Make Money Online by Branding Yourself

I really enjoy starting discussions and replying to the posts in various forums online. If you were to ask me for my opinion as to which question seems to appear the most within the make money online forums I would have to say it is, "How do I get more referrals to my website or blog"? Typical replies include talk to family and friends, offer cash or other incentives, use a squeeze page, etc. Rarely do I come across an answer which is even remotely related to what I believe is the absolute best way for anyone to get referrals to their site, and that my friends is branding. In fact I just finished reading an article entitled, "78 Ways to Get Referrals" and guess what ? Branding was number 75 out of 78 with a brief one sentence description. Let's review what branding is so you can get an idea of its benefits. Branding is the process of developing a positive reputation for yourself as someone who people can turn to for advice. It doesn't matter if you know a little about a lot of things like myself or if you know a lot about one particular subject. The most important thing to remember is that you want to offer your help unconditionally , that is, without conspicuously promoting your product or service. Just follow these 5 surefire ways to branding yourself: 1. Establish your credibility in forums - By posting useful information in several different forums you will eventually establish a reputation for yourself as someone who is knowledgeable, honest, and trustworthy. Do not overdue. Creating a profile for yourself on two social media sites and one or two forums in your niche should be more than enough to get you started. I have found that Sidetick is a great social media site where you can create a profile, post to forums, and make some pretty decent money for yourself at the same time. 2. Create a blog and keep it updated - Set up a blog with useful information in your particular niche but do not advertise your product or service. Remember, the best way to brand yourself is to provide useful information unconditionally. There are over forty different free blog sites online but I highly recommend Blogger.com because it's great for beginners, easy to use, and they have tutorials to help you get your blog up and running literally in minutes. Also remember to update your blog every so often because people get tired of seeing the same old information and they figure that if you really are knowledgeable about the niche you are writing about, there will always be more to say. 3. Use a signature link - Most social sites and forums allow you to create a signature link back to your blog, so make sure to set one up. That way people can instantly click back from your post to your blog for more information on whatever they need help with and you will have another backlink to your blog site. 4. Be subtle not presumptuous or overbearing - At this point you are probably thinking, " But how do I get people to see my product or service? After all, the purpose of my blog is so I can make money online.” My answer to that is to be subtle. Creating a blog with useful and relevant information is extremely important. Go ahead and anchor link some keywords to your products website but remember not to use so many anchor texts that your blog looks and sounds like an advertisement. That will definitely turn readers off. Think about it for a moment, who would you rather follow, someone who comes across as a mentor providing you with information you can use or someone who comes across as a pushy salesperson constantly shoving their referral links and/or banners in your face?" 5. Find a mentor - Follow other knowledgeable people in your industry or niche who are successful. Pay careful attention to how they brand themselves. Go ahead and contact anyone who appeals to you and ask them for help. I am sure that they will be willing to help you. After all, offering helpful information is how they became successful in the first place. Remember, the majority of online money making programs require that you have referrals to help you make more money. If you follow the information in this article you can potentially wind up with a lifetime of loyal referrals and a bigger balance in your bank account.