Bill McRea

If you are an affiliate marketer who has felt the pinch from Google’s recent Panda and Penguin updates, you know that the landscape of content Marketing has shifted. You are clear on the fact that you’ve got to find a way to create relevant, quality content that your visitors engage with and share. No more black hat linking schemes for you. You are sold on the fact that investing your time and energy into creating and syndicating remarkable content is what is going to get you the traffic and rankings you require. But now you are faced with the challenge of creating that content. Well, read on for some actionable tips for creating an endless flow of content for your affiliate blog.

We are going to be working from the basic principle of using and re-using or re-purposing every piece of content you create. For an affiliate blog, you need a good variety of content in different formats such as:

• Blog posts
• Product reviews
• Videos
• Slideshows
• Audios

What you’re going to do is create a content creation assembly line. Start with a blog post. Do your keyword research, write it, edit it and post it on the blog.

The next step will be to decide how you can use that content again in another form. You could read the article into a mic, record it, and have a little audio program.

Find someone who is an expert in the topic of the article and interview them. Record the interview and offer that as audio content. You could then have that audio program transcribed and formatted into a series of articles that you can post on your blog, or publish in article directories with links back to your blog.

Another strategy is to create a slideshow with the article content. Publish the slideshow on your blog, and then share it on a site such as slideshare.com. Save the slideshow as a video and upload it to the top video sharing sites with a link back to your site.

You are creating a process for creating a flow of fresh content, but also for generating natural, relevant back links to your site. Keep in mind that you can always outsource pieces of this process because it is labor intensive and many of the steps are repetitive.

Here are some tips for making this process work:

• Set up Google alerts for your keywords. Have the alerts come to your email inbox daily or whatever interval you prefer. When you are ready to start creating content, you can comb through those emails to get some ideas.
• Conduct a monthly survey or poll of your readership. Use the information from your readers responses to create content for your blog. The fabulous part about this is that you will be able to create content that gives your readers exactly what they have been asking for in those surveys.

• Create a weekly system for repurposing your content.
• Join blogging/ content syndication tribes and line up guest post gigs
• Create and use a content calendar: wordpress.org/extend/plugins/editorial-calendar
• Use your smart phone to help you capture blogging ideas while you are out living your life.

-Take photos

-Write blog posts wherever ideas strike you

-Shoot video snippets or complete videos

-Use productivity apps like Evernote

Try these tips and see if your content creation chores have not become a bit more streamlined.

If you found these affiliate marketing tips to be useful visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today where you’ll discover lots more information about how to build your online business.

In practice, list building seems simple. Set up a squeeze page and drive targeted traffic to it, but there are some vital tools that you must have in your Internet Marketing toolbox in order to get your email Marketing systems set up properly and working well for you.

In this article we’ll look at several examples of the three basic tools that you will need in order to get your email list building machine started and moving into high gear.

1. Squeeze page

A squeeze page is a simple landing page that you will use to attract and convert visitors into subscribers. At its core a squeeze page is very simple. You need a page some compelling copy that convinces visitors to leave their name, email and in some cases phone number in exchange for the promise of some information that has a perceived value for them. The page must include an opt-in form where they can enter their contact information, and it might also have some images that are in alignment with the purpose of the offer.

You can create a squeeze page from scratch if you know a little bit of HTML, but why go to all of that trouble when there are pre-formatted landing page templates available that take the guesswork out of it for you?

If you are running a WordPress blog, there are several plugins, both free and premium, available that you can use to create a squeeze page in minutes.

A vital step to creating an effective squeeze page is to use A/B split testing to test one element at a time to keep refining the page until you are getting the best results possible from it.

2. Autoresponders

These magical services make it possible for your email opt-in list to go on auto-pilot for you. There are several auto-responder services to choose from. Here are a few of the most popular ones:

• Aweber
• Infusionsoft
• Get response
• Icontact
• Mailchimp

Which one you choose depends largely on several factors including the size of your business, the kinds of products and services you are selling, whether you want your email autoresponder to be integrated with your shopping cart, etc. Research the various features and benefits of each service, ask your colleagues what they use and recommend and they go with the option that will best suit your needs now and as your business scales upwards in the future.

Once you’ve chosen an autoresponder service, you will integrate it into your squeeze page. Once your visitors have entered their contact information into the form on your squeeze page, the autoresponder works in the background to subscribe them to your list and send them to the download page where they can collect the gift you’ve promised them for signing up.

3. Freemium Product download

The “freemium” product is most often a downloadable product such as an ebook, and audio recording, or a video that shares information that the visitor has been looking for. It should be the caliber of product that you would offer for sale. This allows the prospective customer to get a feel for what you have to offer, and it entices them to subscribe in hopes of learning more about your other products and service.

So, there you have the three vital tools that you need to kick off a successful email list building campaign. Once you get it set up all you have to do is drive traffic to it and your list will begin to grow.

Email list building is just one strategy for growing your business online. For more tips and ideas, visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today.

Being active on facebook, which is a daily destination for 500 million people around the world, is an effective way to gain lots of exposure and traffic for your blog. On your Facebook page you can create a sense of community with your blog readers, and you can attract new readers as well.

Let’s look at these five tips for leveraging Facebook’s timeline for pages to get you some valuable exposure for your blog and your brand.

1. Make the most of your cover image

The new look of Facebook timeline for pages features that fabulously, huge cover image that you can use to visually depict your brand image. You can choose one image for your cover, or change it up every week or when the mood strikes you. Use that space to publicize events, contests, challenges or upcoming book or product launches. Be sure to follow Facebook’s cover image guidelines: https://www.facebook.com/help/search/?q=cover+guidelines

2. Maximize the Apps on your timeline

Whatever you had as a ‘tab’ in the old layout now appears as an ‘app’ in the timeline layout. You get as many as 12 apps per page, but only four are displayed at a time, and the first one is always photos.

• Create a custom image for each app
• Use a unique URL to drive traffic to a specific app
• Create branded landing pages linked to each app

3. Set Milestones for significant dates in the past for your blog

Milestones are part of the chronological flow of the new timeline. If you’ve got an existing page with old content, you can go back and add backdated posts at significant points in the history of your blog.

Marking your milestones allows your visitors to learn more about you blog and it could encourage them to engage more with you and your community.

4. Use or do not use the new message feature

Part of the new design is the message feature, which allows visitors to send you a direct message without posting it publicly on your wall. You can also send messages to your fans. If you don’t plan to use this feature, then you might want to disable it. It really wouldn’t look good for a visitor to send you a message and you didn’t see or respond to it for a few days.

5. Utilize Interest lists

On the left navigation panel, scroll down a bit until you see, ‘Interests,’ Click on that link and you will be able to subscribe to different interest list feeds, or you can create your own.  Creating an interest list is an effective way to gain exposure for yourself and your blog within a specific topic. Once you’ve created your list, post an update letting your followers know about it occasionally.

Now, here’s a cool little tweak that you can do as a page admin. This tip comes from Dorien on the More in Media blog. You can add Pages to Your Facebook interest lists by clicking on the down arrow to the right of the ‘Message,’ button below your cover image. Be sure to occasionally remind your fans to add your page to their interest list.

There are some lists that have 10,000 or more members who have all expressed an interest in that topic. What a great way to build credibility, gain exposure and meet lots of people?

The new timeline for pages has lots of features that allow you to really brand your blog and tell your story in a visual and chronological way.

For more social media Marketing tips and blogging tips and strategies for building your online business, visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today.

Smart online business people know that they can’t do everything themselves if they want to achieve greater levels of success in their business. Even the thought of outsourcing can be daunting especially if you’re a control freak. But there is a way that you can lean into outsourcing project by project for very little money and low risk. The burgeoning growth of micro-task marketplaces such as Fiverr.com has been a win-win for online service providers and virtual assistants who are looking to market their services, and business people who are looking for task level outsourcing help for their online business. In this article we’ll share some tips on how you can get started with outsourcing by using Fiverr and the other sites similar to it.

What is Fiverr.com?

Fiverr.com is a micro-task marketplace where people post ‘gigs’ describing what they are willing to do for $5. You can order a singing telegram, order a love letter in Farsi, or get your business name painted on the cheek of a pretty girl for $5. But you can also get articles written, blogs setup, video testimonials and all kinds of other discrete tasks that you need performed for your business for $5.

The general consensus from people who have used fiverr.com is for the most part you get what you pay for, but you can find hidden gems there. Here are some tips for finding good people to work with on fiverr.

How to get started with low-cost outsourcing?

This in-depth article by, by Stella Anokam, is a definitive guide to using Fiverr.com and sites like it for low-cost outsourcing. She shares a ton of valuable tips, and step-by-step advice on how to find the best vendors. ‘Online Outsourcing Guide To Finding Good Business Services Freelancers At Fiverr’

Source: stellaanokam.com/fiverr-outsourcing-guide-secrets-1874

Teddy P., on the eProfits blog wrote this post about how to use sites like Fiverr if you’re an affiliate marketer: ‘Intro To Affiliate Marketing Outsourcing: Fiverr.’ He describes the kinds of projects you might want to outsource, and even some out-of-the-box ideas if you want to get creative.

Source: blog.eprofits.com/2011/04/intro-to-affiliate-Marketing-outsourcing-fiverr/

This post, ‘Fiverr Outsourcing Tips for Bloggers,’ was written by Rhys Wynne of, The Blogging Dojo. It contains some solid advice on how to approach the use of fiverr.com to get your jobs done. He also shares what he has learned about managing gigs on fiverr.

Source: profiles.google.com/112726038360301567381/buzz/gufxbyZJJii

Here’s a post with links to 12 different alternative micro-task marketplaces like fiverr.com where you can try low cost outsourcing.

Source: www.blogstash.com/sites-like-fiverr-12-fiverr-alternatives-websites/

Set goals and have a plan before you hire anyone

The general objective for outsourcing is to hand off tasks that you don’t enjoy, or that must be done but are not directly revenue generating tasks so that your time is freed up to do your genius work. If you are delving into outsourcing as a test, set some goals at the outset. What are the most critical tasks that you could pay someone else to do? Yes, you will have to invest some time in the beginning clearly defining the tasks that you need to be performed, but once you’ve done that see if it actually saves you time and benefits your business.

Outsourcing is just one way to take your online business to the next level of success. For more tips and strategies for growing your online business visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today.

Since the world of online business is a relatively new one, and it often attracts people who are bootstrapping it, (starting out on a small budget) there are several ways in which to track progress and measure success that do not exist for traditional businesses. We’re going to look at some of the metrics that you might consider when gauging the progress you are making in you business. Success is a relative term and it looks different to different people. If you have set specific goals for your business and you have met or exceeded those goals, then you are a success even if you’ve not made a million, or driving an Italian sports car.

For an online business there are three basic measures of how well you are doing, which will vary depending upon the purpose of your site, and the goals you have set. They include:

1. Conversions/sales
2. Traffic
3. Opt-ins

But there are additional metrics that can apply to your online business that will be important in determining whether you are getting a return on the effort, energy and finances that you have invested in your enterprise:

• Search engine rank

You have worked hard to build a website and a following, right? Your search engine rankings give you a good idea about how well you are doing on that front. You can feel proud of yourself if you’ve managed to develop a blog with an enviable page rank, so don’t discount that as a measure of your online business success.

• Engagement

Do you get a decent number of comments on your blog? Do your visitors share your content on social media sites? Do you have a growing Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn presence? Do your tweets get retweeted? Do you get likes and shares on Facebook? Are you in the circles of the influential players in your industry on Google+? All of these are measures of how engaged your audience is with you and you with them. If you are creating a sense of community around your brand, having real conversations with your audience, then engagement is high and that is good.

• Partnerships

Do you have a rolodex of joint venture partners that you can call and do projects with? Are you part of an active, committed Mastermind group? Creating mutually beneficial partnerships is a vital skill in business. When you are growing your business having the right partners is almost if not more important than having a lot of customers.

• Personal satisfaction

Of course you are the only one who can say how successfully you have achieved this metric, but if you enjoy the work you are doing, if you are proud of your business and the products or services that you offer then you should get a great deal of personal satisfaction from your business. If you left a corporate job to pursue your own online business you want to make sure that you’re not just creating another job that you will grow bored with and hate. Your level of passion for your work will go a long way towards motivating you to be successful.

Make sure you are setting goals and doing a weekly assessment of your progress toward achieving those goals. No matter how you measure your success make sure that you congratulate yourself when you achieve the goals you have set. That alone makes you a success.

For more tips and strategies for building and growing an online business, visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today where you will discover how to use Internet Marketing principles to find online business success.