business banter
Whether you are an entrepreneur, intrapreneur, or just thinking about starting a business, this is the place to find out about resources, financial help, support, marketing, public relations and more.
Featured in this Issue
Resources
Passive Income-Money for Nothing (Well, almost)
- Requires some initial work on your part
- Investment is usually $0 or a small amount
- No risk involved
- Requires very little maintenance
- Key to success is using the right passive income program for you and/or using several programs at once
Affiliate Programs
On the web passive income comes in the form of affiliate programs. The 3 programs I recommend for beginners are free, all that is required is elbow grease. Whenever you see a book carousel on my site, that image has been provided by Amazon at my request since I'm in their Affiliate program. If someone were to click on a book in that carousel and buy it, I would get a percentage. On my end, I had to research the appropriate books and do some minor editing. They give you the code and you copy and paste it to the right place on your website and that's it. Through Amazon you can sell any product they offer. Right now the products are too many to name, even just in categories, but some of the things you can buy from Amazon are: books, CDs, DVDs, clothing, shoes, electronics, grocery items, gourmet food, pet food, pet products and the list goes on and on.
- Affiliate Programs are a form of web advertising that rewards the affiliates (self-selected advertisers) for driving traffic to the advertiser or for consequent transactions.
- There is usually no charge for signing up for an affiliate program and little or no risk.
- Just allow the affiliate to place a link, video, or graphic somewhere on your site for products or services relevant to your buyers.
- When someone clicks on the affiliate’s link and buys something, you generate a percentage of the profit.
- All programs require you have a working website and that your name is listed as the owner of the site on the whois directory.
Google Affiliate Network
- http://www.google.com/ads/affiliatenetwork/
- Connects advertisers and publishers who want to increase sales and drive leads through affiliate marketing.
- If selected to participate in an advertiser's program, you'll earn a percent of sales or a referral bounty.
Amazon Associates
Barnes & Noble Affiliates
Recommended Links
- Quick Start Business Plan from SCORE
- Free Business Advice from SCORE mentors
- Inc. Magazine Online
- Update All Your Social Networks with Ping
- U.S. Small Businesss Administration
- Finance Primer: A Guide to SBA's Loan Guaranty Programs (you must register first)
- Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center
- HP Eco Ideas
top of page Marketing for Artists CD
Based on Susan Lee's successful Marketing for Artists presentation, this highly informative CD can be viewed on your pc or printed. It includes the following sections:
- Marketing for Visual Artists
- Public Relations for Visual Artists
- Marketing & PR for Writers (information for published and non-published writers)
- Photoshop Tutorials
- How to Photograph Your Artwork
- Portfolio Creation and Organization (hard copies and online galleries)
- Complete clickable links to recommended instructional videos, marketing books and software
- Clickable links to artists resources on the web including grants, mailing lists, benefits for artists & more
Order your Marketing for Artists CD now for only $15 (+$5 S&H)
Share Your Ideas
Have an idea for an article or have a cool site or video you'd like to share? Please fill out this form and you may see your idea in the next issue!