affiliate marketing

Starting an Online Business

/ Amanda Hodson / Leave a comment

Hello readers!

I want to bring about a topic or a rather large topic that is near and dear to my heart…..

Starting an online business….ahem….!

I have had a passion for being an entrepreneur; I have always loved the idea of being my own boss. I completed an internet marketing class my senior year of high school; it really opened my eyes to what the internet was capable of. Keep in mind, when I took this class, the internet had definitely been around for quite some time, but the concept of actually conducting business online through different marketing strategies was a growing concept that has developed into our digital world.

When people say they have an online business, there are several facets to that statement, as the sky is the limit. There are many different online businesses: major companies like Amazon not only is the massive empire that it is, but adding on to its revenue with individuals who make side income or more from selling as an individual or professional seller.

There are pros and cons to selling on Amazon: the pro as a professional seller is that you have access to many different resources, however, there is a $39.99 fee each month. That fee isn’t a lot if you are consistently selling which in return brings you a ROI. One of the cons that I do not like about selling on Amazon is the very specific product information you need for data input. I have very gently used items that are still in excellent “like new” condition, but because I don’t have exact information needed (UPC); so the chances of selling that item becomes much more cumbersome. Don’t let me take away motivation from becoming a seller, I’m always striving to learn information and have success with selling on Amazon, currently though, as an individual seller which does not require any high monthly fees.

Another aspect of Amazon which I really do love is its affiliate marketing program. For those who aren’t familiar, affiliate marketing is when a user advertises a product or service and when a customer purchases from the associated link provided, the individual providing the link receives a small commission percentage from the sale.

So…. I’m going to plug my own affiliate link. My family LOVES these Nugo Slim protein bars, they are vegan and gluten free for people with dietary sensitivities. They are low in sugar, high in protein and fiber and come in differing flavors. Get them, they’re good! And to make them sound even better, they are dipped in dark chocolate, so what’s not to love about them? Yum!

Everyone knows about Ebay. I’ll be honest, I really thought Ebay wasn’t going to stick around after Amazon became what it is today. Upon further research, Ebay appears to be much more user friendly for sellers like me who are getting started and are selling personal items as an individual seller vs an established business. There aren’t as many restrictions and listing inventory is a lot easier. Check out my listings page here!

Moving on to another aspect of online businesses; rebate selling apps with an accompanying website. There are a variety of selling apps you can download to your phone/use the website to sell your own personal items. I have used the Poshmark app and website to sell my own gently used, like new items. Poshmark allows you to sell clothes, shoes, accessories and more. They do take a commission around 30%, which covers your shipping label. Visit my personal Poshmark account here!

Facebook, is always updating their software and user interaction capabilities; they added a new feature last year called the marketplace which allows for users to sell items as well. The inventory categories are endless, and it appears thus far there are no selling fees, which is great! My personal Facebook selling place is here, check it out!

As you can see, there are a variety of different ways to sell exclusively online from your own personal inventory of items taking up space in your house that will be a treasure to someone else. Thanks for reading and hope you find some treasures from my various sites.

Xo,

Amanda

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"Alexa"

/ Amanda Hodson / Leave a comment

Hello everyone!

Happy New year to you all!

Now that the holidays are winding down, people are getting back into their routines, kids going back to school, and the start of the New Year is here. One of my resolutions that I have made to myself is to blog more and talk about interesting content. I was sitting here at my desk thinking, what do people want to read about? How will I keep other’s attention?

Well….one thing that I think we can all agree on is that we love our tech toys and gadgets. A gift that my family received for Christmas was a wonderful Amazon Echo that many refer to as “Alexa.” “Alexa” is awesome, she gives you a lot of useful information when asked. All you have to do is set her up to the Wi-Fi and then download the app to your phone or device and then program the settings based on your preferences. I personally have my location set up so that we can have up to the minute weather reporting, as well as any question that is geographically impacted can be answered as accurately as possible. Other settings include setting up your favorite music stations, whether it be through Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, etc.

The possibilities are endless as to what you can ask of “Alexa.” She will give you facts based on availability  (I asked how old the Queen of England is, 91 for her Royal Majesty!) Want to hear a joke, “Alexa, tell me a joke”….and she will deliver. Want to set a timer for cooking “Alexa, set cooking time for 15 minutes.” Want a soft alarm clock, “Alexa wake me up at 6am to soft music.” You can also link her to your Amazon Prime Account and ask her to order you something and receive updates as to the status of your order.

Need more suggestions, there is a “Skills” email you can subscribe to and you will receive a weekly email as to new suggestions you can try with “Alexa.” Go ahead and discover the power and convenience behind this new gadget, you’ll love it as much as we do. Click here to get yours today!

Thanks for reading, please go ahead and Subscribe your email so that you get automatic updates as to when I post next. I’m going to be adding great content on a weekly basis! Have a suggestion, please leave a comment, I’d love to hear your suggestions.

xo, Amanda

Everyone Loves Money!

/ Amanda Hodson / Leave a comment
Hello everyone!
Money. It’s something that everyone loves and needs to have, but many of us feel that we may not be earning as much as we are worth. Many of us are putting in long hours, yet still struggle to pay the bills. It shouldn’t be this difficult, right?
I know that I get a lot of anxiety of how I will be able to earn and save enough money not only to support myself and a family, but enough to be able to retire before I’m 80. My dad put it in a great way: money is like energy, the more you have, the more you can do. I’m not saying you need to go and be pulling in six figure paychecks each year, though that would be nice! However,  in order to be able to make basic bill payments, and still have enough left over for anything to reward yourself for your hard work, you may need to bring in money outside of your day job.
I have been researching many different ways to produce additional income, mainly through venues I enjoy and feel passionate about.
One of the ways that I allow myself to afford things outside of bills is to coupon. I have blogged about this many times before, check out my previous posts for more info! 
So what are some ways that you can make side money that either is a few extra dollars per month, or for very dedicated people putting in the work…. a full income? 
Affiliate marketing. For those who aren’t familiar, affiliate marketing is working with brands/stores and advertising their business/product. If a sale results from the advertisement that you posted, you will receive an already agreed upon commission. How many times do you go onto to social media and see people posting about a specific product, and then have the hashtag #sp or #ad. These indicates that the individual or business posting about a particular product or service is being paid to advertise. This happens a lot with athletes; I will see them talking about a protein powder, mattress set, shoes, anything and then, as required, putting in the hashtag indicating it is a paid advertisement. 
Blogging. For someone like me who is building their audience, blogging through a free site such as google and getting their site monetized through Google Adsense is a perfect way to get started. It took a lot of research to figure out exactly how to do this, but it was worth it. What I did was set up my blog, and then applied to have it monetized. After review I was accepted, and now I have ads that run along side my blog. Simple!
YouTube. A very simple way to earn money online, is simply to search YouTube. Of course, everyone has to be careful about scams, because no on wants to fall into one of those. I have personally researched about click bank. For those interested, click bank is about setting up your site, and then marketing a product and providing the link to that product. For example, I have signed up through Amazon to become an Amazon Associate, I can advertise about a product, post a link, and then if someone click on the link and makes a purchase, I can make a commission.
So, a product that you can find on Amazon that my family LOVES is Nu Go Slim Crunchy Peanut Butter Protein bars. They are Vegan and Gluten Free for those with dietary restrictions. They are high in protein, 17g, only have 3g of sugar and have 7 grams of fiber, no Maltitol or Artificial Sweeteners. They are delicious! You can buy them here!
A new way that I have learned about making money, is through Facebook market place. From the research I have done thus far, all you need to do is post about the product you are selling, take pictures, and add in necessary info and wait for your customers. I’ve started doing this, and I must say that I like it a lot. There appear to be no commission fees taken, which means more money as the seller. Here is my personal link to my items that I am selling through the Facebook market place. Please take a look here, if you see anything of interest, I look forward to conducting business! 
That’s all I have for now. Thanks for reading!
Xo,
Amanda