As you may or may not know, I am personally against any and all form of MLM (multilevel marketing), but proponents of it often ask what other opportunity is there to make money online besides through this method? The answer is affiliate marketing and in my honest opinion/experience, I feel this alternative is far better.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is the process of promoting someone else’s product through your website/email/social network. With affiliate marketing, you are essentially a middleman. Here’s how this works in the most basic example:
People look for things on the internet, often products/services. They hop onto places like Google and do a search for such things. If you own a website which appears to these people and they visit it, you can sell them something related to their interest. What you sell is a product/service and you act as an affiliate, meaning if they buy it through you, then you earn a commission.
Example:
- Someone looks for ways to stop their dog from barking, so they hop on Google.
- Your site appears and they decide to visit it in hopes of finding an answer to their problem.
- Your site shows them ways to help dogs stop barking, as well as promotes a book on disciplining dogs.
- They like the information you have to offer and decide to buy the book you are promoting.
- Once they buy the book from your site, you earn a commission.
- Now take that person and multiply it by the hundreds, thousands and many more who also look for similar things on a weekly basis, then multiply the potential to earn money from these people and you have yourself the potential of a strong online business.
Here are some pros of affiliate marketing:
You can sell pretty much ANYTHING as an affiliate. One of the most popular ways affiliates make money online is through product reviews. Since there’s millions of different products available online, there are also millions of different opportunities to promote them.
Generally if you do things correctly, you don’t really have to sell much since people already know what they want. As an affiliate, you just make it easier for them to buy it, thus there’s no typical sales process necessary.
Cons of affiliate marketing:
1. In 99.9% of cases, you need to have fundamental things in place before you become a successful internet marketing:
- A niche.
- A website.
- Traffic (visitors).
This takes time to amass, but once you do, the rewards and profits can come in on autopilot. Get training on how to do this properly.
What is multilevel marketing?
Also known as MLM, this is a business model which in has similarities to affiliate marketing, but goes deeper and grey area territory as far as I’m concerned. MLM in general is a process of marketing in which you usually get people to sign up to a program you’re promoting.
The more people you sign up, the more you can make in commissions. In that sense, it works exactly like affiliate marketing, but one key difference is this:
If the people you refer start to refer others into the business, you can make money of those secondary referrals. Now on paper this may seem like a much more profitable opportunity than affiliate marketing, but as you’ll find out in the cons, theory and realism are 2 different things.
The pros of multilevel marketing:
1. Considering you are either a VERY good salesman or have a large list of leads at your disposal, you can make a lot of money through referring people into an MLM. This is something most people lack and thus fail in the business (among other reasons).
2. You can potentially make a lot of money with an MLM vs affiliate marketing.
The cons of multilevel marketing:
1. Generally, many MLM programs get a bad rep because often times they are accused of being pyramid schemes. mlm pyramid scheme
2. It is VERY difficult to sell an MLM program/product to someone. Unlike in affiliate marketing where people come to you, with MLM programs, generally you come to them and it is VERY rare that you can sell an idea to someone. Most of the time, people are sold on a business idea of how they can make a lot of money through an MLM, only to find out the hard way it’s just a dream.
3. Many MLM programs come and go (often because they are pyramid schemes) so it is very difficult to find stability. Even if you have a strong list of people who follow you everywhere you go, it’s difficult to keep hopping from one MLM to another and maintaining credibility within your list’s eyes, at least from my point of view. They are however people who keep doing this and make a very successful living doing so. I am personally not for that sort of business because I feel it is basically a wild goose chase for many.
4. There are a lot of MLM programs which have their own products to sell to others. They recruit people, sell them these products and allow them to re-sell it. Usually the process of re-selling is difficult in my experience because the products being sold have other competitors on the market, often times more popular, making it even more difficult to sell.
Affiliate marketing vs MLM. And the winner is…
I have to say affiliate marketing. I have tried MLM before and did not succeed. What I can absolutely say without a doubt is this:
If you want to succeed in either industry, I suggest doing it online and if that’s the case to get proper training on doing so. Personally I advise against getting involved with MLM’s because I feel they are more difficult to sell to people, not to mention their business model can be VERY questionable.
With affiliate marketing, there is massive potential to not only make a lot of money, but also genuinely help people as well as materialize a success online business which is built upon YOUR personal passion.
I know I am a bit biased towards MLM programs, so if you agree/disagree with my position on this, let me know in the comments section below!
Source: http://howtomakehonestmoneyonline.com/why-affiliate-marketing-is-superior-to-mlm
Are you interested in starting an email marketing company? Do you need a sample email marketing business plan template? If YES, then I advice you read on.
According to Wikipedia, researchers estimated that about US$1.51 billion was spent on e-mail marketing campaigns by companies in the United States of America in 2011. This amount is also expected to grow to about $2.468 billion by 2016. This shows just how much e-mail marketing is gaining relevance in the business world today.
E-mail marketing involves sending out promotional messages to clients/prospective clients through e-mails. Such messages could be advertisements, updates, brand awareness campaigns or requests.
E-mail marketing seeks to build a relationship between a seller and his clients or to preserve an existing relationship and further build trust and loyalty between a seller and his clients.
What are the types of e-mail marketing services?
Direct e-mails are sent to promote a particular product or sales offer. Companies who offer e-mail marketing services gather the e-mail addresses of people they wish to send such messages to by buying prospective leads from companies who offer lead generation services. Sometimes, an e-mail marketing company may offer both services.
Transactional e-mails are sent to complete or confirm a transaction initiated by a client with the sending company. For instance, if a prospective client visits your sales website and fills a registration form asking for further details about a particular product, transactional e-mails would then be sent to such a client to further engage the customer and trigger his interest in the products.
E-mail marketing service companies have become relevant over the years as many companies have discovered their effectiveness and how they can help to increase sales compared to other methods of advertisement.
Most companies would rather outsource their e-mail marketing services to professionals who possess the necessary skills and expertise to achieve an effective e-mail marketing campaign. It would also allow the company focus on other aspects of the business.
You can begin a career in e-mail marketing by starting your own e-mail marketing company. Below is a guide to help you get started.
Starting an Email Marketing Company – Sample Business Plan Template
The first step in setting your own e-mail marketing company is to draft your business plan. In your business plan, you should be able to identify your target customers and how you will reach them. You should also identify all the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the business.
- Decide on the services you want to offer
You should also decide on the category of e-mail marketing services you would be offering. E-mail marketing involves several aspects. There are those who specialize in developing good e-mail marketing content that would help to sell products, there are also others who specialize in building e-mail lists and lead generation for their clients.
Therefore, you have to decide on the services that you are willing and able to provide to your clients.
Going into a business like this requires that you carry out a thorough research on the business and those who have been in the business before you.
This would help you understand the opportunities and challenges that exist in the e-mail marketing business. You would also be able to devise means of overcoming those challenges when you start your own business.
- Purchase E-mail Marketing Software
To effectively run your e-mail marketing business, you would need to invest in a very good e-mail marketing software.
E-mail marketing software are used to send bulk e-mails, build e-mail lists for your various clients, develop e-mail marketing content and to track the e-mails sent to see how many were opened and how many were converted to actual sales. E-mail marketing software makes the work faster and easier.
The next thing to do is to figure out how much you should charge for your services. You have to take into consideration your business expenses as well as the time and efforts you will invest in your business before coming up with a competitive price that would justify your efforts and expenses.
- Devise a sales and marketing strategy
This is a kind of business that needs effective and strategic marketing. You would need to carefully decide on how you want to promote your services and build a customer base.
- Create a business website
As an e-mail marketer, you can hardly do much without a professionally designed business website. Your website would serve as your landing page where your own clients can check you out. You would also need a good internet service provider and host server that would be able to handle a large volume of data that you would most likely be dealing with.
In conclusion, I want you to know that E-mail marketing is a smart business idea especially now that it is increasingly becoming popular among many companies.
Over the next few years, the usage of e-mail marketing as a means of advertising is expected to rise and you can position your own company to take a large share of the market by starting your own e-mail marketing business now and offering your clients first class services with proven results that would keep them coming back and referring others.
Source: http://www.mytopbusinessideas.com/starting-email-marketing-service/
Let’s quickly go over 5 legitimate online home based business ideas that you can use to make money from home using nothing but the internet.
We will also see how to cleverly integrate a number of the best online home business ideas together into a powerful money making system, suitable for any newbie.
1. Writing Articles – I first started out in my home business by providing an article writing service to other marketers. I am a quick writer so was able to charge low prices for simple articles for website content and still earn a respectable hourly wage at the same time. There is a high demand for article writers out there right now, since more content equals more traffic and sales for websites.
2. Paid Surveys – Companies are always on the lookout for people to fill in surveys for them. This is either for market research purposes or so that they can capture contact information of people who fill out these surveys for future promotions. Either way, you can earn regular money from home on the internet if you consistently fill out these suveys each and every day.
3. Affilate Marketing – This home based business idea is now moving away from doing work from home jobs for others and instead becoming your own boss as an online entrepreneur. Affiliate marketing is one of the most newbie friendly ways to make money from home because you simply send people to existing proven product pages and earn commissions when sales are made based on your recommendations. You don’t need to handle orders or deal with customer support issues directly.
4. Network Marketing and MLM – In the home based business industry, the MLM and network marketing business models are very popular. This is largely due to the fact that of the leverage gained from being part of a team. Instead of only making money when you make your own sales, with online network marketing you also make money when your team members make sales. It is about leverage the work of others for a predictable monthly residual income.
5. Selling Information Products Online – Instead of promoting other peoples products with affiliate marketing, it is worth looking into creating and selling your own information products. An information product can be an ebook, audio or video series. It is simply your expertise converted into a format that others can follow in a step by step fashion in order to learn a new skill and follow a process to generate results for themselves in whatever it is that you are teaching. Infromation marketing is very popular because you just create the product once and sell it over and over again. You can either get other affiliate marketers to sell your products for you.
One of the best home based business ideas that many beginners see success with involves taking advantage of a “business in a box” that lets you pre-designed affiliate products as part of a professional sales funnel.
Source: http://recomp-project.eu/?p=78
Alright, so I’m taking a slightly different direction today. I was going through some emails this weekend, poring through questions from the best readers on the Internet (this would be you). I have quite the back log of fantastic reader questions and post suggestions, and I hope to tackle a number of them this fall.
Quite a few repeated themselves about the same subject — blogging. Apparently, some of you think I know how to blog daily while keeping a dust-free home and perfectly groomed children who love each other and never fight.
I have absolutely no idea how one does that. I’ll keep my eye out for the answer, but in the meantime, I I’ll compromise and answer the overarching blogging question, which basically asks, “How do I blog well?”
I don’t know everything about blogging. But I do know some things. Here are my best tips about blogging while still miraculously getting dinner on the table.
1. Decide your reasons.
Think through your purpose in blogging. Blogging for fun looks a bit different than blogging to promote your Etsy site, which also looks different than blogging to practice your writing skills and maybe land a book contract, which – guess what?, looks different than blogging to make a little side income with ad revenue.
You can have more than one reason, of course, so long as they don’t conflict. But if you’re blogging simply to share photos for the grandparents (a great reason, by the way), don’t be disappointed when the ad networks don’t come flooding your email inbox.
Likewise, if you’re blogging to earn revenue (and you therefore want to build an audience), don’t be frustrated when your readers move on when they haven’t heard from you in six weeks.
Blog consistently with your main purpose in doing so.
2. Flow with the seasons.
There are some seasons in life that are more conducive to more in-depth blogging. Enjoy those, and reap their benefits by reading and writing all you can about the topic. For me, I started Simple Mom when my second was a newborn. I nursed all day long, so during those long periods of sitting, I read and read and read some more about blogging.
I started with ProBlogger and went from there, in case you’re wondering.
It wasn’t long before Reed was walking all over the place and scooting the step stool up to the kitchen counter holding the knife block, so needless to say, I was up on my toes much more then. I didn’t read much on the subject of blogging any more.
Go with the season you’re in. Don’t fight it. Another season is probably just around the corner.
3. Marry and keep an amazing man.
Joking. Well, sort of. Honestly, one of the reasons I started Simple Mom — and why I can continue to keep it up — is because my husband Kyle is my most loyal reader and fan. He is a big reason I can write regularly throughout the week, and he sees himself just as much a part of the blog because he helps with the laundry and dishes and carpooling.
I am blessed in that we both work from home. We tag-team our approach to work and parenting, and every Sunday evening we dig up the weekly calendar to decide who works when.
I know not everyone can do this. But I add this to the list because I want you to know that he helps an enormous amount, so I definitely don’t “do it all.” Not by a long stretch.
4. Be you…
Don’t try to be Heather Armstrong, or Ree Drummond, or Ann Voskamp, or Amanda Soule, or Alli Worthington. Be you. Write like you. It’s way more fun. You’ll definitely stick with it longer, and people will enjoy reading you more.
5. …But keep your readers in mind.
This is particularly true if you’re writing with the purpose of generating a community or earning revenue in some form. Yes, in some way you’ll still write for you, but if you’ve created a place where people feel like they belong, like they’re in a community — it’s almost like they have part ownership.
That doesn’t mean you worry yourself to sleep making sure everyone likes you. You still write for you, and the things that interest you. But keep the readers in mind who are blessing you with their time and their eyes.
If they’ve expressed an interest in a topic, go with it.
And also — you can’t say thank you enough. Thank your readers all the time. I slacked off showing my gratitude the first half of this year, and it showed in my writing. Plus, I missed saying thank you, and it made blogging less fun.
Thank you, by the way.
6. Get to know people, and ask good questions.
I’ve rarely met an unfriendly blogger. I’ve met extremely busy bloggers, but I can’t imagine any blogger I’ve met who knows a thing or two honestly wants to withhold major blogging secrets or not reach out and say hello.
Don’t think of bloggers with big audiences as anyone different than you. If you have a good question, just ask. Get to the point, and don’t expect an answer right away, but don’t let intimidation or cynicism stop you from initiating a conversation.
Also, make friends. Blogging is much more fun when you make blogging friends. Email or tweet a blogger, and see if you hit it off.
A hint on this last tip: Reach out to a blogger that seems to have about the same size audience, or who writes about the same topic as you. That way, you can share ideas and experiences as you journey together. (But you never know, really — Alli and I are fantastic friends, yet our blogs could not be more different.)
7. Drink water, get exercise, and sleep.
Blogging is a sedentary activity, and if you’re not careful, you’ll spend hours and hours of your day not moving much. Move a little every day. Drink water constantly, and keep a cupful right by your laptop. And go to sleep. Shut off that computer and enjoy the three-dimensional world before hitting the pillow.
8. Organize yourself.
If you want to create a blog that posts regularly, has a specific niche, and fosters a community, then you’ve got to plan a bit in advance. Pencil in regular writing, editing, and networking times throughout your week.
Write an editorial calendar. Right now my posts for Simple Mom are more-or-less planned for the next two months, and I keep track of them on a separate calendar within my Google calendars.
Oh, and don’t leave your email client, Facebook, or Twitter open while you write and edit. You’ll never stay focused.
9. Use “use” instead of “utilize.”
Edit, edit, and then edit some more. For every hour I spend writing, I spend about three editing. Choose your words carefully. Spell correctly. Use adverbs where there should be adverbs; adjectives where there should be adjectives.
Get to the point — I’m regularly surprised how much deleting I do before I publish a post. I’ve already deleted paragraphs from this post, in fact.
Don’t use too many exclamation points, and don’t use emoticons — unless you’re blogging for yourself, or for fun. Or if this is your genuine style of writing (see point number four). Then go nuts.
And almost every time, “use” is more appropriate and more pleasant to the ears and eyes than “utilize.” I’m just saying.
10. Don’t forget about the kids.
Remember your priorities. What good is an enormously successful blog if your family is left in the dust? It’s a blessing if you can contribute to your family’s income through your blog, but not to the detriment of your relationships, well-being, and unity.
Close the laptop regularly, and give your kids quality face time. Go on dates with your spouse. Continually kindle your three-dimensional friends.
11. Keep it fun.
This last point is definitely not the least important. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t have a ball running your blog, then you’ll fizzle out, and it’ll show in your writing.
If you’ve noticed you’re no longer having fun, change it up. Take a little break (if your blog is more than just a hobby, re-run posts at least a year old, or find some guest posters). Try vlogging, or taking more photos.
Listen to music while you blog. I do. It makes it a lot more fun.
I could say a bit more about blogging, but I’ll stop for now. There’s already so much out there about the subject — if you’d like to learn more, I’d start with ProBlogger, Blog Coach, and Blogging Basics 101.
Really, at the end of the day, you’ve just got to be you. Your blog, your family, and your self will be all the better because of it.
Alright, fellow bloggers, now it’s your turn. What’s your best blogging tip?
Source
By: TSH
I love this post and it has been such an inspiration for me, thanks TSH!
A new year is almost upon us. Wouldn’t it be fun to start a new blog in 2015? I agree! The first step of any new project is the planning stage. Unfortunately, many people (myself included!) have a tendency to forego this step and jump right in. Sometimes this works, but most of the time it just leads to a mess. I’ve been blogging, in some form of another, for over ten years, so take it from me: you need to think ahead. Here are five things to consider before you go any further in the starting-a-blog-process!
Don'ts rush it
If you’re like me, you come up with an idea and become completely and totally obsessed with it. When the idea of, “Hey, you know, I think I could start my own web design business and actually be successful,” struck me, I wanted nothing more than to jump right in, head over heels. And that’s awesome. But you have to give yourself time. You need time to research, time to develop your product/brand/idea, and time to understand if this is something you actually want to do or if it’s just a passing phase. I spent a good 2-3 months researching product need/pricing and developing my products before I ever launched Dinosaur Stew. The bottom line here is don’t act on impulse, because blogging is not an impulsive thing. It’s a huge commitment and, in order to be successful, you need to commit.
Know Why you're Blogging (and have realistic expectations)
Are you blogging for fun or because you think you’ll be able to make a quick buck off of it eventually? If you’re only blogging for fun, you don’t have to worry about much. However, if you’re looking to monetize your blog, you need to ensure you’re truly willing to put the work in to make your blog be the best it can be. Most importantly, have realistic expectations. You can start making money your first month of blogging, but–realistically-it likely isn’t going to be more than a couple dollars from Google AdSense advertising because you’ve convinced your best friend and your brother to visit your website every day and click your links. You can make income blogging, but it will take lots of dedication, hard work, and most of all–time!
Start writing posts. NOW
Before you start your blog, start writing blog posts. This will help you out in a number of ways. First, it’ll help you understand if you actually like blogging. Since writing blog posts, is, obviously, an integral part of blogging, if you hate the writing part, it’s best to find that out sooner than later. Secondly, it will help you understand if the scope of your blog is enough. For example, if you can only think of two posts to write, you might need to expand the topics that your blog will cover. Lastly, if you have a bunch of posts already written before your blog’s launch, you’ll be able to devote more time to promoting your blog, instead of having to spend all of your time coming up with more content.
Know your Schedule
For many, blogging can be (and is!) a full time job. Keeping up with a blog can be time consuming. Keeping up with a blog can feel like a chore. Can you keep up? Will you want to keep up? Will you still have time for you? Going back to the first tip, it’s easy to act on impulse, but you need to look ahead to the future. If, after eyeing up a calendar, you don’t think you’ll have time to commit to the upkeep of your blog at some point in the relatively close future, don’t waste the time or effort starting one! You can always start your blog at a later date but for now, don’t waste the energy when you could put it to use elsewhere!
Know Yourself
Is blogging going to help you or hurt you? Is this blog going to help you grow in some way? Even though you might be passionate about something, blogging about it might not be the right thing for you. I’m super passionate about cookies. And cake. And pie. And I know how to blog! I could be the next Averie Cooks! But I know that if I started a dessert recipe blog, I would be rewarded with Type 2 diabetes and an advertising deal for bariatric surgery, and that’s not what I want for myself. Make sure there’s something in it for you, beyond the odd change you get each day in advertising, to make it worthwhile.
Are you thinking of start a new blog soon? What do you think of these tips? If you’re already blogging, what would you tell new bloggers?
Source: http://dinosaurstew.com/starting-a-blog-in-2015-here-are-5-tips-pre-blogging-tips/
The Internet has paved the way for effortless communication, so it’s no wonder more and more entrepreneurs are turning to home-based businesses. What was once perceived as working from the couch and wearing pajamas while fulfilling customer orders has evolved to some pretty lucrative small business ventures.
With a household headquarters in mind, here are 6 examples of some of popular and successful home-based businesses you can start in a neighborhood near you.
Photo: Maison Scotch
Professional Blogger
Everyone’s favorite form of keeping an online diary is also a great way to make money from the comfort of your own home. Blogging from home is growing in popularity not only because there are practically zero startup costs, but also because it’s a great way of turning self-expression into profit. Before you quit your day job, it’s important to remember that financial success with blogging does not happen over night. It takes discipline in many online arenas including self-promotion, content creation, and SEO. But whether you blog for yourself or guest blog for others, blogging from home can translate into a steady (and sometimes lucrative) income.
Online Retailer
The number one go-to source for consumers looking to buy something is the Internet. So, why not take advantage of the Internet-as-a-storefront mentality and sell something online? There are plenty of online businesses to start, so pick a market and run with it. From services to products, as long as there’s a need for what you want to sell, you’ll be in business. For instance, if you’re a website or graphic designer, sell your services to those in need of design help. Or if you collect antiques, source products on eBay and turn your passion into an income. Just keep in mind that customer service is just as important online as it is in person.
Tax Accountant
When tax season rolls around, millions of people turn to accountants for filing help. This spells opportunity for those with a background in accounting. Whether you’re a certified public accountant or you’re great at running numbers for friends and family, starting a home-based accounting business can be a real income-maker. Tax accountants aren’t the only accountants out there. Entrepreneurs are always in need of small business accountants and internal auditors. As long as you have experience, freelance accounting allows you to enjoy working from your home or even in a telecommuting capacity.
Artisan
Whether you’re a painter, woodworker, or any creative type in between, selling your crafts online is a great way to turn your skills into a steady income. Besides, consumers are always looking for unique gift ideas, especially during the holiday season. There are plenty of ways to sell your crafts online from creating an independent website to joining art-inspired sites like Etsy. Likewise, social media is a creative’s best friend when it comes to spreading the word about arts and crafts, so get social with your selling tactics.
Photographer
A picture says a thousand words and starting a home-based photography business is the perfect way to turn every shot into income. As long as you have an eye for photography and adequate equipment, you can start your own wedding or all-occasion photography business from the comfort of your own home. If catching magical moments on camera isn’t really your thing or you’re more of a straightforward photographer, websites are always in need of stock photos. Submitting stock photos of just about anything to websites can garner a steady income.
Freelance Writer
If you’ve ever heard the saying that content is king — it’s probably because websites, online products, landing pages, and blogs are always in need of good copy. With some solid writing skills and a good at-home work ethic, you can become a freelance copywriter in no time without even leaving the house. There are millions of writing options to choose from, so freelance copywriting gives you the opportunity to learn new things or write about topics you already know. From how-to articles to technical pieces to family topics, freelance writing is a never-ending opportunity.
With the right skills and passion, the occupations above are a great way to make your home-based business dreams come true. Do you run a home-based business? Please feel free to share your experiences with us in the comments below.
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