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….
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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…
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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 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
This is a guest by Fitness Alliance.
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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…
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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
This is key. It could land you exclusive offers and quick insider info. Treat him as you would your best friend and he will save you time while looking for great offers and likely make you a lot of money. And send him gifts when the campaigns go well.
Streamline Cash flow
Cash flow is very important to your career online, but don’t expect much of it in the beginning. Use a credit card to finance your campaigns and get weekly payments (ask your affiliate manager about these).Weekly payments are good because they can help you grow your campaigns while you still have 30 days to pay off the credit card.
Plan a To-Do List
Know what to do and when to do it. This will prevent distractions and the feeling of being overwhelmed. Also we can be forgetful. Set a check-list of things you want to accomplish. Set a plan for the next day before your day ends, that way you stay focused and on track.
Measure the time spent working on campaigns.
What is your ROI (Return on Investment) Most affiliates don’t know. To get a true ROI on your campaigns, measure the time you spent working on it, then calculate the ROI based on money spent and time. How much are you spending on yourself? Will your time be better served if you outsource? Before you can do that, you must know how much your time is worth per hour. Focus on what you do best, outsource the rest (if it’s economically feasible). You can hire someone in Asia to do things you do not want for less than you think. This will make better use of your time.
80/20 Rule
This rule says that 80% of your income comes from 20% of your efforts. So, look for offers that maximize this rule and then scale like there there is no tomorrow!
Organize Your Campaigns and Data
Set up different folders on your computer for each of your campaigns. This way you can access files quickly, increasing productivity.
Control your eMail
Email can kill productivity. Check it 2-3 specific times per day, then close it completely when you are working on your campaigns.
So there you have it – these are time management skills of Super Affiliate calibre. Oh, one last thing: You know what? Go ahead and get yourself a reliable watch. You can’t control time if you don’t know what time it is, so get one. Any will do, or find a cool one at www.invictawatch.com. Some watches are more than just watches. Some, like the Invicta collection are examples of quality and craftsmanship, and are considered works of art for your the wrist (this of course is personal conjecture). Just remember – functionality and style aren’t a bad thing.
Speaking of which, I need flip flops – my significant other and I are heading to beach. What do you think of any of these: black yellow box flip flop size 10 doris?
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…
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No we are not talking about celebrities here, but a list of prospects or sales leads. One of the most important objectives of any online business should be to start building a prospect list as soon as possible. Building a list of people who are interested in what you have to offer is very powerful. Think about it – its your start to gaining customers and sales.
By having a mailing list of prospects, you can generate traffic when you want, present them with new offers or promote other people’s products as an affiliate to them. How do you generate a mailing list? You can go the traditional route and create a campaign with Google Adwords and send traffic to a landing “squeeze” page and ask for their contact info in return for a free ebook. That takes time and money, especially when managing Adword campaigns. Why not buy a list instead? For instance, infofree
The offer 50 different types of categories to find leads. And they don’t put artificial limits on your number of searches or downloads. You can geo-target by zip code, you can even target those over 65 years of age. All for way less expensive than running adwords ads: it’s only $39.95 a month with this special promo code: BLOG39
A constant stream of revenue requires a constant stream of prospects. Building a list is essential to achieving online success. Leverage a quality lead gen company and reap the rewards of fresh, targeted easy sales leads to market too.
Congratulations! Your one man operation has grown into a multi-employee business. You even offer benefits (albeit small one). However, there some big guidelines you will need to comply with, especially when it comes down to insurance.
In recent years, the federal government has developed standards to ensure safety and efficiency of transmission of information related to health care and to protect privacy in the use and disclosure, pursuant to a statute commonly known as HIPAA, the law of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It’s two main objectives are to protect health insurance for workers if they change jobs and to protect your private health information, while at work. If thats the case, employers need to set up some security measures to ensure the confidentiality of employee records. Some of this must be learned. I did a HIPAA training search and here are some of the things gleaned:
High Level Overview
HIPAA requires employers to maintain employee health information secure and confidential. Personal Health Information (PHI) regulations apply mainly to providers of health care, but in certain circumstances, could be applied to employers. For example, if an employee has a disability, employers can access their PHI to make reasonable accommodations for him. Employers must notify employees in writing of the circumstances in which third parties will have access to and what they will do with the PHI they receive.
Group Health Insurance
If an employer decides to offer health insurance, be aware of HIPAA regulations on privacy and health insurance. View HIPAA health insurance providers as separate from the company. With any health plan a company offers, employers must follow the privacy rules, such as not disclosing patient PHI without consent.
Exceptions
Are small businesses exempt from complying with HIPAA? No. There are no “small employer” exceptions under HIPAA. HIPAA’s definition of covered healthcare plans have either a) 50 or more eligible participants or b) have a third party administrator. This would mean that the only exception to the privacy rules is for small, self-administered group health plans. Since most small group health plans are not self-administered, most small business employers are subject to HIPAA privacy rules, even if they have less than 50 employees.
Penalties
If an employer violates any aspect of HIPAA, the employer may be subject to federal penalties. The federal government may impose a fine up to $100 per person per year to a max of $25,000 per year. Therefore, if an employer has 50 employees and gives access to each persons info once PHI without written authorization, the employer can be fined $ 500 for these violations, up to $25K.
Complying with HIPAA’s can be both expensive and complex. Noncompliance, however, can result in significant monetary sanctions. It behooves any employer then to thoroughly review its health plan practices and become educated on the practical requirements of the regulations.
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Running a successful business is like being a good cook. A good, home-cooked meal doesn’t just miraculously materialize, it takes some effort to put it together: buying the ingredients, prepping the ingredients, leveraging kitchen spice racks and then the actual cooking. In your day-to-day business activities, maybe only a portion goes into “cooking” sales. Consistency is the key. Affiliate marketing offers unlimited possibilities. But just like a food recipe adds spices for flavoring, your business needs spices all its own. So lets go to your business spice rack, and identity 4 of them:
1. Believe in your Business
2. Believe in the Goods and Services you offer
3. Believe in your Business Model
4. Believe in Yourself
These may seem repetitive, but they are not, but they are interconnected. Lets break them down: Everything is exciting – when they are fresh and new. But what happens to those feelings after a few months or years of starting your business? Do they start to wane? They could. Just as cooking needs heat, you need to constantly fuel your belief system. To do this you need to believe in Yourself. The only person stopping your success is… yourself!
“Whether you think you can or think you can not, you’re absolutely right” - Henry Ford
Stay informed on your niche and successful strategies from succesful colleagues. Always try to learn something new. This keeps your business and your attitude towards it, fresh. And if you pick products to sell that you don’t believe in, chances are your potential visitors won’t believe and you hawking them either. Pick a niche you enjoy, and your enthusiasm for it will carry you through your darker moments.
Make a commitment to yourself that you will succeed, no matter what. And when sales start to taste stale, upon up your metophoric spice rack and pull out the seasonings we discussed here. Reality is made up of dreams. So go ahead and dream. Cook up a great business outlook and make your dreams a reality…
Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) implies building relationships with your prospects and customers. It is a proven way to close deals both pre and post sales. So how does this work? There are many ways in which you can build relationships with your prospects and customers. Let’s discuss a few of them.
One of the most effective marketing tools to build relationships is ‘correspondence exchange’. These are predefined messages that are sequentially sent via your autoresponder. Your audience clicks on a link for more information, which will initiate a sequence of messages. This link can be placed in your website or in your newsletter. This can be setup to work before a sale, and after the sale (i.e.: “Thanks for your order” and then continues with the intent of offering additional products or services). Additionally newsletters are a very powerful tool to build relationships with your subscriber list. Each subscriber to your publication is a potential customer. If they continue to read your newsletter, a relationship is created. Over time they will trust you and your offerings and become customers.
How’s your Customer Service? This area is crucial to your CRM. No matter how good a deal they got from you, if your customer service skills are lacking, kiss that customer and any future purchases goodbye. Gaining trust is hard. Losing trust is easy. Treat all your customers as VIP (within reason) and they will remain trusting (and paying) customers for life! Speaking of trust, go through your landing page as if you were a potential client. Your content can help you build rapport with your visitors. When you create professional looking and sounding content, your credibility starts to increase, which leads to trust and ultimately, a sale.
Lastly, consider this bit of advice giving to me years ago: the IM space is not about money, it’s about people. Get the people and they will bring the money. So build solid relationships and reap the financial rewards.
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