Week 6

This week we worked on our Adword campaigns.  Due to the fact that my business is a blog I love the feature that allows me to have separate campaigns and direct URL's.  I have 5 topics that I want to blog about, with the separate campaign option I can get my ads out to five different potential readers.  They don't have to go to my Home page they can go directly to the page on the blog that they clicked on the ad for.  Someone who is wanting to read what I have written about gardening doesn't want to go to my page about Duolingo.  This option allows me to direct traffic which allows me control over who my ads will be focused on.  I learned from another student that it is suggested to have a daily budget of $10 to $15, I had set mine at $1.  I will do further research to know if I need to bump my budget up or not.  I just didn't want to burn through my credits to quickly. Because this is my first time using Adwords I was taking the conservative approach but that may not be in my best interest.  I am working toward setting up all the affiliates on each blog pages.  Blogs are a running page not static like webpages so I am unsure what that means for my affiliate links I may have to put them at the top or top-side to get visitors to click and purchase.  Just another thing to learn as I continue in this process.

Info Adwords

How keywords Work Reading/Video

1. Words used to match your ads with terms people are searching for.
2. Select high quality relevant keywords

Keywords tips
1. use 2 to 3 words not too specific not to broad
2. use negative keywords (words you don't want your ad to appear)
3. use keyword tools

How to build the best keyword list
1. think of your customers (who are you trying to reach)
2. select more general or specific keywords depending on your goal
3. group similar keywords into themes
4. pick the right # of keywords (Google suggests 5 to 20)

Add Negative Keywords to your Campaign

allows you to
1. prevent your ad from showing to people searching for or visiting websites about things you don't offer
2. show your ads to people who are more likely to click them
3. reduce cost by excluding keywords where you might be spending money but not getting a return.

Week 5

I wanted to keep the websites I discovered as I learned about licensing so as to be able to have access when I need them.  As I talked with the local accountant I was excited for the possibility of working out the logistics for the nursery.  I am always stuck in the dilemma of whether or not the time is right.  I know that being in school is important however with all the other responsibilities I have I am not sure I can take it on right now.  I am always asking myself if I am having cold feet or is the time just not right.  I think the fact that I still get excited about the possibilities help me continue to work at putting everything in order so that when the time is right I will be full committed. Like the Pathway program the Lord knew I wanted to finish my degree and He opened the door for this program to come about in my area.  I know He knows of my business desire so I continue to pray that I will be ready so as to be able to accomplish my business goal just like I am doing with my education goal at this time.

http://licenseinfo.oregon.gov/ still being updated but covered a lot of different industries

http://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/business-information-center.aspx This is the Oregon Secretary of State website.  In this site there is an Oregon Business Wizard that helps anyone who is think of starting a business.  After completing the wizard helped, “determine licensing, obtain necessary application forms, identify state resources, and access other valuable business-related information.”

http://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/starting-business.aspx Also on the Secretary of state website there is a page that has a step by step guide for starting a new business. Contained in this page are links to information that will help with the established of the business and vital information so as not to miss something in the establishment process.

As I worked through this wizard I was able to determine that there are no licenses or permits that I need to obtain at this point.  However I put a call into a local accountant and with her secretary I discussed my blog that I will be creating the website for as well as a plant nursery that my husband and I hope to be able to open in the near future.  Although the cost of our first visit to her will be between $75-$100, she will be able to help insure that all the necessary permits or licenses are acquired.  Using the wizard I pursued both the blog and the nursery and according to my answers I will not need any permits for the nursery however we feel it is important to check with the accountant.  After speaking with the secretary at the accountants office I started thinking about how using our property for the nursery business was going to affect different aspects of permitting or licensing?  I may have to look into the zoning of our property and even put in a different drive way if it is required.  I have noticed that it seems I just get one questioned answered before another pops up.  Part of our property has christmas trees and our well may not be sufficient for our water needs, so I may have to acquire a permit for another well.

Week 4

This week as we explored using a button for credit cards payments I thought that maybe I will add this to my blog.  I am excited about all I am learning but still feel overwhelmed with certain aspects.  I have listed below some important information on building websites; items that are vital to creating a visual and user friendly site.  I love to create and I am excited to be able to put a little bit of me into the creation on my blog site.

According to Taming the Beast.net the first thing when setting up a commercial website is, “Your sales text must be grammatically sound and spelled correctly.  Poor spelling loses credibility points straight away.”  The second important item to insure your site has is, “..keyword and keyphrase rich text;…phrases that people would enter into search engines when performing a query.”  The third element is to remember that not everyone uses the same web browser so remember to design your site to be, “viewable in at least: Internet Explorer 5.0+ and Firefox 1.0+.”  The fourth item to remember is that most the world doesn’t utilize broadband so downloading of images can be a be factor for you customers.  Make sure to not only use high quality images and not stock images but to use compression wizards to help optimize your images (alt tags,). The final item to consider when construction a commercial site is what pages should be included in the site.  Here are Taming the Beast.net suggestion, “About Us Page (online business is no different to traditional business in that we all like to ‘put a face to the name’), Privacy policy (what are we going to do with my information?), FAQ (Simply list the questions at the beginning of the FAQ, then directly linked to the answer further down the page), Testimonials Page (dollar value can not be placed upon positive client testimonials; this is some of the best promotional copy around).”

Article 8 Tips for Designing a Great Website

1.     Chose a Color Scheme and stay with it on all additional pages

2.     Use Templates (if you can’t find a site to model use a template)

3.     Provide an easy to use navigation system (navigation bar at the top and bottom of each page)

4.     Don’t go overboard on special effects ( one or two special effects to jazz up the site is plenty)

5.     Backgrounds (make sure visitors can read the text on the chosen background, no black text on blue background)

6.     External Links (insure that any external links used in your site open in a new window this will allow your visitors easy returning to your site)

7.     Site Map and Search Feature (if your site has more than 15 pages make sure to have a “Search” feature)

8.     Content is King (ten things to stay away from flash intros, loads of pop ups, auto play music, hit counters especially ones that say “you are the 27^th visitor, date and time stamps, busy backgrounds)

Web Wiz suggests using thumbnails for graphics used in the construction of a website.  This makes for fast downloads and the visitor can decide if they want to wait for a larger downloading image.

Week 3

Options…that's what I learned this week.  I was amazed at how many hosting options there are available to individuals looking to put a website on the Internet.  I loved seeing that two of the sites I studied were based out of Orem, UT.  I have no idea if either company founders are LDS, but it reminds me of the Lords commandment to be self reliant.  If we put in the work and we seek His help and guidance in the process we are able to see what Option is best for us.  I like some of my fellow classmates like having things all nicely placed in one package.  With that said I thought I would use Weebly as my design site, just to find out they want you to host with them as well.  For my personality that is great everything in one package, however do they do that so they can charge me more?  Is it better to go with a different design site so I can get a great deal on hosting…As I was totally frustrated this week contemplating these options, I finally said, "ok Lord, you directed me this way what do you want me to do."  What an amazing blessing the gospel is, because my mind was put at ease and the frustration was washed away and I felt that I needed to move forward with the inspiration that I was receiving.  He knows each of us and what is best.  Am I still unsure about my steps, of course, however I have faith in the feelings I received and that gives me the courage to move forward.  As we live the council to live within our means I read on the discussion board that other students are worried about the added cost of this class.  My heart goes out to some that I am sure reside in foreign countries because I know some of the  circumstances they maybe facing.  Some students remind me of the times I walked the streets of Brazil and saw the poverty there.  Once again I am reminded of the fact that the Lord knows each of us and He is directing their path as well.  He will open doors for all of us if we just exercise our faith in what we can learn from this experience.  

Week 2

I have copied into this weeks post many things that stood out to me in our assigned readings, first concerning chosen a product and second drop shipping.  One thing that frustrated me about this week is the fact that our case study seems a little to simplified.  The group doesn't have solid goals in what they wish to achieve in this endeavor.  In fact this week they were almost done with their meal before discussion of the business even started.  Do they want a little side business to play around with, or do they want to understand all the complexities that go with an Internet business.  Using drop shipping I feel they will receive the latter, which was a totally new concept to me.  There are some items with drop shipping that have to be addressed and put in writing with the manufacturer, however once this is done then I think this is the way to go for the business.  Now how does this relate to me…I am not at this moment looking to be that involved with a business.  The demands on my time don't allow for that right now, with that said maybe in the future I will explore this avenue.  I think that we have these classes to expose us to new ideas that the Lord can help us use in the future.  That is what I feel about drop shipping, for my current situation affiliate marketing is the safe way to go.  All I have to do is get people to the site and then have them purchase with who I affiliate with…I can be as aggressive as I want.  I don't have to think about customer service issues, because the affiliate handles all this.  Yes I am not going to make a lot of money but I have the potential to in the future if I stay at it.  Now with that said there may come a time that I will become very involved with drop shipping because of the potential it holds as well.


Choosing Products to Sell

Shari Waters

Not only should there be a demand for your products, but it must be profitable and something you enjoy selling. 

Marketability

Your product selection doesn't have to appeal to all of the population but it should be something you can convince a large percentage of shoppers they need.

Profit Margin

The best selling products won't ever earn any real money if your margin is too small.

Consumable

Choose a product with recurring sales value.  A consumable item that needs to be replaced on a regular basis is one way a retailer can establish long term sales. 

What’s Popular

Learning to pick a hot product before it becomes hot is a valuable skill that comes from knowing your market.

Quality

Product quality is extremely important when your reputation is on the line.

The key to having a successful business is to know your products and to believe in the merchandise that you are selling. If you do not believe in the product yourself, then you probably won't be successful at selling it. 

How to find a wholesale Distributor

Gregory Go

If you're too small for them or they only sell through established distribution channels, ask them for a list of distributors you can contact.

Take the list of wholesale distributors you got from the manufacturer, and start contacting each one. What you're looking for are minimum order requirements and their wholesale unit prices. 

Here how I would phrase a first contact email to potential wholesalers:

Hello, I'm starting a small <insert product line> store. What are your minimum order requirements and wholesale prices? Thanks for your time! -Greg

Article on Entreprenuer.com

Drop Shipping Advantages

Manufacturer ships product

No cost for inventory

No left over inventory

Easy adding of products to your site

Things to remember

Set up drop shipping arrangements directly with the manufacturer (cost, fees, terms, return options, customer service issues)

If manufacturer won’t drop ship for you you’ll have to find a distributor (ask manufacture for recommendations)

Look into related trade magazines of the item you wish to sell distributors listed at the back

When contacting a company ask to become a vendor this will connect you with the right person

Questions for the company

1.     What’s the wholesale price for their product?

2.     Do they charge a handling fee for drop shipping? If so, how much?

3.     How do they ship their product? (UPS, FedEx ask for Tracking #’s)

4.     How do they bill? (credit card?, billing cycle?,) if one ccard shipping and handling is usually added to the amount

5.     How do they deal with product returns? Make sure the companies you work with deal with returns so that you don’t have to.

According to the website Taming the Beast.com things to remember

Price points-shop around for the best wholesaler company

Fees and Charges-understand what they are and how the work

Shipping-what company do they use to ship merchandize

Account Terms- charge credit card or billing cycle

Support-Do they take care of support, returns and refunds

Chargebacks-Fraud screening

Credibility-How long have they been around, research the company

Affiliate Program

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQn7XU5PrFs&feature=pyv&ad=2926793814&kw=affiliate%20marketing&gclid=CJf1lLSyx6YCFQdMgwodRSXiHQ

Hosting:

LivingDot

RackSpace

Email  Allows people to connect with you and can get weekly newsletter from you

Affiliate with companies that go along with whatever you are blogging about…gardening=gardening store, tools, seeds

Editorial Calendar-make list of things you would like to talk about then schedule it out so that you have things to blog about week after week, also use holidays to inspire you for article ideas.