How to Make Money Online at Home and Have Fun

How to Make Money Online at Home

How to make money is on every one's minds and fingertips as they type the words into Google. Today, there are 557,000,000 people doing exactly that.

Over the years there have been various money popular making ideas. I remember looking at importing paintings from China and selling these; some were very acceptable paintings of seascapes, landscapes animals and copies of places, and famous paintings, sold with "guaranteed fakes" written across the back! Another popular idea was to turn a photo of your pet into a painting, both available from local artists and artists in other countries.

I also remember surveys on street corners were all the rage, later there were surveys online, which are still popular. Then there was a spate of get rich quick videos where gurus said they were making millions and had a magic formula. I think there are still some circulating.

Meanwhile membership-websites sprung up where people like Andrew Reynolds and others told you they knew how to make money online. I actually bought one of his very early manuals and a whole load of videos. Admittedly I didn't do anything with them or perhaps I would be a multi-millionaire like him now.

Last night I watched a webinar talking about the latest membership sites and how with this latest tool they could be set up in minutes. Interesting but I think it will take a lot to beat affiliate marketing with a really good mentor to set you on the road to success.

The beauty of affiliate marketing and the system it uses is the fact it has a tried and tested formula, a proven plan not trial and error. Initially you don't even need your own website; you direct traffic to your mentor's sales pages. You have your own affiliate link to track your customers, which is how you get paid.

Some mentors even do much of the marketing when you have introduced customers into their system, often the customers make repeat sales as they become interested in the niche and want to learn more. There could also be training offered in various marketing techniques. Of course it is the mentor's interest to help you as it is their products you are interesting your customers in.

It is a win-win situation in which you help each other as you learn the techniques and get paid. This is a simple entry into online marketing as long as your mentor has quality products and a proven and successful marketing plan; you also gain the added support of other members of the group and the advice of the mentor, so that starting online isn't so scary!

I enjoy learning the new marketing techniques, different methods become popular and more successful, the internet is always changing. I find watching your business grow and develop both fascinating rewarding and fun, and working at home and being my own boss, with time freedom is great, and of course extra cash is also rewarding!

So if all this sounds tempting, do some research into which niche appeals to you, you will find other articles I have written on different aspects of working online, suggested traffic methods etc. Here are also some books that may interest you:

"Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" by Susan Jeffers.

"Ask for the Moon" by Percy Ross

"Thank God it's Monday" by Charles Cameron and Suzanne Elusor, a book to offer strategies for making life more tolerable whilst you make changes.

"Building an Online Cash Cow" by Anthony Barlow.

"Facebook for business" by Bud E Smith

"Email Persuasion" by Ian Brodie

"500 Social Media Tips" by Andrew Macarthy

"Profitable social Media Marketing" by Tim Kitchen and Tachmeem Mirza

"SEO Step by Step" by Caimin Jones

My name is Anne -"We always aim to give more value than you expect"

Best Wishes in your venture, take a look at the information to grow your business FAST.

Building Your Author Brand: Action Steps to Try

Yep, I'm still at it--building my author brand. After 37 years of freelancing I thought I had done this. but I was wrong. Although many people in my community recognize my name, I need to widen my readership, and strengthen my brand. You may have a similar goal.

Writing a book can be easier than building your brand. For one thing, building a brand can take years. The goal is to move beyond name recognition. You want people to associate your name with the type of books you write--mystery, romance, travel, cookbooks--whatever your specialty may be.

Building your brand takes money. When you set aside funds to build your brand you're investing in yourself. Instead of waiting for something to happen, you can make things happen. These steps will help you build your brand. Although the results can be immediate, they usually aren't and, like baking bread, yo have to wait for the marketing yeast to rise.

Here are some steps to hasten the rising.

Freshen your business card. Hiring a graphic designer is worth the money. My designer chose colors that blend with the covers of my latest books. Under my name, on the second line, it says "Health and Wellness Writer." You may list your genre or a slogan that represents your work.

Contact independent book stores. I signed with a hybrid publisher, also an independent publisher and member of the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA). I looked up the addresses of Minnesota MIBA book stores, and wrote them. Even if this doesn't generate a sale, at least the store has me on its radar screen.

Get your name "out there." Are you speaking at an author event or conference? Write a letter to the editor, inviting people to attend the event. The editor of this page forwarded my letter to the articles editor. I hope to see it in the newspaper soon.

Write for free. After I discovered a local magazine, I contacted the owner and offered to write an article for free. She gave me the topic, published the article, and put my photo on the cover. The article received so many comments that the owner asked me to write another. She is going to publish the covers of my latest books with the article.

Post on Twitter. According to my publisher, Twitter is the way to get name recognition these days. I post on Twitter daily and it seems to be working. Dozens of people are following me and I'm following them. There is a numerical component to these followers. Once you get 50 followers something happens, and your name appears on the Internet more often.

Use press kit inserts. After I finished creating a press kit, I posted the inserts on my website. I plan to use the "About the Author" insert as a separate marketing piece. If you don't have an author fact sheet, create one now. You never know when it will come in handy.

Hire an Internet expert. I paid $49 to join a social network marketing service that puts my name on a variety of social media. The subscription lasts a year and has already generated interest in my books. Subscribing to the service saves me time, and I'm using this time to write a new book.