Many of you may know Nancy Carter, editor of The Homeschool Minute E-Newsletter. Did you know that Nancy is also a TOS affiliate? I was just informed that she earned over $200 in commissions last month! I had to know how she did it, and she was gracious enough to agree to an interview to share a few affiliate secrets with us.

Cheryl: Hi, Nancy! Thanks for meeting with us. I have visited your blog “Lessons Learned on the Farm” several times—you write such inspiring and encouraging entries. Tell us about your motivation for your blog.

Nancy: When I first started blogging, we had just moved out to our farm and I was looking for a way to journal all that we were experiencing and learning. Hence, the blog name, “Lessons Learned on the Farm”!

Cheryl: You have 185 friends on your blog, and you are a friend of 199. After reading your blog, I know why—there is such a wealth of information. How did you begin to gain and keep loyal readership?

Nancy: It's just like in real-life, to have a friend, you have to BE a friend. I do A LOT of reading and commenting on other people's blogs. Originally, I would just start by visiting the new bloggers and welcoming them to HSB or I would click through to interesting entries from the HomeschoolBlogger front page and comment on them. I think I was one of the first 25 bloggers at HomeschoolBlogger. It was a really exciting time to watch HSB grow and grow! After a while, I developed real, online friendships with some bloggers and would visit other blogs that they would mention. I discovered mommy bloggers, craft bloggers, homesteaders, and much more. Now I have to use bloglines to keep up with them all!

My blogging has slowed down a bit in the past year as I got busy with other things (probably reading blogs—ha!), but I used to try to post every day or at least a few times a week. Now, I'm doing well to post once or twice a week, but thankfully folks still come by and comment. ☺

Cheryl: I also noted that you are a TOS affiliate. How long have you been promoting TOS products?

Nancy: I have ALWAYS promoted TOS products on my blog (even before they HAD an affiliate program), because I absolutely love The Old Schoolhouse and had just discovered the magazine when I first began blogging. It looks like TOS first set up the affiliate program with ShareASale in April 2008, and I jumped right in there at the time. It was so new though, I didn't have a clue about what I was doing. I put some buttons on my sidebar and one at the top of my blog, and that was about it for months. Somehow or another though I got my first check for $67.80 a few months later in October ‘08. I was pretty shocked, but pleasantly surprised when that showed up! After that, it took me a while to get in the groove of things, but WOW, I've been getting checks almost every month since May ’09, and my last one was for over $200!

Cheryl: You consistently post on your site. How many times do you add or change the affiliate links to your blog?

Nancy: Honestly, I put one product in my sidebar and the dynamic banner (which changes to promote different products and sales) at the top of my blog and have just left them there. I don't really like to mess with my template much. I do most of my promoting through individual blog entries about sales that TOS is having or new products. After realizing that I'm actually making some money doing this, I think I need to pay a little more attention to what I'm doing. Ha!

Cheryl: How do you get information on sales for TOS, and how do you decide how to present it on your blog?

I get my information from reading the emails that TOS sends out. Every affiliate needs to be on the TOS Special Offers email list so that you see every email special promotion, new product, or freebie that comes out. Even if someone just clicks through your affiliate link to claim a TOS freebie, ShareASale tracks their cookies so that if they later make a purchase (within a certain time frame), you will get credit for that purchase! I love it, and my readers let me know that they appreciate the heads-up about sales, freebies, and helpful products.

I also really appreciate and make sure that I read each TOS Affiliate E-Newsletter. Those always give a great review of the best products to promote and include your ShareASale ID and graphic information. Sometimes there are also little goodies (like free E-Books) for promoting certain products. I just have a lot of fun with it!

***We have just started a blog on HSB for TOS Affiliates to keep you updated on new and current sales and promotions on the SAS site. Visit The Affiliates’ Corner here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TOSAffiliateCorner/ and add us to your friends list!

Cheryl: Congratulations on making over $200 in commissions last month using the affiliate program. Any other ideas you can share with us?

Sure!

First of all, save your affiliate newsletters in a folder for future reference. They will have your ShareASale ID number in them. Don't let those newsletters just get lost in your inbox.

Then bookmark the Totally TOS link to the Schoolhouse Store and the Get Code link. It is so much easier to promote products when you have those links handy.

Be sure to keep your friendly conversational tone on your blog and continue blogging about other things so that people don't think your blog is becoming one big advertisement after another. They are reading because they are interested in what you have to say, not what you have to sell.

Don't forget that you can also promote the TOS products via links on email, Facebook, etc. . . . I got a great response from the Labor Day Subscription Sale on Facebook!

And finally, take time to post your personal opinion on the products if you can. Your friends and readers are probably interested in the same kind of products you are, and they will enjoy hearing what YOU have to say about them. You can always use the text used in product descriptions, but—it's just a suggestion—you can always add your opinions. And if you read an article that you really love or use one of the activities from an E-Book, feel free to post about it (and give your affiliate link to the appropriate product) whenever you want. Yes, people love sales, but TOS products are a great value even at full price, and sometimes people are looking for a product even when it isn't on sale.

Cheryl: Thank you for your time and sharing these great ideas . . . I, for one, will definitely use them!

Nancy Carter, editor of “The Natural Schoolhouse” column and The Homeschool Minute E-Newsletter, is a homesteading, homeschooling wife and mother of three sons. Her family enjoys a lifestyle of learning on their farm in Kentucky. Read all about their “Lessons Learned on the Farm” at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/tn3jcarter.

Cheryl Allin serves as a marketing assistant for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. She and husband Gregg stay busy homeschooling their two children in North Carolina and are always on the lookout for educational materials and opportunities supporting their faith and the “free or almost free” philosophy they have adopted. Check out their blog at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherylallin/php.

Now if you are just joining me, you’ve missed a lot! I previously gave a confession regarding my lack of computer skills, my new job as affiliate program director requiring me to use them (and learn new ones), and my need to educate myself on affiliates and exactly what they do. After reading TOS’ FAQ, I decided that becoming an affiliate to make some extra income (especially with the holidays on their way) seemed easy enough. After all, I was already promoting TOS products I loved through emails and my blog, and now I would get paid for it! I joined the affiliate program—which was surprisingly easy--but now I had to figure out how to get people to my blog . . . followers and E-friends.

If you own a website, you can simply add our affiliate links and people come to you. But what if you have no patrons or have a blog like I do? How do you make E-friends and future customers? Personally, I don’t like to sell things to ANYONE—ever. Ugh, the pressure and possible rejection! (Remember the Boy Scout popcorn deal in part 1? That is one of MANY examples!) I figured affiliate sales would be different than regular sales though—after all, TOS items were products that I liked, personally used, and didn’t mind promoting.

I put the question, “How do you make E-friends?” on my personal blog, (remember, I had no friends or comments originally) and Nancy and Gloria had some great ideas: (I feel so loved and am so happy—I have comments now!)

1-Attach your URL to everything: signature line on your email, facebook, twitter account, even your Christmas cards. That way every message you send out will be an opportunity for others to visit you.

2-Read others' blogs, comment, and add your blog URL to the signature. Let them know that you're adding them as a friend, and ask if they'll add you too.

3- You can also try visiting friends of your friends or blogs that other friends mention.

Those were awesome suggestions and really got my mind going. Next, I thought:

If I were a follower of my blog, what type of site would I like to follow? Definitely a site that was fun, inspirational, and encouraging—a site that I could trust. Also, one that was updated frequently with new sales and freebies.

Who do I want to be friends with? Someone that has similar beliefs and ideas. I would read up on a potential E-friend and make sure she is someone that I really want to be friends with. If I don’t agree with her attitude and views, I won’t add her.

I have decided not to obsess on the number of E-friends that I have. I believe that if you write motivational and uplifting blog entries, people will enjoy reading your blog and will want to be your friends, just like in a normal friendship. Add some freebies and discounted materials from TOS to the site, and that is like icing on the cake!

Are you a pro at being an affiliate? Please share some of your success stories here! We need to support and encourage each other in ALL of our homeschooling and life adventures!

I’m off to work on my blog . . .

UPDATE: I am super excited to now have nine E-friends! Thank you to all who visited me. It is so encouraging when people comment on my blog, because it makes me feel like I am making a difference in the homeschooling world! Stop by my blog and leave a note and your address--I would love to come visit you! Good luck on your affiliate adventure—and blog, blog away!

Are you interested in becoming an affiliate? TOS is offering an incentive for you to join—any new affiliate in the month of October can get any TOS E-Book valued at $12.50 or less for FREE after one month of participation! Join TOS’ affiliates program here and then email me at callin@thehomeschoolmagazine.com with your name, website or blog address, ShareASale ID, and which TOS E-Book you would like. One month after you sign up and send me the email, the store will send you the E-Book for free!

In case you just joined us, I had previously given a confession of my lack of computer skills, my new job as affiliate program director requiring me to use them (and learn new ones), and finally educating myself on affiliates and exactly what they do. After reading TOS’ FAQ, I ultimately decided that becoming an affiliate to make some extra income (especially with the holidays on the way) seemed easy enough. After all, I was already promoting TOS products I loved through emails and my blog, and now I would get paid for it!

Time to sign myself up!

I went here to sign up. This took me directly to the ShareASale site. It asked me a few questions that were easy to answer. There was a part that asked for my email address for the blog—I felt a panic attack coming, because I wasn’t the site owner. I have seen other bloggers who were affiliates, so I knew there was another way. I scrolled down the screen and there was a spot to enter my personal email address, which I did. I finished the application and awaited my confirmation email. So far, so good!

Later that day, I received an email from ShareASale that I was accepted to the program. I went to the ShareASale website and logged in with no problems! There was a note that I needed to print out and send in a W-9 for tax purposes—so I did—after all, I wanted ShareASale to have NO PROBLEMS sending me my commissions when it was time! From this page, I could access my account, see any earnings, and find items I wanted to promote on my site. (My thoughts at this point went something like . . . this is WAY too simple; there must be something that will stump me!)

I clicked at the top—“get a link/banner” button—and The Old Schoolhouse® logo came up. I clicked the blue “get links” button, then the “view all creatives available” button. Tons of TOS products came up for me to choose from—and they were all items I would take pleasure in promoting.

I chose the WannaBe Series™ first, because the whole family enjoys these and I recommend them to everyone. (Banner ID: 177454 - WannaBe 140x180 in case you are following me) I clicked the “get this banner’s HTML code” button (there’s that scary acronym again=), and the code immediately came up. My special affiliate ID was already in there . . . I should be able to just cut and paste the code onto my site. (I think I might be getting good at this!)

I logged into my blog and wrote a new entry. Next, I clicked the source code (on the top where the tools are)—and it brought me to the place that intimidates me—HTML! (But I was getting a bit braver, so bring on the HTML!) At this point, I had no clue what to do, so I decided to wing it! I scrolled to the last item on the page, then pressed enter once for a free line. I went back to ShareASale to copy the code, pasted it in my blog in the free line, and hit source again.

I can’t believe it! I did it! I did it! And it was as easy as the FAQ says it was! (Someone save me—I think this might become a new hobby!)

Now if I could only get some friends to visit me—so just how do you social network and make E-friends? I am at a loss, because although I have friends, they don’t blog or facebook. I didn’t do any social networking myself—just the normal emailing for homeschooling events—until I started this job.

So, how do I form E-friendships? Maybe that’s another subject for another blog post.

Are you interested in becoming an affiliate? TOS is offering an incentive for you to join—any new affiliate can get any TOS E-Book valued at $12.50 or less for FREE after one month of participation! Just email me at callin@thehomeschoolmagazine.com with your name, website or blog address, ShareASale ID, and which TOS E-Book you would like. One month after you sign up, the Schoolhouse Store will send you the E-Book for free!

Part 1

I must admit I love my job as a marketing assistant here at TOS--the projects, deadlines, and feeling of a job well done are unparalleled.

However, TOS took on a work in progress (in computer skills—or lack thereof) when they hired me. Yeah, I can email, work with Word and Excel, and IM, but the other stuff is WAY over my head.

I have to confess that, one, learning new things on the computer intimidates me—I didn’t even have one when I was in college; (Did I just show my age?) two, I am just now learning what HTML means; (I just shudder when I hear that word—even thinking about entering all those codes is overwhelming.) and three, I am soooo not a salesperson. (I am so uncomfortable selling stuff that when my son sells Boy Scout popcorn, I normally buy what he HAS to sell and that’s all we do!)

Let’s not even talk about my blog, because it is nothing short of pathetic. I know the information I post is useful to others (if I could get people on my site—sadly I have had one comment and no friends!), but I can’t figure out how to put in all the pictures and cool stuff I see on other sites.

Now, isn’t it funny how God will always push you to do things out of your comfort zone? Just when you think you have a grip on things . . .

 Fast forward life to this week—I was just given the job of “affiliate program director”—sounds pretty cool, I thought! I suppose my boss had faith in me that I could do the job, but did she know about my serious lack of computer skills? As I got ready for this new-found duty, I nervously thought, “Great, buuuut, what exactly is an affiliate?”

I started researching on the Internet and even went to the library and checked books out on affiliates. It was overwhelming—I couldn’t believe all you could do as an affiliate and how complex it all seemed. Thank goodness I read TOS' Affiliate FAQ page. I finally understood what an affiliate was when I read:

“An affiliate is an independent organization or person, who is willing to promote a product or a service, in exchange for a commission should that product be purchased, or lead generated, as a result of their online promotional efforts.”

Whoever wrote this definition was obviously more educated in this stuff than I was. However, the word commission caught my eye . . . so I read through the other questions and answers and found out:

 1-The program was free. (This is my family’s homeschooling motto!)

2-All you needed was a valid website and an email. (I have a blog and email!)

3-I can get paid monthly from sales on TOS products, referring a friend to the program, and even some of my friends’ sales. (With the holidays coming this would be a great help to our family!)

4-TOS sends out newsletters with new sales, text, and picture IDs to all affiliates. (All I do is just cut and paste!)

After reading a few more of the FAQs, I realized that I could make a commission on TOS items that I personally use, enjoy, and already promote to my friends and family. Normally when I found a TOS item I liked or a sale they were having, I always emailed my friends about it. The affiliate program would give me the chance to earn money on something I was already doing!

At this point I thought, “Not only will I take on the job of affiliate program director, but I am going to take on the new mission to become an affiliate myself. Goooo, Supermom!”

But then I read…..

"Q. What kind of computer or technical skill is needed to be an affiliate?

A. Affiliates will need to be somewhat familiar with HTML, so that they can correctly copy and paste the linking code from ShareASale and place it within a web page or within the body of an email message."

HMMMM—well, I already confessed that I was NOT any good with HTML, so I started to get a bit intimidated. But my type-A personality was not about to give up on the new mission. After all, if I was promoting this program to others, I certainly had to figure it out myself . . .

Coming soon . . . Part 2 of Confessions of a (Computer-Illiterate) Marketing Assistant

Are you interested in becoming an affiliate? TOS is offering an incentive for you to join—any new affiliate in the month of October can get any TOS E-Book valued at $12.50 or less for FREE after one month of participation! Join TOS’ affiliate program here, and then email me at callin@thehomeschoolmagazine.com with your name, website or blog address, ShareASale ID, and which TOS E-Book you would like. One month after you sign up, the store will send you the E-Book for free!

Cheryl Allin serves as a marketing assistant for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. She and husband Gregg stay busy homeschooling their two children in North Carolina and are always on the lookout for educational materials and opportunities supporting their faith and the “free or almost free” philosophy they have adopted. Check out their blog at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherylallin/php.