Advertisers & Bloggers - An Income Opportunities Update

As you may have read in previous posts I'm exploring online income sources via blogging, social media platforms and affiliate marketing (amongst other things ;) Just last month my research lead me to a few interesting prospects one of which was SocialSpark which offers income earning opportunities by way of sponsored blog posts.

Once signed up with SocialSpark I created a profile that includes a small descriptive bio about myself and added four of my published blogs, on various topics. I've since received 3 paying offers and missed out on a fourth due to my lack of speed on acceptance! The site itself offers numerous opportunities for both the advertiser and the blogger. Some opp's involve payment for a written post as per the assignment while others involve a written posts with payment considered on a per sale, per sign up, per click basis and mutual guest posts.

Not all opportunities posted by advertisers are accessible to everyone. Your location, sex, language and blog topic/s are all factors used to determine whether you qualify for an opportunity. The standards for criteria are maintained and implemented to ensure the correct target audience is being 'spoken to' and seems to be a fair process.

The following links take you to the sponsored posts that I've done on behalf of SocialSpark and the following paying advertisers...Enter to Win with the Kraft Dinner Gotta Be Canadian Contest,  To the business community - Plan to change the world, sponsor a child!, Review - SocialSpark. I've also signed on to opportunities within my initial post Earn money online with both Twitter and Blogging and have turned down certain opportunities due to my own criteria ;)

...that's the beauty of being self-employed, you have the option to either take or not take opportunities presented to you with SocialSpark or any other offer that comes your way.

Thanks for the visit please feel free to comment!

Earn income with Commission Junction

If you are an Affiliate Marketer, Publisher or Reseller your research ought to consist of finding branded, reputable companies to 'affiliate' yourself, although many will promote anything if they see dollar signs. There are literally thousands and thousands of different options to choose from depending upon what you your blog, website or email content is regarding.

Commission Junction is a powerhouse in the marketing industry and as a reseller for CJ you will have the opportunity to explore an endless supply of both banner, text and product links. There is an application process to begin your association with Commission Junction. Once accepted, you will have the ability to promote such companies as Yahoo, Sony and Sandals Resorts then apply for each of their reseller programs which can be instantaneous or have a waiting period pending approval. The earnings are commission based and do vary from company to company and with each product or service being sold.

Commission Junction doesn't promote themselves by way of Affiliates and Resellers so there isn't a referral code for me to use ;) This is their website addy http://www.commissionjunction.com/. Visit them directly for complete information where FAQ's and full support are available. There is a learning curve as an online marketer with CJ but that is to be expected in this line of work. Even seasoned marketers still must learn which companies enable a profit.

Good luck on your journey and thanks for the visit!

Do You Squidoo?

Squidoo & You...

Squidoo is an online community of individual users who create single page websites focused around one subject that is of particular interest to them. Squidoo offers an opportunity to create free web pages using a huge variety of tools, widgets and modules. They are provided to assist in creating a site that both informs and intrigues the viewers. Squidoo also acts as an excellent advertising tool, can provide revenue in multiple ways and enables charitable donations.

Squidoo is user generated meaning that by creating a lens you become the Lensmaster thus controlling your own content. You can also create as many lens as you desire so you can break down subject into smaller, more specific content. Squidoo was founded by Seth Godin in 2005 and has grown immensely over the past 5 years now containing over 1 million lens. With lens there is no need to know HTML and you can incorporate multi-media, affiliate and referral links along with generate income via earning modules like Amazon, Ebay, Cafe Press and Zazzle.

Squidoo lens act as a 'hub' between the viewer and your own website with registered domain, your blog/s or both. When a topic is searched for by a viewer and your lens surfaces the content you provide either will or won't draw them in. If they enjoy or found value in your lens they may be further intrigued by your other material on the web! 

This is the link to one of my most recent lenses entitled The Lens Factor you can see this reflected in the following web address as well  http://www.squidoo.com/thelensfactor. It is a version of this blog post
that contains similar yet different information, please pop in for a visit if you have time.


How many Squidoo lenses do I need?

Factor in your possibilities & earn while you learn!

My version of success in it's simplest form is happiness however I've learnt that a smile doesn't pay the bills. I came across Squidoo in 2007 and created two lenses back, one to promote my current at home business and the other to portray my love of Halloween. They were easy to create. Simply fill in the blanks, click wait and repeat. Much like washing your hair only you want everyone to see!

 
If you build it they will come!...right? ...wrong!

Building a lens isn't rocket science but building a quality lens requires a contribution of time on behalf of the Lensmaster. Simply creating a random title, slapping up hundreds of affiliate links then walking away may attain a lens but will it be a lens worth retaining? Viewers want quality not quantity, sometimes less is more so keep that in mind.

 
Determine your reasons to Squidoo... 
 
Once you know why Squidoo is of interest to you, it will be easier to plan your route. More lenses equal more exposure which leads to more money from a marketers perspective.

- Do you have another website to promote?
- Are you raising money for a local cause, club, school or organization?
- Is this the beginning step for creating your web presence?
- Are you afraid of HTML and want the bells without those scary whistles?
- Did you became an affiliate and want to post links?
- Do you intend to use Squidoo as an income generator?
- Are you sharing hobbies, recipes or factual knowledge?
If you are here to drive traffic to your website then focus on topics with similar content and interest level. Providing relevant information to your viewers on your Squidoo lens will leave them wanting more. You need to give them a reason to want to go to your other sites. If they don't like your content here they may never want to go there, so keep it interesting. Be sure to post a link or an RSS Feed from your website onto your lens!!You are considered a Giant Squid when you have at least 50 lenses. What I'd like to know is what eats a Giant Squid because that's what I wanna be!!

 
How many lenses do you need to succeed?
 
Okay, so success is subjective. I'd say earning at least $3000 with hope for unlimited residual income for life is a goal I've set for myself. Squidoo is a rung on my ladder to success with online branding and earning income. All rungs become important components such as my blogs, other lenses, my website, posted backlinks etc. They all feed off each other to form a strong base and drive traffic to my affiliate links. All of my eggs are not put into one basket nor will my version of success occur overnight. Dedication and hard work play a huge factor when striving for success with Squidoo, it's not a get rich quick anything.


From what I've found it seems you can have dozens of lenses yet only a few may be profitable, the others are pretty much just there. Lewis Smile states he earned $7500 with one niche Squidoo lens over a two year period. He has over 500 lenses but he also states that many of them are 'duds'. This translates to approximately $2500 per year or $200 per month. I've seen articles from Lensmasters that state having around 100 lenses and earning approximately $800 per month in total while another claims to have 69 blogs and earns $50 a month in total. One shared earning $50 per day with hundreds of blogs. You are considered a Giant Squid when you have at least 50 lenses. What I'd like to know is what eats a Giant Squid because that's what I wanna be!!

Two key phrases come to mind while trying to factor through the infinite riddle.

- The More the Merrier meaning the more unique, quality lenses you have will increase your chances of success.

- Trial and Error meaning what you think is an ideal lens could very well prove useless. Learn from it and move on to the next lens while continuing to improve all your lenses as you learn.

I'd suggest you start with just one lens so you can learn the in's and out's of the WSYWIG platform without feeling overwhelmed. You can then continue to repeat this same process over and over as you create each new lens. Taking your time at the start means you won't have to go back and make changes later, although easy enough to do.


Other tidbits...

If you would like to take part in Squidoo and you haven't already joined, you can Join Here!

Remember to just have fun with your lens and let them come naturally. Squidoo is loved by Google but it's not a do or die scenario it's just another way to generate traffic and earn income online. When preparing each lens, attack each one on a lens per lens basis. The old bait and switch technique to attract viewers isn't a favorable habit to get into although is widely done. If you have an abundance of ideas Squidoo does enable an unlimited number of published lenses, so create a new lens as each new topic surfaces.

  

Squidoo is about finding a hot niche that you enjoy sharing. If you need help in narrowing down the perfect niche market for you to target on your lens, refer to this keyword generated software. Click Here!


I'd love to be the one who introduces you to Squidoo... Check it out here & start your own lens!