5 Actionable Tips for You to Make Money on eBay

It’s certain that you already know that eBay happens to be an excellent place when it comes to selling. It’s also just as certain that you’ve read and heard the stories about the amount of money people have been actively making by just selling their stuff.

Well, you too can get on that bandwagon. For starters, here are 5 actionable tips for you to make money on eBay:

1. Fill up those titles with keywords – Include primary keywords that people are going to likely make use of in order to look for your items. Use up each of the available characters that eBay will allow.

2. Describe the benefits and not the features – Be sure that what you use to describe your items emphasizes their benefits while making sure that you don’t just mention their features. Keep in mind that people have interest in themselves. In line with this, tell them what your items could do for them.

Aside from that, make sure that the “small print” can be clearly read on every one of your auctions, providing details such as the shipping times, the prices, refund policies as well as any other business practices that you may have since this helps in building confidence with possible buyers.

3. Improve the pictures – You could make your listings way more attractive just by adding good quality photos. Blurred pictures or badly lit ones look unprofessional and these could prove discouraging to anybody planning to buy from you.

4. Maximize the eBay tools that are at your disposal – Advertise products, services as well as websites at the bottom of the messages that have been seen by the messaging system of eBay. These include the notification for the winning bidder or buyer, the notification for the payment received and the notification for the dispatch.

In some cases, there’s going to be chances to include info inside these additional messages, namely the “Payment” reminder or the “Feedback” reminder. If they’ve sent you payment without a delivery address, you could also utilize the “Address” request.

5. List more of your items – One way to increase sales is by just having more items. Your best bet for this is making use of an eBay Store. A store listing is way cheaper and you could list large quantities in every listing. In case only a few search results get shown for primary eBay sites, then more store listings will be displayed.

Those who purchase from fixed prices or auction listings are going to have the chance to purchase more products from you. Thus, you ought to add a “Visit My Store” button in each listing to add more traffic to that store of yours.

One way for you to use links is by having the store price lower than the fixed price listings. You could then link it with a message that says something like “Purchase from my store and get a 15% discount on your next purchase.”

Just remember to test out ideas and go with that which works best. Eventually, you’ll make money on eBay.

http://growmap.com/make-money-on-ebay/

7 Wise Happiness Quotes — But Which Ones Are Really True?

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Answers to: whether happiness comes with age, whether it is better to be unemployed than in a job you hate, and more…

Americans are generally a pretty happy group.

People in the US are six times more likely to say they are happy than unhappy, according to a new poll by CivicScience.

Here are a few wise quotes about happiness from some big names.

Do their bon mots ring true?

“There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age.” – Victor Hugo

True.

People really do get happier as they get older.

In the survey, people over 65 were 14 times more likely to be happy than unhappy.

From the age of around 30, people report feeling progressively happier, on average.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ― Confucius

True.

The survey even found evidence that it may be better to be out of work than to be in a job that you hate.

Although, obviously, neither situations is ideal.

“Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.” ― Charlotte Brontë

True.

Married people consistently report being 20% happier than unmarried people.

There’s some evidence that parents are happier than non-parents.

“Money may not buy happiness, but I’d rather cry in a Jaguar than on a bus.” — Françoise Sagan

True up to a point.

And that point in the US is around $100,000 in earnings per year.

After that, more money seems to do little for happiness — indeed more may make you less happy.

If you’ve got enough money to be able to go to an upscale restaurant every now and then or to buy yourself the odd trinket, then perhaps you’ve got enough?

“Happy girls are the prettiest.” ― Audrey Hepburn

Sort of true, but not as true as you might imagine.

People who are more attractive do repeatedly report being slightly happier than their less bodily-advantaged peers.

But it may partly depend where those girls (or boys) live.

In the city where it’s more about looks, being attractive may make you happier.

In the countryside, though, the link is less clear-cut.

(Alternatively, if Audrey meant that looking happy increases your attractivity, then: DEFINITELY TRUE!)

“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha

True.

You can’t argue with Buddha, can you?

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.’” ― Sylvia Plath

Plath not exactly known for her quotes about happiness.

Nevertheless: true.

Get out into nature, travel and explore.

All were linked to higher levels of happiness in the poll.

About the poll

The poll included data from 262,000 Americans.

They were asked about their lifestyles, demographics and many other characteristics.

http://www.spring.org.uk/2015/05/7-wise-happiness-quotes-but-which-ones-are-really-true.php

5 Basics to Having Your Post go Viral

The longer I blog, the more I hear of bloggers trying to go viral.

I’m sure on top of posting consistently, using social media strategically, and generally providing interesting, useful, and inspiring content on the internet, it would be a little help if that content was seen by as many people as possible. Even better if those people hang around and provide ongoing traffic. Going viral wouldn’t hurt, right?

While it won’t happen to everyone, and it’s almost impossible to force, there’s no doubt going viral can be useful when you can get it. Viral posts usually have similar threads in common, so you’re bound to give your post a little push if you can ensure it contains this combination of essentials:

1. Reach out and touch somebody

The one aspect that always appears in viral content is its ability to invoke an emotion in the reader.

No emotion? No sharing!

In addition to that, the most shared content is said to be content that evokes a strong positiveemotional response. So yeah anger and indignation will get people sharing (outrage is also good!), apparently what works best is the warm and fuzzies. A 2010 study of the New York Times “most emailed” list found the articles that were shared often tended to fall into one of four categories: awe-inspiring, emotional, positive, or surprising.

Recently, two professors studying the motivations of virality came to the conclusion that while content is shared for ultimately many reasons, it’s emotional reactions that tend to drive the most shares. In addition to that, content that makes your heart race is more likely to go viral. Written anything thatpowerful yet?!

In the article, they say “Content that makes readers or viewers feel a positive emotion like awe or wonder is more likely to take off online than content that makes people feel sad or angry, though causing some emotion is far better than inspiring none at all.”

Have a think about how you can get your message across. Is there a personal story you can share? Is there a humanist spin you can put on it? How can you really create your post with “resonating with the reader” in mind?

Viral content is compelling, interesting, funny, moving, and if you’ve really hit the jackpot – the next item on our list!

2. Be useful

Everybody loves a life hack. I’ve been eating apples wrong all this time? Chinese Takeout? Slicing grapes? Mind blown, must share.

When you think about creating content that people can’t help but share, thing about how you can be useful. How you can add value, find their pain points and solve them. Have they got questions? Answer them? Be inspiring, be emotive, heck, maybe even be a little controversial. But useful content is king – you’re starting off on the right foot if you’ve got that down pat.

3. It’s all about the reader

Apparently people will share content when it says something about who they are. It might make them seem intelligent, it might show how much they care for the less fortunate, or it might just show they’ve an excellent sense of humour. They’ll share reflections of their personalities, and you’re going to give them the content to do just that. The article says sharable content is “often a statement about what you believe in, what causes or values you align yourself with, and what, in particular, you love and identify with”, so make sure your content fills one of those needs.

Aaaaaaand I googled the term “extreme selfies” after reading that article. Buzzfeed, you’ve done it again!

4. Get a Head Start

If you want your content out there, being seen by the max amount of eyeballs possible, then begin by putting it there. Don’t just publish and hold your breath. We all know Facebook is making it difficult to be seen in newsfeeds, and evidence is showing Twitter doesn’t drive traffic like it once did – so think outside the box. I’m sure you’ve got an RSS or email post mailout sorted, but you can also upload to Slideshare, LinkedIn, YouTube, have something in your email signatures, forum signatures, you can submit to Digg and Reddit if you can, even StumbleUpon if you think that might help.

Don’t discount Google+, there’s still a few going strong over there! Some blog commenting systems (particularly WordPress style ones) have the option to link to a post – choose that one when you’re commenting. Post it to Pinterest – several times. Does it have a Pinterest-worthy image? Get on that!

Have you sorted the SEO? Is it keyword-rich (but natural, because nobody’s gonna read a robot)? Have you provided keywords for images, and in the alt-text? Have you checked the metadata?

You can ask people to share, if you think it will help. Email influential people (if relevant) and ask them to share if they feel it will benefit their readers. Ask people to retweet. Invite them to share at the bottom of your posts. Mention sharing in your Facebook update. Ask your friends and family to share if they can/want to. Sometimes all it takes is a little prompt.

It also doesn’t hurt to jump on a news story or trend when it’s reaching its peak. Does it have an angle you can cover on your blog? What is capturing the internet’s attention that you can build on, or provide an alternative opinion to? Do you have further information, something themed that will resonate, or have you covered this issue before? Ride that wave!

5. Make it easy

You really can’t expect people to share if you haven’t made it easy for them to begin with [tweet that!]. Have clear social sharing icons displayed prominently (wherever works for you – a scrolling set on the side, at the bottom of your post, at the top, etc), and ensure you’ve configured them to show the top five or six platforms you think will be most useful or that people are likely to share on.

Provide tweetable quotes, like I have above. Two clicks and they’re done! Have a Facebook-sized image somewhere in your post that people can use. Lead that horse as close as you can to the water, and they just might drink!

Have you ever had a post go viral? Did it fit the criteria here? Do you remember the viral posts that have caught your attention? What was it about them that compelled you to share? I’d love to chat!

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2015/05/22/5-basics-to-having-your-post-go-viral/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney+%28ProBlogger%3A+Helping+Bloggers+Earn+Money%29

HOW TO BUILD YOUR TWITTER SEO STRATEGY

Tweets are showing up in Google again. This is kind of a big deal. Why?

In the past, social search was about helping a searcher find the right person. As my friend Mitch Joel says, it’s not who you know, but who knows you. Social search helped to connect you with the “who”.

Traditional search was about helping a searcher find the right information. Traditional search identified the content that was most relevant to the inquiry; it helped connect you with the “what”.

By blending regular and social search, people can now find the who and the what simultaneously. By conflating social content and search, who and what become much more aligned, much more synonymous. You will be found as a person for what you share in the largest search engine in the world.

What should you change in your content marketing strategy in this new Twitter/Google landscape?

If you’re at all concerned about showing up in Google, obviously Twitter is now part of your overall content distribution strategy. You should be using Twitter if you’re not already. If you need a general plan for how to set up a Twitter strategy, watch this 10 minute webinar I did for SHIFT Communications.

Let’s take a look at what a Twitter SEO strategy might look like.

What You Should Share

What you share is important! Think about the language you use in your Tweets – is it language that helps with search? If you haven’t pulled a list of your top search keywords and phrases recently, do so. If you’re not sure where to get that, start with Webmaster Tools.

What do you want to be found for? What do you want to be associated with on Twitter that would lead to someone clicking a Google search result and finding you? Tweet with those words, phrases, and ideas in relation to your own content.

Who You Should Share

If you’re sharing other colleagues’ content, what language are you using in your Tweets that will help searchers find their content? Your Tweets might show up in search more than theirs, so give them a share if you can.

If you’re sharing competitors’ content, keep an eye on your Twitter analytics! You might think about wording tweets from competitors slightly differently to avoid competing with your own content.

Who Should Share You

If you’re a company whose employees share pre-approved content on Twitter, think carefully about the one-Tweet-fits-all strategy. Consider adding multiple variations of Tweets for employees to share that cover more broad search terms and phrases.

If you’re doing any kind of influencer outreach or collective sharing (like inside a velvet rope community), consider the language you want people to use. Instead of writing up a pre-selected Tweet, give influencers a wide range of choices that leverage your search terms.

What You Should Measure

If you’ve not already set up Google Analytics to differentiate between earned social media traffic and owned social media traffic, get that set up immediately. You can find it in Admin > Property > Social Settings or in this blog post.

From there, carefully monitor your Twitter traffic in Google Analytics. Look for significant changes in traffic from Twitter. If you find an anomaly, an unusual spike, use Twitter Analytics to determine if the clicks are coming from your Tweets or someone else’s.

Wrapup

We don’t know how long this partnership between Google and Twitter will last, but while it does, take advantage of it. Think about your Twitter SEO strategy: what you should share, who you should share, who should share you, and how you’ll measure it. In doing so, you’ll have a better idea of what you should be Tweeting for maximum search value.

http://www.christopherspenn.com/2015/05/how-to-build-your-twitter-seo-strategy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ChristopherSPenn+%28Christopher+S.+Penn%29

How to Make Money Online for Free

Underfunded and overdrawn? Well, being broke is no barrier to making money online. So fire up your Internet connection and get ready to hustle ‘cause we’re going to show you exactly how to make money online for free. Seriously, you won’t have to invest a single cent.

Let’s start with some of the easiest, most straight-forward free ways to make money online. 

Make Money at Home by Selling Your Stuff on eBay

You’ve got stuff. Probably lots of stuff. And how much of it do you use, really?

Whether it’s an ice cream maker that’s gathering dust, an exercise bike you’re using as a clothes hanger, or a pair of crazy heels you still haven’t learned to walk in – if you haven’t used it in over a year, chances are you simply don’t need it.

So why not sell all your extra stuff on eBay? It’s a brilliant twofer – you get extra cash and more space around the house.

Ebay’s also one of the best ways for teens to make money online since your youth lets you get away with things like hitting up your family and family friends for items they’re not using and might want to donate toward your cause.

Make Money Online Fast and Free by Offering Services on Fiverr

If you haven’t checked out this site yet, it’s worth a good, long browse-through. And prepare to be amazed at how many people are willing to pay total strangers to do very strange things. Like dancing to a song while donning a hot dog costume.

That’s the beauty of Fiverr – you can offer pretty much any service you can think up…and there will be people who’re willing to pay you at least $5 for it.

Don’t want to dress up as food? You can try your hand in anything from graphic design to teaching someone how to do something. You can even make use of more specialized skills, like flirting or breaking up with a random person’s boyfriend (or girlfriend).

And for those of you who really, truly have no talent at all to offer – Fiverr also allows you to pimp out your household pets. Just hang a sign on Rover or have Tigger pop through a birthcard card and watch the dollars roll in.

Image courtesy of Fiverr

Whatever you decide to do on Fiverr, though – just make sure that it’ll only take a few minutes of your time to complete. There’s just no point in offering a gig that’ll take you several hours to collect $5.

So, ask yourself…what are you willing to do for $5?

Make Money Writing Online

Hop on over to the most popular freelancer job sites like oDesk and Elance and you’ll quickly notice that articles of every stripe and variety are in high demand, thanks to more and more people turning to the Internet as their main source of information.

There are thousands of websites that you can peruse to find writing jobs, but keep in mind that the pay differs significantly from site-to-site as well as niche.

If you are into humor writing, Cracked is perpetually looking for talented writers and $100 per accepted article. If you have travel stories to share, sites like Matador and The Expeditionermay pay you up to $30 for them. And there are many more writing jobs in pretty much every niche and topic you can think of – you can find many of them on freelance sites such as oDeskand eLance as well as sites that cater to the huge demand for original content from website owners like Constant Content, Textbroker and Articlesale.

Earn Money Online for Free by Becoming a Tutor

Online tutoring is becoming an increasingly in-demand service and tutor companies that will help you find clients are sprouting up everywhere.

Try WyzAnt, e-Tutor, Tutor.com to get started. 

Make Money at Home by Becoming an Online Juror

There are sites that give would-be lawyers the opportunity to practice their skills with mock trials. By signing up as a juror, you can make $5 to $60 per case, depending on the complexity. Of course, the juror selection process does not guarantee you’ll be selected for a case, but it is definitely worth a try – both for the money and the novelty. Best part is, you don’t have to leave your room to decide on someone’s imaginary fate.

Try eJury and TrialJuries.com to get started.

Make Real Money Online with Affiliate Marketing

Do you know how much it costs to sign up for an account with the top affiliate marketing platforms like Clickbank or Commission Junction?

Nothing. It’s totally free.

Combine this with web 2.0 blogs like Blogger and WordPress and you’ve just found a way to earn money online for free.

So how does this work? Affiliate marketing is basically when you refer people to products and services and then get paid a commission when a purchase is made. The best part is that there are affiliate programs for pretty much every variety of goods and services so you’ll have an endless array of options to choose from.

The downside is that this option will take a little more work and self-initiative than the above ways to make money online for free since you’ll have to learn to set up a blog, find keywords to target and products to promote, and then drive traffic to your blog. But the upside is that this is also one of the only ways to make money at home on a passive basis since your blog will continue getting visitors and making sales while you eat, sleep and play. 

Note: One thing you should know about affiliate marketing, though, is that it’s really best to invest in your own domain and hosting since free blogging platforms such as WordPress.com have specific rules about affiliate marketing and the host can suspend or remove your blog if you’re found to violate its terms of use. The upfront costs of setting up your own site are not free, but they are cheap – you can get a domain for around $10 a year and cheap hosting for $1 a month. Plus, you get the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have control over your site.

Earn Residual Income Online with Revenue Sharing Sites

Speaking of passive income, one way you can get your hands on some without spending a dime is by writing articles for profit-sharing websites. There’s a sizable number of Web 2.0 platforms that let you create content and then earn a share of the revenue that’s generated by Google AdSense clicks, Amazon and eBay product sales or even affiliate commissions from Clickbank!

Here are a few to get you started:

• Hubpages.com
• AllVoices.com
• InfoBarrel.com
• HowHub.com
• WriterTown.com

These revenue sharing sites really range in terms of how much you’ll earn and from what. For example, Hubpages offers 60% ad revenue while HowHub starts you off at 50% but gives you the opportunity to earn 100% of the revenue once you’ve referred 10 friends who have each submitted at least 1 approved article. So do your research on their terms and percentages before you start drafting up content!

Make (More) Residual Income Online by Selling Your Photos

Okay, we can’t seem to get off this topic of passive income so here’s another way to make money online by doing the work once and getting paid for it again and again.

You sell your photos.

Sites like ShutterStock.com or fotolia.com cost nothing to sign up for. And once you’ve uploaded your images, you can start earning. Again, how much you’ll earn varies from site to site bust most pay somewhere between to 30% to 70% for images that are sold.

What About Surveys for Cash?

There’s been a lot of hoopla around taking online surveys for money, but this is actually our least favorite method to make money online for free.

Why? Well, there’s a plethora of scammy websites that charge you for the opportunity to gain access to opportunities to take surveys for cash. So simply swimming through all the paid online surveys offers to separate the legitimate wheat from the crap chaff is challenging to begin with.

But even when you get to the genuine paid online surveys – which shouldn’t cost you a dime to sign up for – you’re left with a slim range of surveys that just don’t pay that much and often don’t even pay in cash, offering gift cards or entry into a sweepstakes instead.

And even when you do get money for surveys, don’t expect to make enough to live off of. At best, it’ll be a little extra cash in the range of $5 to $20 per paid online survey.

http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/2015/04/30/how-to-make-money-online-for-free/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogtrepreneur+%28Blogtrepreneur%29