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! 

Review - Amway Global - Is Amway the Right Choice for You?

 
Amway Corporation began in 1959 with a small range of products to sell along with a unique business model that enabled a workforce of independent distributors to move the products for them. This business platform is known today as MLM (Multi Level Marketing) and is still in practice a half century later. Now known as Amway Global, they have over 3 million distributors and their product list has grown immensely. According to Wiki, earnings are reported to be in the 8 billion dollar range per year.

The founders, Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos, had a vision for their company and through hard work and dedication they succeeded far beyond what I'm sure even they envisioned. Amway is now one of the largest private companies within the United States and has become a colossal, worldwide retailer.

About twenty years ago I was introduced to a woman who was an independent distributor for Amway which soon became the dominant topic in each of our conversations. She boasted of her successes and often commented on how she could teach me to attain success as well. Being both broke and a bit of a dreamer, she maintained that even with my lack of business knowledge and capital I could become an entrepreneur. Early retirement seem achievable within a few years, maybe sooner if I worked really hard. The prospect of owning my own business actually seemed feasible!? Each question or concern I had, she negated with good but vague answers and hence I became an Amway rep!

Within two weeks I'd forked over a few hundred dollars which enabled me to join and purchase products. My new upline suggested that sampling various items will make them easier to sell and the learning tools would assist by giving me the necessary knowledge, so I believed them. Although difficult to scrape up the money it seemed like a small investment for the long term benefits that would be gained in the future.

By the end of my fourth month I'd found becoming involved with Amway was a huge mistake. I'd discovered that the products themselves were okay but not so easy to sell which meant my options were being limited to recruiting. Of course this is what you are encouraged to do because you and everyone else earns income based on what those new recruits sell. Once my initial sales pitch was spoken  again and again from all angles people's reactions to my new venture went from slight interest to huge irritant. The meetings I needed to attend felt obligatory to my success according to my sponsor and once in attendance I was bombarded by my overly aggressive upline in a way that actually made me uncomfortable (hence the 'cult' like comparisons of today). At that time there was no internet so my own personal contacts, including family and friends became my target. In the end I sold nothing, pissed off a couple of people, lost about five hundred dollars and had lots of unused product that I never really needed in the first place.


Is Amway a Scam?

Honestly no, they are not a scam and are even accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Not to say they don't have their issues, in 1979 they were actually taken to court but found to be a legitimate, multi level marketing operation not a Pyramid Scheme. Strangely enough, Amway still has to validate themselves and prove their legitimacy to their potential distributors most likely on a daily basis. As well, the Federal Trade Commission has implemented mandatory public acknowledgement of basic earnings and the division of these earnings to be depicted on their product labels.
Unlike illegal schemes, Amway Global does not charge a substantial fee to join, have an required investment, require you to purchase or maintain inventory, pay bonuses unless actual products are sold, pay bonuses for recruiting nor have minimum orders.

In one section of Amway's website they want to ensure you are aware of the facts. They want you to know what it means to be an Independent Business Owner (IBO) for Amway. They summarize it as follows as being the CEO of your own business and therefore you can have opinions and make important decisions. They then discuss upline's, downline's, sponsoring, achievement levels such as Diamond & Crown Ambassador, bonuses, products...

... In my opinion, none of these terms constitute what an actual independent business owner really is or does, the titles are fluff and Amway's goals seem obvious, recruitment then sales! For the most part I wanted to shout the word 'So what?' after reading each point they reference. They also remind us of how everyone measures success differently which in hindsight I find ironic because a) it's true b) because it's also very vague and c) I ought to have thought of this cliche myself before I signed up. The reputation of Amway Global's success speaks for itself but the individual successes of those who are hoping to benefit are not so evident.

Remember to do your homework and if Amway is the right fit for you, go for it and good luck!!