses.
For the most part, getting started is easy. There is no previous sales experience required, and as mentioned above, there is no charge to join most of these programs. Most programs provide all of the marketing materials you will ever need, including site graphics and links. You also don't have to worry about many of the other things that come with an online retail business, such as inventory, order processing, and shipping.
However, these programs, like any work at home business, requires an organized plan of action if you want to succeed. To assist you in developing a plan, Web Business Tools has created a list of affiliate marketing tools that are essential for every work at home business.
Tool Number One
Your Own Website
When it comes to affiliate marketing, your website is not only your most important tool; it is the key to your success. In addition to being user-friendly, your site should also be credible and professional looking. If you are interested in using one of these programs as an Internet home business opportunity, you will want to begin by building a website that will serve your needs. To come up with ideas, search the web and see what others are doing. Assess these other sites to determine what you like and what you don't like. Make notes as you go and use them to develop an original and unique website that can stand out among the competition.
If you are unable to build your own website, there are many different professional web development companies who can. They may also be able to help you develop optimized content that will be relevant to your Internet home business opportunity. If you are not interested in hiring someone, there are also software programs that can be purchased which will teach you all about website building and website development.
Tool Number Two
Incentives
To be successful in affiliate marketing, you must encourage people to click on links for the products and services that you are promoting. To help build a clientele, create an opt-in email list, newsletter, or e-zine. If you really want to increase the profits of your work at home business, offer incentives, such as free software, services, etc., that will encourage people to subscribe to your publications. As with any Internet home business opportunity, promotion is the difference between success and failure.
Tool Number 3
Links
Affiliate marketing success depends heavily upon the traffic that comes through your website. Your search engine ranking typically determines your traffic level, but another factor is link popularity.
To gain link popularity, you can submit your site's link to other websites, free newsletters, etc. The more times you submit, the more chances you have to become a popular destination, which in turn, provides you with more chances to make your Internet home business opportunity a success.
Having your own work at home business can be a satisfying experience. If you want to make the dream come true, give affiliate marketing a try. By taking time to learn more about affiliate marketing programs, affiliate marketing tools, and other Internet home business opportunities, you can develop a successful work at home business.
About The Author
Cliff Posey, owner of CRP Marketing, owns and operates http://webbusinesstoolsonline.com. Cliff Posey has also operated several other successful web businesses including Love Song Cards and Radio Career Consultants. The content in this article was developed from his experience in these businesses.
Friday, May 9, 2008
3 Tops Reasons Why You Must Have Your Own Affiliate Marketing Website
Budding entrepreneurs entering the affiliate marketing business invariably struggle with many questions on the setup, methods and strategies of their new business.
In dealing with prospects on a daily basis the same question arises time and time again:
Should I get your own website? Do I need one? Will it make a difference to my affiliate sales?
If you have ever joined any affiliate programs at all then you will know that every affiliate program provides you with your own version of the merchants sales page - coded with your affiliate link, in order to track sales.
Technically it is possible to make money promoting this turnkey site that the merchant has provided. In my professional opinion and from my own experience though, this is NOT the way to go if you are serious about making your affiliate business a full-time enterprise.
Let me explain why - giving the most important points against using the affiliate website:
1. By far the most important factor is that the affiliate program can go out of business at anytime leaving any promotions that you have done for your affiliate site useless. If you have links on the www pointing to an affiliate page and the company is no longer in existence then those links will fail to work.
If you have your own website then YOU are in control. You can simply point the link on your end to a new company and thus give you a chance of building a new income stream.
2. It is undoubtedly of massive importance that you build your reputation online. If you only promote another persons website, even though it will bring you commissions, it will usually have the name of the product owner on this site. So, in this case, you are building the merchants' reputation and web presence instead of your own. Branding your name and business online will lead to further success so it's better to get YOUR name out there right from the very start.
3. Point 3 is, that with an affiliate page you don't have the ability to make changes to your webpage. Again, this is a business, so you MUST add your own uniqueness and some personality to the aspect of this business that you are presenting to the public. You CANNOT do this with the affiliate site that the merchant provides - ONLY with your own website and domain name.
So by now you may be asking for the solution. The only answer is to get a website and build YOUR own web presence and brand rather than someone elses. This way you can promote any affiliate programs you like from your new site AND you can change the links, content etc. as often as you require.
This is how I personally do it. If you visit my own sites you will see that I have added loads of my own content BUT each of the links from within that site point to affiliate product from which I will get a commission for evey sale that is made.
Do you see how this works? Do you see how it is a much better strategy than promoting an affiliate page that will NEVER belong to me?
Now, at this stage you may be terrified as to how you where you would even start to acquire your own business domain name and website.
The process is actually quite simple, once you actually begin to push through the fear and take action.
If you don't see the importance of having your own website now then believe me, it WILL become clear as you get a better understanding of online business.
For a few dollars per year for a domain name and hosting you are much better to have an affiliate website than be without one.
About The Author
Checkout Mal Keenans' Top Rated Affiliate Marketing Secret Resource Site: http://www.malkeenan.com
Discover How You Can Have Your Own Affiliate Website Up and Running Today. Download My Free Success Guide for All the Details: http://www.freeadvertz.com/
In dealing with prospects on a daily basis the same question arises time and time again:
Should I get your own website? Do I need one? Will it make a difference to my affiliate sales?
If you have ever joined any affiliate programs at all then you will know that every affiliate program provides you with your own version of the merchants sales page - coded with your affiliate link, in order to track sales.
Technically it is possible to make money promoting this turnkey site that the merchant has provided. In my professional opinion and from my own experience though, this is NOT the way to go if you are serious about making your affiliate business a full-time enterprise.
Let me explain why - giving the most important points against using the affiliate website:
1. By far the most important factor is that the affiliate program can go out of business at anytime leaving any promotions that you have done for your affiliate site useless. If you have links on the www pointing to an affiliate page and the company is no longer in existence then those links will fail to work.
If you have your own website then YOU are in control. You can simply point the link on your end to a new company and thus give you a chance of building a new income stream.
2. It is undoubtedly of massive importance that you build your reputation online. If you only promote another persons website, even though it will bring you commissions, it will usually have the name of the product owner on this site. So, in this case, you are building the merchants' reputation and web presence instead of your own. Branding your name and business online will lead to further success so it's better to get YOUR name out there right from the very start.
3. Point 3 is, that with an affiliate page you don't have the ability to make changes to your webpage. Again, this is a business, so you MUST add your own uniqueness and some personality to the aspect of this business that you are presenting to the public. You CANNOT do this with the affiliate site that the merchant provides - ONLY with your own website and domain name.
So by now you may be asking for the solution. The only answer is to get a website and build YOUR own web presence and brand rather than someone elses. This way you can promote any affiliate programs you like from your new site AND you can change the links, content etc. as often as you require.
This is how I personally do it. If you visit my own sites you will see that I have added loads of my own content BUT each of the links from within that site point to affiliate product from which I will get a commission for evey sale that is made.
Do you see how this works? Do you see how it is a much better strategy than promoting an affiliate page that will NEVER belong to me?
Now, at this stage you may be terrified as to how you where you would even start to acquire your own business domain name and website.
The process is actually quite simple, once you actually begin to push through the fear and take action.
If you don't see the importance of having your own website now then believe me, it WILL become clear as you get a better understanding of online business.
For a few dollars per year for a domain name and hosting you are much better to have an affiliate website than be without one.
About The Author
Checkout Mal Keenans' Top Rated Affiliate Marketing Secret Resource Site: http://www.malkeenan.com
Discover How You Can Have Your Own Affiliate Website Up and Running Today. Download My Free Success Guide for All the Details: http://www.freeadvertz.com/
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Basic Affiliate Internet Marketing
All of us would love to make a little more money. Sometimes just a little to supplement an income can be a huge help. Today it is easier that you think to get a little extra cash in your bank accounts. Most of us today have our own personal websites. We can get them for free and use them as a method to keep others informed of what we are doing. You can actually turn your website into a way of making some extra cash for you. By placing some audio books on your site, you have the potential to earn some cash.
When people go onto your site, if they see an audio book that is interesting and purchase it, you receive what is known as a referral payment. Gradually your earnings will increase as your website gets viewed.
You're not likely going to get rich with just your own personal website. However, it is a way to get started. There may come a time when you create another site and you can start turning this into a money making venture as well. You could sign up for an affiliate program and make money through their ads. To do this well you need to think of an appropriate affiliate program that readers of your site would appreciate. For example, if you site is about pets, you may want to look for affiliates that work with pet supplies, pet food or veterinary services.
Once you have a site up and running, you need to get a list of affiliate companies that will give you their advertising banners. There are loads of companies on the net that will help you. You can also get performance statistics on them as well. You will be able to track how much you will earn and how you will be paid.
Two companies that are incredibly popular are commission junction and link share. These will both help you find affiliates for your website. They have loads of good, accurate information available on what companies would be best and how well they perform.
Signing up for one of these affiliate programs is easy. You will be asked for personal information so don't be put off. This is necessary because they will be paying you commission money. You’ll be expected to give your social security number as well as take information. Once you sign up you will need to think about which programs to choose.
Commission junction has all of the information available on which companies pay which rates of commission. They also have information on how well and timely they make their payments. If a company is a shaky reputation, commission junction will know about it.
Another option is to sell audio books for your niche. Audio books have become very popular in the last few years. People enjoy the convenience of listening to books rather than reading them.
If you are looking to make a little more money then it is easy. Why not take the first step and turn you personal website into a way to make cash. Fill up those blank spaces with audio books and let the money roll in. you can always expand and create different websites. Affiliate programs are great ways to help you earn money. You can start off small with your own site and then expand into other areas. Eventually, you could build your own affiliate business. Look into affiliate marketing. It could be quite lucrative.
About The Author
Juliette Lee is the editor and CEO of http://www.MyAudioCompanion.com. To find the best audio book titles, please visit http://www.MyAudioCompanion.com
When people go onto your site, if they see an audio book that is interesting and purchase it, you receive what is known as a referral payment. Gradually your earnings will increase as your website gets viewed.
You're not likely going to get rich with just your own personal website. However, it is a way to get started. There may come a time when you create another site and you can start turning this into a money making venture as well. You could sign up for an affiliate program and make money through their ads. To do this well you need to think of an appropriate affiliate program that readers of your site would appreciate. For example, if you site is about pets, you may want to look for affiliates that work with pet supplies, pet food or veterinary services.
Once you have a site up and running, you need to get a list of affiliate companies that will give you their advertising banners. There are loads of companies on the net that will help you. You can also get performance statistics on them as well. You will be able to track how much you will earn and how you will be paid.
Two companies that are incredibly popular are commission junction and link share. These will both help you find affiliates for your website. They have loads of good, accurate information available on what companies would be best and how well they perform.
Signing up for one of these affiliate programs is easy. You will be asked for personal information so don't be put off. This is necessary because they will be paying you commission money. You’ll be expected to give your social security number as well as take information. Once you sign up you will need to think about which programs to choose.
Commission junction has all of the information available on which companies pay which rates of commission. They also have information on how well and timely they make their payments. If a company is a shaky reputation, commission junction will know about it.
Another option is to sell audio books for your niche. Audio books have become very popular in the last few years. People enjoy the convenience of listening to books rather than reading them.
If you are looking to make a little more money then it is easy. Why not take the first step and turn you personal website into a way to make cash. Fill up those blank spaces with audio books and let the money roll in. you can always expand and create different websites. Affiliate programs are great ways to help you earn money. You can start off small with your own site and then expand into other areas. Eventually, you could build your own affiliate business. Look into affiliate marketing. It could be quite lucrative.
About The Author
Juliette Lee is the editor and CEO of http://www.MyAudioCompanion.com. To find the best audio book titles, please visit http://www.MyAudioCompanion.com
Friday, May 2, 2008
Marketing Through Education
They say Content is King. People place a value on shared knowledge. In other words, education.
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." (Henry B. Adams)
That idea is very important for a business person. Educate someone and you never know what kind of referrals you may get from them down the road. By educating potential customers, you gain their trust and confidence, present a knowledgeable and professional appearance, make a memorable impression, and help them to make an informed purchase.
There are many ways to educate potential customers and you should exploit and many methods and possible.
1. Articles online and in print.
2. Business website with content.
3. Monthly newsletters or ezines.
4. Paid ads that look like an article.
5. Seminars.
Another benefit of offering something educational, especially if it is free, is that it can be used to convince your chosen local media (TV, radio, newspaper) to give you free exposure.
Traditional media is not the only place to offer your educational expertise. Niche markets like to learn too. So now it's time to package up all of your educational information and take it on the road to local groups, unions, professional organizations, corporations, police departments, etc. Contact the secretary of the organization or the manager of a department, send them a brief summary of what you have to offer and ask to meet with them. A 30 minute meeting should be enough to convince them distribute your informative articles to their group, publish you in their newsletter or even to set up a seminar for their group.
Now sweeten the deal, these niche markets also respond well to discounts. Many organizations offer various discount programs and benefits to their members. You may be well served to devise a discount program that these organizations can offer to their members. Then the organization will do your advertising for you.
As you can see, few educational efforts on your part can have far reaching benefits. Be a teacher, effect eternity.
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." (Henry B. Adams)
That idea is very important for a business person. Educate someone and you never know what kind of referrals you may get from them down the road. By educating potential customers, you gain their trust and confidence, present a knowledgeable and professional appearance, make a memorable impression, and help them to make an informed purchase.
There are many ways to educate potential customers and you should exploit and many methods and possible.
1. Articles online and in print.
2. Business website with content.
3. Monthly newsletters or ezines.
4. Paid ads that look like an article.
5. Seminars.
Another benefit of offering something educational, especially if it is free, is that it can be used to convince your chosen local media (TV, radio, newspaper) to give you free exposure.
Traditional media is not the only place to offer your educational expertise. Niche markets like to learn too. So now it's time to package up all of your educational information and take it on the road to local groups, unions, professional organizations, corporations, police departments, etc. Contact the secretary of the organization or the manager of a department, send them a brief summary of what you have to offer and ask to meet with them. A 30 minute meeting should be enough to convince them distribute your informative articles to their group, publish you in their newsletter or even to set up a seminar for their group.
Now sweeten the deal, these niche markets also respond well to discounts. Many organizations offer various discount programs and benefits to their members. You may be well served to devise a discount program that these organizations can offer to their members. Then the organization will do your advertising for you.
As you can see, few educational efforts on your part can have far reaching benefits. Be a teacher, effect eternity.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Removing Blogger’s Block
Your typing along in your blog just fine, when one day, nothing. You have run out of ideas to write about. You can not just write nothing, what would happen to your loyal readers, your coveted search engine ranking, your advertising revenue?
Never fear, inspiration is here!
Trigger ideas to write about hot topics by visiting Twiigs (http://www.twiigs.com/). Twiigs is a survey site. People can go to Twiigs and set up their own survey, participate in other surveys, or just find out what people are thinking about. This resource can be valuable to in two ways. The first is to create your own survey about a potential topic idea and find out what people think about it. The second is to find out what others are talking about and interested in to trigger new post ideas.
For even more targeted ideas about what your readers want to read about, ask them directly. Skribit (http://www.skribit.com/) offers a free tool to put on your blog that allows your readers to request more information about various topics. With this tool, you will never again be left wondering if anyone cares to read about what you write.
Finally, the icing on the cake, is Zemanta (http://www.zemanta.com/). Zemanta is a tool that assesses your post as you write it and provides suggestions on images, links and tags that you can add to enhance your writing. Get instant research on your topic with links to similar articles, use these articles for additional information and ideas when you get stuck half way through your post.
Never create sub-par, boring, or worse, non-existent posts again.
Never fear, inspiration is here!
Trigger ideas to write about hot topics by visiting Twiigs (http://www.twiigs.com/). Twiigs is a survey site. People can go to Twiigs and set up their own survey, participate in other surveys, or just find out what people are thinking about. This resource can be valuable to in two ways. The first is to create your own survey about a potential topic idea and find out what people think about it. The second is to find out what others are talking about and interested in to trigger new post ideas.
For even more targeted ideas about what your readers want to read about, ask them directly. Skribit (http://www.skribit.com/) offers a free tool to put on your blog that allows your readers to request more information about various topics. With this tool, you will never again be left wondering if anyone cares to read about what you write.
Finally, the icing on the cake, is Zemanta (http://www.zemanta.com/). Zemanta is a tool that assesses your post as you write it and provides suggestions on images, links and tags that you can add to enhance your writing. Get instant research on your topic with links to similar articles, use these articles for additional information and ideas when you get stuck half way through your post.
Never create sub-par, boring, or worse, non-existent posts again.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Free eBooks
We hope you enjoy these free ebooks:
eZine Success
The Science of Getting Rich - the book the bestseller The Secret was based on.
Website Conversion Secrets - How to Make your website sell like crazy!
AdSense Revenue Exposed
Blog in a Box
eZine Success
The Science of Getting Rich - the book the bestseller The Secret was based on.
Website Conversion Secrets - How to Make your website sell like crazy!
AdSense Revenue Exposed
Blog in a Box
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The Obsolete Employee
This is the first book ever written on the subject of Virtual Outsourcing. In it, you will learn why the traditional employment system just does not work, what a powerful and effective tool Virtual Outsourcing is for business, and how to find, assess and implement this strategy in your business.
But, this book is NOT just for employers! For all of you who are fed up with long commutes, incompetent coworkers, and uselessly wasted hours trying to please an overbearing boss, feel free to peek under the cover too. You can learn how to develop and succeed with your own Virtual Assistant Business. In fact, this book is great to give to prospective customers to explain just why they should hire you!
But, this book is NOT just for employers! For all of you who are fed up with long commutes, incompetent coworkers, and uselessly wasted hours trying to please an overbearing boss, feel free to peek under the cover too. You can learn how to develop and succeed with your own Virtual Assistant Business. In fact, this book is great to give to prospective customers to explain just why they should hire you!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Things to Consider When Choosing a Direct Sales Company
Direct Sales companies are the tried and true method of working from home. Some of the companies are brand new and others such as Avon, Tupperware and Mary Kay pioneered this industry over two decades ago. The premise of a direct sales company is to enlist Independent Sales Consultants to sell their products to friends and family and via home shows or home parties. The sales consultants earn commissions on the sales and sometimes other incentives like products, prizes and vacations. With hundreds, if not, thousands to choose from, how do you know which on is right for you?
Here are a few things to consider when making your choice:
- Find a product you love! You can not sell a product you would not use yourself. You can not successfully sell a product you can not stand behind and be enthusiastic about. Do not be afraid you will not find something you love, there are direct sales companies for cosmetics, skin care, bath and body, household items and decoration, food, jewelry, cleaning products, greeting cards, books, baby gear, clothing, and much more.
Check out the commission structure. Many companies offer a straightforward payment plan of something between 10% and 40% commission with the average being around 25%. Others have tiered programs that offer higher commission for higher sales volume. Some have multi-level programs that become vary complex. - Downline Sales. Most direct sales companies encourage you to build a team of sales professionals offer you a commission on their sales. This commission is generally around 10-15%. You might even be able to earn lesser commissions on indirect sales consultants, i.e. the people your team members recruit, or even their team members. So when researching the perfect direct sales company for you, be sure to ask about the downline structure and if it has multiple tiers. One word of warning, companies that offer multiple tiers of downline commission often offer you a lower commission on your own sales so that is an important difference to weigh out and determine exactly how you will benefit most.
Incentives. Other than your commission, you might be able to earn bonuses, prizes, free products and even trips. - Investment or Start Up Cost. If you have read anything about work from home programs, you have probably been well warned to stay away anyone who wants you pay an upfront fee. This is good advice if you understand what it means. Scams are when you are asked to pay a fee to apply for an hourly paid job, pay a fee for a package or start up kit that you never receive and many other sneaky and underhanded ideas. These scams are different from paying for a start up kit in a legitimate direct sales company. When you become an independent consultant for a direct sales company you are in essence starting your own business. And it is completely reasonable to be asked to make an investment in your new business. This investment can range from as little as $5 to as much as $1,000. On average the cost is between $100 and $200. The reason for this investment is two-fold. The benefit to the company is to help make sure that the people who sign up are serious about selling. The benefit to the new business owner is that you get products and business supplies that help you get up and running.
- Hidden Costs. Generally when you sign up with a direct sales company, you will do so under another consultant who becomes your team leader and mentor. They will be the one who helps you to understand the commission structure and other benefits and costs before you sign up. But always make sure you ask about hidden costs that you may incur other than the cost of the start up kit. For example, while some companies offer you a free website, most will charge extra if you want to make sales via a website. They may even charge an additional fee to allow your customers to pay via credit card. While your start up kit may include some business cards, catalogs and brochures, once those are gone you’ll need to purchase more. Find out what they charge. Other hidden costs come into play if you plan on selling via home parties. Do you need to carry stock or additional samples to display at the party? If your product consumable, such as food, you may need to pay for samples for each party. Another hidden cost involving parties is the hostess plan. The hostess plan is incentives offered to the hostess of the party to entice them to have the party in the first place. Sometimes the expenses of these incentives are paid for by the company, sometimes they are paid for by you, and sometimes they are split. All of these costs, while legitimate business expenses and tax deductible, will, none the less, affect your bottom line and earning potential.
- Quotas. Another way that some direct sales companies make sure you are serious is to impose quotas or purchase minimums. These may be monthly or quarterly. Make sure you are confident you’ll be able to meet these quotas and find out what happens if you do not.
- Payment. And of course, you’ll want to be clear on how you get paid and how often. Make sure to take into account how this payment method will affect your taxes too.
If you are interested in working from home, direct sales offers an affordable and potentially lucrative business choice for the determined, disciplined, self-starter.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
7 Ways to Get Completely Free Traffic
Let's face it. Even if you have a GREAT site, without visitors coming to it you won't have much success. So, how do you get targeted visitors who want the information you have to share?
Read this FREE ebook to find out.
http://www.christianwahm.com/modules/wfdownloads/viewcat.php?cid=1
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
7 Ways to Get Completely Free Traffic
Let's face it. Even if you have a GREAT site, without visitors coming to it you won't have much success. So, how do you get targeted visitors who want the information you have to share?
Read this FREE ebook to find out.
http://www.christianwahm.com/modules/wfdownloads/viewcat.php?cid=1
Friday, March 21, 2008
The HP Learning Center
Get more clients and customers by sharpening your skills at the HP Learning Center! The HP Learning Center offers informative and timely online classes in a variety of business subjects -- and they’re absolutely free.
Hewlett-Packard is synonymous with innovation and invention when it comes to business, and is dedicated to helping other professionals gain a competitive edge through technology and education. The HP Learning Center is a convenient and valuable tool for business owners striving to stay ahead of the competition, with self-paced online classes that cover a diverse range of subjects, including:
· Small Business Networking
· In-House Marketing
· Digital Photography
· Microsoft Excel
· And Much More!
Not only are the classes free and easy to follow, but each one is led by an experienced instructor and is available 24/7 for your convenience.
Hewlett-Packard is synonymous with innovation and invention when it comes to business, and is dedicated to helping other professionals gain a competitive edge through technology and education. The HP Learning Center is a convenient and valuable tool for business owners striving to stay ahead of the competition, with self-paced online classes that cover a diverse range of subjects, including:
· Small Business Networking
· In-House Marketing
· Digital Photography
· Microsoft Excel
· And Much More!
Not only are the classes free and easy to follow, but each one is led by an experienced instructor and is available 24/7 for your convenience.
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