Money - Digital Marketing & Make Money Blogging Tips

How The Law of Attraction Can Help You Succeed As a Blogger in 6 Simple Steps!

November 14, 2013

by Chadrack with One Comment Growth Strategies

Think about this: what would you do if as a blogger, your blog posts go wildly viral every time you publish one?

How about building the right relationships with just the right people who are able to effectively nudge you towards the success you so desire?

And money? What if you could just make the type of money you dream from your blog of instead of laboring on your blog everyday without anything to show for it?

Sound too good to be true, right? But the truth is, effectively applied; the Law of Attraction can help you achieve all of these and many more.

But What Really Is The Law Of Attraction?

The Law of Attraction was formulated or developed by members of the New Age Movement in their quest to understand the potentials and workings of the human mind over the body’s future. The Law of Attraction simply put states: “You Get What You Think About; Your Thoughts Determine Your Destiny”.

But is this really a fact? Can you really make your life into anything that you want it to be just by thinking about it happening?

Of course, science has not found a definite link between repetition of a thought, its connection with the subconscious and the role that it plays in a human’s success. But reports around the world clearly show that this is possible. Presently, hundreds of programs have been designed to influence the subconscious mind in order to influence how it reacts in an established situation. And right now, more and more people have come to accept the idea that the human mind is greatly influenced by its perceptions.

Of course, when we are faced with making decisions we mostly do so based upon intuition and feelings regarding the matter rather than the established surrounding facts. This is why someone who is timid can decide to use the law of attraction to program their subconscious mind and then portray this confidence to the outside world. In response the people around them react in kind, believing their potential for success to be great based upon the attitude that they project.

Does this mean you can influence your destiny through the power of the Law of Attraction?

Certainly!

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the cosmos is going to align in order to make your every wish come true; rather, with the power of positive thought you can change the way that you approach a situation and give yourself an exponentially greater chance to succeed.

How to Use the Law of Attraction for Your Blogging Success

Now, let’s consider some of the ways you can put the law of attraction into effect to drive your blogging success.

Step #1: What do you want to achieve?

You will need to start here. Figure out what it is that you want. Are you looking to build relationships? Are you blogging to satisfy that inner feeling of joy knowing you are helping someone out there, or are you blogging because of the financial success that you can get from it? What really is your dream with your blog? Where do you want it to be in the next 3, 5 or 10 years time? Never overlook this step because it is only when you are exactly clear about what you want that the Laws of Attraction can work for you.

Step #2: See Yourself as Already Having It

Once you know what you want, your next move is to ask for it, believe in it and think of it as if it has already happened. Don’t do this in a whimsical way, but actually close your eyes and visualize having it. Don’t expect to know the method by which your dreams will come true. The Laws of Attraction don’t work that way. You just need to trust that a good thing will happen, and leave the “how” up to the universe.

Step #3: Embrace a Feeling of Gratitude

Next, you will need to be thankful for the things you have and the things you are expecting. Be thankful for everything. Doing this will help you build up positive feelings within and this will in turn translate into a positive energy which is a powerful force. When you send out this kind of positive energy, you will see good things come back to you in return.

Step #4: Focus On What Money Will Bring You and Not On the Money

It has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that money itself may be one of the more difficult things to get through the Laws of Attraction. This is not because the Laws of Attraction don’t work as well with money but because it’s hard to be passionate about money itself. It is easier to get excited about the things money can buy. When you are passionate about these things it will build up a high level of positive energy, or vibration, in you. And when this positive energy is emitted into the universe, it works to make things happen quickly for you. You can focus your attention on things like the vacations, houses, cars, maybe even airplanes that will come to you as a result of your blogging efforts. As you do this, the Laws of Attraction will work to bring them to you.

Step #5: Visualize Your Success

The law of attraction has more power if you can intensify your desires through visualization. Take pictures of the things you want. Post them around your house where you will see them often. Because the Laws of Attraction will bring you more of the energy you send out, make sure the images in your home are conducive to a positive outlook. Going on home tours and test driving cars will also help. Whatever you can do to put yourself in contact with the reality of your dreams will just be great. By doing this you’re giving more power to the Laws of Attraction to work for you. Sometimes it is easier to go through magazines and find pictures and descriptions of what it is you want. Cut them out and hang them up. The more, the better. The Laws of Attraction in the universe will definitely respond to your desires.

Step #6: Monitor Your Thoughts

Another thing you must do when practicing the Laws of Attraction is to become aware of what kinds of thoughts you are having. Most people go through the day with thoughts flitting in and out of their heads without really paying any heed to these thoughts. If you are aware of the Laws of Attraction, you can monitor your thoughts to a certain degree. You can get a feel for just what direction your thoughts are going. Are they leading you toward a negative situation? If so, it’s time to use the Laws of Attraction to change all that. You must be careful that your thoughts are not like the wave of the sea, tossed to and fro. Such will never help you in attracting the type of success you desire.

Conclusion

The Laws of Attraction is sure to change your life for good if you will put it into use. Indeed, it takes a certain mindset to work with the Laws of Attraction, but it is not hard to master. Yes, it does take some time, patience, and most of all, a lot of faith. But remember this: though the vision tarries, wait for it for it shall surely come to pass!

What is your say? Waiting to connect with you as we continue this discussion in the comment section below.

Mobile App Business: Here’s How to Grab A Piece of the Cake Even If You Lack Programming Skills!

September 23, 2013

by Chadrack with No Comment Start a Business

If there’s anything that is HOT right now, it is mobile phone apps. A recent research published by Gartner estimates that 103bn mobile apps will be downloaded in 2013 – representing a 59.4% rise on last year’s total!

The report also predicts that global mobile apps revenue will reach $26bn this year – a 44.4% rise against 2012 figures!

These are indeed interesting figures.

But the question is, are you positioning yourself to get a piece of that cake?

Would you be interested in starting a mobile app business that will help you join the league of “creative entrepreneurs” who are making it big with this lucrative venture?

Oh, did I hear you say you lack programming skills and therefore you’re “technically” knocked out of this market?

But what if I tell you that you can start your own mobile app business without any programming skills? Yes, you can actually build a mobile app in just about 12 minutes starting with zero knowledge!

It sounds incredible, right?

Then carefully read every word on this post to discover how you can start your own lucrative mobile app business with this revolutionary app machine (click link to see a video proof – opens in a new page!).

The Essentials for Building a Profitable Mobile App Business

Now, let’s talk about the essentials for building a successful mobile app business.

1. A Creative Sensibility of Public Taste

This is the ability to create mobile apps that have a broad customer appeal. An app may be incredibly appealing from an intellectual perspective but if it has no appeal to the general public it cannot be profitable venture. What you need is the ability to sense what the public wants and creatively put it in their hands and you can do this if you have the right tools to research the market!

2. Excellent Computer Programming Skills

As you do know apps are software designed for mobile devices. To create mobile apps therefore you need the right programming skills. Once you have the idea of what the public wants you will need to write the program that will achieve that purpose. If you lack the right programming language you will either look for someone else to help you create the app of get a tool like the Innovative App Machine to help you create your mobile apps.

3. Strong Entrepreneurial Skills

If you desire a profitable mobile app business, you must have the basic entrepreneurial skills of marketing and sales. Being creative is not enough. Unfortunately, many who are challenged in this area resort to specializing in developing the apps rather than marketing them. But, there is a drawback to this as these ones are forced to forfeit a huge chunk of the profits. And so, you will need a system that can help you create your own mobile apps and also help you with the marketing aspect of your business if you truly want to maximize your mobile app business potentials.

Making Money With A Mobile Apps

You definitely don’t want to start a business without knowing how you can monetize that business, right? Ok, here are some of the ways mobile apps can be easily monetized:

1. Paid Downloads – Here you place a fixed price on the mobile app and customers buy the app in a simple transaction. Right now, this is the most popular and simplest way of making money through mobile apps.

2. App Sponsorship – Here you simply look for a sponsor who pays for a percentage of the profits for the app. If you are just starting out you may want to consider this option. However, there are some drawbacks to this method for example, the inventor of the app does not receive all of the profits from the app and so if it becomes popular, they will need to forfeit a large amount of the profits.

3. Paid Option – As a mobile app creator you may decide to give out your apps free of charge but also give the customer an option to pay for services within the app. For example, if you build a mobile app that provides weather forecasts, you may decide to provide basic forecasts for free but put a price on more detailed and extensive reports.

This approach is more lucrative for apps that provide a number of different services.

4. Sell Advertisement Spaces – Though this is less popular than other methods yet it can prove profitable if your mobile phone app become very popular. The drawback is that it requires an external company that is willing to advertise on the app. Besides, it means having a large enough space to accommodate the advertisement.

Mobile App Business Takeaway

There’s one secret to building a profitable mobile app business and that is:

“Create mobile apps that are simple to use and that fill a logical void!

Mobile phone apps should provide maximum value for little effort. This is because apps are typically consumed during a very limited amount of leisure time. They are usually a method for passing time rather than the object of actual engagement.”

If you want to create a mobile app business that is outstanding therefore, you need to take this into consideration. Besides, you must ensure that your app is not overly similar to a preexisting app but original to generate that public interest that will make it successful.

For Action Takers:

Starting a profitable mobile app business even when you have no programming skills is possible with the Green App Machine. With the Green App Machine you have:

1. A software that automates the building of mobile apps.

2. A Software with an inbuilt keyword research tool to help you build a mobile phone app with the potential of tens of thousands of downloads!

3. A training module with hours of detailed instructional videos and hundreds of pages of comprehensive PDFs that will guide you on how to actually structure your mobile apps into a profitable business.

4. A complete business toolkit that gives you access into the Tapgage marketplace where you can actually get paid on a CPM basis for allowing others to serve their own push notifications to all of the people that have installed you app.

5. Etc.

Click here for details and a video proof of how Green App Machine works.

Over to You: What top challenges do you think a mobile app business will face in the market right now? Share your thoughts with us in your comments below.

5 Solid Reasons Why Your Business Can’t Afford NOT to Be Online!

September 16, 2013

by Claudia Somerfield with 5 Comments Internet & Online Business

If you say we live in a totally changed world today you are definitely not far from the truth. The advent and popularity of the internet has changed everything in our world – talk of communicating, researching, sharing things/ideas, or even things like booking your flights/train ticket, everything is now being done online. All around the globe, people now spend more time and do more things over the web simply because of the ease and convenience of the internet.

Now, what does this mean for your business?

A lot indeed! If you have a business and you are yet to have a web presence for that business then you are simply sabotaging your own success. This is because the internet is the best medium to promote and market any business in our today’s economy. Research shows that more and more people now turn to online search engines and other online resources for information on their every day needs. Many will readily do a Google search before making a decision to buy a particular product. Just look around you and you will discover that phone books and yellow pages are fast becoming obsolete!

If you want to boost the chances of your business therefore it is important that you get a business website or blog for your business as that will help in having your presence felt over the web. Even if it’s just about showcasing your business contact details or simply having few pages about your business for the modern day consumers who prefer to carry out their research online, the results would surprise you!

The moral of this? You simply cannot keep your business away from the web.

Now, let’s check a few of the reasons for the same as under:

Accessibility 24 x 7

Once you have your business presence over the web, you simply keep your office or store available over the web open for 24 x 7. You may sleep at 10 pm, but your business would be open all the time to cater the online customers coming to you. In this way, you and your business remains accessible all the time, without giving the customer any reason to opt for some other option. Having an online presence in the form of a website or a blog or even via a social media profile would give the customers to inquire or place any order for a particular product or service you are offering. This can therefore reduce the probabilities of customers’ mind getting changed as you are never closed before they get the opportunity to take any action.

Reach Out Further and Much Wider

Having a web presence opens a whole lot of opportunity for you to reach a much wider of potential clients or customers. Without having the online presence you are simply limited to a certain number of customers who come in touch with you in your office or physical store. However, the moment you go online, your reach becomes beyond the imagination. You are now connected to the entire globe, which means there is no end or physical boundary that comes in your way. Thus people accessing your web can be reached by your business later since you have better technology to find out about them and reach to them.

Get Your Business Rated

There is a proverb; no publicity can be called as a bad publicity, which some people would believe that it is not often true. But by having your company/business reviewed online can prove out to be a proven business booster. As per the Harvard Business School study, there is a tangible amount of boost in revenue whenever any business gets a positive rating over the review sites or blog. The local reviews over the web seem to be playing its part more than the older and traditional methods of building up a good reputation in the market place.

Customer Service Becomes an Easier Task

By getting online and connecting with your customers over the web, things like customer service become a soft nut to crack. You do not require much time or efforts in getting connected with the consumers the best. By having a small list of FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) over the web can really slash down the amount of time you invest about the comment questions to the customers.

Beat the Brick and Mortar Prices

One of the key reasons to make your business online is to beat the prices of your product or services and make them more competitive. Beyond simply having an online presence for your physical store, you can certainly think of skipping the bricks once for all in the favor of the pixels that are significantly very much costly. You can very easily avoid that hefty kind of start up money by keeping your business venture online in a great way. In fact, carrying out business online can really save lots of money owing to the less recurring cost in comparison to the brick and mortar stores.

Final word

Considering the wide range of reasons and benefits you enjoy over the web by having your business online, more and more businesses are treading this path. So, if you are yet to choose this path, think again as no one in this world can afford to be away from the online world considering its huge amount of popularity and easy accessibility.

So, what do you think of businesses having an online presence? Share your thought with us in your comments below.

The Most Effective Ecommerce SEO Solution for Your Money Sites

August 30, 2013

by Chadrack with 5 Comments SEM & SEO

Since the launch of Google’s Panda and Penguin updates in the recent past few months, many e-commerce sites have been groaning in pains because of the hard knocks they received from the algorithm changes. Besides, many are right now spending more money to correct the offending ecommerce SEO tactics that got them into this mess.

observing the havoc on many ecommerce and money sites, one would be tempted to ask, did Google purposely launched its Panda updates to pull down ecommerce sites or is it just coincident that ecommerce sites were that badly affected?

Unfortunately, many erroneously actually think that is the case. However, to answer that question we must take a good look at how ecommerce sites did SEO before the panda updates. Essentially what many did was simply to hire the services of an SEO consulting firm or SEO Company to:

1. Build thousands of backlinks from wherever possible without any regard to quality or where these links came from.

2. Research hundreds of keywords and stuff these in their thin content pages and in anchor texts. Many actually fell foul of Google’s “exact match domain” anchor text rule.

3. Auto-build hundreds and thousands of spam blogs and other Web 2.0 sites that have no real value in themselves.

4. Engage in RSS and blog comments spamming in a bid to increase the volume of back links to their sites.

These and many other unwholesome tactics were carried out in order to please Google’s search machine without any regard to the real people who visits those sites. Worst still, by nature ecommerce sites are thin on content and so, while their blackhat SEO tactics got the attention of the search machines, the sites themselves did nothing in the area of offering valuable content to the users. And so, when these updates came along they simply fell like a pack of cards!

Recommended: Google’s Content Farmer/Panda Algorithm Change: What You Can Do To Stay Afloat!

How to Put In Place an Effective Panda-Proof Ecommerce SEO

It is a good thing that many ecommerce sites are trying to correct their earlier mistakes. However, it’s more important to ensure that this unpleasant situation does not happen again. To this end, ecommerce sites should have in place a strategic ecommerce SEO plan devoid of the unwholesome blackhat tactics that have brought them nothing but horror.

Your money (ecommerce) sites are too valuable to be toiled with. There’s no doubt, optimizing your money sites for the search engines remain the only guaranteed way your products can be found by relevant customers. But you need the right SEO strategy to do that.

The following is a strategic ecommerce SEO solution that will help you drive your brand loyalty, boost your brand exposure and increase your profitability over time!

1. Avoid Duplicate Content – There is no doubt that quality and valuable web content has continued to be the essential element if you want to get on top of Google’s search result pages. If you desire to boost your organic search rankings you must deal with this problem of duplicate content. One simple way of doing this is to never copy-paste product descriptions from the product manufacturers. Doing so will be putting you up against the manufacturer’s site and you will be the one to loss out.

2. Build Out Thin Content – It is true that the problem of many sites in the new SEO dispensation is that of quality content. But for ecommerce sites the problem is both quality and quantity. This is because ecommerce sites are by nature heavy on graphics but light on content. It is important therefore that you find some creative ways to build out the thin content on product descriptions since this is the main areas where ecommerce sites’ contents are mostly found. Use quality product descriptions that add value to each page and as pointed out in #1 above, make this unique. You can hire professional web content writers to help you do this.

3. Know Your Customers And What They Want – It is a fact that your ecommerce site is about you and what you’re offering but the truth is, it is not for you but for your customers. It is important therefore to truly understand your target audience so that you can better create content that will engage them. Instead of thinking of your customers as some generic group of prospects, try as much as possible to analyze, segment and personalize the ways you engage with your ecommerce site buyers.

4. Diversify Your Link Profile – Before the Google Panda and Penguin Updates, ecommerce sites depended heavily on links to boost their search rankings. Unfortunately, this has become a no go area as the recent Google algorithm changes were launched to root out ‘over-optimized’ sites. Therefore, to escape the Panda and Penguin hammers, ecommerce sites should aim for natural link profiles. This demands driving relevant backlinks from different sources and using different anchor texts. The best way to do this is to engage in content marketing, infographic marketing, social media, press release, etc.

5. Build Relationships And Not Just Links – Ecommerce sites that want to overcome the Panda and Penguin blues should focus on relationship building. Design marketing strategies that will help you build strong authority in your niche which will in turn boost your brand awareness. Content marketing and social media interactions will both naturally build your brand and expand your link profile. Besides, adding a blog to your ecommerce site will be of great advantage.

Recommended: The Watertight Strategy for effectively Writing Content for SEO in A Post-Penguin Internet!

Marketing Takeaway

Ecommerce SEO done right is the only panacea to a successful organic presence. To effectively position your ecommerce sites and online stores to drive the right type of traffic from organic searches, you must take into consideration your target audience and their needs. Create valuable content and avoid duplicating product descriptions. Be creative with your content marketing and you will be able to rank your ecommerce sites effectively. Remember, Google Panda updates is an on-going activity. Don’t fall under the hammer one time!

There are thousands of post-panda SEO products on sale right now but many are nothing but the same black hat SEO tactics dressed up new garbs. Do not be deceived. Click here for a workable and effectual ecommerce SEO solution that the industry leaders are recommending right now. It is also very cost-effective.

Your Turn: What do you think of ecommerce SEO today? Feel free to share your own strategies with us in your comments below.

Why Are You Not Making Money With Your Blog?

June 20, 2013

by Chadrack with 22 Comments Blogging Inspirational

Blogging and make money blogging is one topic that is common among bloggers. Unfortunately, despite the much purported big earnings quoted by many bloggers only a few TRULY making anything worthwhile from their blogs!

I’m very much aware that this subject of making money with your blog has been dealt with by different persons; however I still believe that there is something that many are missing out. While many of the posts that discuss this subject want to offer tips on how to make money with your blog, I truly believe that the problem goes far beyond that. Or, if you doubt this, why is that despite the many tips offering ways to make money blogging many bloggers are still struggling to do so?

Don’t you think there is something responsible?

The Slave Mentality and Making Money Blogging!

When hundreds of years ago, well meaning men and women in different countries of the world rose up and advocated for the abolition of slavery, it is clear that they did a good service for humanity. This is because the evils of slavery go beyond the physical violence.

It has been proven that the damaging psychological effects that the institution of slavery can have on a person far outweigh the physical effects. This can result in mental shackles that only a miracle can bring the desired freedom!

Now, I believe strongly that the biggest reason why many bloggers are not making money from their blogs is because of their mindset. They are incapacitated in their minds, not knowing what to do and how to go about it and so, have become slaves to their blogs!

Indeed, many are online because they desire freedom – this could be financial freedom, freedom of choice, freedom to do what they want and when they want! But, think about it, when you slave it all year round on your blog without making anything from it, where is the financial freedom?

Frankly, as a blogger you need mental emancipation if you truly want to achieve your dream of making money blogging. And as Bob Marley put it, “Only you can emancipate yourself from mental slavery!”

You must recognize your blog as a vehicle for achieving your desired freedom. Spending days and nights pushing out blog posts, engaging with peers, working the social media and at the end have nothing to show for it, is not good enough!

Stop being a slave to your blog!

Recommended: Who Is Setting Your Rules?

So, how can you emancipate yourself from this mental slavery as a blogger?

I have a few suggestions for you:

1. Stop Treating Your Blog As A Hobby Instead Of A Business!

A business is a business. A hobby is a hobby. They can never be one and the same! Unless, you learn to treat your blog as a business it will continue to run without any monetary value. One thing you must understand is that every business exists to create customers. And so, if your blog is not creating customers then you are heading on the wrong direction. Take a second look at what you are doing on your blog; are you handling it with a business mentality? If not, it is time to do so!

2. You Must Learn To Take Responsibility

One thing that is sure about a slave is the fact that he has no capacity, or better still, he is not allowed to make decisions for himself. As a blogger you must not allow this to happen to you. When others dictate the direction of your blog, you will find it difficult to achieve your dream of financial freedom with your blog. Many would want to dictate how you must monetize your blog while others would outright frown at you attempting to monetize your blog! But may I say that the onus of making that blog a money earner is on you! Either you’re ready to take up that responsibility or someone else will dictate for you. So, ask yourself again, why did you start that blog in the first place?

Recommended: Are You Responsible?

3. Push for the Right Traffic

Hmm, traffic! What a sweet sound to the ears!

Of course, traffic has been referred to as the holy grail of making money online. But as I have said before on other occasions, the quality of your blog’s traffic matters a lot when it comes to making money blogging.

My good friend Theodore did a post a few days ago where he asked the question: “Blog Comments Count: Does it Equates to Traffic?” I ask that you go and read it and also look out for my comment on that post!

The question you will want to ask here is how do you drive the right traffic to your blog?

The simply solution is to invest in SEO! I know many bloggers don’t want to hear that word but it is really a big determinant to what you can make from your blog. Apart from getting valuable traffic that are interested in what you are offering on your blog, it will also help advertisers to decide on placing their adverts on your blog. Knowing the basics of SEO is enough as a blogger except you want to offer SEO services.

4. Decide On Something To Sell On Your Blog!

Now, you may be wondering what I mean by this. But think of it, when you look at your blog can you point to any product or service that you are selling? So, what business is out there do you think that does not have a product or service that it is selling?

Of course, you may want to rationalize that you are building the traffic before you know what product or service to offer. But have you thought about it if businesses in the really world first set up their ware houses before thinking of what product or service to sell? Unfortunately, this is one blogging advice we must take with a pint of salt. Decide on your product or service and build your blog around it! This way you will be able to really have a focus as you move on with your blog.

Let me end this post by giving you a classical example of the potential of a typical blog.

In 2005, an American woman started a political blog. Seven years later that blog became so popular that AOL purchased it for a whopping $315 million and added it to its other online blog assets.

That blog? The Huffington Post.

Now, why would AOL dish out such a fortune for a blog?

Three key elements are responsible:

1. Its global influence.

2. Its advertising revenue.

3. Its huge traffic – Huffington Post’s traffic today is measured at over 77 million visitors per month!

So, can you replicate this feat? Whether yes or no, you must understand that your blog influence, its advertising revenue and traffic will determine how much you can make from it.

The point here is that you should work on your blog with the mind of building a business so, whether you are thinking of selling it later on or you just want to make some money from it right now, your dream will be a reality!

Over to You: I’ll love to know what you think of these ideas on making money with your blog. Share your thoughts with us in your comments below.

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What Facebook And Other Social Media Sites Can Teach You About Blog Monetization!

May 13, 2013

by Chadrack with 8 Comments Featured

Recently, there has been a whole lot of controversy regarding the subject of blog monetization. While some bloggers agree that monetizing your blog is a good thing, since you deserve some form of compensation for your labour, others vehemently oppose the idea emphasizing that blogs are for relationship building and trying to make money off your relationships is unethical!

Still among those who accept the idea of blog monetization, many readily frown at the idea of selling ads spaces on your blog as a way of monetizing your blog. To these ones, displaying adverts on your blog is simply a put-off and should be discouraged!

Now, I’m not here to argue whether blog monetization is right or wrong. However, having observed the confusion that many bloggers face because of these divergent views, I want to use this post to make a statement on these various beliefs and leave you to make your decision on what is best for you!

Recommended: Who Is Making Your Rules?

Blog Monetization – What Really Should You Do?

At this point let me say what really pushed me into writing this post was a comment in a discussions in one of the groups in LinkedIn.com. During this discussion, which centered on the recent changes by Facebook, a member of the group mentioned how much he now disdain Facebook because, to him, Facebook has lost its focus and is now more concerned with making more money for the site owners rather than being a truly social networking site!

What, Facebook has lost its focus?

Now, I understand that many people have this view. Of course, most of the new changes on the site are nothing but subtle ways of increasing the number of businesses and individuals that advertise on the site. But does this make Facebook to have lost its focus?

Of course, you may not stand the sight of the ads on these social networking sites but you must remember that you are not the one who calls the shots. For one, you use the site for FREE, not caring about how the various resources you’re enjoying for free, are being financed.

Besides, how much do you know of the mission and vision of these sites that you now think that sites like Facebook have derailed because they are selling ads on their sites?

Indeed, when I read that comment the controversy surrounding blog monetization, which I’ve read on different blogs over time, came to mind. I realized then that why many are against the idea of monetizing a blog through advertisements, stem from the same root.

The fact is, a blog is nothing different from a social media site. Indeed, many have come to accept it as a socializing tool – both for connecting with your readers and also building relationships with them.

But beyond that, a blog could be a business and a marketing tool. In fact, to get the maximum results from your blog you must accept it to be so.

So, How Do Social Media Sites Make Money?

I think this is a question that we need to ask if we must learn anything from these social media sites and making money online. As you read this I’m sure you have profiles on different social networking sites. And of course, if you are on Facebook, which I believe you are, you have been using the site for free all these years.

But have you cared to know how they keep providing those tools and resources for free? Do you realize that Facebook, Google.com (G+), Pinterest, Linkedin etc are registered business concerns?

What this means is that while they offer you the opportunity to connect with your social circles on their sites for free they also aim to cut a profit as businesses!

But depending on the social media platform, the business model and monetization strategies may differ. But the truth is, no matter how different the strategies may be, it still stand that they must make money for their venture capitalists!

Here are some ways social media sites are making money that could be interesting to a blogger:

1. Advertising – This is a common one to all the social media sites.

2. Selling subscription – Depending on the target market a few social media sites sell subscriptions to keep the network going.

3. Building and selling applications – This is another fast growing way social media sites are now monetizing their traffic.

4. Replacing affiliate links – This was actually the monetization model of Pinterest. They opened the site to all of us, encouraging us to share our user-generated content with our online friends, but unknown to us, something else was going on right under our nose!

5. Feature upgrades – This is a big one for LinkedIn. While you are free to have your profile for life, if you however desire to use some of the advance features of the site, you then need to upgrade your membership.

Any of these monetization methods can actually be used on a blog. take a cue from these social media sites or you’ll soon be packing your bags and luggage and hitting the door!

Recommended: Hey Blogger, Please Quit!

Go To the Ants and Learn!

Ok, that’s what the Holy Book says. And why not, if social media sites like Facebook and the rest are making money through the sale of adverting space, why not a blogger? And so, I’m saying, it’s time when bloggers should go to the social media sites and learn how to monetize their blogs.

I’ve always said it that bloggers are among the most hard working people on the internet today. That labor shouldn’t be in vain – a worker is worthy of his reward!

Or, don’t you think so?

Over to you: Do you think bloggers should sell advertising space on their blogs just like the social networking sites? Share your thoughts with us in your comments below.

Can You Really Make Money Building and Selling Websites?

March 14, 2013

by Guest Contributor with 3 Comments Your Website

Without any doubt the Internet has opened up different ways for people to make money these days whether full time or part time. From running of eCommerce sites and selling of information products, a lot of people have discovered lucrative opportunities online. One of such business opportunities is the building and selling of websites. What these people do is, like real estate developers, they create nice looking sites and then sell them on auction sites such as eBay.com. this online business model is also known as website flipping. The question many people will want answered is, can you really make money from building and selling of websites? Can these sites actually make money for the average Joe?

Here are a few ways you can make money from website flipping:

1. Hosting Services – Some website designers will offer a website for a very low price to entice a sale. Part of these offers is a free month or year worth of hosting on his or her server. Many of these people will use a reseller service for webhosting in order to sell off space on the Internet for a very low price. When a sale happens, part of the stipulation may be that you are committed to a specific amount of time with this hosting provider for a discounted price if not free. Some may think this practice borders on immoral, especially if the auction or sale doesn’t emphasize this feature. At any rate, many of these practices are actually cheaper per month to the consumer over paying directly for hosting.

2. Outright Sale – It could take a great deal of work to generate enough traffic to sell a website for thousands of dollars, but it does happen. Developers will spend several months cultivating a website to generate a certain amount of traffic and then sell them to the highest bidder. If the developer can prove to the potential buyer that the website generates thousands of visits per day, he or she can easily make a sale. The more quality traffic a website receives, the more valuable it becomes. However, this could take a great deal of time and search engine optimization management in order to make this a lucrative venture.

3. It’s All in the Name – A common practice on the Internet is the buying and reselling of potentially golden domain names. By keeping an eye on what’s trending in the general public, a seller could discover the perfect domain name at the time and buy it from a registrar for less than $15. He or she can then auction off the domain or use services available such as those located on Godaddy.com to sell the domain name for a great deal more. Some of these sites have sold for tens of thousands of dollars from just a simple $15 investment. However, this entails that you have a good eye for the current trend and can make an educated guess as to what the next big domain name will be.

4. Content for Success – One of the most important constants to remember of the Internet is, “content matters.” Simply throwing a nicely designed template up with a few pages of content won’t help you sell the site later on. The site needs to be rich with unique and well developed content. These pages need to be added on a regular basis in order for the site to score well with search engines such as Google. You can’t write 10 pages of 1000 word articles and expect the site to generate a great deal of traffic. It needs to be a regular flow of relevant content to the niche supporting the website’s name. For instance, writing about boats on a website named “babyclothes.com” is not going to bode well for future sales.

5. Don’t Waste Space – If you are developing a website for the purpose of selling it later, you might as well use what you have. Add money making programs like Google Adsense and affiliate marketing banners to put more money in your pocket. If you can provide evidence that your site is making money from these venues, it will exponentially increase the value of the site. Coincidentally, you may find yourself wanting to keep the site because of the amount of money it makes from these services.

The Internet has provided a platform for money to be made in a variety of ways. Whether these are purely online services or selling products world-wide, the Internet opens possibilities to virtually any business idea. Developments for continued success are constantly being designed to benefit anyone. Regardless of whether you are a website designer looking to sell your creations or a guy in the basement of his house running an online eCommerce home electronics store, discovering new online methods could help you solidify your income.

Over to you: do you think money can really be made from building and selling websites on the internet? Share your views in your comments below.

Author Bio: Jason Miner an expert freelance writer loves writing articles on different categories. He is approaching different bloggers to recognize each other’s efforts through “www.blogcarnival.com”. He can be contacted through e-mail at jasonminer8atgmaildotcom.

Online Career Ideas: How to Capitalize On Your Popularity Online!

October 14, 2011

by Chadrack with 23 Comments Uncategorized

Truth is, you can capitalize on your online presence and benefit beyond your widest imagination. There are various online career ideas that will help you do this. But first, you need to know how to go about it.

Countless tips and ideas abound online on how you can develop your online presence and become the most visible thing on the internet — SEO tricks, neat designs, catchy taglines, subterfuge — but what they don’t tell you is what to do once you’ve established that presence.

Having the most-viewed website on the planet, or being the first result on a Google search page are definitely awesome achievements in their own right, but for those creative types who are not just out to make money from their websites, but actually want to help people or enrich people’s lives, what do you do once you have made it to the top?

There is no doubt about it, the best thing to do with an online presence is to sell something. Once people recognize you as an authority, or just as a generally amazing internet personality, they will trust you and want to buy things from you. (That last part is scientifically unsubstantiated, but I generally find it to be true. Take it or leave it.)

The question then becomes what should I sell? People will buy almost anything, but you probably want to avoid capitalizing on that impulsive kind of attitude just for the sake of making a buck. In other words, instead of selling something useless just because you can, really think about what you have to offer, and try to spin that into something unique, awesome, and helpful.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Niche it up!

Great, you’re thinking, but what in the name of Abraham Lincoln does that mean? Well, basically it means: Think specifically, not generally, about the service you provide. The smaller the market, the more success you’ll have. If that seems counter-intuitive, think about it this way: There are WAY too many people on the internet to cater to everyone; BUT, even if you are selling something like tagline consultation (check out beawesomeonline.com), which seems like an ultra-specific thing, there are still hundreds of thousands of people in that niche market. Try to develop a service that will serve a very specific group of people.

• Sell Yourself!

Ok, not literally. But there is an almost infinite market out there for creative goods, such as music, film, art, crafts, knick-knacks, brik-a-brak, tchotchkes—you get the picture. People love creativity, and will more often than not pay boatloads for it. The great thing is, once you have a following online, any time you release something, there will instantly be a buzz about it. And what’s more, the platforms to publish and upload your art are almost entirely free!

• Be an Expert!

To make another unsubstantiated statistical claim: I’d estimate that 75% of people who go online do so for some kind of advice or information. That’s what’s so great about the internet; all the answers are right there at your fingertips. Probably the best way to utilize your online fame is to offer expert advice (provided that you are an expert, which, of course, you are). Again, the more specific the better. You say you’re the preeminent authority on zoo trip scrapbooking? Well, offer scrapbooking advice on how to scrapbook after zoo trips. You won’t believe how many people don’t know how to do that, and will pay for an online course in zoo trip scrapbooking you design.

I hope these ideas make your stay at the top a little more comfortably. The thing to remember, (warning: extremely nerdy reference alert) as Ben Parker would say, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Use that responsibility well and greater success will come your way.

This is a guest post by Lauren Bailey, who regularly writes for best online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: blauren99 [@]gmail.com.

4 Guaranteed Ways to Make Money From Home!

July 6, 2011

by Guest Contributor with 15 Comments Business Ideas

[Editor: This guest post is written by Shrini whose details appears below the post]

Making money at home had always been a dream of many over the years. In the years before the internet traditional mail order marketing was one of the biggest ways to make money at home. But with the advent of the internet making money from home has not only become much easier but pleasurable! Hundreds of avenues are now opened for anyone who wants to make money from the comfort of his/her home.

According to a survey, home based businesses make a significant chunk of workforce in the United States. One of the reasons for the rise in the number of people desiring to make money at home is because it not only cut down on commuting but it also saves time and cost. Besides, it also improves the quality of life because there is less stress since you have less constraints working at your own pace.

Despite the increased usage of the internet however there are still many who are curious on how to make money from home on the internet. This article is therefore for those who have questions like: “how can I make money at home.”.

The following are some of the most excellent ways anyone can make money at home online.

1. Start A Blog/Writing Assignments

Many people do not realize it but the truth is all of us have a writer lurking within, waiting to be unleashed. You can start a blog and make money writing about things you like. Your blog, which is actually a long list of your thoughts, can be monetized. One of the good things about blogging is that you can have fun while you earn. And what more, you are not answerable to anyone but yourself! You can have flexible timings a good thing for mothers and home makers. If you are ambitious, you can turn professional and take up writing assignments thereby expanding your scope of making money at your convenience. There are numerous sites on the internet today that offer commission based jobs to authors and writers. Books, eBooks, user manuals and technical workbooks have a huge market and you can be gainfully employed in the publishing field.

2. Virtual Assistant

Another way you can make money online at home is by becoming a virtual assistant. Indeed virtual assistance is a lucrative profession in our today internet based world. Professionals and businessmen employ part-time virtual assistants to undertake routine jobs for them, like air ticket bookings, managing their daily correspondence, overseeing projects etc. These are simple tasks which do not need any expertise. If you can spare a couple of hours a day it would be enough for this kind of work. Virtual assistant work is suitable for young moms who are otherwise busy looking after their home and children.

3. Affiliate Marketing

For the slightly more ambitious, affiliate marketing is simply the best way to make money at home. Affiliate marketing is you promoting other people’s product so that you receive a commission when anyone buys that product. Of course there are few things that you need to master if you must make a good income with affiliate marketing. An understanding of website development, creation of landing pages, internet marketing etc. is required if you want to be a successful affiliate. There are many websites which specialize in catering for the affiliate market. Click Bank is a popular site for affiliates. There are hundreds of products (like selling diet coupons) and services from which you can choose a couple or more to promote to make money. You may have to devote significant amount of time, at least initially, to develop the market. Affiliate marketing is serious business and requires business savvy as well as knowledge of the internet.

4. Selling Through Ebay

EBay is a great place to sell products. You need not be a manufacturer or producer as you can use wholesalers. You have to simply market and sell products on EBay and issues like delivery are managed by the main manufacturer. You can even sell globally, since insurance and delivery is managed by a network of affiliates. To be successful on EBay, you don’t need any expertise except to know what is hot and happening. Electronic goods are an all time favorite and you will not go wrong if you choose such products.

Conclusion

There are many other ways by which you can make money at home on the internet. Hurdles like geographical reach, language issues and communication are no longer barriers for doing business from home. What you need is an internet connection, a PC and then of course your smart thinking cap! Done well, some make money at home business ideas can become a source of passive income.

Ok, there you have it, four simple ways to make money at home online. Feel free to share your thoughts on this article in the comments below.

[Shrini blogs on WeightLossTriumph.com, a diet blog that features real testimonies of people who have lost weight successfully with some of the most popular weight loss programs. Being a writer with a diverse interest, Shrini also reviews online merchants related to fitness and health, but also technology, clothing and jewelry.]

How To Make Money Online On A Shoestring Budget!

May 10, 2011

by Chadrack with 20 Comments Innovation

Sometime ago I received an email from a reader asking something like this:

“I’m a newbie just starting online. I’ve been reading a lot of information about making money online but most of these seem way too advanced for me. I am really interested on making some money from marketing online but I don’t know how to go about it. Can you give me some ideas and a plan on how to do this?

P.S. Please note that I’ve no product of my own!”

When I received that email the first thought that came to my mind was, are there really some people who are still completely uncertain of how to make money online?

Now, please get me right here. You know, sometimes after years of marketing online and reading a lot of blogs that talk about making money online, we seem to have the impression that just about everything that you need to is out there and so everyone should know. But that email was a reminder for me that it is a wrong reasoning!

In replying to that email I was careful to include the needed details on how to go about setting up a system that will [amazon_link id=”0470633956″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]help a newbie make some money online[/amazon_link]. Of course, I tried to avoid too many complications as much as possible. But after that reply I had the feeling that a great lot of details have been left out considering the limitations of email. In light of that I took a decision to do something more detailed and therefore this post.

I’ve decided to make it a step by step plan and as basic and simple as possible. This is to ensure that no matter what level anyone reading it may be at, he/she will found it useful. Of course this post is for complete newbies so if you found it too basic simply ignore it and read some other post!

The plan set out on this post lays out how you can make money online on a shoestring budget. I must say when I started out online I was right in that boat with little knowledge about internet marketing and with little money to invest in most of the programs and “sure-fire cash cows” others were buying into then. But the good thing is that somehow this disadvantaged position worked to my advantage as I had to invest in the only asset I had then – time. I invested time to study whatever I can about making money online and by the time I began to make some money and invest that in expanding my online business, I was better equipped to use the programs and other systems I invested in.

Please note that what I’m laying out below is not my system. It is a system that many have found to be truly powerful and workable. Over the years I’ve adapted it to different markets with a few modifications and I’ve always found it effective. So if you’re looking for a system that will help you make money online with a minimum cost to you then read this post very carefully. I hope you find it helpful.

(Apologies: This post is unusually long unlike most of the posts you are familiar with here. This is because of the details that needed to be included so bear with me!)

So let’s begin.

Step 1: Become an Affiliate at Clickbank.Com

The simple and easiest way I have found to make money online when you do not have a product of your own is to join affiliate programs and one such very powerful affiliate program on the net is clickbank.com. A free account at clickbank.com allows you to promote every product or service listed on the site. You don’t have to create a separate account for the individual products. Just one account and you have access to all the products.

The products offered at Clickbank.com are “digital” products which can be downloaded immediately after purchase. There are no shipping costs and because of this most of the products on the Clickbank.com marketplace, are stunningly high on the commissions paid to affiliates. In most cases you could get a commission that is as high as 75%! This has made clickbank.com a favorite of affiliate marketers but unfortunately it has also pushed up the level of competition. But not minding this competition setting up a system like the one we are dealing with here will help you make the kind of money you want.

So the first thing you will need to do is signup for your free account at clickbank.com and proceed to step 2.

Step 2: Market/Keyword Research

Frankly these are two different steps but because they are closely related, I have decided to put them together. Market research is about doing some online research to decide on a market that is hot on demand at the moment. That is, people are presently spending money in this market. Some of the pointers that will help you decide if a market is hot are:

1. Are other vendors targeting this market?

2. Are marketers spending money on advertising to buyers in this market?

3. Are there people searching for information on the search engines for this market?

These and many other indicators will help you pick on a profitable market to target.

Keyword research on the other hand is about deciding on the keywords/phrases you will be targeting to get a better ranking on the search engines. For example, if you chose the relationship market, some of the keywords you may want to target are “relationship repair,” “relationship rescue,” “save my marriage,” “stop my divorce,” etc. (it may interest you to know that this is actually the market wherein I made my first commission on clickbank.com a few years ago!)

The topic of market and could take a whole post of its own and so I’ll not go into details on how to go about it but [amazon_link id=”0313306761″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]here is a powerful resource [/amazon_link] that will greatly help you. However, if you desire to explore this may want to read some post on this subject I did way back. As we are talking about making money online on a shoestring budget on this post, I will advice you use Google’s free Keyword Tool for both of this research.

Step 3: Get a Free Blog at Blogger.com

Blogger.com allows you to create as many blogs as you want, for free. Now I must say I’m passionately enthusiastic about the wordpress blogging platform but creating a wordpress blog that will allow you the type of freedom that is needed to do what we want demands you having a domain name and webhost. Of course getting these could really be cheap. But as a beginner I’ll advice that you go with Blogger.com. You can easily move the blog to wordpress blog later on when you start making money and you’re more experience about running a blog.

When creating your blog at Blogger.com make sure that you use the keywords you decided on from step 2 above both on the blog name and the domain name. Your domain name will look something like this:

www.YourDomainName.blogspot.com

For example, using our Relationship market and one of the keyword phrase above, your domain will look something like:

www.relationship-rescue-tips.blogspot.com

Step 4: Take a Trip Back To Clickbank.com/Marketplace

Indeed you may have done this while doing your market and keyword research but if not, then you need to do it now and choose a product or products to promote. I usually choose about 3 products in each market. Of course you will discover that for each market/niche there are various products to choose from. Once you’re on the site simply pick a category and a sub-category and you will be taken to a page full of listings of products to promote. Select each of these products and visit the product site and take a good look at the sales page. Using commonsense and your own judgment ask the following question before deciding on a product:

1. If I’m having this problem will I go for this product?

2. Does this sales page address the emotional buttons associated with this market?

3. Are there enough social proof? Does the sales page have testimonials of people who have benefited from the product?

4. Is the sales page professionally done?

Of course there are other “technical” indicators like the product price, the commission percentage, and the gravity (i.e. how many affiliates earned a commission on that product in the past one or two week pay period) that are shown on the listings in clickbank.com/marketplace. But using these indicators could be a little advance for the beginner. I actually believe that using the above commonsense questions you can make a good choice of a product to sell on clickbank.com.

Once you’ve decided on the products you want to promote, click on the link that says “Create Hoplink” located underneath the product to get your affiliate link. This is what you will need to include in your blog articles to make a commission on the product.

Step 5: Review the Product(s) On Your Blog

Armed with your affiliate links and some information from the product site, your next move is to write a product review. Note that you’re not writing a sales pitch, the sales page for the product you’re promoting will take care of that. Most of these sales pages are written by professional sales copywriters. All you need to do is guide people there.

Please note that this part of the system is very important because if your review is able to put the prospect in the right frame of mind before visiting the product sales page, you have a higher certainty of them purchasing the product. So if you cannot write a product review, do not hesitate to outsource it to someone. A freelance writer may not charge too much for a product review for a Clickbank product. You can expect to pay anywhere from $10 – $20 for a custom-written product review, depending on the writer and the word count of the review.

If you have taken note you will discover that until this point you have spent $0, so if you will spend $10 – $20 for the product review you will not be doing badly!

Important: Remember to add your affiliate link to your product review at least in the first paragraph and at the bottom. Whatever the length of the review, at the end, you can give a strong “Call to action” so that the reader will be compelled to click on your affiliate link.

Bonus Tip: One secret that have helped me very well in writing very powerful review copies is by signing up for the affiliate programs of the product I want to promote, if there is one. When you visit the product sales page, take a look at the bottom of the page to see if there is an affiliate link. Vendors who offer this type of affiliate programs usually offer promotional materials that can help you writing your review copy!

Step 6: Drive Traffic to Your Review Blog

Once your blog is set up your next move is to drive ‘targeted’ traffic to it. These are the people who are actually interested in the product that you are reviewing. And the way to drive targeted traffic to your review blog is to write articles and submit them to article directories like Ezinearticles.com and GoArticles.com. These are some of the top article directories out there. (Not minding the recent google panda update that affected Ezinearticles.com negetively, they are still way up the ladder!) If you write articles in the niches that you are promoting, and you give away some good information with a link to your review blog in your resource box at the end of each article, you will be able to drive targeted traffic to your blog. And if your review blog is able to convincingly send this traffic to the product sales page these could easily convert into sales, which means you will earn yourself some affiliate commissions!

A few other things you will need to do to drive more quality, targeted traffic to your blog include (but not limited to) backlink building, social networking, pinging your blog etc. A more recent one you may want to try is write guest post and publish them on blogs targeting your niche market. You must know that the more targeted leads you drive to your review blog, the more sales you will make. It’s really simple, but it does take work and time.

Conclusion: This is indeed a simple but effective method of making money online even if you have no product and you’re starting on a shoestring budget. Creating a review blog on blogger.com to market affiliate products costs nothing to do but can earn you a potentially unlimited income. Depending on how much traffic you drive to your blog and the conversion rates, you can build yourself a flourishing online business using this exact model.

Over to you: Do you have a few suggestions you will want to add to this game plan? Do you think this is basic enough for any newbie to implement and make some money online? I will be glad if you can add your voice to this plan in the comments below.

Digital Marketing & Make Money Blogging Tips

Posts tagged: Money