We are moving our WordPress Blog to our own server at www.Be-a-WAHM.com.
Please join us there. We will be updating information in both spots for some time until we get everything moved over properly.
http://be-a-wahm.com/wordpress/
Kristine
November 8, 2006
October 16, 2006
Be Cautious!
It’s not often that I sound off about some fellow Internet Marketer’s new business idea but I simply can’t keep quiet about a few new “products” on the Internet.
I probably get more email about new products that anyone outside of the Internet marketing world. “Secrets Revealed!”, “Instant Website Builder!”, “Top Ranking Methods Revealed!”…if you had any idea how many of these I got on a weekly basis it would probably make your head spin.
Why do I subscribe to these seemingly useless and irritating emails?
I would not be a very good Internet marketer if I didn’t keep an eye out on my “competition” although these days it doesn’t seem difficult to keep a more professional profile than the “other guys”.
What I’d like you to take away from today is this.
There are no “secrets”. No one out there has some sure-fire way of putting thousands of dollars instantly into your pocket. Just like any business, it takes work and time to develop your business. I don’t know how often I’ve said that.
Then why are these tactics so effective?
Because most people are lazy (yes, it’s true! *shock*). They want something now, today and yesterday. And that is why these programs are so appealing. They give the impression that by purchasing their “product” or what is even more popular nowadays, their “service” where they guide you for a monthly fee (the most recent one over $700 a month) through their process that turned them into millionaires that you too will achieve the same success.
Now, in their defense, some of these people ARE real people who have made millions of dollars on the Internet. And I’m not saying that they don’t have knowledge to share.
What I am saying is that most of it is common sense. It’s a simple business structure and with a little research and guidance you can in fact duplicate the efforts of some of these programs.
It’s a shortcut.
The problem is though, some would have you believe that these “steps” are worth thousands of dollars.
The first program I saw blew me out of the water a few months back – and that one cost about $400/month.
This second one, $700.
What will the next one be? $1,000? $2,000?
There is such a thing as “perceived value”. The more expensive something is, the more credence people tend to give it. It could be the crappiest thing in the world but “…it cost $5,000 so it MUST be good…”
And the programs that “instantly create” templates for you to throw up quickly made websites in an effort to make as much money as quickly as possible are purely out to prey on those of you who want the quick buck.
The problem is that even though the quick buck does happen sometimes, it is short-lived. You aren’t creatng a business but rather are something akin to the guy selling Blu Blocker sunglasses at the gas station on the corner.
Proceed with caution.
Know that even though it is a good thing to receive guidance, you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg for it.
Also know that quick and easy will not earn you a long-term income. If you are looking for something that will sustain you for years to come and make all the Search Engines happy, quick and dirty is NOT the way to go.
I welcome your opinions and thoughts. Have a bad experience? Have a good experience? Let us know!
- Kristine
September 16, 2006
Find out what successful affiliates do…
I’m sure that you have all read or heard or seen somewhere that if you want to be successful, do as the successful do.
So here’ s an SEO tip that doesn’t sound like one.
If you don’t already subscribe to some very helpful newsletters that focus on affiliate marketing, find them and subscribe to them. I know that you probably already get tons of newsletters but it helps to know what other affiliate marketers are doing.
As soon as you subscribe, you’ll notice that as soon as you become a subscriber, in addition to receiving some extremely helpful information, from time to time they will promote a brand new product. And, as you can guess, they get affiliate income off of those clicks that they put in their newsletters.
When you receive one of these promotions that promises to be the “next big thing” make note of the name of the product and do a Google search on it.
What you’ll come up with (if the promoter did their job correctly) is a list of websites where they advertised this new program. You’ll also come across many sites that have become affiliates of this product and so you’ll have to sift through those but what we’re specifically looking for are free ways to advertise.
Make a list of these websites where you found this new product. Many of these websites that have press releases or articles are completely free or charge a minimal cost for you to advertise on their site.
A great example is PRweb. By simply registering with them you can submit your press release for your ebook, your website, your new affiliate program, whatever you wish and they handle the rest.
Why do we focus on “new” affiliate programs and products? This is because that if you choose a product that has been on the scene for awhile, it has been added to everyone’s website or newsletter or whatever. Which means you have more websites to sift through to find what you are really looking for.
So there you go, subscribe to newsletters, find out where the big guys are promoting their stuff and follow suit.
All the best,
Kristine
July 21, 2006
Purchasing with your own affiliate link…
If you’ve already started your own site you have no doubt also begun looking into affiliate programs.
If you aren’t sure what affiliate programs are, take a look at http://www.Be-A-WAHM.com/affiliateprograms/ and this will give you the rundown.
A question has come up as to whether or not you should be purchasing products through your own affiliate links and the short answer here is no, do not do this unless you have read every last word of the affiliate agreement.
Some companies are ok with this but oftentimes people agree to become an affiliate of a particular program and all they intend on doing is purchasing the product for themselves along with friends and family members which essentially gives you an x% discount depending upon how much the affiliate program pays.
It is frowned upon by many companies and I would steer clear of doing this until you know for certain that it is ok. You don’t want to get kicked out of a program that’s paying you 50% a sale now do you?
And yes, this does happen.
All the best,
Kristine
