Missy Ward

Choosing the Right WordPress Hosting For Your Blog

by Missy Ward

This post originally appeared on itsaWAHMthing.com, where I regularly contribute articles about affiliate marketing, productivity and technology tips for small businesses and work at home moms.

Choosing a host for your new WordPress blog probably isn't your highest priority in the early stages of development, but it shouldn't be taken lightly. Your hosting provider has a big influence on the performance of your blog and, at the end of the day is in total control of your blog's destiny.

Why Free Hosting Sucks

The most critical piece of advice that I share with every new blogger I know is to Never Use Free Hosting. While the lure of “free” is tempting, there are inherent drawbacks that will severely hamper your ability to grow your audience including limited space, questionable uptime, non-search-engine-friendly pages, unwanted banner or popup advertising, ugly templates, the possibility of the host closing it's doors and you losing all your content forever… and a whole lot more. Read more “Choosing the Right WordPress Hosting For Your Blog” →

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Affiliate Marketing

When Should You Start Monetizing a New Blog?

by Missy Ward

This question came in on AskMissyWard.com. Got an affiliate marketing question? Ask away and I'll answer it as time permits.

“I recently started a new blog featuring kitchen-tested vegan recipes and post both great dishes and the disasters. Ideally, I'd like to cover the costs of running the blog – hosting, my email newsletter, etc. and it would honestly be great if I could make some money out of it. I was planning on giving affiliate marketing a shot after sitting in on part your training day during Affiliate Summit East 2012. Can you let me know your thoughts on when I should start monetizing a new blog?” – Michelle

Hey Michelle,

There are two schools of thought on this subject. Below are the pros and cons of both philosophies.

Build Your Blog First, Monetize Later

Pro: Some bloggers believe that the reader’s focus will be drawn to content rather than ads which may build a stronger audience faster.

Con: You'll constantly be trying to figure out that perfect moment where you should start monetizing.
Con: You might underestimate the value of your traffic and leave all that money on the table.
Con: You might have to go through a blog redesign to include space for ads that you didn't account for when starting your blog.
Con: You may realize that your readers are not buyers. They'll love all of your recipes, but won't buy that Rachel Ray cookware you may be trying to sell.

Monetize Your Blog from the Start

Pro: Between the hard costs associated with running your blog plus the time you're spending doing it, isn't some money better than no money?
Pro: You can incorporate space for ads immediately, rather than having to redesign later.
Pro: Your readers will have a consistent experience from day one, rather than questioning your motives the day you decide to monetize your content
Pro: Learning what works early on can increase potential income down the road. (What products sell, where are my best ad placements on my site, which ad serving platform works best for me)

Con: New blogs less likely to make significant money without having traffic.
Con: Finding advertisers can be more difficult as some require you to have a certain traffic level before they'll allow you into their affiliate program.

I subscribe to the “Monetize Your Blog from the Start” because it's rarely my intent to create a blog or website that won't generate revenue.

Let me know what you wind up doing!

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For the Entrepreneur

Using Craigslist to Market Your WAHM Business

by Missy Ward

This post originally appeared on itsaWAHMthing.com, where I regularly contribute articles about affiliate marketing, productivity and technology tips for small businesses and work at home moms.

As a WAHM, you likely already know that marketing your home based business can be challenging sometimes. You need to share the product or service you offer without spending a ton of money. Plus, you want marketing tools that are easy to use and target customers near your home.

Beyond business cards, a social media presence or an online shop, have you considered Craigslist? This site offers you an affordable, easy and convenient advertising tool for your home business.

Why Choose Craigslist for your WAHM Business?

Every day, nearly 10 million visitors check out the ads on Craigslist. Located in over 300 communities, Craigslist offers free advertising for your business. To get started, follow four easy steps.

1. Choose a Category

Because Craigslist doesn’t allow users to post in more than one category, decide where your product or service fits best. For example, if you bake cakes, consider posting in the “for sale” or under “services.”

The category you choose is as important as the geographical region. You might be tempted to reach a larger audience by posting an ad in a big city. Remember, though, that Craigslist is primarily for face-to-face meetings. Site administrators might flag and remove your ad if you post it in an area outside of your hometown.

2. Grab Attention with the Headline

With the category in mind and limited space to make a good first impression, you’ll need to be creative with your headline. Try to write a headline that would grab a reader’s attention. You will also want to be as detailed as possible. “Decorated Occasion Cakes by —” is better than “Decorated Cakes.”

3. Write a Clear Ad

After you capture attention with the headline, write a clear ad. In addition to information like who, what, where and when, include other details.

Accurate description
Price
Photos
Contact information including your web site, business email address or phone number

While you want to include as much detail as possible, remember to keep the ad short and simple. To-the-point ads share necessary information without overwhelming the reader. Use short sentences and paragraphs, proper grammar and spelling, and descriptive language.

Ads do expire so track the renewal date. You’ll also want to avoid posting duplicate ads. Within a 48-hour period, post an ad only once. Multiple listings that sound similar or include similar language and information could attract a flag for site misuse.

4. Utilize Forums

Ads give you free advertising, but did you know that the forums are the most trafficked area of Craigslist? Use this popular venue to build your brand and share your business.

Reply to comments
Start new and positive threads
Introduce yourself and your products or services

Forums also help you communicate with potential buyers. As you use good manners and post applicable replies, remember that anyone using the forum is a potential customer.

Are you ready to promote your work at home business on Craigslist? Take advantage of the free advertising with four easy steps. As you post ads, choose the correct category in a location near your hometown. Write engaging headlines and short accurate descriptions. Include contact information, and get ready to invite new customers to your work from home business!

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Affiliate Marketing

Five Common Mistakes that Affiliate Managers Make

by Missy Ward

Affiliate management professionals are constantly testing out new theories and strategies to improve current recruitment practices and achieve greater efficiency in their efforts. Unfortunately, many affiliate managers may be doing more bad than good with these efforts, while others might simply be adhering to standards of recruitment that are counterproductive to their goals.

Affiliate Management Mistakes With that in mind, here are five common mistakes that affiliate managers make. By recognizing the potential for your own management practices to fall into one of these ruts, you can take a proactive approach toward steering your management in the right direction — and getting more economy out of your recruiting efforts. Read more “Five Common Mistakes that Affiliate Managers Make” →

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