Many individuals nowadays are leaving their desk jobs in place of becoming their own bosses by establishing home based businesses. However, the most common concern about establishing business from home would be the start-up resources as some of the would-be entrepreneurs are either cash strapped or would like to put up a business without having to lose the shirts on their back. This article will provide you with three low-cost home based business ideas that you might want to consider:TutoringTutoring is a low-cost business that works especially well for stay-at-home moms, home schooling parents or even college students who would like to earn a little something on the side. You can tutor students who are in need of help in their academic or even foreigners who would like to learn English or helping them study the subject. The key element of this home based business is your knowledge of the subject matter that you are offering. While a college degree or teaching certificate may not be required, you will still need to have full grasp of the subject that you are teaching, especially if you are planning to tutor high school or college students.Meeting and Event planningMeeting and event planning is one of the most lucrative yet easy to start home based businesses out there. The reason for this is very simple – an event regardless of whether it’s big or small will need preparation and for this, they will need the services of an even planner. The reason why it’s so popular among home based individuals is because they will be able to specialize. Say, you’re really good at preparing parties for children then a birthday event planner will suit you best. Or if you have the knack for preparing special solemn occasions like weddings, baptismal, or anniversaries then you can specialize in those specific areas as well. Be wary though as this business can have you working long hours and the competition can be tough as well.Freelance WritingThere has actually been a boom in this area of home based business as of late. The process is actually very simple and can get you started very quickly. By registering to various sites which will be able to post your qualifications for such a job, interested individuals will be able to contact you along with their requirements plus the compensation that they are offering. After taking the interviews or tests required, you and your client will come upon an agreement for which he may or may not send you a digital contract. The best part about this home based business is that you don’t actually need to have a lot of people or even equipments to get started. With a fast internet connection and a good computer you will be able to start working from home, offering your writing skills to the highest bidder – so to speak.These three ideas mentioned above are just examples, because there are many more low-cost home based business ideas that you will be able to find online. Take your time in searching for them and find out which one suit you best. Just remember to stick to only those that are considered legal as you might get into trouble if you’re not careful with the home based business that you choose.
What Is an Online Advertising Network and How to Utilise a CPM and CPC Advertising Network
Utilizing the Different Online Advertising Network Formats for Your Business
The Internet has become increasingly complex over the years, so much so that today, it has almost become a necessary household tool that’s being used by almost everyone.
And, with the evolution of the Internet, also comes the evolution of online advertising. Today, online ad networks come in different formats and vary on how they serve advertising content to users, and it is a business owner’s responsibility to know and understand more about these formats, in order to find out which one is best used for a given marketing strategy.
CPC Advertising
CPC stands for “cost-per-click” advertising, and is arguably one of the more simple advertising formats to use. It’s a format that generates revenue for the publisher when the user gives a single valid click-through on the advertisement hosted. CPC ads usually come in text-based and rich media formats, and the most effective ads utilize some form of “call to action” to be noticed.
Utilizing the service of a CPC ad network is effective when the business is attempting to generate new leads, as well as driving new and potential customer sales. Hence, it is best utilized by publishers who have lower amounts of web traffic.
CPM Advertising
CPM stands for “cost-per-mile” advertising. In this format, the advertisers pay the publisher a set amount for every thousand actions a certain ad receives. CPM advertising is quite similar to CPC, but on a much larger scale. CPM advertising networks usually cater to publishers who receive a large amount of web traffic prior to their approval, due to the volume of potential leads that this format generates. CPM advertising networks are best used when the product being advertised is now receiving a growing amount of product exposure or recognition.
CPA Advertising
CPA stands for “cost-per-action” advertising, and is a commission-based advertising format in which the publisher receives revenue when a user clicks AND buys the advertised product or service being served. The amount of revenue the publisher receives is a percentage of the total price of the product being purchased. CPA advertising networks, or “online affiliate networks” as they are commonly called, are preferred when the business wants not only to increase their potential leads, but also their sales.
What to Use?
Deciding on what advertising format and online ad network to use largely depends on the capital available for the business, as well as the quality of the product being published. For newer brands who are taking some time to build their reputation, a CPC advertising network is preferable. Once the brand has generated enough leads, and has build up a very strong reputation level, switching to a CPM advertising network should now be considered to avoid running low on capital when the ads have a higher click-through rate. Finally, once the product and brand has established a very firm foundation for its reputation, a CPA advertising network should be used.
Of course, limiting yourself to one ad network certainly isn’t going to get you anywhere. In order to truly succeed, utilizing all of these in conjunction with each other is the best strategy to generate the maximum leads and revenue possible.
How Important Is the Fundraising Auctioneer to the Success of Your Event?
I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.
A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.
So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?
The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.
I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.
Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?
Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.
A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.
But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.
So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.
They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.
But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.
But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.
But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.
And it cost them.
Learning Points
The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.