affiliate marketing

Sand Drawings of Vanuatu: A Unique Artistic Legacy

Here is the next in our series about art forms.  This time, we look at sand drawings as an art form. Previously, we looked at many other types of art forms, and you can begin your journey by reading about them here.

This is an art form I was totally unaware of, and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my research to learn about it.  This is such an ancient type of art for the people living on this archipelago, and it is very much a part of their culture. It is amazing to me how intricate these paintings get.sand painting

Nestled in the South Pacific, the archipelago of Vanuatu is home to a mesmerizing and unique art form: sand drawings. This traditional practice, known locally as ‘sand roing’, is not only an artistic expression but also a means of communication and storytelling that has been passed down through generations.

The Origins and Significance:

Sand drawings of Vanuatu are more than mere art; they are a symbolic language, a cultural treasure. Originating from the island of Ambrym, these drawings have been a part of Vanuatu’s heritage for centuries. Each pattern is rich in meaning, often representing historical events, local legends, or aspects of daily life.sand paintings

The Artistic Process:

Creating sand drawings is a skillful and delicate process. Artists use a single finger to draw intricate, continuous patterns in the sand or on another smooth surface. The beauty lies in the fluidity and precision of the lines, which are drawn without interruption. Once the drawing begins, the finger does not leave the surface until the image is complete.

Variety and Symbolism:

sand painting
The designs vary greatly, each with its own story and significance. Some depict animals and natural elements, while others are more abstract, symbolizing concepts like unity, journey, or the cycle of life. The complexity of these sand drawings can range from simple patterns to elaborate compositions, each with deep-rooted cultural significance.

Cultural Preservation:

In recent years, there has been a growing effort to preserve this unique art form. Recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, and sand drawings is now part of educational programs in Vanuatu. Thus ensuring that this ancient practice is not lost to time.sand painting

The sand drawings of Vanuatu are a testament to the rich cultural tapestry of this island nation. They are not just art; they are a language, a form of communication, and a bridge to the past. As we explore and appreciate these intricate designs, we get a glimpse into the soul of Vanuatu, its history, and its people.

 

Resource:

Writing meaning into the sand: Sand drawing on the Vanuatu archipelago

SAND DRAWINGS FROM VANUATU

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Affiliate Marketing Done the right way

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money by promoting products and earning a commission for each sale that you generate. It can be an especially effective strategy for those who have a website or blog with a large audience. In this blog post, we will outline five steps to help you get started with affiliate marketing, including tips on how to use SEO to boost your affiliate marketing efforts.

 

  • Find a niche with an affiliate marketing program

    The first step in making money with affiliate marketing is to find a niche that you are passionate about and that has a large potential audience. This could be anything fraffiliate marketingom cooking and recipe websites to fashion and beauty blogs. You need to research products and services that would be a good fit for your audience. Do this by looking at popular products or services and identifying gaps in the market, or by identifying a target audience and their needs. Once identified, it’s important to research the competition and see what types of products or services are already being offered. This helps to determine if there is a demand for the niche, and if there is room for competition.

    Additionally, new affiliate marketers need to also research the potential profitability of the niche and look for affiliate programs that align with their niche and audience. It’s also important to build a website or a blog to promote the affiliate products, and create content that is engaging and informative for the target audience. (There are several ways to do this that cost you nothing, so don’t let this stop you.)

 

  • Sign up for an affiliate marketing program

    Once you have found a niche, the next step is to sign up for an affiliate program that offers products or services that are related to your niche. With so many different affiliate programs to choose from, take the time to research and find one that is a good fit for your needs. Some popular affiliate networks include Amazon Associates, Commission Junction, ClickBank, ShareASale, AWIN, JVZoo, or Warrior.  You can Google affiliate marketing programs and find so many it may take you days to decide on a product.

 

affiliate marketing

  • Create high-quality content to market

    One of the most important aspects of making money with affiliate marketing is to create high-quality content that promotes the products or services you are promoting. This could include blog posts, product reviews, and video reviews. Make sure that your content is engaging, informative, and provides value to your audience.  It should educate and inform the reader while also promoting the affiliate products or services. To write good content, new affiliate marketers must first understand their target audience and their needs.

    You need to research the market and identify the demographics and interests of the target audience. Then your content will address the needs and interests of that audience. You need well-researched, well-written, and easy to understand information. Additionally, it needs  optimization for search engines by using keywords and phrases that the target audience is already searching for. Make it visually appealing and easy to read, with images and other multimedia elements used to break up the text and make it more engaging. Finally, update regularly to keep the readers engaged.

 

  • Use SEO to boost the affiliate marketing efforts

    SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing your website or blog to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is important because it helps your content to appear before more people, thus increasing your potential for sales. Some tips for optimizing your content for SEO include using relevant keywords, creating high-quality backlinks, and publishing regularly.  There is so much information on the web about this subject that we will not go into it further here.  There are videos, articles, blog posts, and even courses available to learn this very important step.  Please take the time to learn the basics of SEO if you want to make any money at all.  Here is a great starting point in learning SEO.

affiliate marketing

 

 

 

  • Market your affiliate products

    The last step is to promote your affiliate products to your audience. This could include including affiliate links in your content, creating banner ads, and sharing your affiliate products on social media. Make sure to track your progress and adjust your strategy as needed. Promoting a product correctly as a new marketer involves finding the right audience and using the right channels to reach them.

    One effective way to do this is through content marketing, which involves creating valuable and informative content that educates the audience about the product or service, and positions it as a solution to their needs. Another way is through social media marketing, where the marketer can use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with the target audience and promote the product or service. Additionally, email marketing can also be effective, where the marketer can send personalized emails to a targeted list of subscribers.

    It’s also important to follow the guidelines and terms of service of any platform you use for promotions, as well as to not be too aggressive in the promotions, not to use false claims and be respectful of the audience time and inbox. To avoid spamming, marketers should avoid sending unsolicited messages or emails, and should always include an opt-out option for the recipient. Additionally, marketers should be transparent about the nature of their message and should always include accurate and relevant information about the product or service they are promoting.

    Warning!

    There is a fine line between being an affiliate marketer and being a spammer on the web.  To market, you provide information and value to your audience before you ask them to click the link.  To spam, you just ask them to click the link without first beginning any type of relationship with the audience.  Don’t spam; it gets you banned from both your product and the platforms you spam on.

 

affiliate marketing

In conclusion, affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money online. By following these five steps, you can start making money with affiliate marketing today. Additionally, by incorporating SEO tactics, you will be able to give your marketing efforts a further boost, which can increase your audience and ultimately your earning potential. Do some research, and start promoting products or services you believe in and that fit with your niche. This will help ensure that your audience trusts your recommendations and will be more likely to make a purchase through your affiliate links.

There are other articles on this topic on this blog and you can find them here and here.

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Affiliate Marketing: Does It Work?

Affiliate marketing has been around for quite some time and if you search YouTube videos, you will find many good and not-so-good videos on this subject.  This type of marketing is just word of mouth marketing.  What that means is that you tell someone about a product and they check it out and they buy it.  When they do that, you get money if you are an affiliate for the product.  You will see this in just about any blog post or any article on the internet.

affiliate marketing
Make money online

It is no different than when you go see a movie and it is spectacular, so you tell all your friends about this movie and they go see it too.  The only difference is that you don’t get paid for telling them unless they buy you popcorn or something. If you see a good sale on something you know your friend has been needing, don’t you tell that friend about the sale?  In this example again, you don’t get paid money but your friend really appreciates your help.  It is really no different with affiliate marketing.

Getting Started

Affiliate marketing is relatively easy to do and relatively easy to get started doing.  It does require work on your part and you do have to do your research.  You don’t want to be referring your friends and family members to something that is rotten or unsafe.  But other than that, it is much easier than any other type of side hustle.

Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money by promoting products and earning a commission for each sale that you generate. It can be an especially effective strategy for those who have a website or blog with a large audience. In this blog post, we will outline steps to help you get started with affiliate marketing, including tips on how to use SEO to boost your affiliate marketing efforts.

Find your niche

The first step in making money with affiliate marketing is to find a niche that you are passionate about and that has a large potential audience. While this sounds easy, it may take you a bit of time to accomplish this step.  As I said earlier, you need to do your due diligence; you need to check out the product, the company that makes it, the reviews and the rules to sell it.  You could choose anything from cooking and recipe websites to survival type blogs.  You are not restricted in your choice of niche. Once you have identified a niche, you can begin to research products and services that would be a good fit for your audience.

Sign up for an affiliate program

affiliate marketing
Find your niche

Again, this sounds like a no brainer but there are some programs that require quite a bit from the affiliate.  There are programs that are very difficult to get approved to sell.  Th

ere are programs that take quite a long time to allow you to become an affiliate for them.  But once you have found a niche, you need to sign up for an affiliate program that offers products or services that are related to your niche. There are many different affiliate programs to choose from, so take the time to research and find one that will be a good fit for your needs. Some popular affiliate networks include Amazon Associates, Commission Junction, and ClickBank.  The issue is to check out is the rate of pay and how often you can get paid.

Create high-quality content

affiliate marketing
Create quality content

Some people are under the assumption that all you have to do is post your link somewhere and you make money.  Not so.  Affiliate marketing requires you to develop good and honest content about the product.  You cannot just go around posting your link everywhere and expect to make money.  That is spamming and will get you removed from the program you signed up for and may even get you booted from most platforms. One of the most important aspects of making money with affiliate marketing is to create high-quality content that promotes your

products or services. This could include blog posts, product reviews, and video reviews. Make sure that your content is engaging, informative, and provides value to your audience.

Use SEO to boost your affiliate marketing efforts

Affiliate marketing requires eyes on to make money, therefore you need to make sure you are getting views. No one wants to think about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), but if you want anyone to find your offer it is a MUST.  This is the process of optimizing your website or blog to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Itis important because it will help your content to be seen by more people, thus increasing your potential for sales. Some tips for optimizing your content for SEO include using relevant keywords, creating high-quality backlinks, and publishing regularly. Again, there are many videos available that will give you the information you need to do this right and that will help you make money.

Promote your affiliate products

The next step in your affiliate marketing is to promote your products to your audience. This could include placing affiliate links in your content, creating banner ads, and sharing your affiliate products on social media. If you choose social media, be sure to read the rules on the platform about affiliate links.  Many of these platforms do not allow affiliate links, so you either have your post removed or get banned.  If that happens, you will have to start all over on the platform with a new account which is not what you want to do.

Track your progress

Make sure to track your affiliate marketing progress and adjust your strategy as needed.  You need to know which post worked and made you money, you need to know which type of platform is the best for your product.  You also need to keep track of the money you make for taxes.  A simple spread sheet works fine.  You don’t need anything extra fancy to keep track of all this.

affiliate marketing
Track your progress

In conclusion, affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money online. By following these steps, you can start making money quickly. Additionally, by incorporating SEO tactics, you will be able to give your marketing efforts a further boost, which can increase your audience and ultimately your earning potential. Do some research, and start promoting products or services you believe in and that fit with your niche. This will help ensure that your audience trusts your recommendations and will be more likely to make a purchase through your affiliate links.

Here is an example of a landing page that promotes an affiliate product.  These are easy to set up and will help you stay away from trouble on the various platforms.

 

Here you will find another post about how to use Pinterest for affiliate marketing.

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Affiliate Marketing: How to’s

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts. If you are looking to make money online and have a passion for promoting products, then affiliate marketing could be a great way for you to earn some extra income. In this article, we will take a closer look at affiliate marketing and how you can get started.

affiliate marketing
work from home

What is Affiliate Marketing?

As mentioned above, affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards affiliates for each visitor or customer they bring to the business through their own marketing efforts. In other words, affiliates earn a commission for promoting a company’s products or services.

There are two main parties involved in affiliate marketing: the advertiser (also known as the merchant or retailer) and the affiliate (also known as the publisher). The advertiser is the business that is selling the products or services, and the affiliate is the individual or website promoting the products or services on behalf of the advertiser.

The process of affiliate marketing can be broken down into three simple steps:

The affiliate signs up for an affiliate program with an advertiser. This is typically done through an affiliate network, which connects affiliates with advertisers. The affiliate will then receive a unique affiliate link, which they can use to promote the advertiser’s products or services.

The affiliate promotes the products or services to potential customers through their own marketing efforts, such as through their website, social media, email marketing, or other channels. When a potential customer clicks on the affiliate’s unique link, they will be redirected to the advertiser’s website.

If the potential customer makes a purchase or takes a specific action (such as filling out a form or signing up for a newsletter), the affiliate will earn a commission. The amount of the commission will vary depending on the terms of the affiliate program.

affiliate marketing
The sign

How Do You Get Started with Affiliate Marketing?

If you are interested in getting started with affiliate marketing, there are a few steps you can take to get started:

  • Choose a niche:

    The first step in getting started with affiliate marketing is to choose a niche or topic that you are interested in and have knowledge about. This could be a specific product or service, or it could be a broader topic such as personal finance or health and wellness.

  • Build a website or blog:

    In order to promote products or services as an affiliate, you will need to have a platform where you can share your unique links and content. This could be a website or blog. There are many platforms available for building a website or blog, such as WordPress or Squarespace.

  • Join an affiliate program:

    Once you have a website or blog set up, the next step is to join an affiliate program. There are many affiliate programs available, and you can find them through affiliate networks such as Commission Junction or ShareASale. When joining an affiliate program, be sure to read the terms and conditions carefully and choose a program that aligns with your niche and target audience.

  • Promote products or services:

    Once you have joined an affiliate program and have your unique links, you can start promoting the products or services to your audience. This can be done through your website, social media, email marketing, or other channels.

  • Track your results:

    It is important to track your results as an affiliate to see what is working and what is not. This can be done through tools such as Google Analytics.

Affiliate marketing has many moving parts, but is the easiest way for anyone to make money online.  If you follow these steps, you have a really good chance of making extra money from affiliate marketing.  However, you may not make a lot of money initially but don’t let that discourage you.  Just keep going and keep putting your affiliate marketing links out on the net.  There are many ways to post your links without spamming, so be sure you learn how to do it correctly.  You don’t want to be banned from sites.  There are several videos on YouTube that can help you find places to post your links.  I would recommend you start here, as this man will walk you through everything you really need to know about this subject.  Here is a video you might want to watch:

 

 

There is another post on my blog that explains how to use Pinterest for affiliate marketing and you can find that here.

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Make money by pinning for affiliate marketing

This post is about learning how to use pinning for affiliate marketing.  I hope this will be interesting and useful to my fellow retirees who may need to add some extra cash to their income. Since I retired, I have had to learn how to live on a much smaller income and getting paid once a month.  It was a difficult change, but I think I have finally gotten used to it.

I am constantly researching ways to make extra cash to help my income go farther.  One of the ways I stumbled upon was affiliate marketing.  It sounds so easy but as I am learning, it is not.  There are many things to learn and put in place before you start making any money, but now that I have gotten all that behind me I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Now, I watch those video about making a ridiculous amount of money without any effort and in a short amount of time, but that’s just ridiculous and I hope no one really falls for that way of thinking.  Any type of income producing activity will, by default require some time and effort on your part and comes with no guarantee that you will ever make a penny.

  • Introduction to Affiliate Marketing 

Affiliate marketing has been around for a very long time.  Basically, what it is is “word of mouth” marketing.  You find a product you like and use and you tell your friends about it.  They try it out and you get paid a small amount for sending them to the product.  That’s it in a nutshell.  There are many videos and blog posts on the internet that explain affiliate marketing better, so I will just leave it at this.

  • How do you reach people to tell them about your product?

One of the ways that I have been exploring lately is the use of social media to attract people to my offers.  Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Pinterest all have built in traffic that you can use to your advantage if you know how to do so.  I have read countless blogs and watched innumerable videos on this topic and I have to tell you that there is a definite learning curve, but the end result is that using social media is an easy way to get started.

Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok have introduced stores that you can use to sell your products, but I have not yet tried this method.

Pinterest is a great place to get started with affiliate marketing. With over 300 million active users, there’s definitely a market for your products. You can promote your products through Pinterest by creating pins that focus on promoting your product and by creating boards that focus on a specific topic.

Simply Pin It
Here’s an example of a pin that is for affiliate marketing

You can also connect with other Pinterest users who are also interested in your product.

Most people already have a Pinterest account, but if not, just go to Pinterest.com and sign up for yours (it’s free!).  You need to decide if you want your account to be for personal use or if you want to make it a business account.  You can decide this later, so for our purpose just get a personal account.  Once that is completed, you are good to go!

  • Introduction to Pinterest 

Pinterest is a social media platform that allows users to “pin” images and videos onto a board for later viewing. The site also offers users the ability to share boards with other users. One of the main benefits of pinning for affiliate marketing is that it allows you to share affiliate links with your followers. This means that you can earn commissions on any products that you recommend to your followers.

Another advantage of pinning for affiliate marketing is that it can help you to connect with a wider audience. This is because Pinterest is popular with people who are interested in a wide range of topics. Pinterest is actually a search engine much like Google, but you have to admit it is much prettier than Google.  In the search bar you enter the subject of your pin and see if there are boards you can join or follow so when you make your pin, you will automatically get some attention.

  • How Pinterest works as an affiliate marketing platform

When a user pins an image, Pinterest adds a link to the image that can be shared with others. Pinterest also allows users to follow other users and receive updates when they pin or share content.  When a user follows a pin, Pinterest sends an automated message to the user’s followers informing them about the pin and providing a link to the pin. If the user clicks on the link, the user is taken to the page where the pin was pinned.

 

Affiliate Marketing for Simply Pin It"!
This is what you get with this product

In pinning for affiliate marketing you use images and links to products or services and can be an effective way to promote your business and make sales.  There are, however, some basic guidelines you need to follow.  Pinterest is about “pretty” so first and foremost your pin needs to be visually attractive.  You must make sure that your pin is truthful.  If it is an affiliate link, say so.  You need to set up “boards” on your account to pin your images to.  Then when someone follows your board, they will see your pins.  The more people who see your pins, the more chances you have to make money.

  • The different types of pins that can be used for affiliate marketing

There are different ways of pinning for affiliate marketing. Some pins are designed to attract attention, while others are meant to help affiliates promote their products. Some pins are designed to be colorful and eye-catching, while others are more subtle. There are pins for affiliate marketing that feature logos, images, and text.

It’s important for affiliates to choose the right pin for their marketing campaigns.

  • Tips for creating successful Pinterest affiliate marketing campaigns

There are a few tips to keep in mind when creating successful pinning for affiliate marketing links.

1. Pin interesting, relevant pins that will help promote your product.

Pinning relevant pins to your product can help increase awareness and encourage buyers to explore your product further.

2. Use keywords in your pins to help promote your products to Pinterest users who are interested in that topic.

By including relevant keywords in your pins, you can help people find and follow your content more easily. Additionally, using keywords can help you rank higher in search results, which can help potential customers find your content more quickly.

3. Use a variety of pins to increase your chances of being found by Pinterest users.

A variety of pins can help you stand out from the crowd and ensure that you’re easily found when you need to be.

4. Make sure your pins are high quality, and that they accurately reflect your product.

Pin quality and accuracy is important if you want to build trust with your audience.

5. Make sure your pins are updated frequently, so that they remain relevant to Pinterest users.

6. Be sure to include a link to your product in your pins.

7. Promote your pins on other social media platforms, as well.

8. Use analytics to track the success of your pins.

9. Keep a positive attitude, and enjoy the process of creating successful Pinterest affiliate links.

  • Conclusion

Find yourself one product that you think you would like to tell others about, then sign up with that vendor to be an affiliate of their product.  Once you are approved, make a beautiful pin using whatever editor you want (I use Canva, it’s free) and when you are satisfied, pin it on one of your boards.  Even better, join a Pinterest Group Board that is about affiliate marketing or about your product and pin there.  Talk about built for you traffic!

I hope you try this out and make yourself some extra cash to spend in your retirement.  Follow this link to get the information you need!

 

 

 

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