Today I thought I’d take a moment to really thank everyone for their overwhelming response to the tutorials I’ve put together so far. This site is a labor of love, as I walk through the various ways to monetize your ideas and your blogs and your sites and your social media, I want you to know that I’m here for your… I’m here to support your quest for financial abundance as well as supporting your ideas and unique talents!
It occurs to me as I document and record and illustrate and narrate the various ways to promote and engage and turn your hobbies into income… there are a few things that will make everything easier if you knew about them up front.
In no particular order of importance, I’m going to provide you with the insight and terminology that you will need to move forward.
Partner Programs/Affiliates and Publishers vs. Merchants
In the world of websites, these words mean something a little bit different then in normal life.
Affiliate Programs are programs where you earn money when people click on a link you’ve published in your blog or on your site. (click on a link also knows as a click-through) Most of these programs are called “Affiliate Programs” and you can use that term to search for programs that “go with” your topic, be mindful however, that they are sometimes called Associate programs or Partner programs.
And, when you finally find an affiliate program you want to join, YOU ARE THE PUBLISHER. That’s right, because you are the one posting, publishing, tweeting the content, you are the publisher. As a publisher, you will probably be required to sign-up and at some point will need to provide banking information (or request a check) so you can get paid.
My absolute favorite Affiliate Programs:
Coupons.com
Amazon
Commission Junction
and while it’s not an affiliate program it should be mentioned: Google Adsense
Why isn’t everyone an Affiliate? The truth is the internet is a very vast and humongous ocean and each website is a single fish. For many people the possibility of being caught by enough people is an insurmountable mental obstacle. They just can’t imagine it working, and in their circular argument, they go back to, “If it was such a great idea, why isn’t everyone doing it” and around and around the argument goes. The fact is, some people are doing it and some people are doing it successfully. My idea for you… is success. So, now you need to just forget about the money, because the people that fail at this thing are the ones that do it for the money.
I know, I know… You’re reading this post because I told you I would tell you about the truth about online revenue, and if you stop reading right now, I want you to know this one thing: It can’t be about the money.
Your success in creating multiple streams of revenue isn’t tied into your brain and how well you can create a website, or connect with affiliates, or even advertise on facebook, your success will be tied to two things: The problem you solve for people and the perceived value of your solution.
Your Line of Work
Whether you are already online or not, I’d ask you to take a moment and complete this sentence:
I ________ for _________ so they can __________ and ____________.
That sentence is your statement of solution AND perceived value.
I provide step by step instructions for women entrepreneurs so they can experience more financial abundance and multiple streams of revenue.
The fact is, in everything I do, I have my mind on, “How can I help.” I think, “What else will they need to know”… and “How can I let them know I’m here to help.” This shift in thinking is what has changed the landscape of my online businesses the most.
Think about it… who do you gravitate towards? Do you find yourself wanting to buy from people who are clearly just in it for the money, or from people are want to help. From people who listen to your challenge and look for a solution?
NO ONE LIKES TO BE SOLD TO… BUT EVERYONE BUYS.
The Fairy Tale of Niche Markets
Niche – which I pronounce in my head as Nitch and I’ve heard other people say it like neesh… I hope to heaven I won’t ever have to say that word outloud 🙂 Niche Markets have always been the loudly touted champion of the online Marketing crowd, with promises to help you find your niche market and more. The fact is a niche is simply a group of people that understand the value of your offer. In order to find those people, you really need to know exactly what your offer is… and why it’s valuable. (refer back to your solution and perceived value statement)
The fact is, I don’t mind seeing the pretty pictures of cakes on Facebook, they look like minions, or rose gardens, or a messy desk. They are fun to see and creative, and I marvel at how my neighbor can create these amazing confections, but I would never in a million years buy a cake like that. I’m perfectly fine with the $1.50 box of cake mix and matching frosting.
You see, I will NEVER be in the fancy cake market… although I may refer people to my fancy cake making neighbor, I won’t buy it. I see no value in spending that much money on a cake that will be gone 30 minutes after a song.
I am, however, an absolute a sucker for electronics and software, I love it all!
My point? Back in the day (when men ruled the internet) and niche markets were like stagnant lists purchased from Dunn & Bradstreet, we all bandied words like target market and ideal client and suffered the paper cuts from mailers and well worded letter… today? We have it easier and life is really more geared towards woman as sales pitches are now more like social conversations where we share with “friends” far and wide about each other’s valuable product and services and offers.
What does all that mean? I’ll tell you. Your success is all about your social conversation. AND there are literally hundreds of ways to boost your circulation and get your conversation out there among your peeps… but before you do that you need to know… what you’re talking about.
#1) What is your solution?
#2) Who wants your solution? (be specific)
#3) How much does it cost? (Make sure the perceived value exceeds the actual price by at least 3 times)
Now, start to think about the heart centered, genuine conversations you can have on social media. You aren’t selling anything, you aren’t pushing anything you are simply out there letting people know how you can help. 🙂
