99 Bloggers community blog

If you began your career before there were blogs and Web sites, chances are you didn’t think you’d be called on to write much (unless you were a writer by trade). But now that the Internet is probably part and parcel of your daily life, you might find yourself writing more than ever before. If this has left you at a bit of a loss, you’re not alone. That’s why I put together these diverse resources that can help you hone your writing skills:

Web terminology guide
Because Web terms are relatively new, some are in transition from one form to another. This guide lists common Web terms and defines which of their sometimes many variables are correct.

Keyword analysis 101
Wouldn’t it be great if you could just write your gems, put them on your Web site or blog and have search engine traffic come swarming? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way — unless you make the effort to research your keywords and include them in your text and online marketing efforts. This beginner’s guide to keyword analysis will help you do just that.

Why you sometimes have to write blog posts with no regard for Google
The author of this post makes the important point that sometimes, creating relationships with your readers is just as important as reaching out to search engine traffic. This post is pointed at the real estate trade, but it applies to anyone who is trying to convert readers into customers for their core businesses.

Grammar myth-busters
Many of us grew up with grammar rules that aren’t true, yet for some reason everyone believes them. So if you worry about ending a sentence with a preposition or beginning a sentence with and or but, check out these posts.

Offline resources
If you want to learn more about writing but don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it, I recommend these resources:

The Elements of Style
This book contains all the important rules of grammar and editorial style in one small volume. If you’re looking for a quick course in the rules of writing, The Elements of Style would be a good choice. Even seasoned writers re-read it every so often because it covers many important points.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
If you’d like some inspiration along with your writing instruction, this book is for you. It was written by horror-genre titan Stephen King, but don’t let that fool you. It’s a powerful book that not only shares priceless writing tips; it will leave you with the feeling that you can be a great writer too.

If you really want to dig down and learn about the minutiae of writing, this is the perfect resource:

The Chicago Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) contains nearly every rule about grammar, usage, punctuation and anything else related to writing. The CMOS is available in print and also through paid subscription to their online version. But if you don’t want to spend the money, you can search their free online FAQs section. The answers to reader-submitted questions by CMOS editors provide quite an education all by themselves and are often very funny.

As with anything of substance, the resources above can’t be digested in one sitting. You might want to bookmark this page and access it the next time a writing issue comes up or if you need some inspiration. In the meantime, happy writing!

Carla Chadwick is the owner of B2B Content Solutions and the author of the WordPlay blog, which provides editorial tips and tools to help you write better Web copy.

(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

 Loading ...

read comments (0)

If you’re reading this, you probably already know that affiliate programs are an effective and powerful way to earn money online. Like all business ventures, however, there are pitfalls. Fortunately, with some common sense and patience, those hurdles don’t have to get in your way.

Here are the three most common mistakes people make when working with affiliate marketing:

Mistake number 1:
Joining too many affiliate programs

Since affiliate programs are easy to join, you might be tempted to join multiple affiliate programs to maximize your earnings. True, this approach does have the potential to give you multiple income sources. But joining too many programs and attempting to promote them all at the same time could also prevent you from concentrating on each one. The result? The maximum potential of each affiliate program won’t be realized and the income probably won’t measure up to your expectations.

If you’re new to affiliate marketing, a safe and sane approach would be to join just one or two programs that pay at least 30 percent in commissions. Then promote your products enthusiastically. When you begin to make a reasonable profit, you can implement another affiliate program.

Mistake number 2:
Not buying the product or using the service

As an affiliate, your main purpose is to effectively and convincingly promote a product or service and to find customers. It’s difficult to do this if you’re not familiar with what you’re promoting. Try the product or service personally before you sign up as an affiliate. This will allow you to see if it’s really delivering what it promises. If it does, you can then convey your confidence in the product or service to your potential customers.

Mistake number 3:
Choosing the wrong affiliate

Many people want to earn from affiliate programs as fast as possible. In their rush to be part of a program, they tend to choose a “bandwagon” product without actually considering if the product appeals to them. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon, choose a product that truly interests you. Then do some research to see if it’s in demand. Promoting a product you’re passionate about is easier than promoting one for the sake of the earnings only.

Here are some additional suggestions for choosing the best affiliate programs:

• * Look for a program that is of high quality and is associated with experts in that particular industry.

• * Choose programs that cater to a growing target market. This will ensure there will be continuous demands for your referrals. Make inquiries by using forums, discussion groups and by talking to current affiliates.

• * If you can, find a program with a compensation plan that pays out residual income in addition to giving commissions of 30 percent or more. Don’t waste your time with programs that don’t reward substantially for your efforts.

• * Be aware of minimum quotas you have to fulfill or sales targets that are too hard to achieve. Some affiliate programs impose prerequisites before you can receive commissions. Be sure you’re going to be capable of meeting their requirements.

• * Select an affiliate program that has plenty of tools and resources to help you grow the business in the shortest possible time. Not all affiliate programs have these, so it’s important to ask what resources they offer.

• * See if the program has a proven system that can allow you to check your networks and compensation. Also check if they have this information available online for you to check anytime and from anywhere.

• * Check if the program offers strong incentives for members to renew their memberships. Affiliate programs that provide continuous help and upgrades for products tend to retain their members. These incentives can help ensure the growth of your network.

• * Be aware of what other members aren’t happy about with the program. As mentioned above, you can do your checking at discussion forums.

So there you have it. By paying attention to these common-sense guidelines when choosing affiliate programs, you can go a long way toward maximizing your income and minimizing your frustration.

By WordPlay

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

read comments (2)

Did you know that according to a study by Sharpe Partners, 89 percent of adult Internet users in the U.S. share content with others by email? That makes forwarding content a natural form of viral marketing, which is excellent news for those who want to use “word-of-mouse” email techniques to sell their products.

The study found that the content most often forwarded is that which contains humor. Here’s a list of all the topics they found have a tendency to go “viral,” in order of popularity:

• * Humor
• * News
• * Health articles and medical information
• * Religious and spiritual material
• * Games
• * Business and personal finance information
• * Sports/hobbies

It’s easy to see that humor is an important component for a viral email campaign. As a shining example of this, consider the way Disneyland married the first two types of information, a timely news topic and humor, to great effect: After making the rounds on the Internet, about 35 million people ultimately received an e-mail containing a picture of Donald Duck lying in front of Disneyland’s Cinderella’s castle. The title of the picture was “Bird Flu Has Hit Disneyland.” Disneyland used the edgy strategy of making light of something serious… and it worked.

Cartoons, jokes and funny video clips also can be added to an email to stimulate viral marketing. Depending on how much your friends like to forward emails, all you might have to do is open your email in-box to find jokes. As you probably know, you can find a wide selection of funny video clips on YouTube. And if you want to include a cartoon, this list of artists offers free cartoons. All these sources can provide great material for your next email marketing campaign.

Remember, people just naturally want to pass along something that makes them laugh. They’re a lot more likely to hit the forward button and send your email to their friends and relatives if it contains “advertainment” rather than an advertisement.

(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

 Loading ...

read comments (0)