I Think This is a Success Story! :)

Ok, so I mosied over to my Commission Junction account last night and decided to see whether or not this is an affiliate marketing "Success Story..." I think it is!

Now Hear This:
A few months ago, I had found a product that had a bit of search - not tons, but some. Commission is about $60 or so per sale.

I realized that since January 1st of this year, through today, I have made 8 sales (translate: approx $328 in commissions).

Now, granted... this is not a ton of sales. I know that. But, my site and videos aren't getting a lot of traffic either.

Nonetheless, since January 1st, I have had 8,170 Impressions, 150 Clicks, and 8 sales.

If I am not mistaken, this is about a 5% conversion rate, is it not?

Now, for some reason, that sounds like a success to me!

So... next step? More traffic I guess!

Pop on over and learn and practice good affiliate marketing strategies with us! Click Here Now!

So What About That Google Penguin Pounding, Huh?

I happened to be travelling on my way home from Florida when Google's latest updates took place. Frankly, until a few days ago, I didn't really know much about it since I've been preoccupied with getting home, unpacking, and then finishing up some important business.

So, when I noticed all the bru ha ha about Penguin (the name for the latest update), I took a perfunctory look around and noticed that, yup, some of my sites have been totally (and, unfairly, in my view) slapped.

What stunned me was that one of my websites - an ecommerce, drop-ship site that sells a very specific product that I've had for nearly 5 years was usurped by stuff like "Sears" which is, of course a big brand name.

Fortunately, the site is excellent, and will undoubtedly recover - but I have to tell you, it kind of - well, it made me feel quite angry.

I'm not going to sit here and rant and rave about this.

I have a suspicion that the big G already knows that perhaps they're going a bit too far this time, and that instead of putting their advertising dollars into Google Adwords, many online entrepreneurs are likely to go to Yahoo or Bing instead.

Instead, I thought I'd share with you a link that the amazing and ever-so-calm mentors I have over at Bring the Fresh have recommended for reading up on this latest update.

The bottom line? Keep creating excellent content, don't buy or engage in spammy backlinking procedures, and play by the rules.

Sure, some of my own sites - which, in my opinion DO play by the rules - have been hit, but they'll return.

Now, I found a great deal of solace and advice (as I always do) at the forum with not only Kelly and Mike, but some of the other experienced and successful marketers.

One of them recommended this blog post - which is EXCELLENT - and can be found over at Microsite Masters. If you are at all "techie" you might find the graphs and analysis insightful. Personally, I really found their recommendations on going forward most helpful.

They aren't based on rocket science. They're based on common sense.

Also, Kelly and Mike have been experimenting with Submit Your Article lately - an article service I have personally used and recommended for about 3 years now. They are encouraged by the results. If you want to submit articles in a highly professional and measured manner, please take a look for yourself. My link is http://www.TopArticleSubmissionSites.com. Definitely a good way to get natural and thoughtful links back to your websites. 

So, my fellow marketers, remain calm and businesslike - this IS business, after all!

As I write this, Kelly and Mike are running numerous tests on a variety of websites, and making appropriate updates and tweaks to our guidelines that will help ALL of us move forward. Hey, I'm not saying that these guys walk on water - but they ARE genuine leaders, and I, for one have utmost respect for them.

If you'd like to hang out with us in what has got to be one of the most level-headed and professional internet marketing forums I've ever been part of, please join us. We'd love to have you. => Join Bring The Fresh now.

Change is inevitable. Don't let it get you down. Just get down, and get going! See you over at Bring the Fresh! :)

Bring the Fresh is Helping Free Up My Time

As you are probably aware, I have quite a few websites floating around out there in internet land. One of them in particular takes quite a bit of my time because it is what is called a "drop ship" site.

What that means is that the products on the site are shipped to the customer from an external source. That is, the customer purchases from me, and then the order is processed and shipped from (in my case) the manufacturer.

Today I feel compelled to take a deep breath after a particularly TRYING afternoon dealing with a very difficult shipment.

And after I take my deep breath, I am giving thanks. Yes, I'm giving thanks for my drop ship site which is a lovely and lucrative side business.

But I'm ALSO giving thanks that the techniques and strategies that I've been learning from Kelly Felix and Mike Long through Bring the Fresh are helping me build websites that don't take as much one-on-one customer service time as my drop ship site does.

In other words, when I'm working on and promoting my "websites ala Bring the Fresh" I'm spending my time writing and promoting rather than talking with freight companies and customers who aren't even sure whether they are going to purchase my product or not.

Now, I have to tell you that my customers are amazing! I love them! If they like my products, and they purchase them, I get to keep whatever profit I've worked into my prices.

The only issue I have with this business is that sometimes I'll spend a couple of hours talking with people who DON'T buy, or I'll talk with the freight companies about a purchase that was made a week ago. I won't be earning any extra money as a result of my phone conversations with the freight company.

So, that means that the amount of time I spend on the phone on NON-income producing activities can take away from the amount of time I spend improving and promoting my other websites.

There's just so much more income potential in my other websites, and I'm chomping at the bit to work on them more!

A nice thing, however, that I have noticed about my Bring the Fresh training is how much I have been able to incorporate into my drop ship site! I've been able to use numerous techniques on THAT site that I hadn't even thought of before!

Well, no matter which way I look at it, Bring the Fresh is teaching me the types of strategies that - in the long run - will help me free up a lot of my time so that my work is more efficient and effective.

I kind of like that idea! :)

To Bring the Fresh into Your OWN Internet Marketing Business,
Simply CLICK HERE to Get Started!

Yet ANOTHER Reason to Love Bring the Fresh - and a Rant

I'm not the type of person who posts my latest health dramas on Facebook or Twitter or forums.

You know the types of posts: "Sick at home with flu. Feel awful!"

You post it, and hope that all your "friends" will chime in with their virtual "Hope you feel better soon!" or "Prayers are with you!" or "Hang in there!" types of responses.

I don't know, but for some reason that stuff rubs me the wrong way. Do we really need to keep that energy out there circulating around the Universe and dragging as many people into our little vortex of misery?

I mean, think about it. Back in the pre-social media days, if we were down with the flu or some other ailment, about the only people who would necessarily KNOW about it would be your 1) family (who was going to avoid you at all costs until your cooties weren't contagious anymore), 2) boss (if you had to call in sick), 3) school (to let the teachers know you weren't skipping class).

So, it is with this in mind that I hesitate to mention that I've been hanging out primarily on the couch this week with some cruddy thing all week with scarcely enough energy to get up and check my emails.

But - no need for comments on how you hope I feel better soon. Of COURSE you hope I'll feel better soon. Only a sicko would hope I feel WORSE, right? :)

Here's the thing - and my whole point of this post. And it is a beautiful, wonderful thing!

Drum roll...
Because of some of the work I have ALREADY done on my websites (primarily when I am in STELLAR health :) ), I'm getting some steady traffic to some of my websites that I have built ala Bring the Fresh.

So, what that means is this: Even though I haven't done diddly squat for work this week, because I have already gotten a solid foundation under my websites, and have already loaded some great content and promoted the sites, the websites are merrily zooming around out there in search engine land where people from all over the world are seeking the information and solutions that I have offered at these sites.

And sometimes, as folks are searching for their solutions, they come across one or more of my sites. Then they open the virtual doors which never close - even if I'm under a blanket on the couch - and find what they need.

When I pulled myself in front of the computer this morning, I noticed that while I lay in bed trying not to cough, I had made a really nice sale (over $30) on one of my sites, plus a really good sale off another website that I've had for several years (over $130).

Also throughout the week, I've had a few Amazon sales, several dollars in Adsense earnings, and a couple of residual income sales (sales that I made in the past, but are part of something like a monthly subscription where - because I referred the sale, I'm rewarded with a percentage of the monthly rebill).

Of course I need to get off my tuckus as soon as I'm feeling better and get back to work, but in the meantime, I'm ok to head on back to the couch with a cup of healing tea.

And while I'm laying there on the couch, I'll be giving thanks that I've come upon a way of life that allows me to live in a way that offers me the freedom to work non-stop when the muse hits, and then take the time to rest when the need arises. Yes, I guess that affiliate marketing has definitely become a way of life for me, and I love it!

And Kelly Felix and Mike Long - If you should ever happen upon this post: Thank you for what you have helped me learn with Bring the Fresh! :)

To Get Bring The Fresh, Simply Click Here.

And then, get signed into the Forum, and come say hello!

Personal Bring the Fresh Update

Hi everyone! It's the start of a new month, and time to give you my personal Bring the Fresh update!

I'm down in Florida for the winter, and yesterday, we went for a wonderful long walk on the beach, just soaking in the beautiful Florida sunshine, and splashing through the water as we walked. Pure Happiness indeed! :)

When we got back to the house, I decided to check my ClickBank stats, and was super psyched to see a sale! Yee haa!

For some reason, no matter how many sales I get, I am always pleased to see them. It validates everything I'm doing, everything I believe in, everything I write about.

Anyway, I decided to check the entire month's earnings, and was totally inspired. In February, I earned about $150 in commissions from Clickbank alone! I honestly hadn't noticed the total until just then!

Folks, I know that you probably don't think $150 is all that much to get excited about, but consider this: I've been working on my Bring the Fresh websites for only a few months, adding really high quality content, and working on promoting the sites the way we are taught in the program. Only for a few months now, mind you... That $150 is my best month to date, and I just know that because I'm getting more traffic and doing the work, that this figure will grow.

That was only Clickbank. My Commission Junction account earned $123 in commissions in February.

Amazon wasn't terrific, but I still earned a couple of bucks, and the stats show that my traffic is increasing.

The point is that the work is beginning to pay off.

$16 earned while I took a nice walk on the beach!

In my other posts, I keep mentioning "Don't Ever Quit..." and stuff like that. I really mean that when I say it.

You CAN make money on the internet from home. You CAN do this.

Oh, by the way - someone joined Bring the Fresh recently through my link. I don't know who you are, since all sales are confidential; however, if you happen to read this, please log into the Forum at Bring the Fresh and say hi. I am Kath on the forum and I check in almost every day.

And, again - I don't know who you are, or how far you have gotten in the action plan, but please interact with the folks on the forum. You will learn so much from them, and it truly is the most amazing, most helpful community of marketers I have ever met.

I mean that with all my heart. I have bought into and belonged to a LOT of programs, and can tell you - with no hesitation whatsoever - that this is truly the finest community for internet marketing that I've ever belonged to.

So, to wrap up this little progress update, February earned me about $273 (maybe a couple dollars more in other accounts). No, I can't pay the mortgage with that, but I can tell you that it's a heck of a lot more than I earned in January or the previous months!

In a nutshell, it's working because I am working according to a plan that Kelly Felix and Mike Long put out there for me.

Oh, by the way, my buddy Martin is also seeing more sales too!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you have a hankering to join up with a GOOD program, and you want to learn from people who are helpful and interactive, then let me be the first to welcome you aboard Bring the Fresh!

To Check Out "Bring the Fresh" with Kelly Felix and Mike Long, Simply CLICK HERE.

PS: I just updated my "Internet Marketing Education" lens here at Squidoo, where you can see my comparisons of a few different internet and affiliate marketing programs. You will also see mention of Bring the Fresh. 

PPS: I also talk about this at Self Development and Growth.

If You Copy and Paste Someone Else's Writing - You are NOT a Success...

See this picture? It's someone STEALING Content!

Gotta get this one off my chest.
I have noticed on more than one occasion that a few folks who are obviously attempting to earn money via internet marketing methods have used content I have written from ezine articles and some of my websites without giving credit or a link back to the source.

Of course, this is totally unethical.
And, even at EzineArticles.com, which is probably the best known online articles directory, they make it clear how a publisher should use someone else's article.

Evidently, some people just don't care.

Well, I care. I don't copy other people's work, and I feel hurt - no, betrayed - when I see it done to me.

It really bugs me actually.

If a person is going to REALLY work from home, is REALLY going to make a go of it online whether it be creating niche sites like Mike Long and Kelly Felix teach us over at Bring the Fresh - or even how some other well-known marketing professionals like Chris Farrell (who teaches a method for "relationship marketing") teach, these guys emphasize UNIQUE QUALITY CONTENT.

Plagiarizing content hurts everyone. Period.

First of all, if someone - perhaps a potential customer - is scouting around the internet and notices that a website just has junky links, and lots of stolen content without giving proper credit to the originator, that person is not going to last in this field. At some point, people will notice.

So, a bit of advice here for people who are struggling to get unique and high quality content but who can't seem to write it themselves: 

Hire it out. Seriously.

Over at our forum at Bring the Fresh, for example, there are people who hire out their skills, and they do a darned good job.

It's a community built on trust.

Just like your reputation as a marketing expert will be built.

So, there. I've gotten it off my chest. And if you're the type who believes in practicing ethical and professional behavior, well... come say hi to me at the forum. Professional and Ethical marketers - even if you're just starting out - are always welcome.

Click Here to see if Bring the Fresh is the program for you!

Planning Articles Submissions

I recently wrote this over at Squidoo.com and it's a fairly lengthy discussion about planning articles submissions for your marketing efforts.

One of the things that I think is important - that I honestly never really paid a whole lot of attention to before - is the topic of whether or not to use a pen name. Nom de Plume (I have always loved how that sounds!)

Personally, I never did. I would just write merrily away and submit my articles - ususally direct at EzineArticles, and then I would re-work the article and submit it via the Submit Your Article service, which is really my favorite.

But, now that I've been learning so much more about affiliate marketing strategies and certainly about not putting all my eggs in one basket (primarily thanks to Kelly and Mike at Bring the Fresh) I'm rethinking my article writing strategies.

So, I actually wrote more than one Squidoo lens on the topic of article writing, but here is the one I was just mentioning - please hop on over and take a look. Feel free to leave a comment and participate in the short polls I've included! See ya there! :) HERE IS THE LINK => CLICK HERE FOR Planning Articles Submissions