Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Online Guide Writer

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Position: Online Guide Writer

Education: None required.

Skills: Writing skills and an expertise in a specific subject area.

Job outlook: With more people turning to the Internet for advice and information, there are more opportunities for writers to make money via online guide sites and advice sites.

Possible employers: Sites such as eHow.com and About.com offer opportunities for writers to specialize in certain subjects. Chacha.com and other live help sites let users type in questions and receive answers from its stable of writers.

Preparation: Hone your writing skills. Both eHow.com and About.com have an application process that involves writing samples and testing.

Get your foot in the door: Develop your own area of expertise and then search for ways to use your particular knowledge on these and other online sites.

Until next time,

Sarah

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The Importance of Shut-Eye

Let’s face it: We could all use more sleep. The bad news is that we’re more likely to forgo sleep than food, especially when recent studies have found that we need sleep more than food to function properly, according to the Harvard Business Review.


Sleep deprivation can lead to memory problems and muddled minds. Most experts peg how much sleep we need as adults as between seven and eight hours each night.

Sufficient sleep improves our functionality during the day, which can boost our productivity and overall life enjoyment. Ways to improve your sleep include going to bed earlier and at the same time each evening; begin a wind down routine 45 minutes before bedtime; and jot down your thoughts before bed. Also, turning off electronic devices—including cell phones, computers, e-readers and TVs—during your pre-bed rituals can help prepare your mind and body for bed.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Blogger

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Position: Blogger

Education: None required.

Skills: Writing skills and the ability to navigate the Internet by posting your blog.

Job outlook: With more and more people turning to the Internet for information, blogging has a robust future.

Possible employers: Professional bloggers make money by attracting viewers to their blogs and having those visitors click on ads. Use Blogger.com's AdSense feature to get advertisements on your blog page. Eefoof.com also allows postings of videos and photographs, sharing a percentage of the site’s revenue with its posters.

Preparation: Brush up on your writing skills. Make sure your blog is unique and written in a style that draws people in.

Get your foot in the door: Getting starting with blogging is as easy as registering with a free blog site like Blogger.com and posting your first blog.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Marketing Your Home-Based Business: Affiliate Programs

The tenth way you can market your home-based business is through affiliate programs. An online affiliate program can market your products or services to a wider range of customers.


A business in an affiliate programs rewards other affiliated businesses for each visitor or customer brought into the affiliate via its own marketing. Examples of affiliate programs include rewards sites. You also can grab a percentage of the sales generated via affiliations with online retailers like Amazon.com.

You can work with a variety of affiliate programs to optimize your business and cross-promote those relationships on your website and other promotional materials. Check out affiliate program clearinghouses like http://www.affiliateonline.net/ for ideas, but be sure to vet the programs through the Better Business Bureau and read all the fine print very carefully before signing any contracts.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Computer Support Specialist

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Position: Computer Support Specialist

Education: Computer support specialist jobs require a bachelor’s degree, or an associate degree or certification.

Skills: Relevant skills beyond a degree or certification include problem-solving and good customer service.

Job outlook: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says job opportunities for computer support specialists is rosy. “Employment of computer support specialists is expected to increase by 14 percent from 2008 to 2018, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for these workers will result as organizations and individuals continue to adopt the newest forms of technology,” according to the BLS. Check out the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Possible employers: Both large and small businesses and local companies probably offer the best opportunities for at-home employment. Several online companies hire contract computer support specialist, too. Try ComputerAssistant.com, SupportFreaks.com, PlumChoice.com, GeeksOnTime.com and Apple.com.

Preparation: Make sure your certifications are up-to-date. Brush up your resume, highlighting any recent computer technical classes or certificates. Gather references from previous or current employers or clients in this field.

Get your foot in the door: Contact a local computer repair shop or electronics store to see if you could place flyers or get on their recommended tech support list.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Marketing Your Home-Based Business: Expertise

The ninth way you can market your home-based business is with expertise. If you’re running a home-based business, chances are you’ve become an expert on that topic. Use your knowledge and expertise to leverage speaking opportunities around your community.


Offer to speak to groups for free about your topic, such as giving horticulture tips on household plants if you’re a landscaper, or simple holiday crafts for children if you’re an art teacher. Find the right groups by visiting city or county Web sites and looking in newspaper calendar event listings.

Think beyond your business for more general subjects on which you can speak knowledgeably. For example, in addition to starting a home-based business topics, I list time management as one of my speaking subjects because as someone who works from home, I’ve become an expert on managing my time.

Another way to promote your expertise is through articles. Write free articles relating to your business, such as ways to keep a shaggy dog cool in the summer if you have a pet grooming service, for local newspapers, newsletters, magazines, and online city, county, or state Web sites. These news outlets are usually hungry for good quality articles that have broad appeal.

Develop a good relationship with the editors of these periodicals, positioning yourself as an expert on your particular business. When their reporters need a source on your particular topic, you will be the one they call—and reap free publicity for your business. Register with online sites like ProfNet that journalists use as a source resource.

Using your status as an expert about your home-based business can be a win-win marketing solution.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Online Juror

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Position: Online Juror

Education: None required. However, you must be 18 years of age or older, not a lawyer or in the insurance business, have no felony convictions, be a U.S. citizen.

Skills: The ability to fill out forms online and respond to mock trial information.

Job outlook: More attorneys are turning to online mock jury companies to conduct pre-trial research. The job possibilities in this field are growing. Mock jurors can make between $10 and $100 per case, depending on the length of the mock trial.

Possible employers: There are a host of online companies that employ fake jurors, including JuryTest.net, eJury.com, OnlineVerdict.com and TrialJuries.com.

Preparation: Register with as many of these online sites as possible.

Get your foot in the door: Be ready to be available when contacted for a mock trial. Until next time,

Sarah

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Marketing Your Home-Based Business: Referrals

The eighth way you can market your home-based business is with referrals. Referrals are the lifeblood of any business, home-based or not. Referrals from current customers to their family and friends can boost your business and reputation.


Some ways to ensure you will get stellar referrals from your clients include offering the best possible customer service as possible and providing the best product or service as possible. Also having a system in place to promptly deal with any problems or concerns can help spread positive news about your business.

Even if your business isn’t one that traditionally has lots of interactions with customers, referrals can be an important way to grow your client list. As a freelance writer and editor, I’ve gotten several projects as the result of referrals from current or previous clients.

Consider offering your clients incentives for referrals. For example, my website designer offers free website update time for new business referred by a past or current client. Our local swimming pool gives current members $50 for each new stockholding membership sold via member referral.

Referrals can be an easy, cost-effective marketing way to increase your business.

Until next time,

Sarah

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