Free Stuff? Try Swag Bucks

Are you an avid online shopper? Are you always looking for a freebie? There are plenty of sites online that offer you wonderful prizes for filling out offers or other mundane tasks but the majority of them are either fraudulent or impossible to profit from.  As a freelance writer I spend the majority of my day and sometimes night on my computer, so when I find a great site I think others can benefit from; I love to share it. If you haven’t heard of Swag Bucks yet, it’s definitely worth your time to check it out.

What is it?

Swag Bucks is basically an online incentive program where you earn points daily that you can accumulate and turn into prizes. The site offers everything from electronics to trinkets but their main pull is the Amazon and Paypal giftcards.

How Do You Earn Points

The great thing about Swag Bucks is that it has something for everyone. The easiest way to earn is to download their very useful toolbar which has a nifty little search bar in it. Instead of using big search engines like Google or Bing! try the Swag Bucks search. It’s powered by Google and every time you use it their is a chance to win points.  There are however many other more lucrative amounts of points to be earned filling out surveys and free offers. Unlike other sites of this variety they don’t REQUIRE you to purchase a thing BUT there are some really great offers on the site that will reward you if you make purchases. If you do a lot of online shopping, you may find great deals on things you would have purchased anyway!

If you haven’t tried the site yet I really encourage you to go ahead and sign up, pronto. The first week I was there I earned more than 1,000 pts without spending a dime and they translated in 2-3 gift cards for me.

Are you interested? Click HERE to get started swaggin’ today.

 

 

*Note To Reader: I am just an independent user. I do not work for or with SwagBucks.com for any promotional purposes. I simply enjoy this site and would love to pass it along to others!

How to Maximize Traffic to Your Website

If you are a freelance writer or business owner, you know that your profit can be a direct reflection of how much traffic your website is receiving. Just because your business is solid and respectable doesn’t mean it’s going to bring you the customer’s by word of mouth. If you are not getting the kind of hits to your site that you should, try utilizing some of our tips for maximizing traffic to your website.

Post Relevant SEO Content.

The more pages of content you have on your website, the more likely it is that you will rack up page views from the search engines. If the pages on your website are full of informative, well written content in subjects relating to your business area, your site has a great advantage because you will have visitors coming from many different outlets. Make sure to edit your content with a scattering of direct keywords to maximize visibility.

Create a Link Cache and Use it!

Use a link shortener like Adfly to make and store shortlinks for all of the individual pages on your website. If you have a blog on your site, you can also make links for individual blog posts. Use these links in virtually every open forum available. Twitter and Facebook are the best for this but use your links in other creative places to maximize traffic. Try posting on articles of similar topics and websites of relative purpose to increase targeted traffic.  Also, I do recommend the Adfly site mostly because there is a nice revenue share program with this site and you earn money from posting links to your content that you would have posted anyway.

Blog Blog Blog!

If you have a website, keeping a regularly updated blog can be a great way to generate traffic. Not only does it help to keep expanding the amount of related content on your site but you can also drive views to your site by posting time related and seasonal content. Breaking news and seasonal topics such as holiday pieces and ‘tax season’ topic articles  are examples of this kind of writing. Remember to use a touch of SEO in your blog posts too!

If you are looking to expand the amount of valuable content on your page, a freelance writer can make all the difference. Contact me today for a free consultation and quote on your project. Click HERE to get started.

How to Deal with Difficult Clients

If you own your own home business where you have your own individual clients chances are you have had to work with clients who are less than cooperative. If you find yourself at a stalemate, learning how to deal with difficult clients can be a big help to your bottom line. Here are a few techniques for making client relations a little more simple.

Don’t Take Feedback Too Personally

Not everyone will be over the moon about the work you do for them, that’s life. If you run your own business that relies on your craftsmanship, one of the main issues you are going to run into with clients are creative differences.  This is especially so for people who’s businesses are creation based such as freelance writers and web designers. It is natural as an ‘artist’ or creator to respond negatively to criticisms of our creations which we almost always ourselves think to be perfect. The thing to remember when dealing with negative feedback is that it is not a personal attack. When you are providing a service to the client, you are taking on the responsibility of meeting their needs for the project they requested of you. If by chance your rough drafts of their project aren’t accepted point blank, just take it in stride make the necessary changes. Remember, your business is about the bottom line, so sometimes you will have to put aside personal feelings.

Protect Yourself with Solid Contracts

If your home-based business is service based, you can head off a lot of potential problems before hand by requiring that all new clients sign a service agreement. This document should outline both your responsibilities and those of your client. Make sure to include necessary payment plans and processes etc. If your client agreed to pay a deposit, write it in. If your client agreed to pay in weekly installments, write it in. Anything that is relative to the terms of your project should be covered so that in the event you find yourself dealing with a difficult client who refuses to pay or wants to argue about your process, you can refer to your very legally binding service agreement to remind them of their responsibilities.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

No, as a service provider, we cannot make people happy one hundred percent time but we can minimize time required in re-doing work by keeping an open line of communication. When you sign on a new client make sure you spend an adequate amount of time communicating about the project and really listening to their goals and expectations. The more you know about what they want, the less likely you are to stray away from the initial purpose during creation. Create directly for your client’s needs and your business will reap the benefits one hundred percent of the time.

Take Advantage of this Amazing Offer

If you provide a service to clients and you are working without a service agreement to protect your interests, it’s definitely time to consider getting one. If you would like to have a standard service agreement customized and written for your business, contact Desrosiers Quality Content today. We are offering this service for a $100 flat fee for a limited time. Visit our ‘Writing Services‘ page and fill out the short form to get your project started today!

Drop Shipping Wholesalers: Don’t Get Scammed

Millions of people world wide run private online businesses that basically consist of a website where people will go to purchase products. These businesses may sell one item or a whole catalog of items however most do have one thing in common, they use drop shipping wholesalers. It’s important that you know that the people running these businesses are everyday people just like you and that when they started their online business did not have the space or the capital to invest in an entire stock inventory, which is where the drop shipping wholesalers came into play. These wholesalers usually have an entire inventory of products and will allow you to market and sell them for a profit. This system can be hugely beneficial to the small business person looking to make a little extra money but be wary. There are plenty of con artists out there ready to take your money and run. Here are a few tips to ensure that your experience with a drop shipping wholesaler is a positive one.

Do Your Research
The drop shipping process can really be beneficial. The company will basically act as your warehouse, taking your client orders, filling and shipping them directly to your customers for a cut of the sales. If you play your cards right you should have no expenses other than your web hosting and marketing fees. The customers will pay you and then you send their info to the wholesalers who take care of the rest. It is important that you know that when looking for a great wholesaler to really research your options to see which company is going to give you the best incentive for selling their product. If you think you have decided on a company, do a little extra digging on the web and with the Better Business Bureau to make sure they are legit. There are plenty of sites out there on the web that advertise a drop shipping program on their products that don’t actually exist and selling for them leaves you responsible to the client and may cause you to be responsible for refunding their purchase out of pocket.

Remember: You are a Seller NOT a Buyer

Many of these fake drop shipping wholesalers are always offering memberships into their programs and they do a great job of making these offers sell legitimate. This is just another way to steal your money and your customer’s money. When you work with a drop shipping wholesaler you will pay them a cut of your sales in exchange for using their inventory and shipping processes. So, if you are already paying for their services and selling their products to boot, how does it make any sense that you would have to pay them to let you sell the products in the first place. Never be afraid to say no, if your gut tells you that something isn’t right, chances are you are probably correct.

Protect Yourself

It never hurts to take that extra bit of precaution to ensure that the companies you work with and put your trust in are legitimate. Many sources will tell you that the best way to find a legitimate drop ship wholesaler is to ask around. Talk to other online business owners and see who they use and who they would recommend. Also, once you choose a company be sure that you have your service agreement in writing that states what both parties are responsible for. Also you may to consider asking the wholesaler to sign a document that prevents them from directly marketing to your customers before you start to sell for them.

Drop shipping can be a sticky business but there are many great wholesalers out there who are legitimate and helpful once you find them. Just always be sure to do extra research and to protect yourself before entering into any agreements or giving a company any of your money. That extra effort could indeed be what prevents you from losing a lot of money

How Freelance Writers Can earn Extra Income

For a freelance writer, steady clients can sometimes be hard to find. If you are in a slump and need to bring in some extra income in a hurry here are a few techniques for finding a few extra dollars online.

Use your writing skills for user-content generated sites.

There are sites all over the internet that promise you revenue based on page views. These have been proven to generate small amounts of money over long periods of time… but the pay out isn’t always worth the wait. Your best bet is to try writing for sites that pay you for your content up front.  Here are the three we recommend.

• Associated Content– This site will not yield you high payouts but if you able to write on trending topics and infuse your article with a little SEO magic, you can expect to make anywhere from $2-$5 for an article. The articles don’t have to be masterpieces, just make sure they are on a popular topic and provide some sort of useful information. Before you submit, try searching the site to make sure there aren’t hundreds of other articles on your same topic to avoid rejection.
• Mahalo– Becoming a Mahalo guide is relatively easy as long as you have the writing experience to do it. You can make anywhere from $8-$12 per article on this site, though their standards are quite a bit more strict than Associated Content. Follow their application process and submit samples to be considered for this position and cash in on this earning opportunity.
• Demand Media Studios– This site is the one we suggest if you are looking to bring in a great deal of yearly income. Like Mahalo, there is an application process that involves submitting samples but once you are accepted you have access to hundreds of titles and most pieces pay a flat $15 a piece.  Compared to the rates we charge as writers, this is only pennies but if your clients are few and far between, you can earn as much additional income on this site as you like. The average writer makes between $300-$400 a week with this site. The editors are helpful and they work with you on every article to avoid rejections.

Sell ad space on your blog to generate extra income.

If you own your own domain and your website generates substantial views, you can sell ad space on your site to bring in additional revenue. Use social networking sites to promote your site and offer some sort of permanent or temporary ad on your site in exchange for a fee. This can be a flash HTML ad or even a review that contains contact info.

Use your writing skills to offer editing services.

If you have had a few years experience as a writer than no doubt you have learned to edit and re-edit your work. If your comfortable, you can add editing to the list of services you provide. Many companies and individuals have already existing content but lack the finesse to make it flow in a informative and cohesive way. Set a price for editing a standard page and charge clients accordingly.

If you are in need of professionally written content or editing services, please feel free to visit my ‘Writing Services‘ page to browse my services. Contact me toady for a free quote and consultation on your project today.

Web Content That Works

There are so many websites on the Internet that are filled with garbage content.  Individual site owners and business sites seem to think that if they plaster page upon page of keyword stuffed content that it will drive people to their site and help the business but this is simply a misconception. Filling your site with useless material makes your site just that–Useless. Here are my top three tips for making sure your site’s content is working for you– not against you.

Tip #3 — Bad SEO = Bad Reputation

There are plenty of sites looking to increase their traffic using excess content in order to make revenue off of their sales ads.  If you have a site that represents a business, product or service… this is not where you want your traffic to come from. Using page upon page of badly written SEO content brings viewers to their site–for a few seconds. They will quickly leave once they realize that your site is definitely not what they are looking for.  Stuffing your site with page upon page of filler content gets you nothing but a negative reputation on the web.

Tip #2 — Know Your Target Audience

Getting traffic to your site is great– but where is it coming from? If you are a sight that represents a business, a professional  or even an organization you want your traffic to be coming from your target audience. Your target audience consists of other professionals in your field and a vast pool of potential customers.  If you own a business you want people who are researching or in need of the services you provide to be able to find your site by searching that topic. Once they find it you want to make sure that the message you send across with your website is one that says we are professional, legitimate and trustworthy. The best way to accomplish this is to keep your site free of filler and to provide quality, relevant content.

Tip #1 — Provide Quality Content to Get Quality Results

The best thing you can learn about making your content work for you is to understand that it is all about QUALITY and not QUANTITY. Ask yourself before you publish a new piece of content “Will this piece bring real potential customers to my site?” If the answer is yes, then you are on the right track. There is nothing wrong with publishing high quality SEO content on your site as long as it relevant to your business and what you are trying to accomplish. Customers will really appreciate being able to go to your site and read all about your business AND finding that there is relevant, interesting and informative content there about your field and it’s trends, current events and issues. It’s easy to see that in the world of internet business, professionally written, relevant content will get you the results you are looking for.

If you think that your website is in need of professionally written content for 2011, please feel free to contact me today for a free quote and consultation on your project. See my ‘Writing Services‘ tab above for a list of my services, tentative fees and contact information.

The Truth About SEO Content

Writing for Search Engine Optimization is one of the most controversial topics in the writing community.  What is SEO writing? Is keyword stuffing important? Does SEO style take away from the overall writing quality of the content? These questions are asked every day in a variety of forums are are met with biased and unclear answers. So, in an effort to help all business owners, site owners and writers here are the answers you have been looking for.

What is Search Engine Optimization? — The Mystery Revealed.

Search Engine Optimization writing or SEO for short is basically a writing style that involves the strategic use and placement of key words within web site content which dramatically increases it’s visibility with search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. If used correctly, this style of writing can really help drive traffic to your site and your business.

Is Keyword Stuffing Important?

SEO driven content can be extremely valuable but I wouldn’t necessarily go so far as to “keyword stuff” your content.  Experts in this area say if your looking to optimize your content for search engine visibility that you should strive for a keyword density that lands between 2% and 5% depending on which search engines you are looking to appeal to. Google is probably the most popular search engine and probably your best bet for visibility. Unfortunately, Google also has the strictest rules regarding SEO content. They allow a maximum of 2% keyword density.  Yahoo, MSN and other less restrictive sites will accept content at up to a 5% density, so be sure not to go any higher than that.

Does SEO Style Take Away From the Overall Quality of Your Content?

The answer to this question can go both ways. If you write or hire a writer to create content that is optimized for search engines and they provide you with second rate writing that is just filled with keywords, chances are it will hurt the credibility of your content. They key to creating solid SEO content is to make sure that your content is good quality writing with a purpose. If you make sure to only publish content of the highest caliber that only uses keywords where they are truly appropriate you will find that search engines will not only pick up your content but your content will also retain relevance and credibility. Needless key word stuffing only leads to angry viewers when they realize that your content is definitely not what they were looking for.

How to Get Good Quality SEO Content Every Time

If you have never considered hiring a freelance writer to help you and your business further it’s endeavors by way of quality, professional content than maybe it’s time you looked into it.  A professional writer well versed in SEO content writing can be an excellent asset to any company. If you have an upcoming project in mind please see my services list by clicking the “Writing Services” tab at the top of the page or by clicking HERE.

For more information regarding SEO key word densities visit the Web Pro News Blog post on this subject by clicking HERE.

Affordable Writing Services for 2011

Merry Christmas Everyone! Now that the holidays are almost over it’s time to consider your sales approach for the new year.  Almost every business has a need for new and updated content, especially if they are looking to expand their customer base. Hiring a professional freelance writer can be a great resource when it is time to update website content and sales materials.

I am happy to announce that I have plenty of time on January’s project schedule for your project and would be happy to help.  I specialize in writing articles, blogs, web site content, research materials and sales copy and offer a wide variety of other services as well. Please see my fee schedule in the Writing Services tab above for a complete list of services and prices.

If you haven’t updaed your website content in a while or if you think you may need a press release or e-mail sales campaign for the new year, contact me for a free consultation and quote on your project. My prices are highly competitive and I guaruntee my work 100% and promise you will too.

So what do you have to lose, contact me today and lets get started. Please send me an e-mail at Nicole-Desrosiers@live.com

Visit my fee schedule HERE

Christmas Traditions for the Kids

Every family has it’s own set of quirky holiday traditions but for new parent’s just starting their families, sometimes the part that’s the most fun is starting the traditions. Here is the list of our top five suggestions for Christmas traditions to start for your children.

#5 Convince your children of the Christmas elves.

This one is relatively simple and can be a lot of fun for both you and the kids. Go to the local craft store and purchase a couple of very small stockings (one for each of your kids) that can easily be hung as oversized decorations. Five or six days before Christmas make up a story about a Christmas elf who spreads Christmas cheer by bringing little presents to children and tell them to check their stockings every morning. After they go to bed each night place a small item in their miniature stocking for them to find. These items can be candy, toys or trinkets just so long as they are small enough to fit in their stocking. Do this for the next few days except for Christmas eve. When the kids wake up on Christmas morning their tiny stockings should be gone and replaced by Santa’s stockings.

#4 Create the Reindeer Runway

Everyone knows that Santa lands on the roof so that he can go down the chimney but what about the houses that don’t have chimneys? There’s no point to landing up there if you have to come through the front door.  If this is the case for your home make sure the reindeer know where to land by creating them a sparkling runway on your lawn.  In a Ziploc bag or container mix a few cups of dry oats  and a whole container of glitter and shake till it is thoroughly mixed. Give this concoction to your children and tell them to put it in the front yard where they want the reindeer to land. This is especially pretty in areas with snow.

#3 Cookies? Who needs them?

Traditionally most families put out cookies and milk for Santa to snack on before he leaves but what happens when Santa gets tired of cookies. Take turns every year letting one of your children pick out  a new treat for Santa when he comes. It could be some left overs from the fridge or even a baked treat that you and the kids make together. The key is to get them involved and get them excited.

#2 Have a Christmas movie marathon!

Everyone has a favorite Christmas movie or special that they enjoy watching. Put all of these titles in a hat and watch a new one each day. This allows all of your children to have some input and it’s a special time for the whole family to settle in to spend some time together.

#3 The tree of growth

Most babies have a “Baby’s First Christmas” ornament that is given to them on their first Christmas. It’s something special for the parents so that every year when they decorate the tree they remember that special time. This same principle can be applied to children as they grow. If every year you give them a new ornament or let them pick one new one out, as they get older they will have special memories that they will remember for years to come. For small children sometimes making a new ornament can be a special treat as well.

Christmas is really a time for togetherness and being thankful for your family, make the most of this time by creating warm memories and traditions that will grow as your family does. Your children will remember it all one day and probably pass these traditions down to their children.

The Rules of Regifting

Regifting is one of those Christmas faux pas that everyone does and no one talks about. It is a practice that is widely frowned upon but oddly that doesn’t stop people from doing it. Regifting however doesn’t have to be that slap in the face insult that everyone thinks it is. There are a few ways to pull off the infamous regift without insulting your friends and looking like a cheapskate.

Rule #1 – If you REgift, REwrap!

Everyone gets presents that they do not want and sometimes when we get desperate for a last minute gift for someone you forgot then regifting may be your only option in a pinch. Many people will store their unused presents in their original packaging (gift bag, box, etc.) If this is the case make sure you update the packaging so your secret is not discovered. Three telltale signs of recycled gifts are dust, dents and outdated packaging.  If your going to regift it,  wipe the box down and rewrap it with new paper and ribbons or, at the very least put it in a new gift bag with a new tag!

Rule #2 If you have used it, don’t regift it.

There are a few cheapskates who give all regifters a bad name and they usually do this by giving gifts that they have already used. There is nothing wrong with giving your sister in law a few cd’s that you don’t want anymore but not if you are trying to disguise it as a new gift. This is especially true for things that you have had around your house. You may not want those beautiful sconces any more but if your giftee recognizes that they were once in your living room you may be in trouble!

Rule #3 -Keep a list.

If you get some less than desirable presents that may be eligible for regifting, make sure you remember who gave them to you so you avoid the catastrophe of regifting the item back to them. This can easily be accomplished by simply writing down what you got and who gave it to you so you can consult it later on when making a last minute regift decision.

Rule #4 – Avoid regifting from the bad gifts list.

There are certain items that are horrible enough when you get them, keep yourself out of hot water by stopping the cycle and not passing these items along.  Her is a brief list of items to avoid.

– Old Unused Candles (they usually smell horrible)

– Bargain Gift Sets (If they were cheap, they probably look like it)

– Decorative Figurines (They are just tacky.)

-Ugly Jewelery Gift Sets

-Fruitcake (Just don’t. Trust me.)

Rule #5 – Donate or SELL what you can’t regift.

Sometimes you just can’t regift something because no one you know would want that item. If this is the case just rid yourself of the item all together. The easiest way to do this is to donate it. Simply give it away or give it to an organization looking for unused presents. The other way to rid yourself of ungiftable items is to sell it. EBAY is a great forum for people looking to sell they’re unused items and there is absolutely no angry holiday backlash. It’s definitely worth a try.

While regifting can be tacky, it doesn’t have to be. Just remember to do it tastefully and keep your mouth shut. If no one knows but you then you’ve achieved your mission.

And just for fun try this out, it’s called Regifting Robin it’s a computer site that reads your mind! Check it out HERE