How I make money online
The following is a list of all the ad networks, affiliate programs and revenue streams I am using to make money on SiliconCaribe.com and other blogs. It’s six major things. I use Google Adsense, Affiliate Marketing,Sponsored Reviews,Private Placement Advertising,Featured Site Link Sponsorship and Caribclix-Caribbean Ad network, I co-own with other Caribbean Internet entrepreneurs. They were chosen from an exhaustive list and I selectedrevenue streams that anyone can use, but are particular applicable to site owners that are outside of the United States, are Caribbean or publish Caribbean content as well. These revenue streams I highly recommend as they have proven to provide good service/support and most importantly, on time payments. Some of them pay out at US$50 minimums and others at US$100 and you can accept payment via Paypal.com and then use xoom.com to send the money to yourself or you can request a cheque. 1. Google Adsense I’m sure most of you right now are using this already and have kissed and taken pictures of your first cheque like I did. If you haven’t heard of Adsense, clearly you’ve been on Planet Remulock. Google displays simple text and image ads on your blog that are targeted to what you’re writing about, your content. Since Google has recently bought Doubleclick one of the largest online advertising networks, you can expect to see even a great range of advertising on your blog. 2. Affiliate Marketing Affiliate marketing is simply you adding ads to your site and becoming a sales representative for a particular product, promotion or service and making a commission on it. You become an affiliate. There are a alot of affiliate programmes out there, so be selective and choose ones that are reputable,you’re excited about and is relevant to your blog. Some even give signing bonuses and I tend to like those that do not require you to buy something from them first. I use the following on my blogs. eToro.com- forex trading info, training, platform OK if you live, work or have any interest in Jamaica, the Caribbean, you’d have know that these two words forex trading have grown from being mere buzz words to having a cult following thanks to David Smith, his pioneering company Olint Corp and the millions people have made because of him and a few other forex outfits. Everytime I write articles that had to do with that company, the business of forex trading, site statswouldskyrocket. So If you write such content on your blog, or have a site that has visitors you think would be interesting in that subject then go for it. It pays US$2/lead. Text link Ads Textlink Ads is sweet, when u sign up as a publisher and are approved, you can do two things to make money…be a publisher of textlink ads and make 50% of what they charge advertisers and you can also sign up to their affiliate programme and get other site publishers to sign up and make US$25 for each advertiser or publishers that signs on through your blog, your site. I know, I know, don’t thank me. Clickbooth.com- Because Neil Patel recommended it Clickbooth.com was a recommendation from a fellow blogger and internet marketing consultant I read regularly on pronetadvertising.com and quicksprout.com. So I tool and look and was sold. He said it pays out really well for affiliates. When you sign up for clickbooth as a publisher, you can select from a wide range of advertisers and you can run ads on your site or by using email campaigns. I’m about to launch this now. Try it with me. 3.Sponsored Reviews Sponsored Review I just launched and the response has been positive and swift. Sponsored Reviews allows advertisers to buy sponsored reviews on your blog and you can set your own pricing. On SiliconCaribe.com you can get your site reviewed right now for an introductory rate of US$55. Advertisers have no control over the reviews, but always, the intention is to be fair and balanced. The only requirement is the review must be at least 200 words long. Sponsored reviews receive the top front page post position in addition to sitewide exposure and rss feed subscriber readership. This gives your review maximum exposure to SiliconCaribe.com readers. Order your sponsored review by email: ingrid[at]connectimass.com 4. Private Placement Advertising Your blog can offer banner, button, in article kind of advertising set at rates you determine based on your site’s number of unique visitors/readership, the amount of ad space you want to sell, what the market rate is. Because on this blog I already have mulitple revenue streams, I don’t charge alot. For top of the site banner adthe industry standard size of 486 x 60 pixels, ,I charge US$300/month. For sidebar button ads the size of 125×125 pixels, I charge US$150/month with up to six spots available. If the advertiser wants a bigger ad in the space like a big square of the size 250×250 pixels, then I charge US$250/month. Book your ad by by email: ingrid[at]connectimass.com 5. Featured Site Link Sponsorship Your blog naturally comes with a blogroll, a list of website links you want to feature to your readers. You can monetize those. You see, people always typically visit your blogroll,and they are located site wide on the premium right side bar you can turn this into a Featured Site Links. I have and the cost for is US$50 per month per link. If you’re interested in buying a Featured Site link,send the anchor text and URL to ingrid[at]connectimass.com. 6.Caribclix-Caribbean Ad network This is an ad network that I co-own with other Caribbean Internet entrepreneurs. If you have a quality site that’s Caribbean, target Caribbean people or Caribbean Diaspora or a site that carries Caribbean content, Caribclix provides Caribbean and international advertisers to your site. Our CPM rate is higher than what Google Adsense tend to pay site owners from this side of the world. Check it out. 
How I Got 2000 Subscribers in 3 Months
This I discovered as a guest post on problogger.net one of the sites I visit regularly. It’s perfect for those of you thinking about becoming a blogger and for others who already are and want to get better at it and make money from it. It’s by Tina Su from ThinkSimpleNow.com. Here Tina share’s how she’s grow her blog from 0 to 2000 subscribers in just 90 days.
Hi, my name is Tina. I started a little blog called Think Simple Now on September 27th, 2007 with zero experience in blogging, internet marketing or writing. By the time Christmas came, 3 months later, I had 2135 subscribers.
I’m new to blogging, in fact, I read very few blogs. I also do not follow any blogs on blogging, with the exception of a couple of articles read from doshdosh and problogger very early on.
I often get asked how I did it, and I decided to compile this article as a record of my experience with hope that others might benefit from what I’ve learned. I want to show you that it is possible to achieve your blogging goals starting from scratch, using my case as a live example. I’ve learned that there are no real secrets to blogging success, all it really takes is a deep desire to do so, along with an urge to action.
I have three important reasons why my blog has been successful:
Read more
Interview with a Caribbean Internet Entrepreneur: Richard Powell
Richard Powell when he lived in
RP:
SC: What schools did you go to?
RP: St. Andrew Prep,
SC: How old were you when you started Fuxito?
RP: I was 18 years old
SC: What led you to start Fuxito and describe the naming of that site?
RP: I identified a huge market need. Then created the name and brand for the site by combining Futbol (football in Spanish) and exito (success in Spanish).
SC: Describe your start up environment-where was your office, staff numbers, money status before funding?
RP: Office was a house between Harvard and MIT on Mass Ave. Staff was 7, on a budget of US$150k before raising US$1mm in VC money.
SC: From start up to first round of funding, how long? Describe that process briefly.
RP: It took 9 months. The Process can be described as longer than expected.
SC: Guy Kawasaki, co-owner of Garage Ventures is quoted and saying that Web 2.0 companies have it easy in starting businesses (low entry and operational costs, access to ideas, world talent) and that venture funding is stupid i.e. not even necessary…he started truemors.com as a testament to that theory…what’s your own take on that ?
RP: As with every type of business, experience and contacts define how difficult it will be to get to the next level. Many firms still need funding today, though teams and entrepreneurs who have done it before will have it much
easier.
SC: From start up to sale, how long was it?
RP: It was 2.5 years.
SC: Why did you sell/was that your exit plan from the get go?
RP: The market for internet companies collapsed in early 2000. So that was not the original exit plan.
SC: How was the company valued and how much did you sell it for?
RP: The company was valued at over US$120mm at one point. Because of the Internet Bubble we sold it for much less than that!
SC: Why are you now choosing to be a venture capitalist vs. an entrepreneur?
RP: I’m not a VC. I run a PE firm that doesn’t invest in tech firms. It’s Risk-adjusted, it is a better investment model.
SC: What are the top 3 things
RP: (1.) Access to capital. (2) Experienced management teams and (3) Greater study of the successful models and how it can be applied to business started in the
SC: Why do you think we are yet to have any You Tube, Google, Yahoo, and EBay type innovations from the
RP: Caribbean doesn’t have the depth of contacts or talent that
RP: No. Advantages I had were 1. Access to capital (2) Experienced management teams and (3) U studied the successful models and how it can be applied to the business idea that I had.
SC: 16. What are the areas can
RP: I don’t agree with the notion that they are missing from the
regional. The best advice is to study social and economic trends and build a business that rides irrefutable waves such as (i) aging baby boomers, (ii) globalization, and (iii) increased need to experience new things.
Become an idea clone and make millions
by David Mullings
I recently received my last issue of Business 2.0 and just had to recommend the following article to the readers of this column. you can find it here: The Kopy Kat Kids In my advisory capacities with mentees, other entrepreneurs and business-owners, I always pass on a vital lesson I learnt during my MBA program - you don’t have to come up with something new to be successful.
This article is a perfect example of how adaption of successful ideas for a different culture can make millions and it is a playbook that many of us should be taking a look at. A few people prefer to only focus on original ideas - that is their prerogative - but there is no doubt that adapting a proven idea is the easier way to success and profit than being original.
The story of the Samwer brothers provides one clear path to success - their first start-up, Alando, a German clone of ebay, was purchased by ebay itself for $50 million 5 months after it launched. They knew that debit cards were the preferred payment method in their culture and built their site around that, unlike ebay’s credit card system.
Granted, the Caribbean faces many different challenges - but who better to overcome them than Caribbean people?
Ultimately, companies with business models focused on advertising as the main revenue source will have to find companies interested in advertising to Caribbean nationals or target a demographic that the advertisers want to get to (like promoting Caribbean content to US African-Americans). A Caribbean Facebook clone will only work if companies targeting such a demographic (which can be divided further like any demographic) are willing to spend real money for online advertising, and very few do at this time - but you always have to start somewhere.
The point of a business is to generate profits and wealth for the stakeholders. If the venture can change the World too, or your part of the World, then even better, but you need profit to be able to do anything. Adaptation is a viable option so don’t overlook it.
Milliondollar domain forexjamaica.com for sale on jamdeal.com
And without question, this is another way to make money online - registering desireable domain names based on trends you may see and reselling them, maybe developing the domain name yourself, or as some do, load up that page with links that earn your money via affiliate programmes or google adsense. You see domain names are like prime land, he who got the most desireable piece and at times first, wins.
Check out these alltime top domain name sales US$12million for sex.com, US$7.5m for diamond.com, US$5.5 m for businss.com. Want more proof. Check here.
SPRAWL TEES: Used FACEBOOK for Marketing:SALES went UP 80%
Making Money from the Caribbean -My cousin who is 25, hip and in the know had been harassing me for months to go on facebook, I was already on myspace and hi5, and had my own blog, so it seemed a bit useless to be on yet another networking site.
One day I decided to try it and have been hooked ever since. It has allowed me to reach a market that I would not normally reach. I am in my late 20s and don’t party as much as I used to, especially now that I have my own business.
With facebook, I have gotten to people in the target demographic ages 15-25, people who are in school, and most who don’t yet drive. I have a delivery service so I take the goods to them rather than they come to me.
WHAT I DID:
- For the summer, I had a summer special, dropping the price of the t-shirts from JA$1500/US$21 to JA$1000/US$14.
- Created a facebook group
- Joined a lot of groups, now 173 to get involved, observe, and interact.
- Then I invited who I thought might be interested in my product, mostly males in the 15-24 age group. Primarily U.W.I, Utech and high school students, male. They would then contact me either by phone or email if they wanted to purchase my t-shirts.
- As a part of my strategy for my brand, we have a thing called Sprawl love, where people take photos of themselves in their sprawl shirts and send them to me.
- I also used the market place function temporarily for my summer special but I wouldn’t say it increased sales.
My stuff isn’t in any stores for many reasons (a) I didn’t get a welcome response from store owners and (b) I didn’t like alot of the retail methods - my brand is unique in that it speaks to a specific audience: young people and facebook as well as the Internet is filled with that age group. Many of my target market don’t go out, they are either too young or don’t drive so getting around is difficult. They are also enthralled by the idea that is sort of collectors item, not something mass produced that can be found in every t-shirt store in
I do most of my marketing online because it is easier , I also work a 9-5 and don’t have the time to go out and promote my product, as I am also a single mother so when I get home its all about my family. My sales as a result of facebook have gone up 80%. Marketing on facebook has also opened up another market for me - Jamaicans that live in the
I recently launched my online store and am trying to continue to keep the brand very exclusive and not in any major stores.
Make Money selling Reggae Music Online
Affiliate Marketing - VP Records, dubbed the world’s leading reggae record company,has launched planetreggae.com, an online music store selling MP3s, music videos and ringtones. Along with it an affiliate programme, which allows anyone to set up, a co-branded planetreggae.com store and make 10% on each item sale.
What’s on sale
The online music store will have VP Records digital reggae music catalogue including music from Channel One, Joe Gibbs, Penthouse Productions, Techniques, Dynamic Recordings and King Jammy to name a few. It sells single track for US$.99,full album downloads for US$9.99 and videos for US$1.99, ring tone prices though yet not finalized are likely to be sold for US$1.99.
Getting Paid
Additionally, the planetreggae online music store will accept Paypal and all major credit card and debit cards (Visa and Mastercard). If you sign on as an affiliate, you will receive monthly statements but will be paid your money quarterly to coincide with artist royalty payments.
VP Records, headed Chris Chin and Randy Chin, was in the news this week when the company made an offer to buy Greensleeves Records & Publishing from Zest Group plc, subject to the approval of Zest’s shareholders. If the sale is approved, then VP Records will inherit a catalogue comprising some of the most notable albums of the genre, from Elephant Man to Yellowman and hit songs recorded by such acts as Rihanna, Sean Paul and Shaggy. Greensleeves is said to have a comprehensive reggae back catalogue of 400 albums and 900 singles, dating from the 1980s.
David Smith’s Olint partners with iTradeFX in a US$100 giveaway to Jamaicans
Forex Trading-David Smith, the Fx Chief of Jamaica, founder of OLINT the premier foreign exchange trading investment club has lent his name to iTrade online forex trading platform with a giveaway.
The fullpage, full colour newspaper advertisement and the website says: David Smith is adding US$100 of his own money to Live Forex Trading Accounts for Jamaican Residents who open with iTradeFX between November 15th and December 31st, 2007 at gotradejamaica.com. Of course MTI Traders is all over this, they have been the dominant forex trading educator brand in Jamaica. They have from day one marketed themselves as the company that taught David Smith what he knows. So this giveaway should not be surprising.
Purely, what a powerful affiliate marketing programme! Whoever thought this up, is very in tuned with the psyche of the Jamaican people has a great timing. The question that’s been hounding me though is this, are Jamaicans really interested in learning to trade forex themselves or do they simply want to understand how it works, so as to legitimise, fortify their decision to become investors in forex trading investment clubs. But information coming to me is that MTI Traders, the leading forex trading training firm here in Jamaica has trained 2,200 people since they opened for business 2 years ago.Sounds like they have a great business going.
-
Our Sponsors
-
-
-