Trouble Explaining What You Do For a Living? Well, It Is a Good Sign!

A couple of months ago I was chatting with one reader of this blog. He told me that he wanted to build websites and blogs for a living, to which I replied “Go for it. Working online is great.” Then he told me that he had one big problem: his parents and friends couldn’t possibly understand how someone could make a living from working on the Internet, so he felt a lack of support.

Obviously my initial reaction was to tell him to not care about what others were saying and rather to pursue what he thought was right. In other words, the fact that other people couldn’t understand what he wanted to do for a living was irrelevant.

These days I caught myself thinking about this issue again, and I came to the conclusion that the fact that other people can’t understand what you do for a living is not only irrelevant, but it can also be a good sign.

I am not sure where, but sometime ago I read the following sentence: “If you can explain to the average guy sitting in a bar what you do for a living, you are half way through commoditization.”

It made sense in general, and is particularly suitable for people who work on the Internet.

A commodity is a good that does not have differentiation in the market place. Sugar is a good example. Sugar is sugar, after all. When you go to the supermarket, there is a good chance that you’ll pick the cheapest product, or pick one without even caring to compare it. As a result, companies producing sugar compete mostly on price, and profit margins decrease over time.

People can become commodities too. Production line workers are commodities. Companies pay the same (low) salary to all of them. If one particular worker is not happy with the conditions, the company will invite him to leave and replace him with a similar worker the day after. Why is that? Because performing production line work is trivial, and there is plenty of supply for it (i.e., workers).

When you are not a commodity, on the other hand, you can differentiate yourself. This means that you are be able to develop your brand, to charge a premium price for your services or products, and that you are harder to replace.

Bottom line: If you work with blogs, websites, affiliate marketing, search engine optimization and the like, well, you will certainly have a hard time explaining to the average Joe what you do for a living. But hey, that is not a bad thing at all. It is a sign that you are not becoming a commodity.

How to Effectively Promote Affiliate Products On your Blog

Having a blog is a great way to effectively promote affiliate products and be making regular income monthly. This is because a blog gives you the opportunity to show your expertise on your subject, and build loyal readership, who will easily buy the products they need through your affiliate links.

And talking about been an affiliate marketer using your blog, there are different strategies you can use to continually promote different products and making money, which I want to treat here.

But before I go on, let me point out a very important fact about making success of affiliate marking business, which many marketers I’ve seen don’t heed to, and so never make any affiliate commission through their blogs.

You must choose affiliate products that are relevant to your blog’s subject to promote. And your blog should be focused on a particular subject, and not on general topics for search engines to easily find it, as well as for your visitors to quickly see you as an expert in an area.

In fact, this is the biggest advantage of blogging. As you build up your blog, you are increasing the perception your visitors and readers are having about your expertise, and because people are more relaxed relating with experts, it becomes easy for them to follow your recommendation on a product, and use your affiliate link to buy it.

Having established that very important fact about achieving success in making money with your blog promoting affiliate products, I will now move on to discuss the how to effectively promote your affiliate products on your blog.

There are different strategies or ways by which you can expose your affiliate products to visitors to your blog and get them placing order. These include:

Displaying the Product’s Banner

You can obtain a banner ad from the owners of the product you desire to promote to use in promoting it. Most product owners usually have professionally designed, attractive banners of different formats, designs, and sizes you can place on your site when you sign up with them.

All you need to do to get a banner to show on your blog is to copy the banner’s code, which will contain your affiliate ID and paste it where you want it to appear on your blog.

When visitors to your blog click on it, they are taken to the landing page of the product, and if they bought the product, you make some money as commission.

Displaying the Product’s Text Link

A text link is a promotional material like banners, containing your affiliate ID and through which your visitors will be taken to the landing page of the product when they click on it. The major difference between text links and banner links is that ad messages in text links are in form of texts or wordings; while in banner links the ad message is in form of graphics.

Comparing the effectiveness of the two, text links are generally believed to be better in compelling someone to click on the ad. Although I haven’t personally done an extensive test on this, however, from close observation I have received more clicks on my text links than banners, and I think this belief is right.

The reason why people would click on text links more than banners is that people usually associate banners to advertising, so when they see banners, their minds immediately turn up a picture of somebody trying to sell something to them, and since they don’t usually love to part with their money, they may resist the temptation of clicking the ad.

But in the case of text ads, since the message is in wordings, they appear as information, rather than adverts. And because people usually love to have information, they will likely click on it.

However, this does not mean you should only use text ads on your blog or site, no; you can use the two skillfully at different locations without appearing desperate to get the visitor’s clicks. Also, you can test which one works better for your blog and probably stick to it.

Before I go to the next strategy, again let me point out another thing that could strongly affect the success of your affiliate marketing on your blog.

Don’t crowd your blog with adverts. A lot of newbies usually fall into this error, I was too when I was starting out hunting for genuine money on the Internet. The wrong thinking is that if visitors are hit everywhere they turn to on the blog then they will surely click on one.

Like I said before, this is a thinking that has been proved to be wrong. People primarily visit blogs for the articles to get information. When they find good information on your blog, they will stay longer, and relaxed. They would therefore be in a good mood to buy something.

By rushing them with adverts as they log into your blog, instead of contents, only unsettles their minds, making them want to get out fast.

If you have several products you are promoting, instead of displaying all their banners and text ads on your blog, you can put many of them in a page you can title “Recommended Resources”, with a link from the side bar. Your visitors will see this link and some will click on it to see the product there. They will have already known that the products are for sale, and so would be more likely to buy them, without feeling someone was goading them to buy.

Using Links in Articles and Comment Posts

This is probably the most effective way of promoting affiliate products on your blog. It involves writing a very good article with lots of information the reader can use and then citing the product you are promoting as a solution to a highlighted problem, which the reader may consider using. You will put the link to the product at the appropriate place in the article.

But mind you, the article must highlight a problem or need, and the product you are promoting must be a possible solution to the problem. In this way, the reader will be grateful for the information and for showing him or her a way out, and they will more than likely click on the link, and the chance of making order for the product is also high

Does Google page rank count any more?

Being a full-time SEM (Search Engine Marketer) I have been conditioned like Pavlov's dog (not a pretty picture) to jump every time Google twitches. Lately Google has been doing a lot of twitching.

Specifically, the rather startling news from Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Susan Moskwa that Google has ditched PageRank from Webmaster Tools.

"We've been telling people for a long time that they shouldn't focus on PageRank so much; many site owners seem to think it's the most important metric for them to track, which is simply not true," states Moskwa. "We removed it because we felt it was silly to tell people not to think about it, but then to show them the data, implying that they should look at it." (Source: WebProNews)




Now, for SEO reasons or for ranking in Google's index, PageRank has long been eunuchified by Google. However, even missing a few dangling bits, history has shown us, eunuchs still wheel tremendous power. PageRank is no different.

Regardless of what Google wants to happen, PageRank is still extremely important to anyone marketing on the web, especially if you're selling SEO services or operating a web business. Try selling SEO services when that little green bar on your site is pointing to PR0 or worst yet, pointing to a solid gray bar.

Obtaining a high PR7 or PR8 simply means more business and revenues... regardless of how Google is or is not using PageRank. People know how to count and they learned long ago, a ten is a lot more than a big fat zero.

Placed against a PR1 site, a PR8 will win more respect in the eyes of potential clients and can produce enormous profíts for the site owner and we won't even mention the still widely practiced habit of selling links, which Google is desperately trying to stop. Total and full elimination of PageRank would be an honest start, but it will still be an uphill, if not an unwinnable battle, for Google to fully eliminate link selling.

Even with my modest sites, I have turned down a small fortune by not selling text links on any of my sites. When I had a PR6 site instead of a PR4 - those link requests were nearly doubled. So one can easily understand Google's position and the need to downplay PageRank, if they want to put even a small dent in all this link selling and buying, which is still running rampant on today's web.

PageRank is Google's creation, and unless they drop it fully from their system and the Google toolbar, then PageRank still Counts. Actually, in the whole scheme of marketing your website on the net, PageRank counts big time. And in more ways than one.




There are several reasons why you shouldn't count PageRank out.

For years Google has been downplaying the importance of PageRank and states it's only one of about 200 ranking factors which determine how Google ranks its index for keywords. Obtaining top organic rankings for popular lucrative keywords in Google simply means money in the bank. Actually, even a movement of only one or two places on those first page SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) can make a major difference to any online marketer's bottom line.

Now while you can have a lower PR number and still rank above other higher PR pages for your chosen keywords, I have even had many times when my PR drops but my actual SERPs rankings in Google goes up, mainly due to building related relevant backlinks. So PageRank counts little towards your keyword rankings, but it can't be totally dismissed.



Mainly because, even if PR is just one ranking factor, in close competitive keyword battles (I am presently fighting tooth and nail for some very choice keywords) just one ranking factor such as high PR can make the difference of whether or not you get to the top spot. Big dogs are still jumping and for those of us who know how to count, getting a number one spot in Google makes all the difference in the world.

Not only because Google controls roughly 80% of all search engine traffic, but more importantly Google has established unmatched credibility and brand recognition in the eyes of potential customers visiting your site. Web users trust Google. Web users look to Google for guidance and direction. Web users believe what Google is telling them. In the online world, rightly or wrongly, perception is everything.

As an online marketer, I am completely amazed each day at the marketing power Google now commands with web surfers and with the general population. Google is king of online search and no other search engine even comes close to Google.

PageRank is Google's ranking system, and in the eyes of those who notice these things, it still wields tremendous influence and power. By default, PageRank is Google's opinion of your site, and web users can count (at least to 10) and if Google believes people are still not counting when it comes to PageRank, then they are fully mistaken.

10 Reasons Social Media isn't Replacing Email

The Wall Street Journal just ran a piece about the evolution of communication technology, chronicling the rise and alleged fall of email to social media. "Email no longer rules," the title reads.

Do you agree that email no longer rules? Tell us why or why not.

"We all still use email, of course," says Jessica E. Vascellaro, the author of the piece. "But email was better suited to the way we used to use the Internet—logging off and on, checking our messages in bursts. Now, we are always connected, whether we are sitting at a desk or on a mobile phone. The always-on connection, in turn, has created a host of new ways to communicate that are much faster than email, and more fun."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't all social networks also require logging on to use? Sure, you can set them up to remember your info so you don't have to log-in every time, but the same could be said for most email services. That's beside the point though.

It's fun to look at how communication has evolved, and it's easy to declare the old medium dead (although to be fair, Vascellaro didn't exactly go that far). It's just not the case.

WebProNews recently ran an article about how social media will not replace search, despite plenty of mutterings to the contrary. I will go ahead and declare the same thing about email. Social media will not replace email. Just as it did with search, it may replace it in some (even many) instances, but there is room for both forms of communication. In fact, they do a pretty good job of complimenting each other (for better or for worse).

Facebook Wants Your Email Address Too

Reasons Email Isn't Going Away Anytime Soon

1. People still send hand-written letters via snail mail, even though they could instead make a phone call, send an email, text message, or status update.

2. Nearly all sites on the web that require registration require an email address. Some are starting to integrate social media into this process (through things like Facebook Connect), but that is still a very small fraction, and they typically still allow for email information as well.

3. Email notifies you of updates from all social networks you are a part of (provided your settings are set up that way).

4. We haven't seen any evidence yet that Google Wave really is the next big thing and will catch on on a large scale.

Email Button on Keypad 5. Email is universal, and social networks are not. Nearly everybody on the web (while there are no doubt some exceptions) has an email address. Many places of employment give employees email addresses when they begin working there. Meanwhile, a great deal of them are banning workers from even accessing social networks.

6. There are plenty of people who have no interest in joining social networks. Frequent news stories about security, privacy, and reputation issues do not help convince them.

7. Email is still improving. It hasn't screeched to a halt with the rise of social media. There is still innovation going on, and integration with social media. Look at how Google is constantly adding new features to Gmail. Look at the new Yahoo Mail.

8. Even social networks themselves recognize the importance of email. Never mind that they update users about community-driven happenings via email. MySpace (still one of the biggest social networks) even launched its own email service recently.

9. More social media use means more email use. Look at these recent findings from Nielsen. The people consuming the largest amount of social media are also the people consuming the largest amount of email.

10. As far as marketing is concerned, email is doing pretty well, as many companies continue to struggle to find the right social media strategy to suit their needs.

Do you think social networks will replace email? Share your thoughts here.

How to Take Your Social Media Business Offline

In order to succeed in the ‘Buzz Industry’ – now by that I mean, the social media business – it is necessary that you find smart and easy ways to market that buzz offline, otherwise how can you grab audiences that don’t know what the heck is ‘Social Media’ or ‘Web 2.0′?

Since you can not start a social media school or take them tutorials on social media, here are some tips that will definitely help you become successful with an offline market.

Use Words of Mouth

You know how gossip spreads like wild fire? That’s exactly how gossip about your social media business can spread like a virus. Tell your friends, family members, neighbors, classmates, workmates and anyone you find about your business and the products and services that you offer. Trust me, they will tell other people, who will also tell others…tell others…tell others… That way, you are likely to have infected as many people as possible with your business.

Use Communities
Here, I mean communities such as your school, church, clubs, associations, etc The idea is to reach out to the members of these communities that may need your services. Quick phone calls, brief presentations, or even lunch with these people could simply do the magic.

Use Traditional Media
Your local newspaper can just be what your business needs to get widely known offline. You may contact a friend who works with any of your local print media and get him/her to write about your business. You can also get yourself an interview with the newspaper. Thus, more and more people offline will get to know your brand when they read these papers.

Use Advertising Tools
By this I mean, engage in some advertising and promotional efforts to promote your business. You can use tee-shirts, face caps, etc to market your brand. That way, you can get people offline to engage with your products and services online.

Are there any other offline marketing strategies you have used for your business? How have they worked for you?

How to Turn Online Forums into Social Media Communities

Online forums are becoming more and more popular in Nigeria especially with the success of Nairaland. Nairaland.com has been around since 2003 and has grown to become the hottest web destination for topical and societal issues that concern everyone.

With almost 400,000 members, Nairaland is competing with Facebook’s Nigerian user base which is currently about 500, 000.

But some of these online forums have not been able to manage their communities with an Online Reputation Management (ORM) system; or have not built their community around social media tools and Web 2.0 technologies. In fact, I rarely use them, except perhaps for NigeriaVillageSquare.com

Personally, I find most of these online forums, especially the ones built under the vBulletin and SMF softwares that don’t have social media functions, sub-standard compared to what online forums around the world have become as a result of the social media revolution.

Generally, an online forum that wants to adopt web 2.0 tools and technologies should critically access and determine the web needs of its target audience. For example, if the target audience are people who just come around to find the latest gist, but hardly spend time on the site, then you may not need to bother about Web 2.0.

On the other hand, if your audience are web-savvy (i.e. they understand what it means to interact, discuss and network within an online forum), then you should critically consider investing some time and money in Web 2.0 tools and technologies for your site.

Below are 7 tips on how to turn your online forum into a social media community.

Adopt a Social Networking Approach
Social Networking is simply the major buzzword. Every Web 2.0 site on the web space seems to be adopting a social networking angle to their business. When your forum members can interact and network with other members and building networks through such relationships.

Allow Users Create Blogs
Blogs are more likely to get people’s attention, since they display information in a more organized way. Thus, for an online forum, users can write blogs on any topic and could be used to publish jobs, announcements, news, events, etc.

Use Social Media Applications
Social media sites such as Digg, Sturvs, Delicious, Muti, Technorati, Facebook, Twitter, etc are very useful Web 2.0 tools that could be integrated into online forums. Thus, content could move around the web space faster and easier when these tools are used effectively.

Create a Facebook/Twitter Page
Facebook is a great tool to build your online forum’s reputation and attract more fans and visits. A Twitter account will also do the magic.

RSS Feeds
Feeds have become a very popular Web 2.0 application that syndicates information into a reader for easy access. It is gradually replacing the email newsletters and can be accessed through Google Reader amongst others. Thus, an integration of post feeds and comments feeds will be a good fit.

Mobile Alerts
These days, you can do virtually everything with mobile phones. An online forum that applies mobile 2.0 applications to inform users of the hottest news and announcements will be a hit.

Create a Rating System
To build successful online forums or communities that promote high-value conversations, there should be a post and comment rating system that rewards quality contributions to the community. Users’ comments can be rated to encourage meaningful conversations in the community.

Final thoughts
I personally think that if these tips are applied in Nigerian online forums, there’ll be more meaningful participation, online collaboration and community engagement. Besides, it will encourage companies that want to target the online forum’s audience to advertise their products and brand