tylie eaves, Author at Vertū Marketing

3 Quick Steps to Increase Your Christmas Affiliate Sales

November 17, 2015 by tylie eaves

The do-it-yourself mindset has certainly been revitalized on the Internet, with dozens of blogs and websites offering quick and easy how-to instructions for everything from home projects to teacher gifts. Far from slowing down, DIY articles are still wildly popular and have an already-established target market of readers and followers. With Christmas fast approaching, DIY gift ideas are some of the most popular options.

So how does this translate into affiliate sales? All successful affiliate marketers must create a platform of value on which they can stand. Here’s how to combine the popularity of DIY articles and affiliate links in order to rapidly grow your profit:

1. Provide useful DIY projects and tips for the respective time of year. No one is interested in making their own Halloween decorations in February, and Valentine’s Day crafts are pretty useless it’s in October. Keep your projects targeted to when they will be most useful.

2. Use affiliate products as part of the project. Giving an honest demonstration and review of a product is an excellent way to encourage readers to click on affiliate links, but actually giving readers a need for that product can be even better. Utilize your affiliate products in your projects, document that use with pictures or video, and make sure your readers understand the value that they contributed to the success of the projects.

3. Make the link easy to find. There is no need to be shy about your affiliate links. While blasting them in the banner or first sentence might not be the best idea, go ahead and insert your affiliate link in the list of necessary items to complete the project. Placing it in parenthesis after the item’s name makes it easy for readers to quickly grab the product they need to complete the DIY project.

More and more, people around the country and world are returning to the old tradition of creating hand-crafted gifts for their loved ones. With ingenuity and planning on your part, cashing in on this opportunity with a valuable product of your own can be a cinch.

Increase Your Affiliate Sales with a Schedule

November 14, 2015 by tylie eaves

Writers tend to like the freedom to write what they want, when they want. This model might work out well enough for best-selling authors with a number of prize winning books and articles under their belts, but it can spell disaster for bloggers who work in affiliate sales.

As most bloggers already know, a lot goes on behind the scene of a well-crafted blog post. There is research to be done, photos to be taken and products to be reviewed, and that is just the beginning of the process. Starting any one of these processes on the day you plan to publish a post is one of the easiest ways to wreck your own chances of success. Here are the factors to consider when first crafting a schedule:

The number of blogs you intend to post per month
How many of those blogs will include an affiliate link
How many of those blogs will cover other topics (These should fall in line with the overall theme of your blog.)
The number of email newsletters that will be sent out
The number of social media posts and the networks to which they will be posted

You should have a general idea of how much time it takes to actually sit down and write each one of the blog posts that you intend to write. Carving out time on specific days is a start, but you need to add more to your schedule. Research needs its own dedicated time as does marketing, networking and crafting email newsletters. Product reviews can take a little longer than other posts, and taking extra time is actually preferable in order to provide the most valuable content possible.

Like in any other business, a schedule is a crucial tool for keeping operations on track and on task. Running an affiliate sales business from home might seem like all pajama pants and coffee breaks at first, but without a careful and flexible schedule, it is unlikely that any true success will be found.

A Calculated Risk: How 3 Entrepreneurs Revolutionized the Hospitality Business

November 13, 2015 by tylie eaves

You might be hard pressed to find someone who has not yet heard of Airbnb. Based on a premise that, at first glance, might not seem too appealing, the three founders managed to build a thriving company that went on to be named Inc.’s Company of the Year in 2014.

Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk and Brian Chesky realized there was a gaping hole in the traveling experience — the human experience. The trio had an intuitive understanding of just how wonderful it could be to bring strangers together and provide a sense of belonging for both the host and the visitor, but what they weren’t sure of was how to convince people to open their homes.

A hard and strong marketing campaign in late 2008 bumped their success up a level, but the company was still struggling to truly make it completely off the ground. The men set their sights on New York City — a place wildly popular with tourists but with an incredibly small market of affordable hotel rooms.

The focusing of their marketing efforts in areas like New York City happened to coincide with the explosive popularity of social media use becoming mainstream. Suddenly, sharing intimate thoughts and moments online was just another normal aspect of life, and Airbnb seized that opportunity. After all, sharing a room in a home or apartment was not much different than opening up to the entire world on Facebook.

Currently worth about $10 billion, Airbnb has had its fair share of critics, mainly hotel lobbyists who insist that the risk of danger and unsanitary conditions is far greater to Airbnb users. The founders are not worried, though. Instead, they believe that the lobbyists are simply putting up a fight against what is inevitable — an overhaul of the traveling and accommodations industry that will leave travelers more fulfilled than ever before.

In Business Without a Purpose? How to Remedy This Situation

November 11, 2015 by tylie eaves

A large majority of successful startups were founded with a purpose that acted as an integral aspect of the business plan. This is likely because of how truly powerful a purpose can be, and by basing a business on an owner’s passions and strengths, there is often a lot of drive to succeed and fulfill that purpose.

But, what about the businesses that are lacking a purpose? These businesses might have experienced nominal success at first; however, without a purpose to help support and shape the goals of the business, success can quickly screech to a halt. Some less-experienced business owners might write the business off as a loss and call it a day, but there is still hope. Although not ideal, one can bring purpose into the business even after it has already begun operations.

Before any business begins to reshape around a purpose, the owners should consider a variety of points:

What do our customers truly desire? What do they need?

Focusing on the true needs and wants of the target market (not just the wants and needs of the owner) is one of the first steps to determining a business’s purpose. If the customers’ needs and desires are not being met, chances are they will not stick around for long.

What unique talents do we bring to the table?

A business is only as successful as the people behind it. What are the owner’s talents and perspectives that only he or she can provide? What are the strengths of the top workers?

Some business owners feel as though they need to go much deeper than this, but in truth, most purposes are fundamentally simple and straightforward. Where passion, desire and talent meet, a business’s purpose can be formed.

Give Your Company An Identity

November 10, 2015 by tylie eaves

Identification is important. Without a valid ID, you cannot drive, rent a car, buy an airline ticket, purchase alcohol or do a number of other things. An ID is proof that you are who you say you are, which is essentially the purpose of corporate branding. A solid brand serves as the ID card of every business, the importance of which cannot be understated.

Target is a great example of successfully implemented corporate branding. Across the store, television ads and catalogs, the bullseye emblem and the color red is used heavily. Workers in the store wear red shirts–even the buggies are red. Now, frequent shoppers only have to see the symbol or someone wearing a red shirt to perhaps be reminded of an item they need to buy or prescription that needs to be filled. Although the store sells items from thousands of different companies and manufacturers, heavy branding has given the store a strong sense of identity.

It can be challenging to market and sell various products and services under the umbrella of one company, but corporate branding allows companies to be both diverse and consistent at the same time. It is important that a company choose branding that is effective and recognizable, otherwise widespread brand recognition will not be possible. Smart businesses are thoughtful with their branding strategy. If you are unsure if your company has the identification needed to compete in your market, it’s time to get help.

4 Homework Questions for Starting a Business

November 10, 2015 by tylie eaves

Homework just might be the word with the most negative connotations in the English language. Middle and high schoolers drag their feet at the mere mention of homework sets and assigned readings, while most college students have to spend a myriad of time bent over books and computers during all hours of the day and night. The negative feelings associated with homework might be understandable, but that doesn’t mean entrepreneurs should avoid this important step of the startup process.

When it comes to business, homework is an entirely different ball game. Rather than being assigned a set of problems to bash through, entrepreneurs create their own set of business-related questions and problems that need to be solved. Finding the solution to these problems can help prevent dangerous holes and cracks in the foundation of a business.

Not sure what questions you should be answering? Try these:

1.Do I have what it takes to start and run my own business? Not everyone can tough it out in the business world, but starting the process of examining the legitimacy of a business idea is a good indication that a person has what it takes to succeed.

2.Is this a good, realistic idea? Brilliant ideas and inventions happen more often than most people might think, but the key to success is actually having a target market for a product. Before launching a new business, entrepreneurs need to make sure their product is needed, wanted and useful.

3.Does my business plan cover everything? Before going on the hunt for capital and investors, all startup owners need a business plan. All good business plans should include a summary of the company, its business statement, an overview of products, and financial projections. Additional information that should be covered includes the projected cost to run the business as well as the target market.

4.Are my projected costs as accurate as possible? Setting up a budget is only useful if the expenses portion is actually correct. Although no budget can be 100 percent on target when it comes to expenses, these figures should be more than just an educated guess. Research the exact cost and amount of necessary supplies and services before crafting the budget.

Doing homework after leaving school behind can seem counterintuitive, but there is no mistaking the incredibly valuable place that it has in starting a business.

Increasing Wealth: 3 Tips to Grow Business Wealth

November 9, 2015 by tylie eaves

Going into business for yourself is a fantastic way to establish a fulfilling career, set your own goals and grow the wealth you want. However, virtually every business will reach a point in which growth stagnates. It can be difficult to continue growing wealth at an increasing pace when a business has plateaued, which makes expanding one of the best solutions to keep wealth increasing at a steady pace.

Why expand?

Expansion is naturally the next step when a business has reached its maximum potential. While some entrepreneurs are content to settle at this peak, other more-goal oriented people understand that there are higher peaks hidden behind the clouds.

Business expansions can occur in any number of ways, including:

Licensing your product to be sold elsewhere
Expanding your target market
Developing and diversifying your product line

Some business owners tend to feel a bit hesitant about product licensing, which can be understandable for those who have built their companies from the ground up. While this can be an exceptional opportunity to expand and grow a business and its popularity, others may prefer expanding on the front lines of the business.

One of the most common strategies for business expansion is to increase the type and number of products offered. This can help create renewed interest from current customers as well as help a company expand into new markets that were previously inaccessible.

Hitting a business plateau does not necessarily mean all future growth and wealth accumulation is over. It usually means that entrepreneurs simply need to revive the ingenuity that made them successful in the first place and put it to good use by expanding where necessary.

Small Budgets Can Launch Big Businesses

November 6, 2015 by tylie eaves

Is capital for your startup not looking too pretty? While starting a business with zero funds in the bank is far from realistic, online businesses can take their first steps with as a little as a few hundred dollars in funding.

However, working with such a small amount of money requires dedication and careful attention to the budget. Some serial entrepreneurs find that they can accomplish astounding things with only a small amount of cash, but for others, the challenge can be more daunting. In order to make sure a business is generating revenue from the moment the virtual doors open, remember these helpful hints:

Don’t just slash unnecessary costs, avoid them in the first place. Before the ball starts rolling, you’ll need a budget for your expenses. After crafting the expense budget, go back with a red pen and take out anything that is not truly necessary for your business’s success.

Higher price doesn’t mean higher quality. Domain names can be registered at a fairly low cost and range from about $10 to $20. Monthly web hosting doesn’t cost much more than that either, but hosting companies typically offer several premium packages at a higher price. There is no need for the top-level gold package when you’re just getting your footing in the business world. Stick with the most competitively priced packages and products and you will be contributing to your business’s future success.

As long as it still works, a used printer is still a perfect choice. If you don’t already have all of the necessary office equipment, purchasing a printer, computer or even furniture can quickly add up. Avoid the markup on brand new items and search around for secondhand items that are still in good working condition. When revenue picks up and your budget expands, you can decide if new office equipment is necessary.

Every single day, adventurous entrepreneurs prove that you do not have to be wealthy or well-known to strike out into online business on your own. With a little bit of capital and a conscientious budget, a new business can blossom into a stable and reliable source of income.