Free Guide to Starting an Online Business

There’s a lot of information out there about starting an online business, but it can be quite confusing. Here’s a step-by-step guide that shows you what do – starting from the very beginning. Learn what types of businesses you can start and how much time and money might be involved. Learn how to get your first website up and running and how you can get marketing guidance along the way.

You can download your complimentary “A Step-By-Step Guide to Choosing & Starting Your Own Online Business” guide here:
CLICK HERE

I hope you enjoy it!
Nicole

Web Content Awareness Day - Feb 9th

Imagine if All the Right People Knew About You?

Time to tell the Web... you're a Stellar Content Provider too.

Join us for the First Ever Web Content Awareness Day on FEB 9.
Get inside secrets, content creation tips and free downloads from Top Marketers at http://WebContentAwarenessDay.com

Sneak peek: attend the Countdown to WCAD Blog "preview party" and learn
how you can ride our wave of high web traffic.

http://wordfeeder.typepad.com/web_content_awareness_day/

WCAD Loves Nicole Dean! Nicole, thanks for helping us kick off the first ever holiday for amazing web marketers like you. :)

My Affiliate Program Doesn't Stink!

If you're listed in the "good affiliate" program list at http://FreeAffiliateArticles.com , you may proudly show off this button.

Criteria include --
Providing training and tools for your affiliates and valuing your affiliates. Anything less and ... you STINK! ;)

Nicole

Featured Writers at LadyPens.com

Meet the first five featured writers at LadyPens.com

Stacie Mahoe - All About Fastpitch
Nell Taliercio - Telecommuting Expert & Affiliate Marketer
Kelly McCausey - WAHM Talk Radio
Carrie Lauth - Natural Mom
Annette Yen - Direct Sales Success Story

Would you like to be a featured writer at LadyPens.com? Check out the details here -
http://www.free-ebooksonline.com/featuredwriter-lp.htm

I hope to receive many many submissions.
:) Nicole

Mom - Take some time to De-Stress

With the start of a new year, it's time to pamper yourself.

Here are some of the ideas I've gathered over time.

Romance on a Budget - Love is Patient. Love is Kind. Love is CHEAP!

Cheap Romantic Meals - Cheap Meals for a Romantic Evening.

Home Facial Recipes - When money is tight, but your pores are not! ;)

Foot Soak Recipe - Oh, my aching feet.

Free Bath Salt Recipes - These are always so inexpensive and heavenly.

More Frugal Spa Ideas - Submitted by Moms

More are coming soon. I hope you enjoy these!
Nicole

Have you seen Squidoo?

Squidoo is a new.. .interesting concept.

Here's my Squidoo "LENS", although I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing with it yet -
http://www.squidoo.com/nicoledean

Here's some information from their FAQ -

1. WHAT'S A LENS?

A lens is one person's (lensmaster's) view on a topic he cares about. More specifically, a lens is a single web page filled with information and links that point to other web pages, to continually updated RSS feeds, or to relevant advertising. It's a place to start, not finish.

It appears this will be growing pretty quickly. You can add multiple lenses about any topics you are interested in. And, they'll help you grow traffic or to establish your expertise.

So, go squidoo and check it out. Also, it looks like there will be monetization options in the near future with their business model. It's free to join and they say it always will be.

I hope you enjoy it!
Nicole

Awesome Featured Women Writers!

We're featuring the awesome women at www.LadyPens.com!

Check them out here -
The LadyPens Writers!

The first three are Annette Yen, Carrie Lauth, and Kelly McCausey -- three of my favorite people. :)

Soon, we'll open the Featured Authors to all members of LadyPens. I'm just ironing out the questions and answers process right now.

If you have any questions you'd like asked, please let me know.

More coming soon.
Nicole

Online Business Ideas for Kids

Many parents would love to see their kids start their own business and would love the opportunity to foster their child's entrepreneurial spirit. If you're a parent and have been interested in getting your kids involved, but thought it was too expensive or that your child would lose interest in the project, I have found a great free guide to help you.

This guide, written by Alice Seba, who has been teaching people to start inexpensive and fun online businesses since 2002, has created "A Parent's Getting Started Guide: Your Guide to Helping Your Children Start an Inexpensive & Fun Business Online"

You can download your complimentary guide here:
http://www.free-ebooksonline.com/books/ibfparentsguidepdf.pdf

Have you been thinking of starting a website, but you're terrified
of all that technical stuff? I understand.
Here's a great option --
http://www.internetbasedfamily.com/?offer=EasySite
It takes 5 minutes to build a website with this service -- Seriously! And, there's a free 10 day trial to see for yourself just how easy it is.

And, if you are looking for offline business ideas for kids, I've started compiling ideas here -
from face painting to tutoring to baby sitting and more -
www.showmomthemoney.com/business_kids_teens/ideas.htm

Dear Affiliate Manager, Women are from Venus

Dear Affiliate Manager, Women are from Venus by Nicole Dean

Question: My target market is women, and I’m having a hard time getting them to promote my products. They just seem unmotivated. I don’t get it. Does my affiliate program stink or am I recruiting bad affiliates?

Dear Affiliate Manager:

This just goes back to basic psychology. Women and men value different things.

Car salesmen are taught this in their training. When a husband and wife walk into a car showroom, the car salesman will face the husband when he talks about things like … horsepower and engine stuff. Then, he’ll turn to the wife and talk about safety and color options. Is this condescending? Yes. But, it’s also effective. My eyes glaze over when it comes to horsepower, but I want to know what I’m going to look like in my car! Sunroof? Radio? Now we’re talking.

So, what does this have to do with your affiliate program? Simple. Although I can’t speak for all women, obviously, I can tell you the things I value in an affiliate program.

Quality. I value my newsletter subscribers and am building a relationship with them. (According to recent studies, women go online to find relationships and support.) If your product or service is junk, then you could offer me 99% commission with a 99% conversion rate and I’m still not going to sell it to my visitors.

Affordability. I can’t promote a product that I, myself, would not buy. If you’re overpriced for what you offer, I can not promote your products to my subscribers.

Dollars and Cents. Of course money is a factor. It’s just not the #1 factor, as you may be surprised to know. 20% commission vs. 40% -- I’m not as concerned about that as I am the other items in this list.

Tools: Yes, tools. This is really big, and so few affiliate managers “get it”. I think I’ve finally pinpointed why this is such a big thing (at least for me). This scenario happens way too often: I find a product I am really excited about and I eagerly sign up for their affiliate program. I log in so I can start telling everyone I know about this great product or service. I can’t wait to see what they have in the “links” section. Will there be articles, or a rebrandable e-book maybe? Or even an informative video? It’s like Christmas morning… what will I find? And, then it the affiliate section opens and there’s one measly link and a button.

My initial gut reaction is “They’re not even trying!” And now, I don’t feel valued or motivated in the least bit. You just succeeded in turning your biggest fan into someone who stuck a lousy button on her page and knows it’s not going to sell at all.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s the affiliate’s job to sell. Yes, you’re right. As an affiliate, I know that writing reviews and recommendations is the best way to sell a product. No doubt about it. All I’m saying is that you’ve got to give us at least an indicator that you’re interested in building a working ‘relationship’.

Is it hokey to want a relationship with an Affiliate Manager? Yes. It is. But, I can tell you that any affiliate program where I get some attention and appreciation is going to get a lot more loyalty from me than an Affiliate Manager who sits on the couch drinking beer and watching football while I’m running around working my butt off... (Hmmm.... did I say that?)

So, yes, women are from Venus. You can decide to embrace it and reap the rewards, or ignore it and wonder why your affiliates aren’t motivated. It’s your choice. As an affiliate, I’m challenging you to embrace this information and run with it.

Nicole Dean is on a mission to find a few good affiliate programs. She’s found a handful of programs that don’t stink. Check them out at
http://www.freeaffiliatearticles.com/free-affiliate-programs.htm and be sure
to grab some Free Affiliate Articles while you're there.


Article Source: www.ladypens.com

Your Affiliate Program Stinks!

How can you tell? Find out here -
Affiliate Programs that Don't Suck!

I'm on a rampage with Affiliate Managers right now. I'm tired of signing up for affiliate programs that don't work with their New Affiliates. A little training, and a few tools wouldn't kill them. ;)

I had a lot of fun writing this article. I hope you have fun reading it.
Nicole

Free Reprint Articles that can Make You Money

Yep, she's at it again. ;)

We all know Content is King (or Queen) and that article directories are a great way to get content for your website or blog.

But, you have to include those darned author bios in every article. Every time someone clicks on that resource box, you lose traffic.

I've searched the web for affiliate programs that provide articles for your use. So, they aren't leaky anymore.

Read more here...
http://www.freeaffiliatearticles.com/

I hope it proves valuable for finding monetized content..
I'm adding more in the next few days, so come back often.
Nicole

Happy 2006! What will you make of it?!

Happy New Year! I am recovering from a GREAT celebration last night. A little too much bubbly, but other than that, it was a great way to start 2006.

I am really excited about this year. Are you? Do you feel passionate and eager about having a fresh start? Are you setting new goals and planning ways to achieve them? Do you feel in your bones a sense of excitement that this year your business is going to reach new heights?

I hope so. If not, then I hope you'll take a second look at what you're doing and figure out where your true passion lies or what you can do to reclaim your excitement. You deserve to be excited about your business, and look forward every day to another opportunity to share your product or design more webpages or recruit more team members. I know I run to my computer every morning! Do you?

As usual, I have some new freebies and information for you. Enjoy!

First of all, if you haven't signed up for the ecourse on growing your newsletter list, then I hope you will. It's at

NEWSLETTER TIPS AND ADVICE

Newsletters (aka List building) is an important part of making money and keeping happy customers. There is a right way and a VERY wrong way to communicate with your list. Are you growing a list of people who look forward to getting your emails or are they just clicking the 'delete' button?

I also need to share with you something that is really impacting my business. I hear of new products every day that I could offer you and I skip most of them. I don't tell you about products that I don't personally use -- or have highly recommended by a handful of my very picky and much respected friends.

Well, there's a new program that I signed up for and I've gotta tell you that I'm more excited about this than I have been about anything recently. And, the thing is that it's super-cheap (which I know we all appreciate).

If your business is online -- if you have a website or blog and are trying to make money, then please take a look at this program. I'm definitely sold. In the 48 hours since I've joined, I have had SO many ideas spinning through my head that I can't even grasp them all.

If you can give up one family trip to McDonald's each month, then this program is paid for and your business will benefit.

Here's the scoop - LIST & TRAFFIC

Now, because I like to be completely honest with you, then I want to say -- who should NOT sign up for this program.

If you are brand new to online business and want hand-holding, then don't sign up for the course, yet. It is a self-taught course, with videos and audios, and, although there is a forum, it's not for someone just starting out.

So, for you, I'd recommend this ebook written by my good friend -

101 FREE AND LOW COST MARKETING IDEAS

It's a better, less overwhelming starting point for someone brand-new to online business. :)

A lot of people have been asking me what hosting I recommend. Here are my favorite programs that I use - START A WEBSITE

Also, I wanted to let you know that I'm having a contest on LadyPens.com -- a Race to 10,000 articles. Check it out here - LADY PENS CONTEST

And, before I overwhelm you, I have two last things....

Feel free to claim these twenty-five free articles that you can use on your website or blog (except you can't submit them to article directories). - FREE ARTICLES

AND - I have many new free ebooks available at FREE EBOOKS -- many of them will be brandable (coming in the next few days) so you can MAKE MONEY by giving them away. Hold your horses... more info on this coming soon.

Are you excited about the new year now? I know I sure am! Feel free to pass this message on to your friends. The more, the merrier.

I look forward to reaching new heights in 2006 with you.

Nicole

PS. Don't forget to check out Jimmy D. Brown's program if you're interested. I promise you it'll knock your socks off. Plus, after you join, you can email me with questions and I'll answer them in my newsletter. ;)
LIST & TRAFFIC PROFITS