Stompernet Stampede
It was Futile to Resist “Stomp the Search Engines
I promised myself recently that I would stop buying any new Internet marketing product. I am already subscribed to a number of Internet marketing and other resources and although they individually don’t cost much, they do add up. So I decided to curb my expenses and put an end – for the meantime – to my “education” expenses. But something happened last week that made me lose my resolve.
I received an Email from Ed Dale of Thirty Day Challenge about an incredible resource that was about to launch and for only the cost of shipping and handling. I have a high regard for Ed Dale. I’ve been following the Thirty Day Challenge for some months now. I have learned tons from it and, best of all, it’s completely free.
Ed Dale was talking about Stomping the Search Engines 2, a video DVD course on increasing search engine traffic. It retails for $497 but Stompernet creators Andy Jenkins and Brad Fallon decided to give it and the first issue of their new Internet marketing newsletter, Net Effect, for only the cost of shipping and handling.
Filed under Resources | Tags: stompernet | Comments (2)Focus on Home Office Productivity
Home Office Productivity
Increasing Productivity with “Getting Things Done” and “Zen to Done”
With my home businesses taking off, I found myself pulling out my favorite productivity and organization resources: David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” (aka GTD) and Leo Babauta’s “Zen to Done”.
Both are related. Leo’s Ebook takes off from GTD and makes improvements on it.
I credit GTD for enabling me, in my last few weeks at the office, to clear my physical and Email inboxes and finally organize my cubicle. My colleagues couldn’t believe that my desk and shelves were all clear, with plenty of free space in my cabinets. Too bad I was weeks away from leaving my work. It was good, though, for the person who was to take my place. Imagine, all the necessary files were neatly organized alphabetically within arm’s reach!
Filed under Productivity, Resources | Comments (2)Online Support Groups and Work at Home Opportunities
Work at Home: You Don’t Have to Do it Alone
Photo by Dano
It’s been five months since I left my office job to become a stay at home and work at home Mom. Since then I’ve become a freelance writer and an Internet marketer. I only experienced significant milestones in my work at home opportunities recently when I joined an online group of other online Mompreneurs, Mom Masterminds.
Benefits of Joining an Online Mastermind Group
At first, I hesitated joining Mom Masterminds because of the monthly subscription fee. I figure I would give it three months and, if I didn’t at least earn back the monthly fee, then I would unsubscribe. I’m glad that I finally decided to invest in my own education and networking with other work at home Moms. Here are the results I’ve had after two weeks of being a Mom Masterminds member:
- the number of my clients has increased significantly
- I have made more than the monthly membership fee
- I now have my very first niche site (more on that on another blog post)
Recommended Resources
Here’s a list of resources that I myself use/have used. (Yes, most of these are affiliate links so I will make a little extra if you sign up through my links.)
Web Hosting
Blue Host – It’s the only one I’ve tried so I can’t compare it with anything else. I chose it because it was recommended by a few Internet marketers I was following, and it had all the features I was looking for: unlimited domain hosting, good price, pay through Paypal, etc.
Copywriting
Total Package – I wish I could afford the course, but I can’t so I only read the blog. It’s enough to teach me a lot of things that I didn’t learn in university as a communication major. Clayton Makepeace really knows about copywriting!
Red Hot Copy – I was attracted to Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero because, like me, she dreamed of leaving her office job and working from home because she just knew that it was the best for her children. Her copywriting course is also top-notch. Just get what you can afford.
Freelancing
E-lance - A good source for freelancing jobs, or a place to find freelancers. In the Elance University, you’ll learn things like how to create your online profile and bid for projects. Monthly fee is $9.
Freelanceswitch – Good for finding freelancing jobs and advice for freelancers. For $7 a month, you get access to freelance job offers.
Shelancers – A membership site for female freelancers. For $10 monthly, you get listed in a directory of freelancers and numerous resources.
Internet Marketing
Jimmy Brown – Just about the only Internet Marketer who has earned my trust. I don’t know exactly why but before Jimmy, I never paid for anything! He preaches and practices over-delivering. You always get more than what you pay for. Jimmy has resources about anything IM-related that you could possibly want to learn about.
Mom Masterminds – A mastermind group for work at home Moms. I love interacting with other Moms who are striving to achieve work-life balance through Internet marketing. Tons of resources here, as well as practical advice and coaching from a very lively forum.
Filed under Resources | Comment (0)How to Make More Money From Your Blog
5 Tips to Increase Blog Monetization
Today, I listened to an audio recording of an Internet marketing coach critiquing a work at home Mom’s blog. The coach, Carrie Lauth, was giving the blog owner tips on how to make more money with her blog.
I took down some notes and synthesized them, and now I’d like to share them with you. I myself was surprised to learn a few new things. I’ve been blogging for about a year now – not for money primarily – and I’ve been hungrily reading and studying about blogging.
Anyway, here in no particular order are the main lessons I learned from Carrie’s blog critique (with some of my comments in parentheses):
- Add affiliate recommendations where they would naturally fit in your blog post. For example, when mentioning a book, include an Amazon affiliate link. You don’t necessarily have to say that you recommend that book, but simply add a hyperlink to it or to a related E-book or other affiliate product. (I agree that affiliate links should appear where appropriate but I don’t agree with linking to a product that I do not personally recommend)
- Post affiliate links to products that your readers would be interested in. In other words, don’t place affiliate links to everything you’re involved in. Choose only those that would be meaningful to your readers. Place other affiliate products that are not directly relevant to your readers on a separate page entitled, “Recommended” or “Resources” or something similar. Write a short paragraph about each affiliate product.
- Use sidebar buttons wisely because this is prime space in your blog. Google Adsense should be above the fold. Include an opt-in box so readers can easily keep receiving your content. Use only appropriate hyperlinks depending on your target audience and the blog’s purpose. It’s a great idea to have a button with the html code for linking to the blog, so others can link to you without asking for permission. (Wish I knew how to add that html code button!)
- Google ads perform better when the background color of the ads is the same color as the background of the blog text. Making the Google ad url color blue might be better than another color, because Internet users automatically associate blue with clickable links. (Now this I didn’t know!)
- Use your blog content to make other money-making products. For example, put together the content of several blog posts into a book. Or develop one blog post into a short report that you can sell for $5 to $7. Capitalize on your own expertise to produce and sell information products. (This advice I love!)
These are my notes from only half of Carrie’s website critique. You can listen to the entire critique at Carrie’s blog.
Listen and learn!
Related article:
Seven ways to make money on the Internet – no scams!
If you liked this article, please share it with others by clicking the buttons below. Thank you!
Filed under Home business ideas, Resources | Tags: affiliate links, affiliates, blog monetization, blogging, google adsense, internet marketing coach, make money from your blog, make money on the internet, work at home mom | Comments (2)
Stumble It!
