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Successful eBranding Strategies

Ponn Sabra — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:24:31 +0000

This guest post by Dan Schawbel, is in perfect alignment with Ponn’s Internet Branding series that just started the other day. Enjoy the education

Dan is the leading personal branding expert for gen-y. He is the author of the Personal Branding Blog and publishes Personal Branding Magazine.

Since the start of the internet, the term eBranding was present, but overlooked. It used to be all about companies building websites to promote products and then eCommerce websites were unearthed as a gateway for people to actually purchase products online and have them shipped. People didn’t realize that they would actually promote themsleves online through this very same medium. eBranding, in essence, is everything on the internet that represents you. At the beginning of your career you actually get to decide how people view you online. Your eBrand could be a limited to a single blog or website and then can be spread thin among several social networks, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The total sum of all your presences online is your eBrand. The more you give people to see, the more you will judged on.

Everyone in this generation must have their own eBrand. The cost of building one is minimal to free and the rewards are tremendous. Before explaining various strategies, you must think about who you are and what you stand for. You need to take a niche, such that you are the best at something for a specific audience. How do you describe yourself and how do others describe you? I call this discovering your personal brand and it’s a necessity before you go through the hassle of actually creating content.

Let’s get started:

· Blogging : Let’s face it, if you want to have a successful career in the digital age, blogging is your ticket. If you use wordpress.com you can start a free blog in seconds and they just upgraded their systems to version 2.5, which has a better look and feel, as well as the ability to post video and sounds in a flash. Your other options are to use Blogger.com, which is Google’s blog platform (free as well), Typepad.com or Wordpress.org. With Wordpress.org, you must host it on your own domain and server space, but you have more flexibility with design. A blog allows you to deliver value to your niche and over time, that value translates into new business or professional contacts.

· Commenting: You don’t have to have a blog to participate in the blogosphere. Commenting is an amazing way to show bloggers you care about their writing. When you comment, try and add something relevant to the discussion or directed them to other sources. If you have a blog, comments will draw traffic and possibly subscribers.

· Guest Posting: The bad news is that writing specifically on your blog is not enough anymore. To form stronger relationships and turn the “visibility switch” off on your eBrand, you need to write for other sources in your niche.

· Off-Blog Networking: Sure, anyone can comment on a blog, but not many people take advantage of the contact information provided by the blogger. Commenting is about continuing the conversation, whereas off-blog networking is about actually getting to know the author. I’m not saying call the person, but at least connect through email if you have genuine interest in the person or their topic.

· Byline Articles: Are you an expert? Well it’s time to start thinking like an expert. Guest blogging will be rewarding, but it’s not as strong as writing for traditional media sources. By branding yourself on respected websites and having your articles link back to your eBrand, you are establishing credibility, while increasing traffic simultaneously.

· Existence on Social Networks: Your eBrand needs to be where the people are. Facebook has 63 million users, while LinkedIn has 20 million. Why not create your profile and link to your blog or website? When you join social networks, be sure to understand that it’s all public. Don’t post pictures of “drunken moments,” but instead have a profile that expresses your brand in a professional, yet personal, light.

· Domains: If you haven’t purchased a domain to secure your eBrand, you will be at a huge disadvantage later in life. For $6.95, you can buy yourname.com at GoDaddy.com. The purpose of buying your domain is two-fold. First, .com’s rank very high in search engines and secondly, people remember names. By searching for you or typing in your name in the search bar, your eBrand will come up.

Make Money Online – Blogging Tips and Recommendations

Ponn Sabra — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:31:53 +0000

As always, Amanda’s Monthly Blog reporting draws great attention, especially when she writes her follow-up ‘how-to’s’. After all, we’ve seen her grow to $5000+/month in 5 short months!

Then, Yaro shared that he’s an official 6-figure-blogger ($10,000+/month) as of September!

So, with all this good news, I’ve been actively applying new tips & recommendations by them the 2 of them and more! As always, please share any and all tips you have as well.

Diversify your revenue streams.
- Tip: Do Not stick to what everyone says is the “in” or “right” thing!
  - Direct Advertising
  - Broker Blog Advertising, such as text-link-ads, SponsoredReviews, ReviewMe
  - Affiliate Marketing
  - Misc. Google Adsense.

Affiliate marketing – The best way to leverage affiliate marketing is directly through your ever-growing ezine list, having the right software to assure that your ezines are sent. (wahmcart review). This assures that you have direct contact with your target market in a more secured way, since RSS is indirect.
- Tip: By just changing my ezine audio to an eBook cover, my daily subscribers have 2-3-fold in numbers!
- Tip: Joint Venture Partnerships directly within your niche gives you more qualified ezine subscribers because they were introduced to you and your optin ezine list through a recommendation from someone they already trust, respect and follow.
- Tip: Read Teaching Sells Right Now! I wrote this post prior to reading Brian Clark’s free eBook, then a dear colleague just emailed me and said he read my free eBook “How to Create a Search Engine Optimized Press Release” and Brain’s eBook today and I should read them both–since he took extensive notes from both [Wow, I'm honored]
- Anyways, Brian eloquently shares (as this is the only way he knows how to write) how “I’ve always viewed blogging as an attraction strategy, rather than an activity that results in revenue independent of advertising”..and blogging “most likely will open doors for you that lead to revenue or help you promote things you are selling”…hence, making money online is *not* where all (or even a fraction) the money can be made online!

Blog Mastermind (review) - Yaro details a long-point-by-point audio of how every penny was made in September…but building an authority thought-leader site as a center for your sales tunnel is directly in line with what “Teaching Sells” teaches
- Tip: Join now!

Direct Advertisers.
- Tip: Get a dedicated direct advertiser page up! Make life easier for you and your sponsor by putting subscription paypal links for each of your direct advertising options. Then, put (if you need to) the disclaimer that you’re willing to work within your specific budget.
- Tip: Share the wealth! Notice my direct advertising page, offer anyone who refers an advertiser/sponsor a “finder’s fee”. I give 20%. It gives my readers and subscribers an incentive to help see your blog/website grow!
- Tip: Actively solicit advertisers and sponsors yourself!

Broker Blog Advertisers. SponsoredReviews.com and ReviewMe.com – I actually get savvy advertisers who find me at either of these 2 sites. They know I get 65% or 50% of their rates, and offer me a higher cut directly!
- Tip: If you don’t have accounts at either of these sites, register now! I just did for WordPressReworked .
- Tip: When you do a sponsored review (paid or gratis) tell the company no matter how big they are. Now, I didn’t have to have Amanda tell me this one…but in talking to a couple of colleagues, this seemed Creek to them. Geez–I *always* share my reviews with the owner with a friendly FYI-thought you’d like to know! It’s a testimonial for them and they’re usually very happy to publish your news.

Optimize for Text-Link-Ads - After One-day of updating my keywords and changing categories that best suit EWN (Entrepreneurial, Marketing) I got a new advertiser!
- Tip: While you’re there, add any new sites, like I did for WR. Now, I just have to get the code up there

Traffic! Traffic! Traffic! 2 overwhelming tips:
- Tip: Guest Blogging!
  - I’ve had great success guest blogging and I’m SO glad to see most recommended this one blog marketing technique, because this has been my #1 chosen strategy!
- Tip: Social Media Groups! Getting actively involved in all the social media groups I was a member of prior to my hospitalization (link)…we need the traffic! I’m on one formal group, an informal forums group, a yahoo group, and because of my long-past challenge many people are ‘friends’ in different groups, who send me their requests, via SU & Digg. While I haven’t learned how to actively send requests like my friends do, this is on my short-list!
  - Tip: Wanna share a quick How-To or Tip? Please comment/trackback below.
  - Tips for Social Media/Online Networking:

I’m happy to share that I’ve been investing all my time, energy and investment in “building, running and marketing a virtual learning environment” that Brian Clark shares as the real online gold-mine! So, like him (while my residual income is nothing in comparison to his, Yaro’s or Amanda’s), I won’t be sharing my online income–but, I’m pretty-peachy-keen knowing I’m on the right-track…so, I empower you to walk this journey along with me! Questions!? Please ask freely below!

If you missed my October ezine survey, please let me know and I’ll be happy to forward you a copy to fill out!

Wahmcart – Work at Home Mom-Friendly Shopping Cart Review

Ponn Sabra — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:47:04 +0000

Yes, this review is long-over due…but, I promise it’s well worth the wait!

#1 I am SO happy with the services of:

WahmCart – Work at Home Mom (WAHM) Friendly Shopping Cart

Wahmcart is a full featured eCommerce solution that allows you to manage your Products, Sales, Prospects, Clients and Affiliates all in one place, by offering a secure shopping cart, affiliate software, tracking and the follow-up management system.

For a complete comparison, features description, and more please pick up our free WahmCart shopping cart eBook is available right here for you!

We compare the following systems with great details in the eBook, but briefly here:

aWeber – NOT a shopping cart, affiliate manager, tracking system.
PayPal – NOT a affiliate manager or autoresponder, yet is integrated with WahmCart for secure payment
2CheckOut – NOT an autoresponder; yet can be integrated with WahmCart. Its a free script that needs to be installed on your website.
Mals-e – NOT an autoresponder, tracking system
QuickPayPro - most comparable but cost $49.97/month.
1ShoppingCart – most comparable but runs close to $80/month for similar services offered at WahmCart

My additional add-on:

Thirdsphere – most comparable with webhost; but after 2+ years of being a loyal and happy client, their web hosting, server size, and customer service did not live-up to what I hoped to have received after being a long-time client.

So, why should You Consider signing-up for WahmCart now?

Cheaper. It’s highly-affordable and offers me everything you need to host an ever-growing ezine list! Why pay more for the same services offered at 1ShoppingCart? And, there’s bulk-payments for 3-months and 6-months with discounts. I got the semi-annual plan for the extra savings and less accounting hassles

EASY-installation, integration, transfer. Moving from Thirdsphere to WahmCart was a snap (of course because I have my virtual assistant do it )! Anyways, I’ve been unrolling many different ways to capture subscribers, such as:
and, you can except to see many more, with

All-in-one eCommerce software for all Your Internet Marketing Needs! Why pay for separate autoresponder, shopping cart, affiliate manager AND tracking software when you can get all of these in 1-special place!?

More opportunities for both of us to make money online!
- By offering information products and integrate an affiliate component so we both can make money online together!

It’s not just for wahm’s (work at home moms) or dads! It’s for all home based entrepreneurs seeking to automate, systematize and capitalize on your own internet brand and intellectual property in the most affordable and simple-method possible!

You can try it for 14-days for $1! What’s there to lose? My staff can do the transfer for you very easily too!

Try WahmCart for 1-buck today!

P.S. If you’re a blogger who doesn’t already have an ezine list/eNewsletter option on your blog, you’re missing out on additional revenue streams that’s personal and your gateway into your very own sales funnel!

Still don’t see the value of having a RSS feed AND ezine optin!? Please share your reasons below!

TNX.net Future of Text Link Ads?

Ponn Sabra — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:07:27 +0000

There are dozens of text link ad companies out there. Heck is it the new big thing? It is easy money for most people. However TNX.net changes the game about text links. Is this for the better? Well I think other text link brokerage companies will have to keep a close eye on them and we’ll see what happens. Maybe they will be the netflix of text link buying and change the whole name of the game.

When I was given the opportunity to review TNX.net I was excited because it is a new program out there and I love new programs. I can honestly say the program is highly confusing. At least to me, and I do this stuff for a living.

When you visit their website they are pretty slick. I can’t say this is a bad thing since profit is definitely not a dirty word in my book. But they take 12.5% from each party in a transaction. This means you and your advertiser is getting charged 12.5% Potentially this could be millions, since most places just take a percentage from your cut. They are taking your cut and some money from your advertisers. So it works out to a 25% cut total they are getting. This sounds more like it from a third-party company.

Now they operate completely different than other companies since they are based on points not cash. However for cash you buy more points! You get automatically 2,000 for signing up. That’s a nice bonus. If you cash out its $0.61 for 1,000 points. They have a minimum of 150,000 daily point transfers. This means there is a daily limit of transferring $91.50 to your paypal account. Thats not a bad daily average if you can gain 150,000 points a day! Their minimum is a $5 payout which is about 9,000 points.

TNX is really simple to use once you figure out the points system. Their toolbar is really simple. Add site, get codes, sell your points. How simple can it get? For publishers, the sidebar includes easy access to their code which all you need to do is paste into your site theme for their ads to appear. Their code is available in php or perl. You have your choice. If it is wordpress then we do recommend you use PHP. They also have experimental codes for ASP and ASPX.

Now this site is a great idea, it definitely changes the way ads are done. However the one draw back I’ve found to their system is the site calculator. For me it doesn’t work properly. I have a very popular blog my links sell like hotcakes and according to their site with the way they sell their links I’m expected to have $0 income. This doesn’t look so hot for me. Based on an income calculator that is what normally drives me to either sign up with a company or ditch the company. My links normally sell at $150 direct, so I make a pretty penny of of them. This site operates based on how many pages of yours have been page ranked. However, it’s not a perfected system but they are still new so there is always time to fix any bugs.

I definitely say maximizing your earning potential is key, and testing out companies is the only way you can figure out where your best money making potential is. I am always testing out new programs and figuring out the good and the bad. You should too. Granted their calculator may not be accurate but their company has a lot of earning potential for a lot of websites.

This sponsored review was researched and written by Team Member Amanda of PJMommy. If you’d like a thorough unbiased product or service review, please consider advertising here and contact us today!

PJMommy’s September Blog Earning Report $5100

Ponn Sabra — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:32:34 +0000

Previous earnings reports by Amanda are here (July ~$3100) with her follow-up general how-to post here. See blogging got her out of her day-job to blog full-time at home as of early September! Congrats Amanda! Again, I’m SO glad she’s on my Team…are you ready to have her on yours yet!?

I posted this on another blog ibakesaleblog.com prematurely. Just after I posted it I earned another $200 on ReviewMe with last minute purchases. So I apologize this is different amount. But this is the correct amount!

Direct Advertisement: $2300

Text Link Brokers: $336

Text Link Ads: $634

BlogRush by John Reese – Review

Ponn Sabra — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 11:56:44 +0000

BlogRush by John Reese. Will this ~~little~~ Big, Clunky Widget Bring More Traffic to Your Blog?

Short-answer: Yes. Long-answer will detail below. But…before you loose more potential traffic, since the BlogRush craze was supposedly going on all weekend, proceed with the simple “How-To Register” instructions below first!

1. Click Here to Register for your Free BlogRush account.

2. Yes, John Reese, a mega-guru Internet Marketer would not let down of a Viral Buzz opportunity…so, I immediately referred 5 of my Team Members directly to get a personal email recommendation.

If they join BlogRush from the special invitation link we will send them they will be credited to your account as a referral.

3. Submit Your Name, Email addy, Blog name, RSS feed, 1 category for which best describes your blog.

When the “Code” page pops up there were some major highlights below:

It’s very important that you add this code to your blog ASAP so you don’t miss out on any potential referrals that will see the BlogRush widget and click on it to learn more!

*** We highly recommend you make a blog post on your blog to tell others how you have joined BlogRush — and make sure to link to BlogRush using your direct link so you will be credited if anyone signs up from following your links!

Remember: It is estimated that more than 20% of blog readers are also bloggers!

P.S. If you need a bit more hand-holding, go click on the “Help” Tab and there lists 4 Camtasia “How-To Install to WordPress, Blogger, Movable Type, & TypePad blog” videos!

4. YOUR STATS WILL START DISPLAYING WITHIN 24-48 HOURS.

Will BlogRush give us more traffic?

1. Yes, here’s how BlogRush will give you more traffic (hypothetically): The links (almost exactly like Blog Networks), pulls your content via your RSS Feed, will be displayed on the widget of other blogs that are listed under neath the same 1 category, you chose.

The more blogs listed, the more blogs you can potentially be listed on for others to see your Blog Name & Present BlogPost title. Yes! So, work on those titles–for better click-through, baby!

To encourage others to be listed and start this viral BlogRush of traffic and potential exposure for your blog, those registered are given a referral code for you to sign-up under, here’s my link.

Yes, it’s free to register and free to promote.

By promoting your referral link, you get “credits” instead of affiliate-money, ten-tiers/people-deep instead of 1 or 2-tiers/people-deep.

So, Ponn refers Jan, I get 1 credit (hypothetical #s, because I can not find the credit-breakdown anywhere) [Issue #1].

Jan refers Sue. Jan gets 1 credit, but Ponn gets 1 credit too.

The more credits you join…what happens? Dude, I don’t know!

More opportunities to be listed on more blogs? More priority listings on the widget itself (since mine is now 5 links)? I don’t know. [Issue #2]

So, why am I doing it and recommending you to do the same? Simply because we will *not* know its outcome if we do *not* try, test & track!

And, might as well get those credits while we can, right?

2. The Internet Marketing Craze, that I obviously joined…I just opened my emailbox and got 3 emails, saying sorry for the “Weekend Interruption” from my mentor Yaro Starak who strategically gave his referral code 1st (ha! as I followed suit)…then, directed me to his full review. I’d rather lose a couple of referrals than re-produce a thorough review like his

Also, below his email were 2 others…and that’s my “affiliate emailbox”…I didn’t even check my paypal/subscriptions emailbox!

So, I just hafta follow suit. At least to try–right?

WARNING: This is *not* a Magic-Traffic Widget! People will actually have to “click” on this big-clunky “I-don’t-agree-with-all-the-links-they’ve-displayed-thusfar” widget!

But, it was just released, so the BlogRush network is small. So, join now and help the “Business” Category (or whatever category you’re in) publish better Blog News!

Remember, it’s important to try new and current Internet Marketing techniques. Afterall, this is the Beta “testing” phase.

3. Beta-Phase:

Hmm…I was just hopped back to the site to report where the “help/comment/suggestions” box/email was…and well, that’s comment/suggestion/recommendation/Issue #3 in my book!

I just checked my “registered” email, and no “welcome autorespondence” yet either…[Issue #4]

Aww–maybe everyone is TOO busy marketing this thang; simply because of the name attached: John Reese, and the Promises it holds.

In my book, as with all Internet Branding/Marketing techniques–customer service, consistency, and testing/tracking must be adhered to first!

Hmmm….just my humble opinions on a sunny, cold, crisp can’t-wait-for-my-1st-NorthEast-autumn-back-home Sunday

Want to learn more about Working with WordPress? Wanna share WordPress Tips?

Ponn Sabra — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 06:13:13 +0000

Please welcome my newest addition to EmpowerWomenNow.com ==>

You know, I’m so-not-the-techie-chick, right!?

Like urgh—html, css, code this & that…like totally blows me away! It doesn’t scare me, nor intimidate me…it just does NOT interest me one ittzy bit!

Anyways, so why would I just jump at the opportunity to purchase a “tech” blog!?

Key word = “opportunity”!

Okay…so I talk about David Krug’s flipping blog story, right?

I was in real estate helping investors flip? So, here I am “brokering” another deal. For me and all those who chose to participate in what I envision a totally-rockin’ opportunity![ <== Yes, that's a live-link! Click it to find out what your rockin' opportunity may be!]

1. WordPress is the most recommended blogging platform

2. Many website owners of traditional static pages are turning to contact management systems and everyone recommends WordPress

3. While you can pay to get a great unique WordPress theme or layout–why? With so many free template sites available, and bloggers eager to teach you how to do it yourself, why not just customize your very own blog yourself–or hire us?

So, while Eve was so good at what she does…she loved blogging and lost time because she was so busy doing for others…so I willfully bought it from her.

Did I mention she’s also a Proud Blog Mastermind Mentee, and I found this awesome deal–even my Team quoted a price 10-times (not a lie) the price I paid [Talk spotting an opportunity and grabbing it! And, our transaction occurred while I was on bed-rest--and her post went un-answered for 2 or 3 days, before I saw it--surprised it was still available].

Lesson Learned: Don’t wait when you see a good opportunity. Have faith, trust your business-gut-feeling and go for it!

Okay, so back to my questions:

1. Want to learn more about Working with WordPress?

Start posting all your questions, concerns, comments below–or better yet find a post ov’r yonder, and I’ll work hard to get your questions answered–directly in dedicated posts to WordPressReWorked.com

2. Wanna share your WordPress Customization Tips? Tool? How-To’s? Step-by-step guides?

Love to rework, work-on or customize WordPress themes?

Are you a tech-chick (or dude) and not busy enough with service orders?

Love to get more WordPress gigs, but hate the client-management, negotiating prices, blah blah?

Then, contact me today and apply for my opened positions! A full job listing went up on ProBlogger’s Job Board just now.

For your convenience, I’ve copied & pasted the full job posting below as well:

WordPressReworked.com is looking for a WordPress Bloggers & Designers

Category: Corporate/Business

Description
WordPressReWorked.com is a blog solely dedicated to Re-Working WordPress templates and themes. We offer everything from plugin instillations, custom header designs, to designing a complete custom theme for you.

Our Goal at WordPress Reworked is to become a multi-blogger/WordPress-Reworker resource center that offers the latest and most affordable tips, tools and services to help you rework your WordPress blog, and/or hire us to help you along the way!

- We will continue our tradition of hosting at least one free WordPress Reworked design each month (which each blogger must agree to offer).

This is a paid position so posts cannot be duplicated anywhere else on the web, including your own website/blog.

The applicant should preferably
* Have been writing on the internet for more than a year
* Have a portfolio of WordPress template design/customization, plugin installation, headers, logos, etc.
* Please provide at least 3 writing samples and 3 design samples. Referencing your own blog is acceptable.

Ideally, I’d love to see this site grow to host multiple bloggers/designers.

At present, one blogger couldn’t handle all the work load (too many service orders), and her posts were minimal (2 times a week).

I’m looking for 2-3 dedicated bloggers/designers committed to:
a. writing at least twice a week,
b. at least 2 of the 8 posts will display and describe your WordPress-ReWorked theme assignment (building your portfolio on the blog), and
c. offer one free design to our monthly contest.

Authors will be paid upon completion of assigned work via paypal. I offer a very nice referral-split that will depend on experience and quality of articles & work. [P.S. Take a look at our Services & Pricing page for an idea.]

P.S. Yes, I finally made it safely to CT…but, still searchin’ for a place called “home”l so guest posts will continue to grace our pages

Are You Missing Out in Some Extra Personalized Empowerment Tips & Specials?

Ponn Sabra — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 18:34:41 +0000

I have but a quick sec. since I’m in transit right now.

But, here:

1. If you are not signed-up for my “Empower ME Now Tips” eNewsletter AKA “eBranding eTips”, you best sign-up now!

I give 1-2 personalized emails (ezines each month) with an unique articles filled with personal and biz empowerment tips & most importantly Special to help you as a person and as a Small Biz Owner.

Since August’s edition already went out today. If you sign-up now, or in the future, just drop me a line, and ask for August’s edition, K?

Important News: Our PRWeb.com $200 FREE Premium Press Release Partnership IS ending soon! Like sometime in September, so plezzzz hop online now, sign-up, and tell all your friends & colleagues! When? I’m trying hard to extend our End-Date!

2. I can’t promise you anything…as Yaro’s system is based on his Australian time…but, come September 1, 2007–he will NEVER host anymore $47/month specials for Blog Mastermind Mentoring with anyone–so No More “Ponn Special”. So, if you wanna see if you can get in on our 24-hour offer than ended earlier this week…please contact me, and beg, plea, explain yourself WHY it took you so long to respond! Maybe, just Maybe, Yaro will do US more teeny-tiny more favor!

3. Please say some prayers for a safe move back East, for a quick-find for much needed Specialists…I was crowned with the “disabled” label through all my tests…and well…life goes on!

Disempowered? NO WAY!

See you–from the East Coast Home Sweet Home…mountains, ocean, hills, autumn bloom…oh, a dream come true…

4. With family support, babysitting from semi-retired parents (Gramma & Papa), if I owe YOU some work, joint venture etc. I pray that I can complete everything within 2-weeks…and wean back to daily posts, with TONS of juicy unique Internet Branding tips, tools & resources!

Peace & Prosperity my friend!

Blog Monetization by Lead Generation

Ponn Sabra — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:29:57 +0000

This is an awesome article written by Robert Regehr, who blogs about Mortgage Refinancing.

I found this awesome Customer Value Chain Diagram from Flickr, that shows Lead Generation as the critical starting point! The notes under this image available here states “Understanding the value chain as it applies to lead management. Not only is lead management the critical connectivity between lead generation and CRM, but it is also the secures the efficiency and economy across important value transitions where customers, leads, or revenue is typically lost. “

Lead generation is one of the most profitable methods of monetizing your blog. Lead generation isn’t limited to niche blogs in the financial sector; you’d be surprised how easy it is to generate leads in almost any niche. Here are several tips to help you decide if lead generation is appropriate for your blog and strategies to help get your feet wet in the lucrative field of online lead generation.

What is Internet Lead Generation?

Lead generation is not new; it’s been around for years before the Internet existed in the form of direct mail marketing. Lead generation has evolved since the advent of Internet marketing and it has become a highly profitable business model that even the most novice blogger can profit from. That’s right, any blogger can benefit from lead generation, with just about any topic.

So, what is lead generation? It is simply matching your visitor’s interest in a product or service with a business capable of satisfying their needs. Suppose that I blog about cars and I’ve written a detailed article about a Ford Mustang convertible. I get a fair about of search engine traffic from people searching for information about Ford Mustangs, and I feel like I’m giving my visitors quality content. As a reader of my blog I’m interested in purchasing a Ford Mustang and in this example I’m probably willing to give my contact information to get more information about the car. This is the basics of what lead generation is all about.

Types of Internet Lead Generation

There are two basic types of lead generation you need to be aware of. These two types are leads that are incentivized and those that are un-incentivized. An incentivized lead is generated by offering people something tangible in return for their information. You’ve seen these offers online where you can register to win an IPod in exchange for taking a survey or signing up for a sales pitch. Most businesses do not want their leads incentivized as the quality of these leads is very low. As a blogger you’re interested in generating un-incentivized leads as these are not only more profitable but represent a legitimate and sustainable business model. [Hey, I'm Proud of my unique partnerships, and promote my incentives big-time! Especially since these joint ventures don't last for long. Also, note, I'm a "unique" case with unique circumstances with 0% unsubscriptions. You can too, with my tips here!]

Lead Generation Methods for Bloggers

The most basic, albeit least profitable method of generating leads with your blog is to register with one of the big CPA networks like Commission Junction. CPA stands for “cost per action” and basically means that you get paid a set amount every time someone clicks on your link and fills out a form. When you register with these networks you’ll be provided a unique hyperlink that you can imbed in your content. When visitors to your blog click on your link and goes on to enter their contact information, you’ll get paid whether they make a purchase or not. This is the great thing about lead generation; your success is not dependent on someone reaching for their wallet and making a purchase. [I'm a member of Commission Junction, and half-dozen others. But, they all well...read the next paragraph!]

Brokering Lead for Yourself

A much more profitable business model to follow as a blogger is to broker leads for yourself. While this takes considerably more effort, the rewards can be equally great. Lead brokering means that you are collecting information from your visitors related to your niche and selling leads to local businesses for a commission. There’s a high demand for quality leads in most niches; in fact most businesses are crying out for quality leads. If you can help meet this need you are not only profiting from your blogging you’re building a future-proof, sustainable business.

Lead brokering is easier than it sounds. You are basically identifying a need that your blog readers have, providing quality content, and collecting contact information for your leads. Once you’ve identified this need you can approach businesses to sell your leads. You can do this with local business in your hometown or nationwide depending on the service and reach of your content. How do you approach a business with an offer to sell leads? The simplest way is to call them up on the telephone. You’ll find the person you need to pitch with your offer. Trade magazines and classified newspapers are also valuable sources for business. Look at the advertisements in these publications and you’ll know what the businesses are looking for in potential customers.

How Do You Collect Your Leads?

The simplest way to collect leads on your blog is to use an auto responder service. Aweber is an ideal choice for bloggers because it allows you to define custom fields for your lead generation. Aweber also allows you to export this information that you will provide to the businesses purchasing your leads. There are legal issues you’ll need to address before generating leads with your blog and a good privacy policy is a must. Whenever you’re dealing with other people’s contact information it is important to fully disclose what you’re doing with the information. [I use wahmcart. It's cheaper (with unlimited # of campaigns), and a shoppingcart/autoresponder "lead generattion" tool all-in-one. You can try it for 14-days for #1. P.S. I bought the 6-month special; dozens of buckeroos less than aWeber ].

Lead generation isn’t difficult and is a monetization strategy that just about any blog can profit from. If you’re struggling with finding the best monetization strategy for your blog consider generating leads related to your niche. You can find advanced lead generation strategies and lead buyer contacts online by searching internet marketing forums and related blogs.

Please share some link-love, thoughts, concerns, issues, and questions below for Robert and/or I to attend to. This is the beginning of Guest Blogger series, as I’m desperately trying to get from Ohio to Connecticut during this week. Also…I am not well these days, I had 2 brain-pain-attacks this weekend alone…and well, I need tons of self-empowerment and faith to lead me and my girlz. Much thanks for awesome contribution Robert!

Podcast #1: Interview with Yaro Starak of Blog Mastermind

Ponn Sabra — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:04:44 +0000

Big News! After our recording Yaro and I worked out a “Ponn’s Special” so You can get in to Blog Mastermind Mentoring for *only* $47/month (present price $77/month) for the next 24-hours only; click here for details!

Yippee! Here’s my very 1st Podcast Show Numero-Uno–and well…listen to it…call me biased, but it Rocks!

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To get a full-transcript of this particular podcast, sign-up for our dedicated mailing list here. Also, you can learn how You can get a professionally-edited and personalized-voice-over work done there too. Last, this podcast was made possible via AudioAcrobat.

Welcome my colleague, friend and mentor Yaro Starak, the Founder/Owner of Entrepreneurs-Journey.com , SmallBusinessBlog.com , BlogMastermind.com , BlogTrafficKing.com .

We broke down our 59-minute podcast into reader scenarios into 2 categories:

Using blogs as an Intregal Medium for Internet Branding & Marketing.
Reasons why Advanced Bloggers (“professional bloggers”, or those who have been blogging for 3-5 years and not making full-time income via multiple-passive affiliate marketing) should consider joining Blog Mastermind.

Important Links discussed in this podcast:

- Why I’m Yaro’s #1 Fan? Read my Blog Mastermind Review here & his Blog Profits Blueprint eBook here!

- Direct Advertising on EmpowerWomenNow.com

- SponsoredReviews.com

- Text Link Ads

- ClickBank.com

- Show your proud membership to Blog Mastermind via these customized buttons & banners today!

- Wanna have a podcast edited, with voice-over work and blah…blah…like me? Read more here!

Some Blog Internet Branding & Marketing Tips:

If you (as an entrepreneur) are time-poor, yet resource-rich (such as have virtual assistants, a virtual Team working for you); you still need to adhere to the 2-parts of running a successful and profitable Internet Branded-Blog:

Unique Pillar Content (Internet Branded Voice, Tone & Written Expertise) + Multile Communication Channels (Internet Marketing methods)

For great writers (bloggers with great content and a ton of it!) but don’t have enough traffic: need mutliple means of internet marketing strategies! AKA “communication channels” that Yaro teaches in Blog Mastermind. He begins to share the ideas in his Blog Profits Blueprint eBook. Or take a look at the multiple series I’ve mastered the Art of Online Press Releases, Online Networking, Social Media, etc.

Great blog posts for service providers: Provide proof, case studies, white papers, show statistics, as a means to advertise your specialized services and success.

You need a very clear sales funnel process! Filters in clients using as much free information as possible. Optin ezines are your 1st point of contact.

Don’t know what a Sales Funnel Is? Yaro wrote a great series here:

The Sales Funnel Series

Are you an Organic Family? Then, contact me for OrganicFamilyBlog.com! –Yay, I could *not* let that *great* tip slip by me Yes, the scenario is a “true story” and is a girl-friend, but–I don’t know if I can get her up and running since I’m leaving Toledo, Ohio this week and she knows *nothing* about the internet!

What is Recurrsive Affiliate Marketing? Blog Mastermind Membership is a perfect example. By being an affiliate, you get on-going “recurrsive” affiliate paychecks each month, and every month for the lifetime that one particular “referred” member is a member of that particular “subscription” membership.

Testing and Tracking is the *key* to successful blog monetinzation! Yes Baby! It’s ALL Up to You! Your readers & Your direct involvement! But, do you know what to test? What’s worthy to track? What comes first the content or the marketing?

Internet Marketing vs. Blogger–There’s no need to figure out if you’re one or the other *anymore*. You can be both–via Blog Mastermind MindSet! Yaro Starak is the first and/or only one who has completely “mastered” this method and system!

You need to have your own niche! You have to know your own target market! You have to have your own Internet Brand to build an Authority Online Resource Center which just happens to be fueled by a blog platform on WordPress. Finding your core competencies, your expertise, your unique selling proposition is your “key” to finding your home online!

August was a “big” month for Yaro at Blog Mastermind, introducing his staff of 5. Debuted a “trial-run” Advanced eLessons, “invite-only”.

Blog Mastermind is 2-fold:

Those who want to get into the game of blogging: A-Zed. Starting off with installing a blog into WordPress.
Business systems. You need to commit into the “Journey”, *not* the end-results. You need a mentor/system and make use of all the resources available to you. No need to sit back passively.

So whaddya think!? Plezzz comment large & small! What did you like? Not like? Too advanced? Too long? Want a follow-up podcast? Are my notes helpful? Will you subscribe to get the full transcript to read?