Getting Started with Affiliate Advertising

Well you have your ideas and you spent some quality time with your friends, family, & those who could lend some advice.  You should have your ideas written down on a piece of paper or some form of media.  Here is where we begin with your brand entrance.  There are millions of webpages on the web and more being added by the hour.  So, you asked, how in the world do I make myself known that I sell trinkets or I am a consultant for xyz?  Should be no surprise, but the answer is work hard.

The Internet is a place for information at your fingertips.  Nobody gets on the net just to land on a webpage that they don’t want.  They search for unique content to find an answer to their problem.  You know this, because somehow or another that is how you ended up at this website. Unlike brick and mortar shops that have roads going by them, the Internet is not about location, it is about the quality of traffic.  We will keep quantity out of this for now.

Since you have your ideas jotted down, now would be a good time to put them to use.  Since we are in a web 2.0 world, there are tons of inexpensive and free ways to get the word out.  Just remember, content is king.  You need to have something you can write about, and since your the expert in your field you should have a lot to say in your own words.

Well you have your ideas and you spent some quality time with your friends, family, & those who could lend some advice.  You should have your ideas written down on a piece of paper or some form of media.  Here is where we begin with your brand entrance.  There are millions of webpages on the web and more being added by the hour.  So, you asked, how in the world do I make myself known that I sell trinkets or I am a consultant for xyz?  Should be no surprise, but the answer is work hard.

The Internet is a place for information at your fingertips.  Nobody gets on the net just to land on a webpage that they don’t want.  They search for unique content to find an answer to their problem.  You know this, because somehow or another that is how you ended up at this website.  Unlike brick and mortar shops that have roads going by them, the Internet is not about location, it is about the quality of traffic.  We will keep quantity out of this for now.

Since you have your ideas jotted down, now would be a good time to put them to use.  Since we are in a web 2.0 world, there are tons of inexpensive and free ways to get the word out.  Just remember, content is king.  You need to have something you can write about, and since your the expert in your field you should have a lot to say in your own words.

Here are some great websites  that are 100% free and will bring you some traffic (or also known as phone calls).

After you spend some time on these sites setting up your identity you are very well on your way to telling the world who you are and what you do.  Just as a reminder, nothing comes free, either  you will invest time or invest money.  Sometimes you will need to invest both time and money.  Business is built this way.  If there is no investment, there will be no return.  This wheel cannot be reinvented, sorry.

One other note about the above.  If you do create a webpage be sure to do your research on Search Engine Optimization.  This is key to ranking up the search engines.  I would suggest working on a local scale first to climb the latter and then later focus on a national search latter climb.  An example of this is that Ryan’s Computer Consulting Services is really easy to find using a search term like “Greencastle, pa computer repair or Greencastle computer repair.”  If you would just type in computer repair, we are nowhere to be found and swamped out by competition.  This continues to work with unique content.  So write about unique content that is in your niche and run with it.

Now, there are some other ways to advertise, however they will cost you some greenbacks (dollars).  Don’t let this scare you that it cost money, after all, isn’t that what you are trying to earn other than a reputation?

Local clients will gain your trust faster with local advertising versus national.  A webpage is a form of local and world wide advertising.  It really is up to how you make your visitor feel when they are reading your content.  Stay friendly and honest.  It is okay to be bold talking about stuff you really understand, but remember you are telling it to somebody that probably doesn’t understand your work language.   So, stick with the K.I.S.S. method:  Keep It Simple Stupid, and know that “stupid” doesn’t mean to degrade your visitor either, it means for you to remain humble in your approach.

Back to Talk About It! or Next to Conclusion

Talk to Others About Your Ideas

Some would advise to just dive into a business, I differ on this perspective.  There may be a few opportunities that may arrive on a moments notice, but for the rest starting off slow is best when learning how to swim in the world of business.  Did you know that businesses fail more often then not within the first two years due to lack of vision.  I know what you thinking, “they ran out of money.”  While this is true there is a reason why they ran out of money.  They lacked vision to keep the money rolling in.  This leads to the question, “Why wasn’t there enough demand for the service or What did they do wrong?” There is much to consider after you have brain stormed your thoughts.  Working on the red tape in the beginning best than when the ball is rolling down the mountain.  In other words, put a rudder on your ship so you can control the direction of the ship as the wind is in your sails.

One concern that is seen over and over is the lack of communication to others.  In the beginning, talk to everyone that is important to you about your idea (given it is not top secret and nobody else is already doing your idea.)  Talk to your spouse, parents, family, and friends.  Get all the input you can, you will be amazed at the collective information and advice you will receive from conversations.  You will get negative feedback as well as positive, be ready for both.  Some people may not believe you will follow through with your ideas.  Others will say you will never make it.  While the rest will support you.  This is key to your becoming, because down the road you will see that the same people that you talked to in the beginning will be the ones talking about you to others later on.  Word of mouth is the most effective and lasting advertising tool you will ever have in your arsenal.  Why not establish it first.

If somebody says something profound or ear catching, write it down.  One thing that sticks in my mind is “nothing ventured, is nothing gained.”  If you don’t try, you cannot fail and you cannot succeed if you don’t try.  Get the point?

In all of your talks, you should at this time consider any legal red tape you will need to cross.  Things such as, taxes, licenses, & costs of operation.  I am not going to touch much on these subjects for that is beyond the scope of this article.

Here are some great informational websites to bring you up to speed on the red tape.

www.irs.gov

www.entrepreneur.com

www.sba.gov

This is not all inclusive and doesn’t really hit home on your local tax codes or laws, however it will get you started in the direction you need to head.

Last, but not the least of any of these, count your costs.  If you are going to be going into business you need to consider your expenses.  How much are you going to spend on insurances, advertising, gas, etc.  If you are not comfortable with budgeting, may sitting down with a financial advisor would prove useful and money well spent for you.  Money is what your trying to make more of  and could be the very thing to take you down if you don’t keep control on it.  Same goes with your attitude towards clients and employees.

Return to: Brain Storming  or Next: Getting Affiliate Advertising Started

Ideas: Brain Storming Your Business

If just by thinking hanging a sign or dropping fliers everywhere will bring your name some credibility, you may want to pause for a moment and rethink.  Being in business is more than being about how much money you can make or how popular you can become.  It is about establishing a name that means something.  How will people remember you after you leave from their presence?  What will they say to others regarding you?  These kind of questions can go on forever, but the simple answer is, it is all up to you in how you are perceived by the person you are serving.

Before you go out there and fish, you may want to consider your tools.  It isn’t easy catching fish with your bare hands, you need a fishing rod and some bate.  That being said, what do you have to offer the world and how are you going to deliver on it?  Everybody is an expert these days, what makes you any different than another?

Time to Brain Storm: “The first step to succeed is to take the first step” – Ryan Hutzel

Get out a piece of paper and a pencil.  At the top write down your “big idea.”  Mine was “Computer Repair.”  Now, stop and think on the words you wrote.  What makes those words special?  “Computer Repair” is largely common in nature.  What would draw people to these words a little more.  That is when I considered my name “Ryan,”  this is personal.  I thought about what it was that I was going to be doing a lot of other than repairing systems.  I came to the conclusion that I was going to be doing a lot of talking, so I thought of “consulting.”  Then the obvious was I would be “serving others.”  Hence came forth Ryan’s Computer Consulting Services.

Let’s get to the core of how brainstorming this can work for you.  Words have meaning.  Some words have very deep meanings and others have simple meanings.  Let me show you what each word means in my business as an example.

Who:

Ryan:  Personal touch using first name.  The definition of Ryan is “one of laughter and little ruler or king”

What:

Computer:  Business and purpose.  This is what I do.  This is the noun or the what I do.

Action:

Consulting:  I do lots of talking, training, help.

How I Act:

Services:  In the end, I am serving you as the client.  Service is meant to be humble, and not full of Pride.

So I could say, I Ryan offer to fix your computer and educate you as part of my service, never to leave you feeling less in knowledge, but brought up to the knowledge of something that once brought you fear.  Remember you are saying who you are, what you do, & how you act with what is at hand towards another person/group.  Not always is your name a good idea to use in a business name, however you can be creative and inventive for a business name.  Example:  Joe & Ralph’s Repair Shop (plain) or Brother’s Auto Repair (new wording on the original idea).

Whatever your in business for, the bottom line is there has to be more purpose than the money.  There needs to be a passion and love for it, not just a will to do.  My passion is to help others with their computer related problems, make a few dollars doing it, but most importantly is to make a relationship of trust, honesty, & commitment between RCCS and the client.

Return to Introduction or Next to Talk About It!

Starting an Affiliate Business | Fine Tuning an Existing Business Model

We have found that many businesses do not utilize their full potential on the Internet.  Many fail to realize that if they spend a little time sharing their secrets with the rest of the world, it return to them more business.  Why is this?  Well, it is simple as this:  People are searching the Net for answers.  Give them answers, give them hope, they will appreciate that and return to you.  Just like over the next few pages I am giving away trade secrets on staring an affiliate business.  This information will also help a MLM business as well.

When you first start anything, it normally starts with a single step, so first thing is first, if you want to get anywhere, then realize it is going to require “walking” or better put, work.  If you are willing to put a bit of elbow grease into your future, it will definitely payoff in the long run, however it is a journey.  If something says “quick” or “short-cut” along the way it probably is too good to be true and you should stay away from it.

Alright, if your still here, then off we go!

•  Part I: Ideas: Brain Storming Your Business

•  Part II: Talk About It!

•  Part III: Getting Affiliate Advertising Started

•  Part IV: Conclusion and What Affiliate Programs We Use

Why Websites Don’t Get Rich Quick: Debunking the Myth!

Early on in the creation of this website, we thought that if we build the website, visitors will just show up by the thousands.  Boy, was we wrong.  Being a beginner in the World Wide Web, we  thought that all websites were treated equally, the truth is, they are not.  In this article we will touch the surface of what it takes to get your ideas (your website) to the top.  Search engine optimizers will likely be annoyed that we are letting these secrets out so freely, however, isn’t it time you make some money or at least keep it instead of them.  Search engine optimization should not be a industry secret, and really it isn’t.  You just need to know where to look, and of course that is why you are here.

Topics to be discussed:

•  Who is this article for?

•  Why you will not get rich quick on the web.

•  How you can earn a living on the web.

•  Where to get started with a website

Who is this article for?

This article is for a committed, dedicated, in it for the long hull person.  Building a website is simple with the right tools, but staying committed to adding fresh and unique content requires lots of dedication and commitment.  If you are lazy and “want it now, ” then we kindly just ask that you go to one of those get rich quick schemed websites instead of being here.  Why so harsh?  Because we are serious and after all just giving this information away.  So if you are ready for boot camp, then let’s go!

Why you will not get rich quick on the web:

The only people getting rich quick on the web are those selling you e-books on how to get rich quick.  These e-books often tell you to just repeat what they just did to you.  Don’t know about you, but we rather stay honest, and maintain integrity, instead of fueling off of another’s lack and desperation.  Building a website takes time and lots of effort.  It will require that you have high quality rich content and something worth reading by the viewers.  Below are some common fatal mistakes website owners make.

•  Created a small one or two webpage punch line website with little to no content and expects traffic.

•  Creates a website full of affiliate links, ads, and banners with little content (looks like a mess in other words.)

•  In the beginning, made a good effort at getting started, but never maintained the site.  Content grew old, wasn’t created for timeless reading, so it fell by the wayside.

•  Created a site that is not it’s own domain like www.xyz.com/yourname instead of www.yourname.com

•   Didn’t plan well for the future of the content or product.

We know computers will be around now forever, however we also know computers change.  So, with this said, most of the content on this site will have to change with time, while other content on this site is timeless such as this page.  Not saying we will not add to this page in the future, it is just means that it is foundational subject to adding to.  Keep in mind when you design a site, you should think deeply about what you are going to be promoting and how you plan to get the search engines to recognize your work.  Getting rich quick should be the furthest thing from your mind, so if it lingering around in your head, get it out now.  Feel better?  Good, let’s move along.  Did you know that it could take up to a year for search engines to really begin to organically index your webpages?  Well, unfortunately being that there are millions of webpages, this is very true.  So what do you do during this “sandbox” time?  Build, build, and build more.

So, how do you earn a living on the web?

This is were the building is very important and that you learn the right way the first time around instead of trying to break bad habits latter.  Since by now you should be creating at least one article a week, or as often as you can, you soon find that suddenly search engines such as Yahoo, Google, and MSN will recognize you as a resource and not a circus.  Quality, unique, content is vital for this to happen however.  Having repeated content (copied and pasted) on your site is a huge no-no.  Don’t do it!  Unless you are under restrictions for a product you are promoting, selling, etc.    There are many different types of ways to make money on the web, here are some examples:

•  Blogging or be a news resource

•  Infopreneur:  That is what this site does, it brings useful information to the public at no cost, funded by advertising.

•  Brick & Mortar:  You own a store, however also want to sell online as well.

•  Online Product Selling:  No real brick store, just an online presence to sell to the world your products.

•  Affiliate Products:  Selling others products online.

One thing remains very true to all the above.  If you don’t give away information, your sales will be low.  The best kept, wide open, secret is that when a person(s) get on the Internet, they are searching for information first, then the purchase.  You wouldn’t be here otherwise, think about it.  Why would somebody want to by your product if you only say what it does?  Why don’t you tell them how it works in the real world, how you use it, who has used it, how it has been a success, and so on?  Again, a great website starts with commitment and dedication from the beginning, however it is never to late to bring it up to speed either.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Road to High Traffic Success!

Best Kept Secret to Web Traffic isn’t a Secret!

Search engine optimizers (the ones that charge an arm and a leg) don’t want you to know what I am going to tell you freely in this article. The truth is that when working on driving traffic to a website or page, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel unless you have a one of a kind product. So the optimizers repeat all day long the same strategies over and over (successfully) to get your site up to the top.  Little do they want to tell you is that you can do this yourself and save a boat load of cash doing it! If your interested then read on, otherwise……see ya later:)

So You Decided to Stay and Find Out What the Hush Hush is about, Huh?

You have heard it a thousand times that content is king, well it is, however it is only a jester in the king’s court if it is worthless on keywords. Keywords are essential to content. It is what will give you the difference of your page showing up on the first page of Google or the very last. If content is great, but is lacking the search terms everyone is typing, how do you think they will find your site or pages?

So let’s cut to the chase, shall we? What you need is a tool that will easily let you spy into your competitions keyword usage. Think about it, if your competition owns 90% of the market share, and you are trying to take a piece, just how are you going to compete against that and how do think you are going to earn money on the Internet with little to no traffic? So with out further to do, we introduce you to KeywordSpy.

This remarkable tool will show you the top all the way down to the least popular keywords your competition is using. This is essential if you plan to create quality, unique, content rich articles. Also if you plan to get on the first or second page of search results.

You can check out KeywordSpy to trial there services before you buy, and just to temp you further they even give you the first 5 top keywords for free without the trial!