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Affiliate Products or Create Your Own? You Decide…
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by: Mal Keenan
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| Copyright 2005 Mal Keenan
Every business need products or services to sell and without these you DO NOT have a businesss. Makes sense, right? If you are thinking of starting an online business you need to decide whether you want to sell your own products or whether you want to do as I do and sell other peoples’ for commissions. I have been making a full-time income from home as an Affiliate Marketer since 2004. I sell other people products and services. If you are new to online marketing you may not believe it is possible to sell without ones own products. I was convinced when the company checks started rolling in. Let us first look at some ideas for creating your own product. Discovering what people need and want is tantamount to finding a lucrative market for your work at home business. There are three things you should look for in determining the profitability of a particular market: 1. How great is the demand? 2. How scarce is the supply? Or restated, how much competition will you encounter? 3. Will you be able to provide for this demand? If the answer to all the three considerations above are favorable, then you have for yourself a good market that your online home business can cater to. Of course, there are some tricks and tactics that you could use to find ideal markets. Here are some of them: * Go to www.inventory.overture.com or www.nichebot.com and type in the type of business you wish to pursue. The results will show how many searches were made, direct or related, for that particular subject over the past few weeks. * Make a search for the same business type in any of the search engines. These results will show how abundant or scarce your competition will be. * From time to time, there are special reports that are published which enumerate hot niches waiting to be exploited. Niches, of course, are highly specialized markets that most businesses tend to overlook. Once you find a market, it’s time to come up with a product. Information products, ie. E-books, are the most ideal for your online home business. They can be digitally delivered, and they don’t require physical space for stocking. There are four popular ways by which you could come up with an information product for your online home business: * You could create these products yourself. Maybe you are an expert in a certain area? Could you write a special report? Don’t forget to check out if there is a demand for the info as outlined above. * You could hire someone to create them for you. Elance.com is a favourite for online marketers to have products created and I have used them on quite a few occasions myself. * You could use existing products that have been created by others, through the purchase of their resale rights. Mike Hill is an expert on using Public Domain Works for this purpose. You can check out his site here: http://www.malkeenan.com/offers/publicdomainworks.html Then there is Affiliate Marketing….. You can join affiliate programs in 1000s of different markets in almost any topic imaginable and choose to pre-sell any of the products they have to offer. As mentioned above this is my preferred method. When choosing affiliate products you want something of quality which also offers high commissions. Most quality affiliate programs will also offer tools in the form of graphics and pre-written ad copy to help you make your money. Some affiliate programs will offer 75% commission to you for selling their service online. I would be looking for at least 50%, especially for low priced products like e-books. For high priced items, marketing seminars, marketing course etc. I would expect 30-50%. The benefits of selling affiliate products is that you don’t have to worry about payment processors nor product support, which can be a nightmare. Selling affiliate products frees up a lot of my time. The way I see it, there is no point working at home unless it allows me more freedom to do the things I like to do. Whether you choose your own product or to go the affiliate route there is a lot of money to be made, IF you do the right things. I am here to make your decision easier and give you whatever help and advice I can to enable you to proceed. Contact me anytime for ideas and advice. I genuinely want to help. About the author: |
Affiliate Products or Create Your Own? You Decide…
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzzAdvertising Your Home Business on a Budget
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzz|
Advertising Your Home Business on a Budget
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by: Stone Evans
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| Copyright 2004 Stone Evans
When you are starting out in a new home business and no one knows who you are, one of the greatest challenges you will face is how to drum up new business. If there were not people in your community or marketplace that you knew who needed your products or services, you probably would not have started your business to begin with. But, once you have talked to those who you personally knew who needed your what you offer, then your next task is to find others who will help keep your doors open. Many people know that they must turn to advertising at some point in the future, but they hope that day will be long down the road. For some, this utopian concept will come to fruition. But for the rest of us in the real world, we must come up with creative solutions for meeting our home business advertising needs while working within our budget. Most people have a misconception about having to spend lots of money in order to advertise their home business. When you start out, you honestly will not have much money available for advertising, and if you do, you should still spend it wisely. Before you jump headfirst into the world of advertising, let me share some of the lessons I have learned concerning this most important topic. LESSON #1 It does not have to cost an arm and a leg to advertise your home business, unless you fail to plan and fail to test. As much as is possible, you should always test your advertising. If you jump in and start dumping tons of money in to advertising without first testing your advertising, you might find yourself broke and without sales at the end of the road. Most people who commit this error write off their failure on the home business they chose or the economy or any of a hundred other excuses. But, if they are unwilling to take responsibility for their mistake, they will never learn from their mistake. Don’t let this be you. LESSON #2 All testing should be done in blocks. If you begin to advertise simultaneously in newspapers, radio and television, how will you know which advertising is bringing people to your cash register? You won’t. All you will know that something might be working, but you will not know what is actually doing the trick. Even if you tell people in your advertising to tell you how they found you, my experience shows that fewer than 10% of the people ever will tell you anything — and those people who do may not even get the facts straight! You cannot rely on your customers to tell you what advertising is working for your home business. You must put in the extra effort to know for yourself. LESSON #3 Only when you have a proven and solid advertising portfolio should you venture to drop big bucks in an advertising campaign. Even then, you should be careful to keep further measurements to determine how much the maximum advantage of an ad would be. Sometimes you might be able to reach ten times as many people, but depending on the kind of media and other factors, the additional exposure will only generate twice as many sales. Keep your eye attuned to situations like this to get the most from your advertising dollars. LESSON #4 As Lesson #3 illustrates, sometimes your best advertising investment may actually cost you less money. When you are first starting out, whether you are running a home business or a business outside of your home, you need to be able to get people talking and thinking about your business. If you are busy testing ads in media’s such as the newspaper, magazines, radio, and television, you need to learn ways of promoting your business that do not require large cash expenditures. A few examples are: · Word of Mouth Here is more information about each type of low-cost advertising: WORD OF MOUTH This of course is the cheapest kind of advertising on the planet — it does not cost you anything. Ask your customers if they know anyone who could also use your products or services. When they are happy with your offerings and service, they will be willing to tell you whom you can contact, and they will pass the word for you. BUSINESS CARDS You can usually pick up 500 business cards for about $20. When you do, hand them out. Do not give more than a couple of cards to each person. If they need more cards from you, they will ask. Some people are known to network with others on a regular basis. Some of these people are also known to be always looking for an extra few bucks. With these people, you can suggest to them that if they write their name on the back of one of your business cards and the card is presented to you, then you will pay a referral fee to them. You do not have to offer much — sometimes one dollar is enough. Look at your home business and your offerings and decide how much would be a good referral fee. PRESS RELEASES Press Releases are a good source for generating news about your home business. The business editor at your local newspaper is always on the lookout for a good business story to fill the business news section of the newspaper. Of course, the business editor understands the economics of running a paper and is more inclined to run your story if you buy advertising in his/her publication, but will still print stories for special events and openings. The important thing to remember about Press Releases is that it must be constructed in the form of a news story. Even if you are a sole proprietorship, quotes from you should be written in a third person format: John Doe said, “Your quote here.” A Press Release should pack the most important information at the beginning of the copy, and leave extra details towards the end. You should always provide the reporter who gets the task a simple and easy way for him/her to contact you directly. Often the reporter will want to contact you to get details that will enhance their take on your story. To learn more about creating Press Releases, you may check out Rusty Cawley’s site: http://www.PRrainmaker.com/ NON-PRIMETIME ADS ON RADIO AND TELEVISION Believe it or not, some of the best rates for radio and television are on the overnight and non-primetime venues. These target times are not a total waste as they can easily keep the infomercial people in business. These off-hours are just less populated than the primetime hours. Don’t be afraid to check your local radio and television rates for non-primetime hours to see what bargains may exist. With television, primetime is 7pm to 10pm. With radio, primetime is 8am to 5pm. This sure leaves a whole lot of hours available to advertise your home business at discount rates! IN CONCLUSION When it comes down to it, there is a lot to understand about advertising, but when you have the basic knowledge down pat, everything will fall into place and bring more dollars to your bank account. About the author: |
10 Work at Home Niches You Can Use Today
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzz|
10 Work at Home Niches You Can Use Today
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by: Trent Brownrigg
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One of the biggest obstacles to getting started working at home, or expanding your current home based business, is finding a profitable niche to target. Well, I have done a significant portion of the hard work for you in this article. Below are ten niche ideas to help you start your work at home based business today. 1) Having a Collection – Many people collect things. Your work at home business could target product niches such as trading cards, coins, nick-knacks, dolls, plates, old books, glassware, comic books, stamps, or anything else you can think of that people tend to collect. 2) Attracting Men/Women – Most people want to be attractive to the opposite sex, or even the same sex in many cases. You could target product niches like flirting tips, makeovers, attractive clothing styles, perfumes, colognes, etc… 3) Saving Memories – Pretty much everyone likes to retain memories of special occasions, parties, vacations, and anything else worth looking back on. They want to maintain them and have them to show to their families and friends. Your website could target work at home niches like cameras, camcorders, photo albums, diaries, journals, etc… 4) Being a Good Parent – Most people who are parents want to be good ones. Your home based business could target product niches like parenting guides, parenting classes, anger management, stress management, or anything else associated with good parenting. 5) Saving Time – We could all use more time in our days. Your work at home based business could help people save time by promoting products like daily planners and calendars. Or you could take it further and offer instant benefit products such as laundry service, meal planning and delivery, etc… 6) Living a Long Life – Most people want to live as long as possible. You could target product niches about anti-aging medications, medical exams, fitness products, safe sex contraceptives, nutrition products, supplements, etc.. 7) Being Full of Energy – Energy is something we all lack at one time or another. Energy drinks are a hot item right now. It seems a new one comes out about every week and people buy them like crazy. Your home based business could target them or other energy products like caffeine, energy inducing diet plans, sleep theory, etc… 9) Be Intelligent/Smart – Many people prefer to be recognized as being intelligent or smart. Your home based business could target niches like increasing grade point averages, continuing education, raising IQ, increasing mind power, vocabulary, speed reading, etc… 10) Being in/Finding Love – Most people want to be in love or loved. They also seek to avoid those things that harm it. Such as getting a divorce, breaking up, etc… You could work at home while making people happier by targeting niches like relationship counseling, dating services, single bars, and other “love” products. There you have it… ten niches you can use right now to start working at home or expand your current home based business with. Break them up, mix and match them, use them to generate other ideas, or do anything else you want with them. Just get going on making your work at home dreams come to life today. About the author: |
Being in Fashion – Most people want to be trendy and in fashion, especially the younger generation. Your home business website could target niches about fashion information, clothing products, clothing accessories, celebrity trends, etc… aimed at people under 40. Or you could separate the niche and target all age ranges.10 Ways To Create A Popular Online Community
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzz|
10 Ways To Create A Popular Online Community
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by: Rudy Cline
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| Copyright 2004 Rudy Cline
An online community could be a chat room, e-mail 1. Tell your visitors that you post a new, free offer 2. Regularly schedule experts or famous guests to 3. Post testimonials on your web site from people 4. Don’t allow blatant ads in your online communities. 5. Post all the benefits of participating in your online 6. Submit your chat room, e-mail discussion list or 7. Create an e-zine just for people who participate 8. You (the owner of the online community) should 9. Have plenty of people to monitor your online 10. Your online community should contain user About the author: |
10 Sizzling Ways To Ignite Your Profits
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzz|
10 Sizzling Ways To Ignite Your Profits
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by: Rudy Cline
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| Copyright 2004 Rudy Cline
1. Create a memorable logo and slogan to brand 2. Multiply your marketing all over the internet by 3. Offer to buy advertising space inside electronic 4. Increase your sales by adjusting your product 5. Test the prices of your product or service. You 6. Use your product’s features to support all of your 7. Market yourself or business as an expert. Most 8. Train yourself and your employees to be polite 9. Give your visitors a good impression when they 10. Join online business associations. Most will give About the author: |
10 reasons for starting a home business online.
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzz|
10 reasons for starting a home business online.
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by: Douglas Titchmarsh
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1. You want to escape the rat race. You’d rather spend the 2 hours 2 You can work part time building your new home business online until 3 It’s possible to start a home business online with very little 4 You can choose your own hours. If you have an appointment to keep 5 If you work harder you can benefit directly, you put more hours in 6 A lot of online business tasks can be automated, using readily 7 A website works 24 hours a day without complaining. Even if you’re 8 Your online business can be as far reaching as you want, it can 9 Starting a home business online means you have a continuously 10 It’s dress down day everyday. You can work in your pyjamas if you About the author: |
10 Power-Packed Ways To Spark Your Sales
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzz|
10 Power-Packed Ways To Spark Your Sales
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by: Rudy Cline
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| Copyright 2004 Rudy Cline
1. Spend money on targeted advertising instead of mass media advertising. You don’t want to waste your ad dollars on people who aren’t interested. 2. Increase your profits by concentrating on small details. Improving small things like text size, color, or graphics can really make a positive difference. 3. Keep your offers flexible. If you offer a set price for your product, you could offer the people that can’t afford it an optional payment plan. 4. Offer your knowledge or consulting as a bonus product. You could offer a free 15 or 30 minute consultation. This will add value to your product. 5. Personalize all your e-mail messages so they get read. Include the recipient’s name in the subject line. This will grab peoples attention quickly. 6. Keep your web site consistent. You don’t want to keep things on your web site that are unrelated to the theme of your web site. 7. Attract more subscribers to your free e-zine by giving them free bonuses like e-books, software, online services and other incentives. 8. Sell advertising space in your e-zine and on your web site. This will create an extra income stream for your business. 9. Make your web site ready for the public. Have an “About Us” page and clear descriptions of what actions you want your visitors to take. 10. Don’t just start advertising everywhere, plan out your marketing. Locate places and publications that your target audience would congregate around. About the author: |
10 Motivational Triggers That Make People Buy
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzz|
10 Motivational Triggers That Make People Buy
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by: Rudy Cline
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| Copyright 2005 Rudy Cline
1. People want to make more money. They may want to start their own business, get a higher paying job or invest in the stock market. This will make them feel successful. 2. People want to save money. They may want to invest for the future or save for a big purchase. This will make them feel more secure. 3. People want to save time. They may want to work less and spend time enjoying life’s pleasures. This will make them feel more relaxed. 4. People want to look better. They may want to lose weight, tone their body, or improve their facial features. This will make them feel more attractive. 5. People want to learn something new. They may want to learn how to change their car oil or build a deck. This will make them feel more intelligent. 6. People want to live longer. They may want to get in shape, eat better or gain extra energy. This will make them feel healthier. 7. People want to be comfortable. They may want to relive aches and pains or want to sleep in a more comfortable bed. This will make them feel relieved. 8. People want to be loved. They may not want to be lonely anymore or want to start dating again. This will make them feel wanted. 9. People want to be popular. They may want to be a famous celebrity or be more popular in school. This will make them feel praised and admired. 10. People want to gain pleasure. They may want satisfy their appetite or sexual desires. This will make them feel more fulfilled. About the author: |
10 Electrifying Ways To Explode Your Orders
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzz|
10 Electrifying Ways To Explode Your Orders
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by: Rudy Cline
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| Copyright 2004 Rudy Cline
1. Persuade visitors to link to your web site. Give them a freebie in exchange for them linking to your web site. It could be content, software, etc. 2. Link to web sites that provide useful information or services for your visitors. If you have many useful links on your site, they may make it their start page. 3. Spice-up your web site’s wording using plenty of adjectives. It gives your visitors a clearer vision of what your explaining or describing to them. 4. Don’t make your banner ads look like ads. Most people ignore banner ads. Design them to look like content and have them click to read the rest. 5. Join affiliate programs that go with the theme of your web site. You’ll just be wasting valuable space and time if your visitors aren’t interested in them. 6. Market your web site as a free club instead of a web site. This’ll increase your repeat visitors and sales because people enjoy belonging to groups. 7. Interact with your online customers on a regular basis. This’ll show them you care about them. You could use a chat room, forum or message system. 8. Check your web site links regularly. After people click on one link, and it doesn’t work, they usually won’t risk wasting their time clicking on another one. 9. Give visitors a positive experience when they’re at your web site. Provide them with original content and free stuff. They’ll tell all of their friends about it. 10. Share customers with other businesses that have the same target audience. Offer their product to your customers if, in exchange they do the same for you. About the author: |
7 Ways To Get Financing For Your Home Business
February 8, 2008 by kamonokzz|
7 Ways To Get Financing For Your Home Business
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by: Dean Phillips
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| Thinking about starting a home business? Do you already own a home business but need cash? Perhaps you can qualify for a small business loan. However, before you attempt to borrow any money, you first It can be a simple one page outline or it can be many pages, Your plan will also help you set business goals and define Besides, a business plan is almost always required when 1. The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers numerous http://www.sba.gov 2. The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) is a http://www.score.org http://www.visa.com/smallbiz 3. Talk to your local bank. Find out what they require for a 4. You may be able to borrow from insurance policies, IRAs, 5. Apply for a home equity loan. Borrowing against the 6. If you’re a woman, you may be eligible for a Specialty 7. Try borrowing from family members and/or relatives. If About the author: Visit his website at: http://www.lets-make-money.net |
