Monday, 25 March 2019

22 Online Business Ideas for Moms


If you've thought of creating an online business in the past but never knew what to base your business on, I made a list for you to help kickstart your brain to generate some ideas.

You can create an online business on nearly anything, some of you may think that you have nothing to offer, but you'd be surprised at how much you do. By reading the suggested business ideas below, try to dig deep into your own interests, hobbies and education and see if you can develop a business idea from it. If you read an idea on the list that you can genuinely see yourself doing because you're really good at it or have experience in it, go ahead and snipe it, don't worry I won't take credit for it!

Artisan- If you're good at making things or you're an artist you can:

1. Sell knitted mitts and hats

2. Sell decorative paintings on canvas

3. Sell handmade greeting cards

4. Sell baby quilts

5. Sell personalized dog collars

6. Sell hand sewed pillowcases

7. Handmade furniture and accent pieces

8. Make and sell handmade jewelry

Prints and Graphics- You can have companies print artwork on items and sell them:

9. Sell mugs with sayings on them

10. Sell posters and canvases with printed graphic art on them

11. Sell t-shirt/sweaters/tanks with artwork, graphics or sayings on them

12. Sell custom graphic phone cases

Sell a service or write:

13. Make a blog on how you stay organized and on top of work and family

14. Write an eBook on how to keep a healthy relationship

15. Create a course on financial strategy management

16. Write a recipe eBook on Budget Friendly Meal plans for the family every week

17. Make a video blog on fitness routines for moms to do with their baby

18. Create a course on the foundations of sewing

19. Blog on crafts and activities for toddlers

20. Write an eBook on how to grow a successful garden and eat organically for the whole yearly

21. Tutor stay at home kids remotely

22. Create a journey blog (e.g., religion, parenthood, weight loss... )

There you have it, 22 completely random business ideas that you can start from home. There're so many other things you can create and sell, all you need to do is look at your life and past experiences and see what you can offer the world, small or big.

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Wednesday, 20 March 2019

Top 5 Online Money Making Ideas


In today's tough times, most are hard-pressed in making ends meet even if they're currently employed with regular source of income. For some, a job is no longer an option and would rather venture into other money making ideas that can potentially replace their job income.

This article outlines the top 5 online money making ideas a lot of creative people use to earn extra (or full time) income that makes end meet or to actually put food on the table.

The internet has not only changed how we communicate and research for information but offered a lot of income opportunities to ones who are willing to grab it.
Freelancing - One of the most common ways to make money aside from having a traditional job is to offer your services as a freelancer. If you're an artist, you can position yourself as an artist for hire. Building an online portfolio is extremely pivotal to being an artist for hire. An illustrator needs to be able to show potential clients what they can offer them if they take them on as a client. Independent authors and web publishers are constantly looking for people to design book covers, websites, and logos for them. This is a great income source for someone who enjoys doing graphic design. My friend, does this quite successfully and by having his own website that attract organic traffic, he sets himself up above the many other freelance graphic artists around.Another popular way of making money as a freelancer is to become a freelance writer or editor. Self-publishing books has exploded in recent years. There are a lot of independent authors looking for editors who would like to have their work edited for a more affordable price than the norm in the publishing world. You can editing jobs or be a ghost writer to help the author craft the whole book if you know what you're doing.

On the lower end of this scale, you can accept article writing gigs and help online publishers like niche website owners and bloggers continuously feed their sites with fresh quality content. The key here is quality content, to build ongoing relationships with your clients and build your reputation.

Freelance writing is a great money making idea because you can completely control how much work you take on. if you're just getting started, websites like Odesk.com and Elance.com are great places to land your initial gigs. Pricing your service competitively will help you attract clients and build your reputation on these freelance job boards but if you're considering to go this route on a long term basis, I suggest that you build your own website to build your reputation, attract more clients, and turn this into a real business that can potentially replace your day job.

There are a lot of services that you can offer as an online freelancer. If you're a developer or a programmer, you'll definitely make more money online by offering software development services.

Become An Online Retailer - Ever bought something off Amazon and eBay? Most of these sellers are people just like you and me operating their own bookstores, gadget shops or computer retail stores off their homes. There are two ways you can start selling stuff as an online retailer.One is by buying stocks and keeping inventories to ship yourself or to become a dropshipper where you partner with a dropshipping supplier that will ship your inventories to your buyers from their warehouses. Option two takes a lot of work but it can be tricky when it comes to pricing, delivery and item quality as you don't really get to see (or touch) your products before they are shipped to your customers.

The best way to get started with this money making idea is to start selling junk you can find inside your home (ladies, I'm not referring to your husbands!). The average person has a lot of things in their home that they never use. Items like old jewelry, unwatched DVDs and unused craft items are perfect. You can also buy things that are on bargain bins and sell them online for regular prices or get stuff from your local thrift stores or library sales.

The key is on being able to check the current prices of the items you're looking to resell before you buy them to make sure you're actually going to make a profit. This is where your smart phone will come handy, all you have to do is download price scanning/comparison apps like FOB Scan.

Sell Fiverr Gigs - Yes, Fiverr gigs! It may not seem like much but Fiverr gigs are no longer limited to $5 per pop. You can offer your initial service or product on the standard $5 pricing but you can offer upgrades from $20 to $50 per pop. Some of the gigs you can offer are voice overs, small graphic jobs, short videos, SEO pushes, and other small and fast jobs that you can do for a few minutes of your time.

Open Up A YouTube Channel - As mentioned in my previous article, YouTube users watch over 4 billion hours of video a month so there are always people willing to watch your videos. A person who plans to make money off of YouTube needs to decide on a niche or what they want to talk about in their videos. Do they want to teach a tutorial or give a commentary? If someone owns all of their material legally, than they're eligible for the partner program.

With original ideas and constant promotions, an internet entrepreneur can set up shop on YouTube in a matter of minutes. Although it might take a lot of work, the payment after a while can be pretty big but just like any other content marketing businesses, 10 YouTube videos won't make you a happy camper. It's always a numbers game, think of it as having your own TV show where you're the host, producer and channel owner. You can read this article for more on how to make money with YouTube.

Create And Sell Your Own Products - A lot of online marketers found that they can make money faster with creating their own products than creating blogs or niche websites. This of course if beyond the realities of most beginning online marketers but if you have some time to spare, product creation isn't really that difficult as you may think. Creating an infoproduct (eBook or membership site) on a subject that you know and love will reward you hundred times over. Come to think of it, if you have a product of your own, a lot of other affiliate marketers are willing to sell your products on their websites and email lists for a commission helping you reach a very wide audience that's impossible for you to reach on your own.

There are a whole lot more money making ideas people use to make money online but these by far are the top ideas that you can put to work for you right away, specially the top 3. Building and publishing your own blog or website is the best way to build a business system that will build an awesome source of passive income in the near future but the top 3 ideas listed above will help you make money right away.

Offering freelance services on established freelance job boards helps you piggy back on their traffic being that they're the "go to" places for people who are looking to outsource stuff they don't like to do themselves.

Retailing on Amazon or eBay can also attract sales faster than if you're going to build your own online store as they already have the traffic of shoppers whose mindset is to scout for products they want to buy online. It's free to list products on Amazon and you only get charged when you actually sell something while eBay will charge you a few dime when you list a product for sale.

Fiverr on the other hand is the world's "go to" place for small jobs people want outsourced. It may not be as promising as the first two money making ideas listed herein but they do pay for each gig you deliver.

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Thursday, 14 March 2019

The Meaning Behind the Main Color Options For Websites




I'm a strong believer in preparing website content before initiating graphic design and this applies to both websites and blogs. Some will argue with me, but I'll fight this battle and dig in because I know content before website design is the right approach.

I believe:

Strong website design extends past colors, fonts, and layout boxes.

Strong design focuses on the user.

Website design should be crafted around the user, their needs, and the desired outcome of a website visit. It should be focused on the user's challenges and the website's ability to solve these issues.

It should not be focused on coding trends and prepackaged templates.

Design Trends Come and Go, But a Focus on the User Should Not

I'll receive emails from people discussing their website design requirements and many times these lists will be focusing on specific project criteria like infinite scroll, hamburger menus, hero images, video backgrounds, and motion.

Rarely do people approach a design firm and present data based on their visitors, the user's needs, and the ultimate goals of a website visit.

Website owners get caught up in design trends, their competitors' websites, and what they believe is modern and current design elements. In doing so, they lose track of the actual website visitor.

All too often people select a website template or blog theme and get caught up in the graphical presentation or bells and whistles it offers. It's an emotional buy that supersedes the desire to help the actual website visitors.

Once they buy the stock theme, they force their content to fit within the template's available content blocks. Or worse yet, they force a custom design to adhere to the same style and presentation of a top competitor's website.

In most cases this leads to disappointment and buyer's remorse.

The reason this occurs is this process follows the path of purchase, design, development, and finally content. That path is in the wrong order. The process is going backwards and it leads to frustration.

Content First Leads to Educated Design Decisions

Documenting your desired user flow, visitor paths, and call to actions is something that is typically done after the graphic design is completed. Unfortunately that's the wrong approach because it forces you into matching content to the website theme or design. It should be just the opposite.

Before you find yourself falling in love with a competitor website, coveting a stock WordPress template, or reaching out to a graphic designer, you need think through the goals and objectives of your website or blog.

You need to document your user personas, their individual challenges, your solution offering, and the paths you'd like these visitors to take within the website.

While graphic design in very important, it must take place at the right time within the project to truly allow you to showcases the website, content, and offering in the best light possible.

One of my favorite quotes on this subject is:

"Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it's decoration." - Jeffrey Zeldman

Messaging and content are the building blocks and foundation of the website. This means they should be carefully thought through and documented well before any colors, fonts, and layouts are considered.

The design elements should complement, highlight, and showcase the key messaging and most important content.

Focus on the Right Content

While I am saying you should have content written before beginning design, I'm not saying that you have to have all your content written. That would be a difficult task to accomplish for most website owners and businesses.

I encourage clients to focus on core website sections and pages. During the sales process I usually go through their website and look for areas I think would benefit from custom design templates. These will vary based on the client, industry, and target demographic.

Here are some common areas that can benefit most from a content first strategy:

Home
Main about or company page
Main services page and individual service pages
Main storefront and individual product pages
Resource section, categories, and/or resource items
Personas
Landing page templates
Main blog page and individual blog posts
Contact page
Sometimes I'll suggest just a few custom design templates and other times I'll suggest fifteen to twenty. It really depends on the complexity of the content and the variations in the content flow and call to actions.

As we progress into a project with a client, we like to have as much information as possible on core elements and how these might be altered based on different areas of the website.

Content elements that matter in a content before website design approach:

Headlines and subheaders
Core messaging
Paragraph text
User personas and visitor paths
Call to actions
Images
Videos
Navigation
Social media accounts
Search engine optimization
The more your graphic designer knows and has available, the more unique and targeted your design will become.

Finding Balance

Not all situations will allow a content before website design approach. You have to find balance and you have to pick and chose your battles.

If this approach is going to be difficult, I suggest starting with universal elements such as navigation, SEO, and call to actions. Then begin narrow down the focus by reviewing user personas and their visitors paths.

Focus on known elements and weave these into design by starting with the home page and then allow the design to build from his central hub. While moving through this process, stay focused on the visitor, what they need, and what action you ultimately want them to take.

The process can seem overwhelming, but like anything in life, you need to break it into chunks and evaluate the large list bit by bit.

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Friday, 8 March 2019

Building a Professional Career Online


The Internet has become one of the vital components of our daily lives. It is not hard to admit that most of our daily activities in life have been touched by the World Wide Web. With that, it is no surprise that a growing number of individuals are already exploring -- some enjoying the benefits of having a professional career online, a lucrative and rewarding career right at the comfort of a coffee shop or in their home office in front of their computer.

Creating a professional career online is now possible, thanks to the convenience the internet provides. One can easily start a career in buying and selling stuff online or by simply creating a blog or engaging in freelance writing. There are many careers available online. Here are some of the following careers you can look into online.

Freelance writing

Blogging

Ghost Writing

E-Commerce

Programming

Website Design

Video Editing

Photography

Find a career that suits your set of skills best and then start creating your online portfolio to get clients and projects to start with. It is advisable to get a reliable internet access, one that runs at least 2MBPs or more to be able to attend to your daily activities on the internet. A lower speed may prove to be stressful when trying to meet and beat deadlines as well as when updating online templates and doing web design. Anything less also fails to meet requirement of clients and freelancing websites. Thus trusted home phone and internet bundles will help make your online freelancing career even more feasible.

Here are some of the tips you can follow to start and build a professional career online.

Create an online portfolio

Before finding clients and trying to land a job online, you need to create an online portfolio. It can be your Name.com or a blog under a free hosting platform like Weebly, Blogger, or WordPress to begin with. Include credentials, training, sample works, and a few details about yourself in this page. This can be a simple website with a few pages attached where potential clients can download and read samples of your work. A contact page is also essential.

Build your connections

You have most likely met a colleague who also happens to work online. You can include him as one of your references on your online portfolio. You can also add your past managers and supervisors as references. Be sure to inform your colleagues about them being one of your trusted references online. You can also include testimonials from past clients as well as their contact information to be able to provide your potential clients a reliable source of firsthand information about you and your performance as a professional online freelancer.

It is also important to keep in touch with your past clients from time to time to be aware of possible projects that may be available for you to do.

Update your social media accounts

Social media is also a big factor in building your career and connections online. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are just some of the social media sites you should have to be able to build credibility and your authenticity as a real individual working online. LinkedIn is a very good source of connections as well so you must really take advantage of the feature it offers. If you would want to keep your Facebook and Twitter feeds private, it would be advisable to have a separate Twitter account or a Facebook page for your business or brand. Past clients can post comments and testimonials in these social media pages as well.

Utilize marketing strategies

Take advantage of the free marketing strategies on the internet for your online business and online services. Post feeds on your social media accounts. Submit guest posts to increase your presence online, write press releases and publish them on free PR websites. Join forums and Q&A websites and the likes. The more you expose yourself and your brand online, the higher are the possibilities of getting clients and projects.

Advertise your business

As you see your business grow, you tend to meet competitors along the way. Advertise your business to create an edge over your competitors. Target your market well and utilize the right keywords to be able to make your business more visible and on top of search engines. This may take time but with the right strategies, you can practically be a preferred choice over similar professional services if you market your business well.

Compare Broadband Australia is one of the channels that can help you in your journey to your online success. This is the reason why it's service, NBN internet plans is one of the most noticed services on their website.

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Friday, 1 March 2019

3 Reasons A Strong Online Presence Will Help You Make More Money


Studies have proven that advertising consistently over time can increase profitability by 30% or more. This is true because advertising helps build brand recognition that ultimately influences purchasing decisions. In our Internet driven world, a strong online presence works like a robust advertising campaign and may be all you really need to make more money and increase profitability.

This is the reality;

The Internet has changed how consumers shop and interact. Almost everyone has access to the Internet. In fact, almost all consumers now use the Internet is some way to shop locally. As a result, using your online presence to advertise and promote yourself and the products and services you offer is more important than ever.

This is why:

The consumer purchasing decision making process hasn't changed for thousands of years. When a consumer has a need or desire, they search for a solution, then they compare options, make a purchasing decision and a post purchase evaluation.

What has changed over time is how the availability of tools that help consumers work through the process. In our world today the entire process can be accomplished without ever talking to a salesperson or walking into a store. It can all be done online.

The reality is this;

Consumers are in control. There are search engines, social networks, business directories, websites and mobile applications that consumers can use to search for products and services, compare options and get recommendations without moving their eyes off their computer or smartphone screen.

What that means is this:

If you sell products or services, you must get your business listed on as many search engines, social networks, business directories and mobile platforms as possible. Creating a website and Facebook page isn't going to do much to improve your online presence in the Internet world of today.

If you don't have a strong online presence, a large segment of potential customers may never even have the opportunity to consider purchasing anything from you, because they don't know you exist.

A Strong Online Presence Promotes Brand Recognition and Trust

Your online presence can define your brand. People identify with brands. Developing your online presence helps convey a uniform quality, credibility and experience. It will help you define who you are, what you do, and can differentiate you from the competition. Your brand is your identity; it helps you convey trust and develop relationships that lead to customer loyalty and more sales.

This fact isn't surprising:

Surveys indicate that consumers prefer to purchase products and services from people and businesses they trust. You wouldn't purchase products or services from people or businesses you don't trust, neither will anybody else.

This however is really important;

These same surveys indicate that consumers will pay more for the same product or service if it is purchased from a person or a brand they trust. Consumers want to be satisfied with their purchase.

Many studies have been conducted that try to measure how consumers use and react to different types of advertising and delivery platforms. Many of these studies confirm that a strong online presence is important to consumers today. A study by Neilson concluded that consumers now believe branded websites can be trusted more than any other form of advertising other than the personal recommendations from friends and family. Seventy percent (70%) of global consumers now say they completely trust branded websites.

Branded websites are themselves defined and identified by a strong online presence that not only promotes credibility of the site itself, but improves search engine ranking.

This in turn influences purchasing decisions. In other words, a consumer's trust in the advertising type and platform directly increases the probability that he or she will be positively influenced by that advertising.

Creating a Strong Online Presence is Affordable

Traditional advertising is expensive. More importantly, it's not nearly as effective as it used to be. In fact surveys indicate that not many people trust the advertising they see or hear on most traditional advertising platforms. As a result, a random advertising campaign on these traditional platforms is generally ineffective.

Think about this:

Consumers are bombarded with advertising messages from the back of sales receipts and coffee cups to highway billboards and online banners. The human brain can only absorb so much information effectively at any given time. As a result, consumers have become very good at effectively ignoring advertising messages that are fed to them that they don't want or need. This further diminishes the return on investment of traditional advertising campaign.

Currently the most expensive form of advertising is on prime time television and the least expensive in improving your online presence. The cost to reach 1000 people on prime time television is approximately $34 as opposed to $8 for general online presence improvement.

If you sell products and services locally, your ability to develop a strong brand identity may directly affect your long term ability to make more money and improve profitability. Clearly, money invested in advertising, packaging, public relations, sales promotions, word-of-mouth marketing programs, etc., all contribute to developing a strong brand, but given the facts, nothing is more important today than developing your brand online by strengthening your online presence.

Improving your online presence will not only strengthen your brand identity and improve your overall search engine ranking, but a strong online presence will help you get found online, attract new customers, grow your business and make more money.

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