RosalindGardner.com

Learn Blogging & Affiliate Marketing with Rosalind Gardner

Where is Your Portfolio Site?

By

Anyone who does business online without having a basic portfolio site is losing prospects left, right and center.

Personally, I am always on the lookout for qualified individuals to help me manage both my business and personal life — and when I find someone who appears to have potential, but does NOT have a portfolio (or business card) site or blog, I am NOT likely to make the time to ask them the necessary questions that might have resulted in employment.

Sometimes, those folks approach me.

For example, here is an email (highly modified) I received the other day:

Hi Rosalind,

My name is ____ and I have a background as a programmer, sales person and recruiter.

I am interested in getting started in online lead generation and marketing content. I would like to talk about possibly partnering with me. I might be able to help you with ___, ___ and referring business your way.

I need help with (a,b,c,d….).

If you are open to talking, please give me a shout back.

Many thanks!
(name withheld)

The basic “I know this and can help you with that…” format was great, but he totally dropped the ball by not including a URL to his portfolio site that offered PROOF of his knowledge and expertise.

Unfortunately, I see examples of this mistake all the time.

Photographers, web designers, copywriters, graphic artists, marketing professionals, programmers and so many more professionals who otherwise could be making more money online are losing business simply because they don't have a portfolio site to highlight their talents.

Or worse, (in my humble opinion), they use a Blogger (Blogspot) blog that don't show their work in the best light — i.e. with poor color scheme and presentation choices (see below) .

Sadly, the homepage of the blog pictured above lacks so many important elements that it does absolutely nothing to enhance Lynn's credibility as a professional photographer.

If you don't know what a portfolio site should look like, here is a short list of those that are based on StudioPress themes…

Even the StudioPress site offers a portfolio of its clients' sites!

Now let's look at a portfolio site in detail.

  • The Speaker's Copywriter belongs to my friend Sue Wright, who works full-time from her home in rural British Columbia as a copywriter. Her clients include Agora, Inc. and National Geographic! She generates business for her copy-writing services online VIA her website. Her website theme is the StudioPress Metric Theme, as does my own ‘portfolio / personal' site at RosalindGardner.com.

    Sue's portfolio site consists of all the necessary pages, including:

    • About – describes Sue's experience and basic client offerings.
    • Clients – lists clients for whom she's worked.
    • Testimonials – includes names and companies for whom they work.
    • Samples – 2 PDF samples of the type of work she does.
    • Services – A list of all the various services she offers.
    • Contact – Sue provides 3 options for contact (telephone, email & on-site form).

    Moreover, Sue has an email opt-in form on her site which is incentivized with a downloadable report – “5 Strategies to Expand Your Income: The Professional Speaker's Guide to Monetizing Speeches“.

    The only changes I would recommend are that Sue upload a favicon, make her headlines more bold and add regular content to improve her Google search engine rankings and bring potential customers back to her site via blog to autoresponder broadcasting.

    Despite the improvements needed, this portfolio site has allowed Sue to recently quit her (awful) job and start working from home full-time. (Way to go, Sue!)

    Taking inspiration from Sue's lead, I HIGHLY recommend that anyone looking for work, leads or to build their reputation; make time over the course of a weekend to build their own portfolio site.

    Take advantage of BlueHost's Fall Special! Get professional web hosting for your portfolio site for just $3.95 per month. But be quick about it… the special ends on October 24th!!!

    • Where are the Jobs?

    By

    As it is highly unlikely that U.S. Congress members will see past their differences during the current term to pass the Jobs Bill and put people to work, I did some research to find out what types of jobs are available.

    Fortunately for those of you interested in making money online, the news is good!

    I did a job search at SimplyHired each of the terms I selected showed an increase between 77 and 722 percent since November of 2009.

    Here's the graph…

    And here are the terms I searched…

    • Blog jobs increased 722%
    • blogging jobs increased 106%
    • web Design jobs increased 76%
    • facebook jobs increased 375%
    • wordpress jobs increased 734%
    • social Media jobs increased 257%
    • affiliate Manager jobs increased 132%
    • marketing jobs increased 77%

    Hmmmm…. the 2 terms with the largest increase? Blog and WordPress.

    That alone should tell you that there are jobs out there for those with writing (blogging) and WordPress design skills.

    You got 'em – USE 'em to earn some coin.

    For some ideas on how to use your skills, please see my Make Money Helping Local Businesses Start a Blog article.

    If you don't know how to blog, learning has never been easier or less expensive than that available through my Academy (aka Affiliate Blogger PRO).

    We supply tutorials, videos and a community forum to help you learn everything you need to know about blogging and affiliate marketing.

    California Affiliates Get a One Year Reprieve

    By

    After having my sites offline for over a week, I'm happy to return and share some reasonably good news that pertains to the Affiliate Nexus Tax.

    Thanks to Amazon and other retailers in California, new legislation was passed that repeals the tax temporarily.

    The retailers must lobby for a federal tax solution to be implemented by July 2012, or the Nexus tax will resume in September 2012.

    So… like I said, it's reasonably good news.

    You can get your Amazon links back out there for the upcoming holidays, OR go for the Skimlinks alternative, which lets you promote Amazon through a 3rd-party.

    To read more about the current situation in California, please read California Legislature Passes Legislation: 1 Year Reprieve of Affiliate Nexus Tax on the PMA site.

    Amazon Axes 10,000 California Affiliates

    By

    Shortly after California governor Jerry Brown signed the budget which includes the affiliate nexus tax, Amazon affiliates in that state received the following email from Amazon:

    Hello,
    For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of California residents. Unfortunately, a potential new law that may be signed by Governor Brown compels us to terminate this program for California-based participants. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers – including but not limited to those referred by California-based marketing affiliates like you – even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.

    We oppose this bill because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It is supported by big-box retailers, most of which are based outside California, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that we must take this action.

    As a result, we will terminate contracts with all California residents that are participants in the Amazon Associates Program as of the date (if any) that the California law becomes effective. We will send a follow-up notice to you confirming the termination date if the California law is enacted. In the event that the California law does not become effective before September 30, 2011, we withdraw this notice. As of the termination date, California residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned on or before the termination date will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule.

    You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of California. If you are not currently a resident of California, or if you are relocating to another state in the near future, you can manage the details of your Associates account here. And if you relocate to another state in the near future please contact us for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program.

    To avoid confusion, we would like to clarify that this development will only impact our ability to offer the Associates Program to California residents and will not affect their ability to purchase from Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com.

    We have enjoyed working with you and other California-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to California residents. We are also working on alternative ways to help California residents monetize their websites and we will be sure to contact you when these become available.

    Regards,

    The Amazon Associates Team

    Affiliates in the following states are now affected by the affiliate nexus tax:

    1. California
    2. Colorado
    3. Illinois
    4. North Carolina
    5. Rhode Island
    6. Connecticut

    The Performance Marketing Association advises California publishers and out-of-state advertisers to consult a tax or legal professional regarding this issue.

    Are you a California publisher? Thoughts? Comments? What are your plans?

    Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!

    Cheers,

    Ros

    5 Common Money Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

    By

    While it's great to learn how to make more money – learning how to manage your money is also extremely important (says the girl who could have / should have bought 2 more houses instead of closets full of clothes. Ugh.) So, today's article by Finance Expert Brandon Lamb is a lesson for all of us. 🙂

    It’s a fact that most of us spend way more money than we should. We get cash out ATMs that aren’t affiliated with our bank ($3 applied by the bank that owns the machine—ostensibly for the convenience of it—and another $3 applied as a penalty by our bank for taking advantage of the convenience), we order $2.50 Cokes at restaurants, even though the waiter brings us ice water free of charge. We pay $12 for a bucket of greasy popcorn at the movies, when a whole bag of Redenbacher’s unpopped kernels costs only a $1 at the grocery store.

    Changing these habits requires a new way of thinking. The following suggestions can help you change your mindset.

    1. Be Prepared — Things happen. Cars break down, water pipes burst, kids accidently knock a baseball through the neighbor’s window. You can’t predict when these things will happen, but you can be sure that they will. Be prepared. Set aside a certain amount every month and mark it “Miscellaneous Expenses.” When a storm rips the shingles right off your roof, you’ll be glad you did.

    2. Pay Debt Off Early — It’s really a no-brainer. Interest accrues over time. The longer it takes for you to pay down a debt, the more you’ll end up paying for it. Try to send that credit card bill or house payment a little extra each month. It won’t always be easy, but it’ll be worth it in the long run. You should also consider consolidating your debts into a single, low-interest, fixed-rate payment.

    3. Avoid Emotional Spending — It’s a fact that people tend to spend more when they are upset. Buying things seems to take our mind off our problems…at least until we look at our finances. Next time you run off to the mall or the bait and tackle shop, take an inventory of your emotional state.

    4. Plan For Retirement Now — According to a recent USA Today study, more than a third of the workforce has nothing set aside for retirement. “So what,” you say, “I’ll just live on Social Security.” But did you know the average annual Social Security payment is only about $11,000? Do you really want to try living on $11,000 a year? If that idea doesn’t terrify you, I don’t know what will. Set aside something every month for your future.

    5. Buy Insurance — It’s easy to skimp on insurance, especially when money is tight. But it’s a fact that bad things happen to good people. And the human body is prone to all kinds of ailments and diseases. A monthly insurance payment may seem tough sometimes, or even extraneous, but if unexpected health problems or accidents crop up, it’ll be cheaper than paying out of pocket.

    Sometimes learning how to better spend your money is the key to eliminating mistakes and to save even more.  

    To learn more about how you can slash your spending and avoid making these money mistakes, visit Brandon's Slash Your Spending or read my review of his book.

    Site Downtime: Thank You for Your Support!

    By

    This weekend I sent out the following message to most of my readers via my Aweber account (because NONE of my sites was online):

    I got some VERY sad news this morning.

    My friend and hosting service provider for many years, Steve Hetrick, passed away suddenly last week.

    By result, most of my sites are offline, including:

    ** Affiliate Blogger PRO
    ** NetProfitsToday
    ** RosalindGardner
    ** SuperAffiliateHandbook

    I have been told that the outage should be relatively short in duration (a few days? a week?).

    I appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter and assure you that I will continue to do whatever I can to resolve the situation asap.

    In the meantime, if you have questions, please address them via my Facebook Page at:

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rosalind-Gardner-Online-Entrepreneur/153044274713504

    BTW, to post to that Wall, you will have to click ‘Like' on the Welcome Page.

    Sorry about that, but that's a quicker and simpler solution than my having to process a number of friend requests on my Facebook profile — especially considering I'm currently in a State Park in Arizona at the moment with limited connectivity. :-/

    Last, but certainly not least, PLEASE extend your thoughts and prayers to Steve's family who have just experienced a huge loss. Steve was SUCH a good, caring man. I shall miss him terribly.

    Thank you!
    Rosalind

    I went through the emotional gamut this weekend. From grief over the loss of my friend and business associate to feeling confused about what I needed to do and almost everything in between.

    I honestly didn't know whether I could or would get my sites back online, or if so, how long it would take to get them back. My mind tumbled with thoughts about how I would handle the former situation – how the heck to start over completely?

    Egads.

    Talk about being a bit brain-fried.

    Not that I was worried, per se.

    I ALWAYS tell folks that worry is a completely wasted emotion. You're much better off to spend time preparing the Plans A, B and C's, rather than sit and worry. I definitely like to practice that one, 'cause worrying creates stress without benefit.

    Fortunately, the sites are coming back slowly but surely with the help of Coast Inc., the folks who managed Steve's servers.

    But I also have to Thank YOU…

    I have no doubt that the condolences, kind consideration and good wishes that you all sent via my Facebook profile and page beefed up my karma. 🙂

    Comments like the following from Jacqueline Hutchins' made me teary and happy at the same time..

    I'm sorry to hear you lost a good friend. 🙁

    I hope also that you are able to get your websites up as soon as possible. Don't worry too much Ros, you have devoted followers/readers like this one. Even if people don't know why they can't reac…h the sites, they will return.

    So, thank you SO much!

    And trust me, I'll be blogging about this situation more in the coming days with the I lessons learned that desperately need to be passed on before you find yourself in the same situation.

    Categories