Affiliate Marketing – Why I Love It & You Will Too

Affiliate marketing is defined by wikipedia.org as

a web-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing efforts.

An easier way to say this is “referring someone to a specific product or service and getting paid when they buy from your recommendation.”

As you may or may not know, I promote affiliate products and have my own affiliate program where others promote my products as well. A good chunk of my income comes from promoting other people’s products and services. Here are just a few reasons I love affiliate marketing:

1. I don’t have to create all my own products to earn a nice living.
2. I don’t have to process orders or provide customer service on affiliate sales.
3. I can serve my markets’ needs without having to supply all the products.
4. No matter which niche I’m working in, I can find products to promote in it. There is no shortage of affiliate programs out there.
5. I can conduct market research and see if my market is interested in a particular product before I decide to add something similar product to my own product line.
6. I can easily track how my promotions are doing and make changes to products, promotional methods and more as necessary.
7. I get to focus on creating great content and building relationships, which I love to do.

These are all great reasons to be an affiliate marketer, but the number one reason I LOVE affiliate marketing…

I can do the work to promote something once and reap the benefits over and over.

For instance, if I write a product review for an ebook about scrapbooking, I can post that to my website with my affiliate link and it is there for good. Every time someone reads that review, whether it’s the day I add it to the site or a year later, and clicks through my link to purchase the ebook, I make a commission. How sweet is that?

Resources:

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15 Tools To Track Time & Productivity

Tracking time sounds so easy. You clock in, work, clock out. That’s billable time right? Yes. But in a home business setting like many of us have interruptions like the baby crying, the kids fighting or the Orkin man knocks on your door to do an inspection. This makes it a challenge because you have to clock in and off sometimes in less than 1 minute.

In MomMasterminds, we also recently discussed yet another challenge that is not brought up often enough. That is charging for every minute you earned, including your email time. Most of us service providers are pretty good about charging phone time but email time? We get the illusion the email is only going to take 2 minutes but how often does that 2 minute become 20 minutes because you needed to research your answer?

How often does that one quick email turn into 10 replies by the clients, "for clarification", each taking another 2 minutes for you to read, understand and respond? They all add up but that’s another blog post ;)

Here are 15 time trackers you can use to help you out.

RescueTime – You create an account, download this little application and start the clock. It’ll track each application or web site you’ve been working with and time spent on it. Great if the bulk of your work is on the computer. No data entry, but I found the tagging tedious. I liked that it is automatic but at the time of use which is a few months ago, I could tell how much time spent using an application but I couldn’t easily tell how much of that time was for which client. I needed to tag that time manually each time. You can do that in bulk just once at the end of the work day, but if you let them pile up, beware.

One thing I do really like about this. It’s a great way to tell how you’re using your time while at the computer. You know those days when you feel you’ve worked all day but done nothing? Well, use RescueTime for one week and you’ll know exactly where you are leaking those hours.

Toggl – Free, but with premium accounts if you want more options. Super easy and straight to the point. 100% online or download a little program to help you track time.

Printable CEO – Not an electronic tracker and incidentally, the one I use. Love it, love it, love it. Yes it is paper – I just like the opportunity to quickly jot down a stray thought or two sometimes and electronic solutions don’t always make it easy for me to do that without clicking several times. By the time I click through, the train of thought is lost :( that’s why I like paper for some things. Printable CEO has a variety of different task and time trackers you just have to choose the one that suits you best.

Slife – works a lot like RescueTime. Free, Mac only.

Klok – downloadable software that runs on Mac or Windows. Free.

Legos – Like to play and work at the same time? Check out how this creative software developer tracks his time using Legos – really! The Legos your kids play with.

Tempo – Free for one user, one project. You can also use it with SMS, Twitter, email or your phone.

1Time – Online time tracker for teams. Nice: Clients can view the hours worked, employee reporting, track holidays and absent days plus project expenses. Free for one user, 20 projects.

Harvest – Free for one user, 2 projects, 4 clients. Nice: Invoicing feature, estimate vs time spent report. Quickbooks export, different roles for teams.

Tick – track time and budget. Free for one project.

SlimTimer – Track tasks and time. Web based, free.

TrackMyPeople – time tracking for teams. Includes a downloadable widget for desktops.

TSheets – not free, starts at $10/month. Upgrade for team use. Track time from cell phone too.

88Miles – No free plan, starts at $5/month. Quick and easy punch in/out concept.

Time Stamp – Finally, can’t close the list without this one. A favorite of many VA’s I know. Desktop based time tracking software. Free.

Photo credit: Satendra Mhatre

7 PLR Rewrite tips

While there are mixed opinions on the whys and hows of PLR content many internet marketers still use it as part of their marketing strategy.  What people do agree on is the fact that to make PLR content most effective it’s important to make it your own.  Here are 7 tips to rewrite your PLR content and get the most bang for your buck.

#1  Buy quality PLR.  You’ve heard the saying "you get what you pay for."  As a writer I’ve occasionally been asked to rewrite PLR content for clients, which means I’ve seen some pretty awful stuff.  I’ve also seen some terrific PLR.  If you’re in the market check out AllPrivateLabelContent.com.

#2  Make simple changes.  If you’re pressed for time and really need to get that blog post up – make simple changes.  Change the headline, the subheads and if there are bulleted points or a list then a simple change in the wording can help to make it your own.

#3  Personalize it.  The internet has taken huge steps over the past three or four years to become a community.  Social networking sites and blog posts are only the beginning.  Marketers who share themselves with their audience help to create a sense of community.  Add a few personal examples or anecdotes to your PLR.  For example if your article is about the importance of recycling you can talk about the challenges of recycling at home and how you solved them for yourself.  You’ll help brand it and connect with your audience.

#4 Data and statistics.  A PLR article about how to buy green may have a great foundation, give it more credibility by inserting a few relevant statistics. If some data is already cited, change it and find different supporting data – this is a great way to make your PLR content unique.

#5 Reorganize the content – It’s typically very simple to take an article and break it up into a bulleted list or vice versa to take a list and change them into paragraph form.

#6  Combine a few short PLR articles on similar topics to create a longer article.  Some PLR content is around 250-450 words long.  You can pull relevant paragraphs from two or three articles on the same related subject, write a new introduction and conclusion and voila – new content.

#7.  Hire someone to rewrite it for you.  Be sure to let the writer know what you intend to use the content for and give them a link to your website so they can get a feel for your audience and your voice.

PLR is a great way to keep content flowing on your website, blog, or article marketing directories – take a few minutes to make it your own.

Happy rewriting!

Take a Break & Come Back Refreshed

Many moms who own their own business will work themselves to death to try and get ahead of the game and grow their business as fast as they can. They fool themselves into thinking that working endlessly at the beginning will help them get to success faster.

Unfortunately this is not always the case. Don’t misunderstand me here; it does take a lot of hard work in the beginning to grow your business. But that hard work should be FOCUSED work…not just working for working’s sake. And it should never come at the price of things like your marriage, time with your kids or your health.

I’ve seen it time and again and even dealt with it myself on occasions. Moms work themselves to the bone, never taking time to just get away when it comes to their business. They become burnt out and find themselves spinning in circles with their tasks in their business and before they know it they’re wondering why the kids and husband are withdrawing from them and why it seems like every time they turn around they’re getting sick.

The worst part amongst all this destruction is that sitting at a computer all day rarely builds your business any faster than carefully planning and scheduling your days. Let’s be serious, the longer we sit at a computer, the more tired we become and our focus is the first to go. We start checking stats, checking out forums, dropping by Facebook and getting lost on Twitter. We aren’t REALLY working at all.

It’s ok to take a break from your business. As a matter of fact, I’m asking you, for the sake of your business, to take a time out and do it frequently.

Just cut off that computer for a day or two each week. And each day, make sure that you schedule and limit your time at the computer. Close the door to the office and spend time doing something (anything) other than business for a change.

Here are a few ideas of things you can do with the time normally spent working.

• Go to the movies with the kids.
• Call up a friend and have a girl’s afternoon.
• Work in your garden.
• Volunteer at your children’s school.
• Read a book (one that’s not work related!).
• Finish those things you’ve been meaning to do around the house.
• Go all out and fix your spouse’s favorite meal. This gesture will go a long way.
• Go on a date with your spouse.
• Plan a mini-vacation.
• Create a scrapbook or other crafty items.

Breaking the habit of working day in and day out won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. I guarantee that when you come back you’ll find a renewed sense of energy you thought was long gone.

3 Tips to help you commit to your goal

Many of us will sit down and write our goals but commitment plays a large part in getting goals achieved.  If you do not commit to achieving your goals, then your goals will seem unimportant and since it is not important, you will just be tempted to quit before you even get started.

However, show some commitment to your goals and set daily reminders to yourself about these goals and you will be encouraged to achieve them.

It is not that hard to commit to your goals as long as you set your mind to it. Here are some doable steps:

1) Make sure the goals you set are important to you. Take your time in figuring out what it is that your heart wants to achieve. Know your reason behind a specific goal. How will achieving the goal benefit you? How will you feel after accomplishing your goal?

It is best to write it down in a journal and keep it close by so that you can easily go back and read it as often as you need to. Writing it and reading your goals and reasons behind them over and over again will help you commit to the goal.

2) Make sure to consider the “what if’s”. Think about the consequences if you do not continue on with achieving your goal. If the consequences are not all that grave, then perhaps you need to reconsider your goals. Make your goals top priority wherein if you don’t work on achieving them, you’ll be faced with an unfavorable consequence. Be creative. You can promise to give something up if you do not achieve your goal. This way, you will try your best to ensure that your goal gets accomplished.

3) Renew your commitment each day. When your goal is new and your motivation is high, it is so easy to be committed. However, you need to stay committed until your goal is achieved. Make a conscious effort to remember your goal and its importance to you each day when you wake up. That is why it helps to write your goals down in a journal so you can read it over and over and remember its importance. Make a vow to work on your goal each day until it is achieved.

Tired of “Writing” – Talk Your Content Instead

Being a bit of an adventure seeker, it occurred to me last year after a particularly rough fall on my snowboard, (we’re talking out of control wagon wheel tumbling down the snowy slope), that I needed a backup.  What would happen if I broke my arm, dislocated my shoulder, or snapped a wrist?  I’d be out of luck, right?

Rather than change my nature, I invested in a voice to text software program called Dragon Naturally Speaking.  This wonderful product actually works pretty well and while the learning curve is a bit more than many are willing to invest (you have to go through a long tutorial so it can learn your speech patterns and you have to learn the nuances of the software) I’m confident that if I am in fact injured, I can maintain my ability to create content for my clients without any downtime.

If you’re the type of person who feels very comfortable talking about your industry topic but find that writing doesn’t come as easy as you’d like it – consider giving it a try. The standard program is $99 and the preferred version starts at $199 and is compatible with a Bluetooth wireless headset. Additionally, you can use it to write email messages, and it works with both MS Word and WordPerfect in addition to a number of other software products.

If learning new software isn’t something you’re interested in then consider dictating your content and having a transcriptionist or virtual assistant transcribe it for you.  You can even have them edit it and submit it to article directories or upload it onto your website – all you have to do is talk.

Whether you’re creating content with a speech to text software program or dictating it for transcription remember to keep your content organized.  Each chapter or article will have a main point to make.  Each paragraph will have clear, active sentences which support your main point.  It’s difficult sometimes when speaking content to keep thoughts organized – consider making an outline to keep on track.  Once you’ve created your article, report, or book make sure to review it for spelling, grammar, and clarity.

Writing isn’t for everyone yet every internet marketer needs quality content to market their business. If writing isn’t for you, don’t give up – talk your content instead.

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