Make Money Online (Without Spending a Dime)
From Scott Allen,
Making money online used to pretty much require you to have your own Web site, products to sell and some marketing savvy. But a new generation of dot-coms have arisen that will pay you for what you know and who you know without you having to be a web designer or a marketing genius.
But it's hard to tell hype from the real deal. I did a search on "make money online" and "making money online", and much of the information out there is just promoting various infoproducts, mostly about Internet marketing. I see why people sometimes ask, "Is anyone making money online besides Internet marketing experts?"
So I put together a list of business opportunities with legitimate companies that:
• Pay cash, not just points towards rewards or a chance to win money
• Don't require you to have your own Web domain or your own products
• Don't involve any hard-selling
• Aren't just promoting more Internet marketing
• Give a good return on your time investment
In the interest of objectivity, none of the links below are affiliate links, and none of them have paid or provided any other consideration for their presence here.
These are legitimate companies with business models that allow you to get paid for a wide range of activities.
Help friends find better jobs.
Sites like H3.com and JobThread connect employers with prospective employees, many of whom are already employed and not actively job-hunting, via networking - the people who know these qualified candidates. Rewards for referring a candidate who gets hired range from a few hundred dollars to as much as $5,000 - not chump change. This is a great way to break into the recruiting business with no overhead. JobThread is intriguing in that they can set up a job board for your site or your organization (you don't even have to have a web site) at no cost to you -- no merchant account required. You determine the posting fees and split the revenue with them.
Connect suppliers with buyers.
Referral fees are a common practice in business, but they haven't been used much in online networking sites because there was no way to track them. InnerSell provides that. Vendors set the referral fees they're willing to pay, then when a deal happens, you get 70% of the referral fee.
Provide business contact information.
One of the greatest challenges in sales is getting accurate contact information about prospective customers. A growing number of services have launched in the past couple of years to help address this, but most rely on members to maintain their own contact information. Jigsaw, on the other hand, pays members to help keep information up-to-date on the people they know, not just themselves, and pays them to do so ($1 for each unique new qualifying contact you put into the system). According to Jigsaw, in their first payout after launch, the top ten point-earns each received more than $750.
Become a semi-pro reporter.
Creative Reporter is a new program from Creative Weblogging that lets just about anyone become a paid reporter/blogger. They're looking for people to create original, but non-exclusive, blog posts / articles of 250-500 words on topics including parenting, celebrities, travel, mobile technology, and more. Pay is $10 per 1,000 page views on your posts (that's excellent pay for Web writing, although there's no telling how much traffic/money you'll actually get).
Write your own blog.
You don't have to have your own Web site, or install blogging software, or even figure out how to set up the advertising. At Blogger you can set up a blog for free in less than five minutes without knowing a thing about web design, and Blogger even automates setting up Google AdSense so you can make money off your blog by displaying ads and getting paid when people click on the ads. To make even more money from it, set up an affiliate program (see below) for books, music, etc., and insert your affiliate links whenever you refer to those items. You'll have to get a lot of traffic to become a six-figure blogger, but pick an interesting topic, write well, tell all your friends, and you're off to a good start.
Advertise other people's products.
If you already have a Web site or a blog, look for vendors that offer related but non-competing products and see if they have an affiliate program. Stick to familiar products and brands - they're easier to sell. To promote those products:
• Place simple text or graphical ads in appropriate places on your site
• Include links to purchase products you review or recommend in a blog, discussion forum or mailing list you control
• Create a dedicated sales page or Web site to promote a particular product
They all work - it just depends on how much time you have to spend on it and your level of expertise with Web design and marketing.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Marketing vs. Advertising: What's the Difference?
From Laura Lake,
Your Guide to Marketing.
You will often find that many people confuse marketing with advertising or vice versa. While both components are important they are very different. Knowing the difference and doing your market research can put your company on the path to substantial growth.
Let's start off by reviewing the formal definitions of each and then I'll go into the explanation of how marketing and advertising differ from one another:
Advertising: The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers.
Marketing: The systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products.
After reading both of the definitions it is easy to understand how the difference can be confusing to the point that people think of them as one-in-the same, so lets break it down a bit.
Advertising is a single component of the marketing process.
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It's the part that involves getting the word out concerning your business, product, or the services you are offering. It involves the process of developing strategies such as ad placement, frequency, etc. Advertising includes the placement of an ad in such mediums as newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and of course the Internet. Advertising is the largest expense of most marketing plans, with public relations following in a close second and market research not falling far behind.
The best way to distinguish between advertising and marketing is to think of marketing as a pie, inside that pie you have slices of advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy. All of these elements must not only work independently but they also must work together towards the bigger goal. Marketing is a process that takes time and can involve hours of research for a marketing plan to be effective. Think of marketing as everything that an organization does to facilitate an exchange between company and consumer.
Your Guide to Marketing.
You will often find that many people confuse marketing with advertising or vice versa. While both components are important they are very different. Knowing the difference and doing your market research can put your company on the path to substantial growth.
Let's start off by reviewing the formal definitions of each and then I'll go into the explanation of how marketing and advertising differ from one another:
Advertising: The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers.
Marketing: The systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products.
After reading both of the definitions it is easy to understand how the difference can be confusing to the point that people think of them as one-in-the same, so lets break it down a bit.
Advertising is a single component of the marketing process.
Sponsored Links
Free Marketing strategies discover Marketing Strategies Your Competitors Don't Want You To Know!www.drunkenness.com/Free-Tips
Advertising and media complete coverage of advertising and media on NYTimes.comwww.nytimes.com
example free sample helps you develop a marketing plan.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com
It's the part that involves getting the word out concerning your business, product, or the services you are offering. It involves the process of developing strategies such as ad placement, frequency, etc. Advertising includes the placement of an ad in such mediums as newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and of course the Internet. Advertising is the largest expense of most marketing plans, with public relations following in a close second and market research not falling far behind.
The best way to distinguish between advertising and marketing is to think of marketing as a pie, inside that pie you have slices of advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy. All of these elements must not only work independently but they also must work together towards the bigger goal. Marketing is a process that takes time and can involve hours of research for a marketing plan to be effective. Think of marketing as everything that an organization does to facilitate an exchange between company and consumer.
School Of Computing & Mathematical Sciences : The University Of Greenwich.
The School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences (CMS) offers a wide range of undergraduate degrees in Computing, Business IT, Multimedia, Networking, Games Development, Software Engineering, Mathematics, Information Systems and combinations of these. We also have new pro grammes in Business Computing, Mobile Computing, Digital Animation, Entertainment Technology and Film Production. Visit our CLEARING web page for details of possible undergraduate routes of study. If you wish to visit we have Open Days and Taster Courses planned, or you can make an online enquiry. For postgraduates, CMS has MSc pro grammes in Networking, Mobile Computing, Distributed Computing, Information Systems, Data Mining, Internet Technology and e-Commerce. We also have new program mes in Computer Security and in IT with Digital Media or Security or e-Business.
Most MSc program mes can now be started in either September or January and there is a new part-time, evenings-only program me in Management of Business IT.
CMS is an extremely successful part of the university and the Maths department has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Times Good University Guide 2007, whilst Computing Science has been ranked above all other London new (post 1992) universities in successive league tables (see the news archive for details).
The School is situated next to the River Thames in the grade-1 listed Old Royal Naval College within a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and less than 5 miles from Central London.
University of Greenwich.
Most MSc program mes can now be started in either September or January and there is a new part-time, evenings-only program me in Management of Business IT.
CMS is an extremely successful part of the university and the Maths department has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Times Good University Guide 2007, whilst Computing Science has been ranked above all other London new (post 1992) universities in successive league tables (see the news archive for details).
The School is situated next to the River Thames in the grade-1 listed Old Royal Naval College within a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and less than 5 miles from Central London.
University of Greenwich.
Profile on: Christine Long BA French graduate,UK
You might be forgiven for thinking that bringing up two young children (aged 13 and 11) while holding down a part-time job teaching music would be enough to keep the most energetic person busy. Spare a thought, then, for Christine Long. In between the scales and arpeggios on the one hand, and the pressing demands of a teenager and younger sibling on the other – a lifestyle which she sums up rather neatly in a single word: hectic – Christine took the bold step of registering for a BA French degree through the External System.
“A French degree was a natural progression for me since I’d lived in France for four years and both my children were born there. I’d left school after A levels, believing at the time that I was incapable of studying at that level, especially as no-one in my family had ever been to university. The children were now both at senior school and needing me a little less. It was the right time and I had something to prove to myself.”
To be able to fit her study around family and work commitments, Christine developed a strict routine, to the extent that she timed all her study hours on a desktop stopwatch. “It sounds very disciplined, almost obsessive probably, but time was in short supply. After a while it became a habit and I ended up timing myself throughout the whole degree. But it was also a comfort as it allowed me to plan and pace my study. On average, I think I only did two and a half hours a day, but that’s a 7 day week. Some days the hours would fly by, some days I would struggle to get an hour on the clock. Some days, if I felt like it (or didn’t feel like it!) I would do less but then I would see the overall hours drop and I would be spurred on to catch up. In the last year, when the weighting for the degree is greater, I gave up teaching.” The good news is that the blood, sweat and tears paid off in the end: Christine is now Journals Assistant at the academic publisher Palgrave Macmillan.
“I'm proud of myself. I got a 2:1 by home studying. Not only that but I got a full-time job within six months of finishing. Not bad for a 46-year-old who had been out of the workplace for 22 years. My degree was my passport into full-time employment. I hadn’t been out to work since I moved to France in 1984, so I think you can see the value of my degree not only as an academic qualification in itself but also as proof of skills that you learn by studying – discipline, the power of analysis, prioritizing etc. After five years of living with my precious books and studying some of the world’s best literature I feel I’m very lucky to be in an academic environment now.”
“A French degree was a natural progression for me since I’d lived in France for four years and both my children were born there. I’d left school after A levels, believing at the time that I was incapable of studying at that level, especially as no-one in my family had ever been to university. The children were now both at senior school and needing me a little less. It was the right time and I had something to prove to myself.”
To be able to fit her study around family and work commitments, Christine developed a strict routine, to the extent that she timed all her study hours on a desktop stopwatch. “It sounds very disciplined, almost obsessive probably, but time was in short supply. After a while it became a habit and I ended up timing myself throughout the whole degree. But it was also a comfort as it allowed me to plan and pace my study. On average, I think I only did two and a half hours a day, but that’s a 7 day week. Some days the hours would fly by, some days I would struggle to get an hour on the clock. Some days, if I felt like it (or didn’t feel like it!) I would do less but then I would see the overall hours drop and I would be spurred on to catch up. In the last year, when the weighting for the degree is greater, I gave up teaching.” The good news is that the blood, sweat and tears paid off in the end: Christine is now Journals Assistant at the academic publisher Palgrave Macmillan.
“I'm proud of myself. I got a 2:1 by home studying. Not only that but I got a full-time job within six months of finishing. Not bad for a 46-year-old who had been out of the workplace for 22 years. My degree was my passport into full-time employment. I hadn’t been out to work since I moved to France in 1984, so I think you can see the value of my degree not only as an academic qualification in itself but also as proof of skills that you learn by studying – discipline, the power of analysis, prioritizing etc. After five years of living with my precious books and studying some of the world’s best literature I feel I’m very lucky to be in an academic environment now.”
Return to Sender: Responding to Customers.
How long does it take you to e-mail customers back?
By Scott Hornstein
Almost everyone sends an e-mail to a company at some point. Almost everyone would like an answer within 24 hours. And the number one reason people switch to a competitor is poor customer service.
Every year, our organization conducts a customer service survey by sending the following one-sentence e-mail to our list of respected and admired companies: What is your corporate policy regarding the turnaround time for e-mails addressed to customer service? The subject of the e-mail is "Customer Service." The goal of the research is to see who actually answers the question, which is different that simply responding and how long it takes them. The database consists of the Financial Times World's Most Respected Companies and Fortune's Most Admired Companies. This includes the likes of Microsoft, GE, Toyota, Coca-Cola, IBM, Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Costco, FedEx, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Berkshire Hathaway and more.
Here are highlights from this year's survey:
• 33 percent of companies answered us within 24 hours, down almost half from a high of 63 percent in 2002.
• 51 percent answered us, regardless of time frame from 2002's high of 86 percent.
• My favorite response: "Thank you for your inquiry. [Our] corporate goal is to respond to ninety-five percent of all inquiries within twenty-four hours. I know that seems strange as I'm responding to you seven days after receiving yours…I apologize for that."
This is not a game and we were not trying to trick anyone. We are simply looking at companies through the eyes of a humble customer, because the proof of dedication to customer relationship management is what happens to one individual's e-mail; it's where the rubber meets the road. So what's going on here? Did half the companies accidentally delete our message? Did we find the loophole in the CRM framework?
Companies have more CRM technology than they know what to do with. At some point a myth was started that you buy technology and all your customer relationships are managed—whatever that means. What is lacking is a comprehensive strategy that starts at the top and says that the individual customer is the basic building block of our success and we must treat her as a guest in our house. And we must measure and reward how that customer is treated based on our definition of quality.
Based on the dismal results of our annual e-mail survey, the common thought seems to be, "We would have a great business if it weren't for all those annoy annoying customers." This begs two important questions: How responsive is your company? How do you know?
By Scott Hornstein
Almost everyone sends an e-mail to a company at some point. Almost everyone would like an answer within 24 hours. And the number one reason people switch to a competitor is poor customer service.
Every year, our organization conducts a customer service survey by sending the following one-sentence e-mail to our list of respected and admired companies: What is your corporate policy regarding the turnaround time for e-mails addressed to customer service? The subject of the e-mail is "Customer Service." The goal of the research is to see who actually answers the question, which is different that simply responding and how long it takes them. The database consists of the Financial Times World's Most Respected Companies and Fortune's Most Admired Companies. This includes the likes of Microsoft, GE, Toyota, Coca-Cola, IBM, Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Costco, FedEx, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Berkshire Hathaway and more.
Here are highlights from this year's survey:
• 33 percent of companies answered us within 24 hours, down almost half from a high of 63 percent in 2002.
• 51 percent answered us, regardless of time frame from 2002's high of 86 percent.
• My favorite response: "Thank you for your inquiry. [Our] corporate goal is to respond to ninety-five percent of all inquiries within twenty-four hours. I know that seems strange as I'm responding to you seven days after receiving yours…I apologize for that."
This is not a game and we were not trying to trick anyone. We are simply looking at companies through the eyes of a humble customer, because the proof of dedication to customer relationship management is what happens to one individual's e-mail; it's where the rubber meets the road. So what's going on here? Did half the companies accidentally delete our message? Did we find the loophole in the CRM framework?
Companies have more CRM technology than they know what to do with. At some point a myth was started that you buy technology and all your customer relationships are managed—whatever that means. What is lacking is a comprehensive strategy that starts at the top and says that the individual customer is the basic building block of our success and we must treat her as a guest in our house. And we must measure and reward how that customer is treated based on our definition of quality.
Based on the dismal results of our annual e-mail survey, the common thought seems to be, "We would have a great business if it weren't for all those annoy annoying customers." This begs two important questions: How responsive is your company? How do you know?
When Less Training is More
Cut back on classroom training to create more on-the-job training
By Rebecca Aronauer
Reuters is the largest multimedia organization in the world, publishing eight million words a day. But its financial services division, at its peak, updates information 23,000 times per second. Half of the world's traders rely on Reuters data feeds, and most of the company's revenue comes from its financial services. The operators who handle orders and manage the installation of these feeds at the Customer Order Management Centers (COMC) are key to Reuters' success. And that's why Charles Jennings, the head of global learning at Reuters, has cut back on their training.
"The traditional training method is spent telling people a lot of information, most of which they lose," says Jennings, who is based in London. So instead of teaching the operators about the minutiae of the continually changing feeds, Reuters relies on basic training and desktop support to keep their operators up to date. "The whole company policy is less about training and more about learning [on the job]," he says.
The desktop help that the operators use is called support point, made by Panviva, based in Melbourne, Australia. A support point icon sits on the desktop of every Reuters operator and allows them to look up product and selling information on the fly. Reuters employees are also able to edit their training material without help from IT, Wiki-style, and the changes are stored on a protected Reuters server.
This approach to training, where employees are taught the basics but not required to memorize information that can be stored elsewhere, is a new trend in training, believes Ted Gannan, CEO of Panviva. "The information changes so fast that you don't want them to remember it, you want them to look it up again," he says. "Why train them in stuff they're going to forget?"
At Reuters, this approach took two weeks off training for COMC operators. "Before support point, the time to competence was very long," Jennings says. "We were spending several weeks in [training] and several more weeks where [operators] were relying on the experience of other people to do their job." Along with cutting down actual training time, support point accelerated the time to full productivity for operators and decreased the demand new hires put on their superiors.
"Our goal is to reduce the reliance on training by giving people moment-of-need support," Gannan says. And considering the cost of training, it's not a bad ambition.
By Rebecca Aronauer
Reuters is the largest multimedia organization in the world, publishing eight million words a day. But its financial services division, at its peak, updates information 23,000 times per second. Half of the world's traders rely on Reuters data feeds, and most of the company's revenue comes from its financial services. The operators who handle orders and manage the installation of these feeds at the Customer Order Management Centers (COMC) are key to Reuters' success. And that's why Charles Jennings, the head of global learning at Reuters, has cut back on their training.
"The traditional training method is spent telling people a lot of information, most of which they lose," says Jennings, who is based in London. So instead of teaching the operators about the minutiae of the continually changing feeds, Reuters relies on basic training and desktop support to keep their operators up to date. "The whole company policy is less about training and more about learning [on the job]," he says.
The desktop help that the operators use is called support point, made by Panviva, based in Melbourne, Australia. A support point icon sits on the desktop of every Reuters operator and allows them to look up product and selling information on the fly. Reuters employees are also able to edit their training material without help from IT, Wiki-style, and the changes are stored on a protected Reuters server.
This approach to training, where employees are taught the basics but not required to memorize information that can be stored elsewhere, is a new trend in training, believes Ted Gannan, CEO of Panviva. "The information changes so fast that you don't want them to remember it, you want them to look it up again," he says. "Why train them in stuff they're going to forget?"
At Reuters, this approach took two weeks off training for COMC operators. "Before support point, the time to competence was very long," Jennings says. "We were spending several weeks in [training] and several more weeks where [operators] were relying on the experience of other people to do their job." Along with cutting down actual training time, support point accelerated the time to full productivity for operators and decreased the demand new hires put on their superiors.
"Our goal is to reduce the reliance on training by giving people moment-of-need support," Gannan says. And considering the cost of training, it's not a bad ambition.
Profile on: Chew Shee Ghee.Diploma in Economics graduate,
Having bagged the prestigious ‘Little Prize’ for achieving the highest marks worldwide in her Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW) examination, External System alumna Chew Shee Ghee has recently returned from the annual ICAEW prize-giving ceremony held in London. Outshining more than 1,300 fellow students, Shee Ghee sat the paper on taxation as part of the highly sought-after Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) qualification offered by the ICAEW, recognised worldwide as the premier financial business qualification.
This achievement – her score of 98 is reputedly among the best in ICAEW's history – is all the more impressive given that her work was all purely theoretical: “I was very excited to get top marks as I had never filed a tax return before and the exam was based on the UK tax system. The awards ceremony at the Chartered Accountants Hall was amazing. I was truly inspired by the depth and breadth of knowledge of the people that I met at the ceremony.”
Shee Ghee’s impressive haul of qualifications began with the University of London External System, studying for the LSE-led Diploma in Economics at Malaysia’s HELP Institute. “I heard about the University of London External System from some friends. The programme appealed to me as it offered the flexibility of completing the degree locally or in the UK with LSE. Taking up the Diploma in Economics at HELP Institute was one of the best decisions that I have made. The top-notch lecturers opened my eyes to new possibilities and ideas.”
Gaining the Diploma with Distinction in 2000 not only earned her a Standard Chartered Bank scholarship to pursue a BSc degree in Accounting and Finance at LSE, but also helped immeasurably in her further academic study: “The syllabus for the Diploma in Economics is equivalent to first year at LSE, and provided me with a sound platform. The structure of the Diploma also encouraged a questioning mind and stressed the importance of understanding the underlying concepts. These skills held me in good stead when I was at LSE.”
She duly completed her BSc degree with First Class Honours, an outstanding achievement which similarly led to a further bursary from the University of Cambridge, where she took her M Phil in Management Studies.
Now working as Assurance Senior Associate in the Financial Services industry at Waterhouse's Malaysia, her role involves providing “assurance on financial performance and advice on weaknesses in controls as well as processing systems. As I am in the Financial Services industry, I tend to work alongside colleagues with diverse backgrounds on clients involved in banking, insurance or investment management services.” Fusing enormous inner drive with a formidable intellect, a glittering career already looks assured.
This achievement – her score of 98 is reputedly among the best in ICAEW's history – is all the more impressive given that her work was all purely theoretical: “I was very excited to get top marks as I had never filed a tax return before and the exam was based on the UK tax system. The awards ceremony at the Chartered Accountants Hall was amazing. I was truly inspired by the depth and breadth of knowledge of the people that I met at the ceremony.”
Shee Ghee’s impressive haul of qualifications began with the University of London External System, studying for the LSE-led Diploma in Economics at Malaysia’s HELP Institute. “I heard about the University of London External System from some friends. The programme appealed to me as it offered the flexibility of completing the degree locally or in the UK with LSE. Taking up the Diploma in Economics at HELP Institute was one of the best decisions that I have made. The top-notch lecturers opened my eyes to new possibilities and ideas.”
Gaining the Diploma with Distinction in 2000 not only earned her a Standard Chartered Bank scholarship to pursue a BSc degree in Accounting and Finance at LSE, but also helped immeasurably in her further academic study: “The syllabus for the Diploma in Economics is equivalent to first year at LSE, and provided me with a sound platform. The structure of the Diploma also encouraged a questioning mind and stressed the importance of understanding the underlying concepts. These skills held me in good stead when I was at LSE.”
She duly completed her BSc degree with First Class Honours, an outstanding achievement which similarly led to a further bursary from the University of Cambridge, where she took her M Phil in Management Studies.
Now working as Assurance Senior Associate in the Financial Services industry at Waterhouse's Malaysia, her role involves providing “assurance on financial performance and advice on weaknesses in controls as well as processing systems. As I am in the Financial Services industry, I tend to work alongside colleagues with diverse backgrounds on clients involved in banking, insurance or investment management services.” Fusing enormous inner drive with a formidable intellect, a glittering career already looks assured.
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