Again, I wouldn’t worry about signing up with any ad network until your blog is established and you have at least 1000 page views a day. A lot of people use Google Adsense because it is very easy to set up and has an endless supply of ads to run on your blog. You sign up for a Google Adsense account, install their code and you’re off and running. Be sure to start by reading through all their policies and code of conduct. If you violate these policies by clicking on your own ads or by using any other methods to increase your income you will be banned by Google for good. No kidding. Not just until you use a different email address or a different blog, it is for good.

After reading through the policies, sign up for an account and then review what types of ads are available. You can choose from text links, banner ads, side bar ads, etc. Google will then provide you with an html code to copy and paste on to your blog. Google will use keywords from your blog to determine which ads are relevant. In most cases, they are pretty good about showing ads relevant to the site. Most Adsense ads pay per click so the fact that they are relevant to your site is very important in possibly catching the eye of your readers.

Downsides to using Google Adsense are that you do not get to set pricing. Adsense can also sometimes pick up keywords but not context so this may cause ads not to be as relevant as you might like.

Ad Networks: What Are They?

The number one option on that last blog post, How to Monetize Your Blog: Top Ten Options, was using ad networks. This is a great way to generate income with your blog with very little work on your end. Most ad networks have a code you have to add to your blog and then your work is done. Choosing the ad network that is the best fit for you is the trickier part. Many ad networks have a minimum number of page views before they will accept you. Some ad networks pay per impression which means they pay an amount each time the page on your blog is viewed where the ad is displayed. Others pay per click meaning that you won’t make any money unless someone clicks on their ad. Usually the better paying the ad network, the higher their traffic minimum will be.

Finding Your Ad Network

A great way to find an ad network that will work for you is to make a visit around to all of the blogs you love and see what they are using. Make note of ads that seem annoying to you as a reader like pop-ups or videos. Do the ads add to the site and blend well with their content or does it distract from the blog? If you have other friends in the blogosphere, ask what they use and how they like it. Consider who your audience is and what types of ads would be a good fit. Readers associate anything on your blog WITH your blog so it needs to be a consistent message. Some ad networks allow for more control over what ads you will run and which ones you do not wish to run. If your site is directed at family values or christian values, remember that readers will not want to see ads running on your site that are not consistent with that message.

Questions to Ask

One of the first questions you will want to ask is how the ad network pays. If you have a grip on how much traffic is coming in to your site then you will have an idea of what to expect to make with them. Ask about fees that will be taken out of what you make, how often you are paid and what the minimum payout is before you receive your first check. You will also want to find out how many ads they are going to selling on your site. In other words, that ad space you devote to them may not always have an ad in it if they are not busy. That means that every time your page is viewed and no ad appears you won’t be making any money. Secondly, ask about how much control you will have over what types of ads will be running on your site. This is important in maintaining your brand you have worked to develop. In addition to these two important questions you will also want to know what their policy is on running other ads on your site. Some networks will want you to agree to not using any other network’s ads and some will have other restrictions. Also ask about contract terms. Once you sign up with them, how long are you required to stay with them if it is not working out?

What Are Some Blog Networks I Should Check Out?

Check back with our very own ShesConnected soon, we will be launching our ad network. In the meantime, other blogging networks that are available include BlogHer, Glam Media, Six Apart, Federated Media, Technorati, Blog Ads, Chitika, Lijit, Burst Media, Everything Mom, Lifetime Moms, Moms Media, Adversal, Cox and Tribal Fusion.

There are also ad networks that specialize in different niches too like food or education so be sure to check around to see if your niche has a specialized ad network.

Many of you own a blog or website related to a business you are running and for some of you, your blog is your business but either way there are several ways you can you use your blog to make money. We will explore in detail how to monetize your blog in future posts but for now we will explore the different options. For blogs related to a business, be sure that any different advertising or links you use to monetize your blog are relevant and consistent with your business message and image.

1. Ad Networks- Easy option to monetize but must have a certain level of traffic established before you are accepted usually.
2. Google AdSense- Also an easy option but pay is based on clicks
3. Affiliate Networks/Links- Find one that fits your blog and this could be a very easy way to monetize your blog
4. Sponsored Posts- This one depends a lot on what your blog/business is about. You don’t want to inundate your readers with sponsored content irrelevant to your blog.Making money off of a sponsored post is not worth losing readers.
5. Sell Ad Space- You can sell ad space on your own without Google and have more control over how much you charge and what ads to run.
6. Ad companies that pay per impression- Some other ad companies pay per impression instead of per click
7. Write an ebook about something you are knowledgeable about and sell it on your blog. You can even start your own affiliate program and let other bloggers help you sell it too.
8. Reach out to brands and businesses relevant to your blog/business. You may be able to work out a relationship working as a brand ambassador for them.
9. Use the writing on your blog to get other freelance writing/blogging jobs that pay well.
10. Paid Reviews-Similar to sponsored posts but you receive payment to review and give your opinion on a product/service/business/etc.

Learning how to monetize your blog also includes learning a lot about keywords and driving traffic to your site. Without traffic running ads will not pay much and you will also not qualify for most of the paid posts, reviews or ad networks. For newbies just starting out, be patient and establish the image and feel you want your blog to have. Work on gaining an audience first and then you can start to use many of these techniques to monetize your blog.

Small business failure happens for many reasons but if you spot the signs early on then many times you can do something to prevent it. Detailed record keeping is a big part of this. Constantly compare sales to prior time periods. Compare July 2012 to July 2011, compare this year’s first six months to last years, etc. Knowing how your business is doing compared to the past gives you a great idea of if your business is heading up or down.

Keep tabs on the amount of inventory you have on hand. If your company’s cash is all tied up in inventory that is not going anywhere you want to be careful. For businesses that carry different types of products this is also a tell tale sign of a product that is not working for your business and could lead your small business to failure.

The success or failure of a small business is all in the numbers. An owner needs to be constantly aware of all the accounting and financial numbers. If you are not a numbers person then you need to hire someone who is and have them constantly reporting these figures back to you. Being  ignorant of the money coming in and going out of your business is a huge reason for small business failure. Know your company’s numbers every month, make adjustments as needed and look for warning signs that something needs to be tweaked. A good small business owner is on top of their financial statements and can handle issues as they arise before they become critical to your business.

What is the demand for your product or business? This is one of the first things you should research before starting a business. Once you find out what kind of demand there is then you need to also find out how much competition there is. If you are going to be going up against some huge brand names to compete you better have something about your product that is going to make it stand out from the crowd.

Are you passionate about the product or service you are going to provide? If you want others to believe in your business then you need to be believe in it most of all. Entrepreneurs who do not truly believe in their business and the success of it are less likely to succeed.

Plan to be a small business success. Don’t start a business until you have planned out all the details, figures, etc. Of course, nothing ever goes exactly as planned but if you start with a good plan that allows you to see the numbers involved in starting a business and what is needed to make it a success then you will be more prepared.

Change the plan as needed. A great plan is a great way to start but as you get going and see better ways of doing things and ways to improve, don’t be afraid to make changes as needed and do what needs to be done in order to turn your small business in to a success.

Once you have the hang of the basics then you can begin to turn your attention to using Pinterest for business. Many companies have a Pinterest account now, especially if your business is directed towards women who are the majority of Pinterest users.  If your business sells any type of product where your customer is primarily women then you definitely need to get your products on Pinterest. If your business is related to design or any kind of visual industry, get on Pinterest. Businesses that are more service related can still use Pinterest but probably not as much, depending on what the business is. For more information on if Pinterest is right for your type of business, check out the infographic below from Intuit.

via: Should Your Business Be on Pinterest? Find Out [INFOGRAPHIC]

Now that you have decided that Pinterest sounds like it will be beneficial to your business, here are some tips on how to use it for your advantage.

• Pinterest has SEO value. Unlike some other social media sites, Pinterest uses DoFollow links. Use keywords and hashtags when describing your pins and add any additional hashtags on to the end of your description to optimize. For more information on using SEO on Pinterest check out Search Engine Journal’s article. Consider adding text to the actual image as the description you choose may get changed over time by pinners.
• If your business is not related to selling products then start using charts and infographics on your site to display info that is more visually appealing and pinnable. Any info that you think others would be interested in can be assembled in to a colorful slide on your site instead of just listing info. I could turn this list of bullet points in to a slide titled “Pinterest for Business”.
• If you are a business related to products, be sure you have a good photographer and beautiful images of your products to attract customers on Pinterest.
• Videos can be pinned too, if you run a service based business use videos to demonstrate services you offer. These are also great for how-to sites.
• Start conversation with your pins- maybe pin an image along with a question to start conversation and comments on the pin.
• Don’t be spammy or self serving, be sure you are pinning more than just images from your own business. Re-pin and interact with others just like any of the other social networking sites.
• For ideas on how other small businesses are using Pinterest see this article on Open Forum, “How Pinterest Can Benefit Your Small Business”.
• Keep track of which pins are getting pinned the most and who is pinning them by checking http://pinterest.com/source/yoursitehere

Basically, Pinterest is an online bulletin board where you “pin” images that you run across online. Sure, everything on Pinterest is already out there on the internet and you could find if you were searching for it but the neat thing is that I find things I never would have thought to look for.

My kids made homemade Christmas presents this year, all based on crafts I ran across on Pinterest. I have also found wonderful recipes on there that I would never have thought to search for. But take this, for example, as something so simple that I ran across on there but never knew. You can re-grow scallions after using them by placing the bottoms of them with the roots in a glass of water. I use a lot of green onions in recipes and now have some on my window sill I have been using for several months over and over again.

Source:HomemadeSerenity.Blogspot.com

Very cool, right? But you are probably all thinking, what in the world does this all have to do with business and blogging?  When I first started using it I did not see the benefits of using Pinterest for business at first but there is so  much traffic driven from that site, wouldn’t it be great to take advantage of that?

For a quick guide to getting started on Pinterest and how to use it, check out SortaCrunchy.net’s Beginner’s Guide. Once you have the basics figured out you may start to see the potential. Here are some tips for getting started using Pinterest for business to drive traffic to your blog.

• Obviously, if you are a blogger and you want readers to pin something of yours you need to start by making sure you are including images in each post. Pinterest is image based so if you have a great post but no image, there is nothing for anyone to pin.
• Make it easy for your readers by adding a Pin it on Pinterest wordpress plug in. Most avid Pinterest users have the “pin it” button in their toolbar but this plug in makes using Pinterest for business even easier.
• Use great photos or eye-catching images. If you have a great post but your photo is terrible then even if it gets pinned by a reader it won’t get re-pinned over and over again and drive traffic to your site because it is not going to catch anyone’s eye once it is on Pinterest.
• If you’re good with graphics then make your own, they make great pins. Adding graphics to a photo works great as well. Instead of just adding a photo of the new wreaths you made, for example, take a picture of a wreath and add the graphics “10 Easy Wreaths” to the photo. This adds an automatic description of your pin and does not rely on pinners to pin a picture of one of your wreaths and then add a good description to get others interested.
• Don’t pin only your own stuff. Be sure to pin and re-pin other peoples images too. Doing this will not only ensure you don’t look like you are on there only to self promote but will gain you followers when you re-pin their pins.
• Place a Pinterest Follow Me button on your blog with your other social media buttons to gain followers.
• Make sure when you pin something whether it is from your blog or elsewhere that you pin directly from the blog post. For example if you pinned my graphic above that says “How to use Pinterest to Drive Traffic” from my home page http://smallbizblogforwomen.com eventually this post will get moved down until it is no longer on my home page and then it would be difficult for someone who clicks on the pin to find the related post. If you instead pin directly from this blog post then the pin would lead directly here, no matter how long ago it was posted.
• Join Pinterest related linkys similar to 5MinutesforMom’s Pin It Fridays to get new followers and share pins.

Besides blogs, businesses and brands are using Pinterest to drive traffic too. Brands and Businesses are even starting their own Pinterest pages. ShesConnected.com just started a Pinterest page where you can follow us too. Tune in next week for part two of this post to see how all of this applies to businesses beyond the blogosphere.

Mommy Perks is another great place to find small businesses online to support. With the holidays coming up and people needing to purchase gifts, this is a great time of year to support small business by spending your money with them. Check out the Mommy Perks Holiday Gift Guide filled with small business gift ideas. They also have a great section of their website that shares a directory of companies that are partners. And for all of you Black Friday shoppers, head on over to their Facebook page to see the Black Friday deals they are sharing today from some of their partners.

If you can hold off spending all that money on Black Friday, you can support small business on Small Business Saturday by pledging to buy from small businesses on November 26th. If you own a small business you will definitely want to go check out the page for tips to promote your company on that day and to share an offer you may have. They offer a free toolkit to help small business owners maximize their profits this holiday season including help with Facebook ads, Twitter tips, video creation tools and more. Supported by American Express, Small Business Saturday was such a hit last year that several other bug name partners including Facebook, Twitter and Google have signed on this year to help out as well. American Express is even offering card members incentives with a $25 statement credit when they register their card and spend $25 or more on Small Business Saturday at any qualifying small business that accepts American Express.Also, Women Impacting Public Policy, has created the Small Business Saturday Coalition which includes a group of two hundred organizations that plan to raise awareness for Small Business Saturday and encourage consumers to shop at small businesses this holiday season.

At the Twitter Ball we will also be talking about two other great organizations who are also out there to help support those dealing with cancer. The first is Look Good Feel Better an organization that believes that an improved self-image can help life women’s spirits along with nurturing hope to help them face their illness with confidence. The second organization is Facing Cancer Together is all about a community of support for women dealing with cancer and those connected to them. Facing Cancer Together also provides a cancer information network and cancer support resources and tools to help women manage the social and emotional effects of cancer.

The Twitter Ball is going to help spread the word about these two unique cancer support programs. One great thing about this Twitter Ball is that they are going to donate $10 for each “tweeter” who RSVP’s and participates in the party. So check in their RSVP page for more details and to RSVP. ShesConnected is going to be helping with the Twitter Party and if you have never done a twitter party before, don’t worry, it’s easy. A Twitter Ball (Twitter Party) is a fun, fast-paced forum discussing a specific topic. Questions will be asked via tweet and party participants tweet back responses and comments by including the hashtag #mirrorball. You can follow the party on Twitter or use tweetgrid or something similar by following that hashtag #mirrorball. Follow the reporters and host below and of course make sure you are following @CCTFAFoundation.

Live Reporters: @ShesConnected, @Inspiredbygood, @hipurbangirl
Hosts: @LGFBCanada, @cancer2gether

For more information visit the #MirrorBall page.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Steve Jobs was a pioneer of our time and although most of us did not know him personally, many of us have been inspired or motivated by his work. If you have read much about his life and work there are some lessons that you can come away with and apply to your life, business, career, etc.

• Don’t settle. Lots of people can do a “good” job at their career or business but being memorable and notable is not about being good at something, it is about being great.
• Don’t take no from anybody including yourself. Many of the things that Steve Jobs was able to do were probably things that people told him were not possible. If you believe in yourself and what you are doing, don’t listen to the limitations anyone else tries to put on you.
• Along these same lines, don’t give up. Persevere. Many times the difference between somebody who succeeds and someone who doesn’t isn’t much besides their dedication and perseverance. With this in mind I often think of something someone told me one time- pick 3 things you are going to make important in your life, if you have more than that you won’t be good at any of them. For true dedication to a business or career, there are other things in your life that you may need to set aside to obtain that.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for what you think your product is worth. With the current economy so many businesses and products are selling so close to cost just trying to make a small margin of profit to get by. Steve Jobs proved that if you have a premium product you can sell it for a premium price and it doesn’t matter what kind of economy we have people will not only pay it but stand in line to pay it.
• Be a visionary. Think outside the box. Don’t let others in your same line of business dictate the boundaries you need to work within.
• To win big you have to be willing to gamble. Visionaries going where others have not been before you have to be willing to put themselves out there and take a risk. Be okay with making mistakes and learn from them.