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My Mistake

April 12, 2010 By 3 Comments

I wrote awhile back about when Freelancing and Affiliate Marketing Combine. I learned the value of that post this last week.

If you haven’t read my previous post, the premise is to sign up for the affiliate programs of the products you use and trust. When a client, existing or potential, asks for a recommendation give them your affiliate link. Simple!

As stated in that post, despite being in business for over 2.5 years now it was only February that I added this passive income stream. I added a Resources page to my VA website and didn’t think about again. I really wasn’t counting on anyone clicking those links.

Last week I was setting up a page for my husband and logged into one of my affiliate accounts to grab some links. I almost fell off my chair when I saw my account balance. My commission on one sale alone from one of those links will pay for my webhosting on my sites for the next year. Not too shabby for no active promotion!

Lesson for Today: Even if you have no interest in becoming an active affiliate marketer, set up a recommended products page for your websites or blogs. If nothing happens, nothing is lost. If something does happen, you will have a nice little passive income stream to help out in these tough times.

If you are unsure where to look for affiliate programs, check out my post on Blog Monetizing. There I have listed eight affiliate companies and one way to search out programs you can’t find within those eight.

Filed Under: Running an Online Business Tagged With: , ,

Lessons from Teen Millionaires

April 8, 2010 By 25 Comments

I recently started brainstorming ways that my husband could make money online with me. That’s what wives do, right? Tell their husbands what to do. When my brainstorming was over, I hit a few forums to get into the “new venture mindset.” There I ran across an interesting and inspiring post.

Said post was talking about teenagers that are becoming incredibly successful through online businesses. There are teenage millionaires popping up all over the place these days. Though truly inspired, I started wondering “Why?” Why are these kids able to succeed when there are so many adults that are struggling in online and offline business? Here’s what I came up with:

1. They listen to their audience. A lot of their businesses are directed towards other teens. They know what the teens are looking for and they provide it. They don’t base their business ventures on where someone else is telling them the money is.

2. They are not confused by fluff. It is certainly relevant to online business, but they aren’t caught up and discouraged by internet marketing jargon. They don’t start their business worrying about big niches and SEO. Not only are they listening to their audience, they are speaking to their audience. Their primary concern is not some search engine.

3. Confidence. They don’t have spouses, family or friends telling them “you can’t do that.” They have a support system encouraging them. If you believe in yourself, you believe in what you are selling.

4. With all that confidence comes some great marketing! They aren’t worried about what others will think. They tell everyone what they do and what they have to offer. They drop business cards, give presentations, and solicit their neighbors. All with no worries.

5. Failure isn’t an option. If someone tells them “no,” they aren’t afraid to ask “why?” They take that information and improve their business model or product. They don’t throw in the towel before they’ve even started.

At the end of the day, maybe us adults are all too jaded to build businesses this way. But wouldn’t it be great if we could……or would?

Filed Under: Running an Online Business Tagged With: , , , ,

Freelance Transcription: Interview with Loretta Oliver

April 7, 2010 By 3 Comments

I had the opportunity to interview Loretta Oliver, author of Transcription Crash Course. Loretta has 7 years experience in freelance transcription and has been kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

Why did you decide to start a transcription business?

When I first got into transcription it was completely by accident. I was doing document coding at the time and a friend asked for my help with some overflow transcription work. I figured sure, no problem. Then there was more and I did that, and I found myself really enjoying the work. Then I started doing files for an insurance company on a regular basis and I did that as a second income part time arrangement for a few years before I started taking on more transcription work.

In all honesty, I really enjoyed it and I still do. Even in the few years I was operating as a general virtual assistant I found myself doing more transcription than anything else, so I eventually made that focus. I guess you could say that transcription work just sort of called out to me.

What advice would you give to someone who is starting out?

Be patient, especially if you’re freelancing. It takes time to build a client base and build those relationships.

What challenges have you had to overcome?

The first and biggest challenge that smacked me around was time management. I think that’s probably true for anyone when they start a business from home though. You really have to focus and get those routines down and learn how to best manage your time to meet deadlines. In the early stages I overbooked myself a lot and then found myself stressed and working a lot of hours per day. I learned that lesson in scheduling really quickly!

What made you decide to write Transcription Crash Course?

A lot of folks were asking me how to get started, what programs I used, where I found clients, etc… so one night I decided I should just write it down and save it to share with people. The next thing I know I had written a lot more than I realized I even knew. So, I packaged it up with some great bonuses and sent it out into the world. If it helps even a few people I’ll be very happy with that.

Where can we find you online?

You can find me in a few places…..
Loretta Oliver
Facebook
TCC’s Facebook Fanpage
Twitter

I have read Transcription Crash Course and Loretta keeps things straight and to the point, no unnecessary fluff! If you are still trying to figure out what you want to do from home, give transcription a try. It is a business that can be started with little, if any, start-up costs and there is always a need.

Filed Under: Home-Based Business Ideas Tagged With: , ,

Top 5 Twitter Tips

April 6, 2010 By 9 Comments

Twitter is a great way to make business connections. Here are five tips to help find and build online relationships:

1. Change your twitter web address to point to your About Me page. Make your page engaging. Tell your readers who you are and why you are the person they have been looking for. This will allow you to make an instant connection with your potential customers.

2. If you are utilizing SEO, include keywords in your twitter bio. With only 160 characters, this can be a challenge. Try to keep it short and to the point.

3. If you have a local business, use the Advanced Twitter Search option to search for fellow twitter users in your area. You can search by zip code to find potential customers and other businesses using twitter in your area.

4. When you have a link you would like to share with your followers, post the link on your fan page and direct your tweet to your fan page rather than directly to the link. This will get followers to your fan page without having to openly promote your page over and over.

5. Don’t protect your tweets. Potential followers want to see what you are talking about before they make their decision to follow you. You may be missing out on connections if people think you are hiding what you are doing online.

These little tweaks will help you optimize your twitter usage for better ROI. It is your time, use it effectively!

What is your favorite twitter tip?

Filed Under: Online Business Tools Tagged With: , , ,

Training in Social Marketing

April 1, 2010 By 2 Comments


Virtual Assistant Training Center
Last week I told you I had attended an online workshop that I was going to talk about today. As a Virtual Assistant, the majority of the clients knocking on my door these days are looking for help with Social Marketing.

VAClassroom is an online training center specializing in keeping Virtual Assistants and Online Professionals trained in the most in demand niches. Not surprisingly, the most sought after services right now are in Social Marketing.

Social Media covers a wide variety of platforms and is constantly evolving. To keep myself marketable I need to keep a step ahead or, at the very least, on a level playing field with the competition. That is why I was so happy to find VAClassroom.

Social Media is not just facebook and twitter. They also have training courses in Blog Marketing, Virtual Event Specialist and an upcoming mini-course in Podcasting Success Strategies. These are in additional to their certifications in Social Media Marketing and Internet Marketing.

One of my favorite things about VAClassroom is that the courses they offer are not only a benefit to my clients; they are needed in my own business. The training I learn here can also be applied to marketing my skills and services. I just finished their workshop on Social Communities and I have Blog Marketing and Internet Marketing on my To Do List. Both are areas I would like to brush up on what is new in the field at the moment.

As far as the training is concerned, it was above and beyond what I expected. The Social Communities Workshop was a full 6 hours. This was an instructor-led course, though most are self-paced. The instructor went into detail not only on how to set-up these communities, but also how to get the most out of them for your client’s business and their members. Included were step-by-step guides, along with worksheets for gathering information from clients. It was well worth my $67!

The only downfall I have come across thus far is I could easily spend way more than my training budget over there. It was hard to choose what I wanted to learn first; as I am sure it will be when I head into the next round.

VAClassroom has a great selection of courses available right now and their communications over the last few days mention there are more to come shortly. (Hello! SEO? How am I going to pass that up?) It was a great experience overall and I will definitely be back for more.

Where are you picking up new skills these days?

Filed Under: Internet Business Training Tagged With: , , ,
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