Life’s a Beach

My wedding anniversary is coming up next month, and we are heading to the beach!!!

One of the best things about affiliate marketing is that, since you are your own boss, you have the flexibility to take time off whenever you wish and do things most people may not have the opportunity to do. For instance,  I’ve never been surfing, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to try. Guess which hawaiian beach is famous for awesome waves?

Waikiki, once the hangout for Hawaiian royalty, is the now the playground for people from all over the planet. It has a modern infrastructure of hotels for all tastes, and wide spectrum of all types of  cuisine and flavors from all over the world. It also offers an active nightlife.

But, Waikiki Beach, with its crystal clear waters, white sand, coconut trees is the place to be for surfing! Waikiki surf reports indicate waves can reach up to 10 feet high. I never been on a surf board before, so waikiki surfing lessons are in order.

A search for “surf board rental waikiki”  brings up Moku Hawaii, which rents boards for as little as $30 per day. Yay!

Surfs up!!!

Job of Jobs

Much is the anxiety and uncertainty caused by lack of employment. Many are in a daze just due to the shear effort in trying to find a job, especially when you don’t have a specific strategy.  My brother left Florida about a year ago to Las Vegas NV.  About three weeks ago he and his wife moved again to Phoenix, AZ. A marketer himself, he found it necessary to get full time employment with a firm to make ends meet.

A quick search for “ az marketing companies ” and “ marketing companies phoenix ”  showed some good potential employment opportunities, ranging from b2b to b2c marketing agencies. “ Phoenix marketing companies ” even displayed results for social marketing firms.  This got me thinking: Many are trying out the affiliate space, but need a stready income stream before their business becomes a full-time opportunity.  How do you find the best jobs?

Here are some tips when you got to do what you got to do regarding employment:

Apply networking techniques to the fullest.

Forget the traditional way of sending resumes to Human Resources departments of companies. Start off by meeting up with people who, besides knowing your target market, also have many contacts. The best strategy is to request the meeting by explaining that the purpose of it is to pick their brain on a job search and that you are seeking an expert opinion about what is happening in the market during these tough economic times.

The goal at this stage is to get between 10 and 12 to. Surely each one of them will give a different view and therefore a valuable range of expectations.

The other important point to remember is to ask them if they two people who they recommend to interview. Never, never ask for job! Remember that your network is working as a professional, only asking advice on a market in which you “like” to work in,  hence you are seeking advice from these ‘experts’.

Eventually some of these people will know of a company looking for someone. Of course, to do all this work of networking you have to have prior relationships, contacts or whatever you call them….

Keep Yourself Motivated

As an online marketer, maybe working from home, sometimes doing the same thing, over and over again, can get old.  How do you keep yourself motivated? What can keep you focused and moving forward? One way is by visualization.

Visualization is the ability to imagine and to create in our minds what we want to achieve or do. It is based on the principle that the brain thinks in pictures. So why not put a pic next to your computer monitor or on the fridge of that dream house you want to live in, that awesome vacation you want to take, or that cool car you want to own?

Myself, I would love to own a BMW 335d.  It’s got more torque than a Dodge Hemi, gets highway mileage  like a Toyota Prius, and sips fuel in the city better than a Toyota 4-cylinder Camry. I live in Orlando, FL, but there are deals to be had a little more further south.  Doing a search for ”used cars Tampa” or “tampa used cars” takes me to http://www.parkautomall.com, where you can browse for any used vehicle. But I digress.

In any case, I recommend that during the next ten days try to identify something of value to you, something you want to achieve and see and do. This requires a measure of faith, faith is believing – in yourself! In the visualization process, in addition to intent, you must believe. There’s a message that says “to he who believes, anything is possible.” We must stay focused on what we do, recognize what we want. This process feeds visualization, visualization strengthens our values, and values ​​build character, one that is constantly motivated to create action. And, well,  there you go…

The Credit You Deserve

As online marketers, we sometimes need to prepay for stuff.  But what if we could use others people’s money get what we want (or need)? That’s where our credit comes into play.

If you have credit problems, it’s a good idea to try to repair it. Not only will it help your business, but your personal finances as well (the lines are sometimes blurred though, aren’t they?) Understanding credit and the effects bad credit can have can be difficult for many to understand. So I asked a credit repair colleague to give me the deats.  He says the 5 most common questions are:

* In what way will I be affected by my credit problems?
* Is it possible to repair my credit?
* How long does it take to repair my credit?
* I can repair my credit myself?
* What are the benefits of hiring a credit repair specialist?

First, if you have credit problems, you need to understand the effects this will have. Most creditors use credit scoring system (FICO Score), which gauges the risk that lenders or vendors or employers take when offering you money, or credit or a job. The lower your score, the greater the risk. If you have a low score, your application will most likely be denied him, and if approved, you most likely be charged a higher interest rate and you may get a shorter term. A low score can even make your higher insurance rates and bad credit can prevent you from being hired by some employers.

Second, you should know that credit repair is possible. There are several creditors, and even government agencies that disappoint people when they ask, “Is it possible to repair my credit?” True, your credit report contains your history and in many cases, history can not be deleted. However, many reports could be improved. Sometimes they  have missing information or wrong information.  Addressing these areas can improve your score.

Third, “How long will it take to repair my credit?” Your score can not be improved within 30 days. If you work the system, you’ll need at least 35 days to see some improvement. Over a period of six months, your score can be improved dramatically if erroneous info is found in your file.

Fourth, “I can repair my credit myself?” You can try to repair your credit yourself, however, there are lots of confusing things to try. Taking the accounts that are clearly not yours is easy. You must fill out a dispute form and if the creditor can not verify the account information within 30 days of investigation, it will be removed from your record by Credit Bureus.

If you don’t feel comfortable dealing with consumer rights issues, it’s likely could get better results by hiring a credit repair specialist. There are many benefits of working with a professional to repair your credit. He will have the necessary knowledge of the credit system and consumer protection laws and get them to work for you. This means less stress for you and more money in your pocket.

Go Physical

Have you noticed how your back gets stiff sometimes?  Working at a computer all day doesn’t help.  As online marketers, especially those of us who work from home, we may adopt poor eating habits and neglect to exercise.  But we need a healthy mind AND body to be effective as marketers. Summer is around the corner and to have that Beach Body would be awesome! To that end, we thought to share some simple, exercise routines:

Disclaimer: before starting any type of exercise, it’s a good idea to have your doctor give your the once-over to make sure all your body parts check out, (especially when considering something intense as that p90x 90 Day Review).

No Weights? No problem!

But let’s start slow and easy. These routines we are sharing can be done almost anywhere, home, hotel, etc. It’s not an extreme body workout, although as is the case with anything else,  you get out of it what you put into it.  You do not need any special equipment, takes 25 minutes to complete and helps burn fat as well as to build muscle. Do not underestimate these calisthenics.  The Marines train with these  - no weight-bench or dumbbells required. All that is needed are a couple of chairs

Upper-Body Exercise

The push-up is a classic body-weight exercise, and could be the original body-weight routine. Position yourself facedown on the floor, preferably on a carpet, mat or firm a rubber surface, with feet together. Place hands on the floor at shoulder level, directly in the front. Raise your body by pushing up with your hands, until your arms almost straight, making sure your back, from your head to your heels, is straight, then start going down by bending your elbows into into a right angle, not letting your chest touch the ground. Repeat up and down, neither too fast nor too slowly
The pull-up is another upper-body calisthenic exercise. Holding the up position of a pull-up is known as a plank. Sit-ups and crunches work the core muscles.

 

 

Lower-Body Exercises

The squat develops the your legs and buttocks and over time, can strengthen the knee joints, however, one must be careful, especially if you have knee issues or experience knee pain during this exercise. Try starting with 3 sets of 10 repetitions. Place your feet to shoulder width. Keep hands on the thighs and crossed over the chest. You can stretch your arms out for balance and for putting some focus  on your glutes. Keep your back straight, bend your knees and squat until your knees are positioned about 90 degrees (a right angle) and return  to  your starting position and repeat.

This is a good start.  Enjoy the burn!!!!

 

 

 

This is a guest by Fitness Alliance.

Social Media Marketing Company

You might think: Social Media marketing company? Yes, you can hire one.  But in reality, all companies are social media companies.  There are different techniques that can be employed for an effective social media content strategy. But in this post I want to focus on one that helps create valuable content. To that aim, let’s highlight a number of steps that have helped many in this context.

Identify your audience : You have to be very creative, your audience is not only the one who buys the product/service, but those you spread your meesage faster and more efficiently to other consumers. For instance, if your target audience is moms in the 50 years+ demo, (and a demo which may be not as accesible via social networks), why not leverage their children? Your creativity is an essential part of developing your social strategy.

Identify their problems : We know, speak with and about real people, with similar passions and interests and similiar problems. What are some of these? 

Solve their problems : Make their life easier by bringing them content that gives them some sort of contentment, because you solved their issue. Your solution is something they will remember you by.  Keep it going and they will continue to come back to you.  Any we’re not just talking tex here.  Any format content works: Text, Audio, Video, Photos. Use any and all of them. If you want more brand ambassadors, connect with them, do not try to sell. If  your products interests them, they will know where to get them because you have built trust. Show them you are more than just a product, but a solution for peoples problems through valuable content, and the product will sell itself…

Hiring an SEO

There’s been a lot of hoopla as of late about Google’s algo: de-ranking of blogs,  changing the face of SEO, blah, blah blah.  Maybe you’ve seen your rankings drop and are thinking of turning in your SEO fighting gloves and hiring a professional SEO.  If that’s the case, this post is for you. So just how do you choose good SEO consulting services?

How do you tell who’s blowing Web 2.0 smoke?   Bad SEO consultants do, promising that in exchange for a few hundred or thousand dollars, they can catapult your site to the top of search results pages, position 1, quickly and easily. Turn the other way when you hear such promises! Many of these charlatans even go the other way, giving no sense of performance guarantees.  It’s clear no one can promise you’ll be in the top spot of search results, but they can give you some indication as to what you will be getting. Some of the bad boys try to confuse you into purchasing their services by using technical terms (if you don’t understand what they are saying, they have to be good at what they are doing, right?) Wrong! Some aspects of SEO are technical, but the good guys can explain it to you so that you don’t go away scratching your head. Additionally, many bad SEO’s speak in generalities (“we performed a free webpage audit and are recommending changes in your titles, url structure, and keyword density”). Well, ask, why they are recommending these changes and what will happen if you do.

Sometimes you  need to interview a few SEO consulting services to find the right one for you. Ask questions: How long have they been in business? Any referrals? How much do they charge? Is is a fair price?  Good SEO consulting services maybe few in between, but you can find one that has the best mix of experience, pricing, and just generally makes you feel comfortable. When you do, stick with them…

 

Masters of Time

I recently did a post on the Gift of Time and I know I got a little sentimental there.  So don’t worry, we are not talking watches here (if we were, we could recommend www.invicta.com). No we are talking time management.  Knowing how to manage your time is essential for affiliate marketing succes. So here are a few tips to help you be more productive as an affiliate and consequently put more money in your pocket:

Have a Good Affiliate Manager Relationship

Affiliate Networks

More than likely some of you are familiar with the term affiliate networks. It really is an undervalued online marketing tool. So lets talk about what it is and how to use it.

What is it? The best way to explain it, is to compare it: you know how eBay connects buyers and sellers, right? An affiliate network connects merchants (brands) with affiliates (you and me). For instance, Blue Global Media is an affiliate network that specializes in financial products, such as credit reports and loans.  So, you could leverage their payday affiliate program.

Affiliate networks come in all shapes and sizes and run offers for anything under the sun.The advantage for the small marketer is that these networks give you access to products from large companies that would otherwise be impossible to reach. And if you have a community site, once you run through a banner ad contract, you literally have miriads of options to fill your vacany.

The advantage to the merchant is that they can promote their wares on hundreds (if not thousands) of affiliate sites simultaneously, given them unprecedented exposure. And they can decide how to pay, be it CPC, CPL or CPV, fixed rate or a % of sales.

So affiliate networks are a win-win. But for the affiliates, they are a no-brainer:  The provide us multiple merchants and great support, which means receiving a check at the end of the week/month…

 

The Gift of Time

As affiliates our income in many ways is related to time: time spent searching and finding offers, time creating landing pages, time testing these. Tracking the time visitors spend on our landing pages also takes time. So we spend an inordinate amount of time online.  Can we make our offline time count?

This reminds me of something I read recently. If we think about time as a gift, we know that is beautiful, we know that is powerful, but we also know that we only received a very limited amount of it.  Life is limited to a number of days – sure very valuable – but limited. So what are we doing with our time?

Are we really making our time count? Not with money, but with offline relationships   – with our spouses, children, neighbors, friends. Each of us has been given the same amount of time. Lets use it wisely. Stop living in the past. Time moves forward and so should we.  Leave the past behind. Give of your time to others and you give happiness and receive the same in return.

A few years ago, my wife gave me a titanium Citizen Eco drive watch for a anniversary gift.  Since these watches never need a battery, they continue to tell time forever. The gift was a fitting notion that time is contant.  The same can be said of her love for me.  Citizen Eco drive watches make awesome gifts. I’m getting her a past-present-future ring for our anniversary in 3 months, symbolizing the time I have shared my love for her.

Do the same with your loved ones. Don’t just tell them –  show them you love them, for THAT is time well spent…

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