Hello once again, I want to talk about websites and banners this go round. I have moved everything from Blogger (I am still posting there until May) over to Yola. You will need to leave Blogger and and go to http://ericsworkathomereviews.yolasite.com/ for this blog to make sense. If you are already at the Yola based site, Good for You. I actually picked Yola at random, based on information from their webpage.
As you can see nice clean opening page, feature and pricing hot buttons right at the top of the page. I signed up and got going. I have written before about template websites and what people do with them. No need to go there again. The templates are nice, quite a few free templates in many different styles.
The site builder is very easy to use. It takes a minute to get started, but once you do it’s all downhill. As with all free sites your domain name is tacked on to Yola’s domain name. They will drop their name when you upgrade. The cost through Yola for the domain names is very competitive. Dot Coms are $34.95/yr. ($2.91/month) and a Dot Biz is $19.95/yr. ($1.66/month).
For now, I will keep using the free version. Upgrades allow you to open tools and so on that are not available in the free version. The main reason I don’t purchase a domain name is; I am not sure what I want for a URL. Once I have that figured out I will purchase a Dot Com (or Biz).
“Banners, Banners, Banners!!!!! Man I hate banners”. Is what I used to say. Now I understand their function, I am all for them. But, I still believe you have to use them with discretion. And with that being said I will walk you through the blatantly obvious and shameful placement of the banners on this site.
All the banners are my affiliate or referral links. The welcome page has affiliate banners. At the top of the page is a banner for Procard. Procard is a work at home opportunity to market health care discount cards and a couple of other neat marketing programs. You can also “sponsor” downline who want to start up in the business. Sounds like Amway. And since Amway is the benchmark for MLM, I suppose that is expected. Even at the free level there are a lot of usable marketing tools available.
With health care and Obama care up in the air, health care discount clubs may show some growth. I also see employers offering less and less to their employees at no fault of their own. If you have to prove some sort of coverage, a discount club card may suite that need. And people have to buy them from somewhere. It might as well be from me and my downline. I try to spend a little time each day marketing this program.
Next ,we have SmokeStick. Smokestick is the new generation of electronic cigarette. People are going to continue to smoke no matter how many people die. If this is marketed correctly and is affordable it could make an impact. I am sure once the tobacco companies endorse the product it will be the norm. Smokesticks are also the only one assembled in the USA. Affiliation is with the manufacturer, the commission from each sale is 20%. I am using Craiglist and will be doing some email marketing with this program along with the banner. More about email marketing later.
Go Daddy is next. Webhosting, Danika Patrick, blah, blah, blah. I wanted to have a banner link to some sort of webhosting service, so people could check them out right from my webpage. Why not use the biggest. Up to $105 commission per new hosting plan sale and 20% commission on other products.
AVG Technologies. I was first introduced to AVG and Mozilla/Firefox a couple of years ago by our IT guy at work. For me it is the best free Anti-virus available. The browser works well too. I urge anyone without anti-virus to visit the site. Of course, they offer more than just the free version. 25% commission on all paid subscriptions and renewals too many of the business and home security AVG solutions.
Travel Guard. I thought this was cool. It is insurance for planned personal and business vacations. It covers a wide range of unforeseen circumstances and can cost as little as $30 a policy. Once again, with the economy in a constant state of flux, vacation plans can change in a heartbeat. If you have a bunch of cash on the line, you might want to hedge your bet. Payout is $16 for each sale originating from their website with your ID code.
Vision Premier Prepaid Visa. I am a firm believer in prepaid cards for use on the web. They are also nice if you do not want to have a relationship with a bank. Everybody takes them nowadays and you can have money direct deposited at no charge. Another tool I wanted to offer newbies. Every successful application, payouts $6.00 - $7.25 depending on volume. This one pays based on leads not sales.
Yahoo Small Business. There is just a ton of free information at Yahoo Small Business. I added this as a tool as well. This is a great resource for those with little internet marketing experience. Commissions run from $5.00 for Yahoo mail Plus subscription to $90.00 for a merchant solutions program.
The last one is for Candy Gift Boutique Affiliate Program. This was actually the one of the first affiliate opportunities I got involved with. They sell gift baskets. I thought why not, I buy gift baskets online and so do other people I know, might as well buy them through my website. I have tried a couple of different marketing techniques. I have received 69 hits in 3 or 4 weeks, zero sales. I think the pricing might be too steep. I’ll let the relationship run its’ course, who know the Easter, Mothers and Father’s Days are coming.
That covers the Welcome page. Like I said they are all affiliate banner links. They are designed to make me money 24/7 without me having to point and click. And my choices are strictly based from my instincts. Most affiliate relationships are renewed every 45 days. I will let these run and I will use the marketing skills and tools I have to make them productive. Next Blog, referral banner links.
Peace
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