Blogging - How to Turn Your Blog Into an Online Money Maker

Whilst it is fairly easy to get a blog up & running, making decent money from it is another matter entirely and something that remains elusive for most of the blogging community.

So if you want to set up a blog that has the legs to generate a more than decent income, then read the following 5 things to ensure that your blog is an online money maker...

1. Can you make a decent income by Blogging?

Well if you consider an annual 5 figure income decent then it is a totally attainable figure for your money making blog. However, don't be fooled it doesn't come easily as it does require some work but for someone working full time and effectively on their blog they could easily generate well in excess of $1000 a day.

2. What Skills or Talents Are Required to Create a Successful Money Making Blog?

As the barriers to starting & creating a blog are a;most non existent, many people have started blogging & have hoped to generate a wealth of income from them, but have failed dismally in the cash generating area.

So why is this you may ask. Well for starters to be successful at monetizing your blog there are a few factors that can influence this but the number one factor is intelligence - or web savvyness, ie. to be successful at blogging you need to be fairly web savvy above all else.

What this means is that you need to have a good sense of knowing what will make money & generate interest on the net and how to present your blog to capture & monetize this demand.

If you don't think you are web savvy enough you could do a lot of reading & learning to become web savvy but if you don't think you have what it takes to achieve this, don't be disappointed if your blogging exploits amount to nothing in terms of income generation.

3. What Do You Blog About?

This is a fairly crucial decision that you need to make before starting your blog because if your blog's topic is not popular enough you may not generate enough interest or traffic to generate more than a few dollars a month. So you need to have a topic for which there is sufficient demand & interest for it to be worthwhile in terms of monetizing it.

4. Can You Have Multiple Streams of Income on Your Blog?

It's a good idea not to have all your eggs in one basket so having multiple streams of income options on your blog is not a bad idea. Some blogs can have as many as six different streams of income made of advertisements, products, for sale, donations etc.

5. What Is the Cost of Blogging?

Blogging and setting up a blog is really cheap. There are some free blog set up options, but if you want to use your own domain name that will be a cost as well as web hosting which could be as less than $5 a month.

One of the best things about earning a living from blogging is not only the unlimited earning potential it provides, but the freedom it brings - you can set up your blogging business from home and work when you want - it's hugely rewarding & fun at the same time.

So start blogging & make sure you're one of the few who makes a six figure living from it.

Find out how in 5 simple steps you can set up your own free blog & start making money by blogging here >>

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Market Intelligence

If you are managing a business of any size, large or small, you need to understand both your customers and your competitors – and for this you need market intelligence. You have to decide where to grow your business, where you may need to cut back when times are tough, or where to change your emphasis according to trends and fashions.
The questions for which you need to find answers begin with ‘who’, ‘where’, and ‘why’. Who purchases your product? Better yet, who uses it and who decides to purchase it (these may be two different people). Who buys the product from your competitor?
You need to know where your product is used and what benefits customers seek from it. Where do they look for information about it? Online? In newspapers and magazines? Word of mouth? Is the product likely to be bought on impulse, or will most people research it carefully before spending money on your product? Then it is necessary to know how much people are prepared to pay for your product, especially in comparison with your competitor’s product. The answers to all these questions are important as you manage the marketing side of your business.
How to find the answers depends on the types of questions you need to ask.
You can find out facts using questions that only need "yes" or "no" as an answer; for example, "Does your household own more than one car?" This sort of question tells you about consumption, but not much more. Some facts rely on memory, for example, "Have you heard of chicken-flavored ice cream?" The answers here will tell you about product knowledge. Opinions give you an idea of the motives people have for buying things. A question like, "Why do you think red apples taste better than green apples?" can help you understand more about customer preference. Attitudes are hardest of all to work out – but they are the most valuable to determine, since they help us understand why people buy products.
Statistics can provide demographic data. Census data for household expenditure can help you build a profile of the market you are attempting to supply and will help you work out the ages of your local population, and other details such as its ethnic composition, average household income, size of the average family and so on. Various trade organizations are another good source of up-to-date data.
Surveys of your customers, established and potential, provide the most valuable data. There are many sorts of survey: three important methods are interviews, telephone surveys and online surveys.
Interviews should be kept brief and to the point – people are busy. This method depends on sampling a small number of people who represent the total group you want to research. You can ask some structured questions at point of sale, or employ market research companies, which are adept at this type of survey.
Telephone surveys may be met with a reluctance to respond and you may get a biased sample coming from only those people who are willing to take part in the survey. They can be costly and time-consuming.
Online surveys suffer from the fact that people can express their opinions anonymously. This can lead to a lot of ‘noise’ in the results, but if you provide an incentive (some sort of prize) and allow participation only by people who have been through some sort of screening process, greater accuracy can be obtained. Again, keep it simple.
Unfortunately, market intelligence is unable to predict the future, but it will help you find out where you stand and what your best strategy should be for the present. Read more...

How to Offer Your Employees a Memorable Special Event by Hiring a Party Rental Specialist

There are professionals in every field of activity to offer their expert help. Arranging parties and special events for your organization is something that cannot be risked with the expertise of in-house staff unless you are prepared for a lot of avoidable lapses and gaffes. Professionals thorough in the business of arranging parties and events should be roped in to take charge of the tasks. Creating that special event is an art form that only party rental specialists can handle with success.

Event hosting requires precision in planning, experienced personnel, creative judgment, a large contact of entertainers, and the availability of the latest party equipment. Party rental specialists provide these facilities with ease. They transform an event in to a memorable occasion with their valuable service. Irrespective of the nature of the event –- whether it’s a birthday celebration of a top executive, the organization’s founding day anniversary, a training workshop, a charity show, a fundraising event, Christmas party, summer party, promotional event, laugh party, or the completion of a training program – party rental specialists have that uncanny ability to make them a perfect occasion.

How Hiring a Special Events Company can Make Your Next Event Better and Less Expensive

No organization can plan, promote and deliver a big party or special event on its own despite having all the necessary resources without some problem arising. It requires imagination and creative ideas to organize a special event or host a party. Technically, event organizers have better knowledge of the sense of lighting, creating a theme design, arrangement of tables, arrangement of props, and the entire styling of the event. They have perfect knowledge of the order of events in a party based on propriety and convenience. The array of entertainment options they provide is also stunning.

Special events companies have extensive list of contacts and the right support staff to include; of entertainers, party hosts, caterers, florists, light and sound specialists, bakers etc. They have the contact numbers of professional entertainers such as: stand-up comedians, singers, musicians, and magicians too. .

Special event organizers party planners plan according to your budget. They have several options when your budget doesn’t permit spending top dollar on the special event or party. They will suggest that you pare down on some of the other areas of the special event or private party to enhance the special event experience and delight your guests. This is where the special event organizer’s help becomes invaluable. With their direct experience from prior special events and private parties they will suggest the best option. Some event planners even have a pool of new and fresh ideas and contacts that you can select from based on your requirements for the special event or private party.

If it’s a dance party they can suggest the names of happening DJs. Their expertise in setting light and sound for these occasions is impeccable. If you wish to transport your employees to their childhood briefly then slides and jumpers can make them shed their inhibitions and become kids for a few hours. Event planners will arrange poker games to add fun and excitement to a party.

Most importantly special event companies have a thorough idea of how an event should be planned and arranged. Beginning from the setting of the chairs and tables taking account of space and the number of guests to the selection of a wonderful menu they can take care of everything.

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From Concept to Customer: Supply Chain Management

The 21st century consumer is spoilt for choice when it comes to shopping for goods and services; and there is certainly a wide range of products to choose from, whatever the occasion.

But it’s probably fair to say that very few people ever stop to consider how the goods actually end up in their current form in the first place; from an idea in someone’s head to the factory floor, then transported on the back of a truck and taken to their local department store. Indeed, from a customer’s point of view, there is probably very little reason to ever consider the journey a product has taken to get to their front room.

However, from a business point of view, managing and monitoring a product’s journey is integral to the company’s long-term success. What's more, streamlining the process to minimise costs and delays will help to ensure the supply chain is optimised to their own benefit.

Indeed, the main underlying objective of supply chain management (SCM) is to meet the demands of the consumer through efficient use of all resources involved in moving the product or service, from the supplier to the customer. There are, however, many mechanisms in place to ensure that the SCM process runs smoothly from start to finish. This includes clear communication between suppliers to eliminate bottlenecks, and also strategic sourcing to ensure the right balance is struck between material costs and the quality of goods on offer.

But whilst supply chain management requires businesses at every level of the process to cooperate fully with each other, the ultimate goal of individual companies is to fulfil their immediate obligations in moving the product on to the next stage in its journey. As such, any tool of the trade will do if it helps them manage the often complex procedures involved in SCM, thereby increasing their profitability, competitiveness and subsequently, their growth.

And this is why many companies are turning to supply chain management software. Indeed, such software has specialised functionality to help companies effectively manage and coordinate the processes involved in collaborating between manufacturers, retailers and transportation/logistics service providers. SCM software also often includes useful features that help to facilitate purchase order processing, inventory management and supplier management/sourcing.

However, at the more sophisticated end of the SCM software spectrum, some have forecasting functionality built in, which can be a very valuable feature. Given that it can often be difficult to predict future consumer trends, there can often be a significant gap between supply and demand; through using algorithms and performing consumption analysis, forecasting tools can help businesses plan more efficiently for their future requirements.

So, whilst the customer may not be overly-concerned with the processes involved in moving a product concept to the shop floor, businesses stand to gain a lot from understanding and managing the supply chain effectively. Read more...