PR
Mama: Marketing to Go! February 2006 e-Newsletter
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By Nancy Carter
Have you heard the old saying, "Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's
nut that held its ground"? Well in this PR Mama e-Newsletter, we want to
inspire all of you to jump into the homeschool market and hold your ground.
Theresa Agovino of the Associated Press recently did an article, published
in the San Diego Union Tribune (and many other newspapers across the
US), titled Cottage
Industry Caters to Growing Number of Homeschool Families. In that article,
Eduventures, a research and consulting firm, estimates that the homeschool market
is around $650 million and has been growing at around 8 percent in the last few
years. Tim Wiley, an analyst at Eduventures, says, "There is money to be
made."
The article included some interesting information from James Blaire, founder
of Power Glide Language Courses. When he started his business in 1997, he expected
his customers to be international business executives, but now 50 percent of his
sales come from homeschoolers. He says that he has used advertising in homeschooling
magazines and attending homeschool conferences to gain new customers, but emphasizes
the importance of having a good product that parents recommend to each other.
"It is a very verbal market. They talk to each other and it is by far and
away the best way to reach them," Blair said.
That article got me interested in the Power
Glide story. They mention on their website that
the Power Glide concept had very little value until
an entrepreneur could find a way to turn the ideas
into something tangible and salable. After that,
they grew from their humble start in a file cabinet
into an Inc. Magazine 500 Fastest
Growth in America Company and the winner
of many state and local business awards for growth,
profitability, and good business practices.
When I read those stories, I get excited, and I hope
you do too. You CAN succeed in the homeschool market.
You CAN find ways to earn income right from your home
as Rhea and Matthew describe in their articles below.
You CAN overcome obstacles like Ping Fu did. You CAN
find ways to market your products without spending
a lot of money. You can become one of the mighty oaks
in the homeschool market. All you have to do is stand
your ground!
Let's get down to business!
Nancy Carter, Editor
PR Mama e-Newsletter
www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/PRMama |
to
Make that Computer of Yours Pay for Itself and Help
You Earn Passive Residual Income?
By Rhea Perry
If you want to work from home yet earn an income that is sufficient to support
a large and growing family, then here's an option to consider. (And it's easier
than you think!)
In the past three years, several of my seven children and I have studied Internet
marketing as part of their school curriculum. We've managed to create several
streams of income, but my favorite stream is from those checks that show up in
my mailbox every few weeks from online affiliate programs. We just love it!
And they add up quickly!
The best ones are those that are residual. That means
they come in month after month after month after month … they
just keep coming.
Creating residual income is the only way to create
true financial freedom. Managing it is another thing.
Protecting it is yet another.
Most folks do it with real estate. Renters pay their rent every month. But
if you're not interested in real estate, affiliate marketing is easier.
It's not new; it's been around for centuries. It's basically earning a sales
commission for referring a customer to someone else's product or service. Here's
how it works.
| 1. |
Find a product or service you like. |
| 2. |
Tell your friends about it (like you do when
the grocery store has milk on sale) by giving them
information and a link from the company to record
the transaction. |
| 3. |
Include the affiliate link from the company's website in an email or post
it on your website. |
| 4. |
When your friend clicks on the link and purchases the product or service from
the company, the company's shopping cart records the sale as coming from you. |
| 5. |
When the company pays their affiliates, they
mail you a check. |
It's that easy!
The best types of affiliate products to represent are
those that offer some type of residual income, such
as a magazine subscription or product with a monthly
fee.
Know any magazines that
offer affiliate commissions for their subscriptions?
Hmmmm?
Another example of a good program is one that offers
a high percentage on a higher ticket item. The affiliate
program for our annual conferences pays 35% commission
on the conference registration to regular affiliates
and 50% to members of our Entrepreneurs at Home community
and to Super Affiliates.
Super Affiliates are either those affiliates who earn
high volume incomes or those who are able to sell high-ticket
items. Super Affiliates are often offered higher commission
rates because of their superior performance.
The key to great success with affiliate marketing
is having either a large list of customers to send
offers to or having a very targeted list of folks who
know and like you.
It's not rocket science, it's just good customer relations. If you're a people
person and like to share bargains with your friends, you're a natural!
So if you are looking for a way to supplement your
income, or if you want something easy for one of your
teens to do for a small business credit or if you would
really like to quit that job and work from home as
so many of our dads are starting to do, then consider
learning more about affiliate marketing.
It's an amazing opportunity to get paid for passing good deals on to your friends!
So many books, so little time …
Rhea Perry's goal is to help everyone become
financially free. She is a veteran homeschool mom of seven who is dedicated to
helping families develop an entrepreneurial mindset. She is best known for her
national conferences that feature experts and information on how to educate your
children to be successful and specialized knowledge needed for working from home.
Learn more here: www.EducatingforSuccess.com |
|
Inc. Magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year
By Patricia Hunter
Ping Fu, Chairman,
President, and CEO of Geomagic,
was not homeschooled. Nor did she have a private or pubic education between the
ages of 7 and 18. Despite her lack of formal schooling, she now holds post-graduate
degrees in computer science and Chinese literature and was recently named Inc.
Magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year.
It is ironic that Ping Fu narrowly escaped death in China
and was brought to freedom in the United States, and after
September 11, 2001, her company digitally produced architectural
drawings of the Statue of Liberty that could be used to rebuild
the statue in the event of a catastrophic destruction.
While Geomagic is not a small family business, Ping Fu's story is beyond fascinating.
It is one of the most inspiring examples of humble courage and determination that
I have ever read.
More about Ping Fu: Business
Leader's Entrebizneur of 2004 Ping Fu.
Patricia Hunter is a writer, wife,
mother, and veteran homeschooler who invites you to visit her at Patricia
Ann's Pollywog Creek Porch. |
By Nancy Carter
Trying to stretch your marketing budget?
Product and book reviews may be your best friend! When the
publishers of The
Old Schoolhouse Magazine recently released an e-book, Secrets
of Successful Homeschooling, Crystal Paine, Marketing
Manager, put out a note on the company
blog. Bloggers willing to post a review of the new e-book
on their own blog would receive a free copy for those review
purposes. Within days, 18 homeschool moms were happily downloading
the book and raving about it on their personal blogs.
Likewise, Kate
Kessler, Product Reviews Manager, and her merry band
of reviewers are a resource that both parents and homeschool
companies value. A thorough and accurate review helps shoppers
determine if the product is right for them, which leads
to customer satisfaction, which leads to more positive
word-of-mouth marketing.
So if you have a product to sell to the homeschool market,
announce on your blog that you are looking for bloggers who
will review your product on their blog. You do have a blog,
right?
If you don't, come and join us at HomeschoolBlogger.
Now's the perfect time! You can set up a free blog and start reaching those folks
today. We had 112,000 unique visitors in January, with 250,000 visits and over
4 MILLION page views. With those numbers, you can't afford not to join in the
fun!
Nancy
Carter is the Managing Public Relations Consultant
for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and loves telling the stories
of homeschoolers and homeschool businesses. Join the discussion
at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/PRMama. |
 Built a Business
on the Internet
By Matthew Hon
My name is Matthew Hon, and I am a homeschooled businessman.
I have been homeschooled since third grade. I am also the oldest
of nine children.
I have been involved in our family owned and run business
since I turned 16. Years ago, when it started, my dad (who
is a pastor) started painting for an apartment complex. My
younger brothers Seth, Adam, and later Joshua and myself helped
paint in the afternoons after school. It was that same year
that my grandfather bought our family a computer for Christmas.
At 19 I started working on computers for a couple of businesses
in the area through our family business. I kept adding more
and more businesses till about two years ago I worked with
over 50 businesses in the area.
I have always wanted to find a business that I could be involved
in that would let me make a living and spend more time with
my family. In the beginning of 2005 I found the opportunity
I had been looking for.
I received an invitation to a free Internet seminar, which
I attended. There I was introduced to an exciting business
concept that contained the following ideas:
- Have or design a website where you sell a product.
- This could be a product you made or one someone else made.
- Another idea was if at all possible to find a product someone
else would stock and ship for you.
The people who taught the free seminar of course wanted you
to buy a package where they designed and built your website.
I didn’t need their website package, but I had gained
a lot of good website marketing advice. I knew a company that
sold unpopped popcorn and accessories, and I thought I could
do this myself. So in June of 2005 www.givemepopcorn.com was
born.
My first month I sold about $1,000 worth of business, but
by December of last year I had doubled the gross sales several
times.
Our site sells
unpopped popcorn, hulless
popcorn, popcorn seasoning, popcorn oil, popcorn poppers,
and popcorn gifts. When you place an order at www.givemepopcorn.com, a
copy of the order comes to me (I work out of my home) and a
copy goes to a farm that grows, packages, and ships the popcorn.
I buy the popcorn at wholesale and mark it up to retail pricing.
I market my site on all the major search engines for different
keywords like popcorn, hulless popcorn, unpopped popcorn,
and several others. I also started a popcorn blog at www.givemepopcorn.com/blog.
This year I hope to double my business, set up more websites
using the same method, and help other people do the same thing.
So far this year I am already working on several more sites
and even my own business site so that I can help individuals
design and market their own websites. I am not an html programmer.
I have just found the right tools that anyone can use to design
their own site. I think many other families could apply this
business concept and enjoy more time together as a family.
Matthew Hon is 28 now and married
with four children. You can contact him at webmaster@givemepopcorn.com or www.givemepopcorn.com for
popcorn or more information. |
on What Theyve Learned Over the Years
By John Holzmann
The idea for Sonlight Curriculum,
Ltd. was first sown in February 1990. We were back-fence
neighbors with a woman named Becky Lewis at an evangelical
Christian think-tank in Pasadena, California. Both of our
families homeschooled, and several of our kids played together.
Over the previous six months, my wife, Sarita, and Becky had begun to realize
that they held a similar, low-stress philosophy of homeschooling that centered
on good books. They realized how uniquely pleasurable their approach was when
they found themselves in the presence of mothers who would burst into tears over
their homeschooling experience. "It's just so overwhelming!" these moms
would cry.
One day, Becky came to Sarita and said, "You know what we should do? We
should start a homeschool supply company that gathers all the best of the best
homeschooling materials, puts them together into a complete package, including
a thorough Instructor's Guide, and makes them available for an international audience."
Becky didn’t want to run the company herself, but, having lived and attempted
to homeschool for many years in North Africa, she knew what American moms face
when they're living in Third World countries. She wanted the company she was envisioning
to meet the peculiar needs of women in those circumstances. "I'll help you
get the company going," Becky said, "but you'll have to make it work
on a day-to-day basis."
Sarita talked the idea over with me, and we thought Becky's idea sounded good.
It would be a wonderful service to so many of God's people living around the world
who do not have access to the kinds of resources those of us living in the United
States do.
And so the three of us decided: Sarita would pick books with Becky's help;
Becky would write the guides; and I would fill in the gaps, editing, typesetting,
and providing whatever additional help the women might need.
And so that's what we did. Sarita chose the books. Becky drafted the original
Kindergarten through Third Grade manuals. And I did the editing and typesetting.
Sarita handled all aspects of the business for the first year.
She worked out of a one-stall garage we rented down an alley
from our home.
By 1991, when we moved to Colorado, the business had become a full-time concern
for both of us: 20 to 30 hours per week for Sarita (on top of homeschooling);
60 to 80 hours per week for me. Sonlight Curriculum took over both stalls of our
garage in June of '92 and became Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. in July of that year.
It was in the summer of 1992 that we hired our first employee - my sister -
who worked till the end of the summer. In the summer of 1993 we hired several
part-timers, one of whom remained on staff through the winter.
In January 1994, our staff was up to two part-timers besides
Sarita and me.
In May 1994, we hired our first long-term employee, and by
that September we had two full-timers plus a part-timer to
take us through the winter.
Today, we have more than 40 dedicated people in full-time,
long-term staff positions. During the summer, our ranks swell
into the 70s or low 80s.
Some key lessons we've learned through the years:
- If you're going to hire employees, get a payroll service to handle the paperwork
and tax filings. We did that from our very first employee, and are we glad we
did! We found out how many legal traps we could have fallen into had we not had
their help.
- Fall in love with your customers, not your product(s). Serve your
customers' needs. That's not only biblically right, but it makes good
business sense. Sure, you'd love to sell product. But if you're more concerned
about selling your product than you are about meeting your customers' real needs,
plan on being out of business soon!
- In all your advertising, product descriptions - whatever you do by way of
communicating to your customers - try not to talk about you and your business:
"We do this. We do that." Rather, talk about them. Answer the
questions that they are asking: So what? [What do you expect me to carry
away as a result of your having told me this?] Who cares? [Why should I pay attention
to what you're talking about?] What's in it for me? Honestly: It is a whole lot
harder to answer these questions than it may sound - and I'm afraid we fail regularly.
But it's a goal we try always to keep in front of us: talk about what is of interest
to the customer, not necessarily about what is of interest
to us.
John Holzmann is co-founder and co-owner,
with his wife Sarita, of Sonlight
Curriculum, Ltd - "Literature-Rich Homeschooling/Education Beyond
Textbooks." They started Sonlight in 1990 while working at the U.S.
Center for World Mission in Pasadena, CA. The Holzmanns have four
children (three married) and two grandkids. Mr. Holzmann
is the author of one book, Dating
With Integrity, originally published by a company other than Sonlight
Curriculum. |
 of
the Free Ad in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!
Last month, we challenged all of you to freshen up on your press release writing
skills and to submit a press release on our PRMama
blog. We got some great entries, and it was very hard to choose. A great variety
of businesses entered - homemaking, handcrafted toys, computer education, a CPA,
home organization, TheHomeCast, authors, foreign language curriculum, and American
History kits. You can check out all of their press releases to see what they all
have to offer at the blog.
Our winner this month, though, was Lisa Vitello from
New Harvest Homestead.
She writes an awesome press release!
MOST WOMEN DESIRE AN OLD-FASHIONED LIFESTYLE
The New Harvest Homestead newsletter encourages Christian
women to slow down and fulfill their dream of the simple
life
Carlotta, CA, January 31, 2006 - In this tiny, rural hamlet that most people
would have a hard time finding on a map, Lisa Vitello is busy feeding her flock
of chickens, baking bread and canning jam. As a converted "city-girl"
who was passionate about her adopted country lifestyle, Lisa decided to share
her enthusiasm with other Christian women. In 2005, the New Harvest Homestead
newsletter was born in order to do just that.
After her first child was born, Lisa wanted to learn how to make money by saving
money in order to be a stay-at-home mom. She began to teach herself how to grow
a vegetable garden, raise animals and preserve her own food. What began as an
attempt to save money turned into a soul-satisfying way of life for Lisa and her
husband, Guy. "I found out I was a country girl at heart," she gushes.
When their third child was born, Lisa and Guy discovered homeschooling.
It seemed to mesh beautifully with the home-centered, agrarian
life they had come to love. But, as time went on, she began
to notice a rather unsettling trend among her homeschooling
peers. These moms seemed to be constantly on the go and only
a hairsbreadth away from total burnout.
"What I saw were moms who were involved in so many different activities
between homeschooling, church, errands, and all the other everyday things moms
do, that many of them were hardly ever home. And these were 'stay-at-home' moms!"
she exclaims. Lisa began to invite her friends to her home to learn some of the
country skills she had mastered.
"I talked with moms who were yearning to slow down and live a simpler
life, but they had little encouragement to do so from the culture around them.
They thought being constantly busy was the norm and never questioned it. It was
only as we began to meet together that they realized it was O.K. to want to be
home most of the time," Lisa shares.
After discovering a survey taken in 1997 by "Parents Magazine" in
which the majority of young mothers 25 and under declared they would prefer the
lifestyle of the 1950s, Lisa knew she was on to something. "I wanted to reach
those younger moms before they got on the merry-go-round of endless busyness and
give them some inspiration for living a home-centered life," she states.
She likes to call it the homestead life, not only because it involves rediscovering
old-fashioned skills, but also because the word homestead literally means
"steadfast at home."
The newsletter is published bi-monthly. Topics covered have included everything
from raising goats to cultivating a quiet spirit. There is as much inspiration
as there is instruction in every issue and one is left feeling like they have
just been given "a warm hug from the Lord," as one reader puts it.
If you want to take a step toward the simple life, be sure
to visit the New Harvest Homestead website at www.newharvesthomestead.com and
request a free introductory issue of New Harvest. It might
just be the first step in your homestead life.
Lisa Vitello, Publisher
New Harvest Homestead newsletter
www.newharvesthomestead.com
NewHarv@aol.com
Congratulations, Lisa! As this month's winner, Lisa will receive
a ¼ page ad in the Spring 2006 issue of TOS, valued at $550! |
We have a fun contest for you this month. All you have to
do is look for the answers to these ten questions in our PRMama
blog. Once you find the answers, email them to PRMama@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.
We’ll select one lucky winner from all of those with
the correct answers to win a FREE ¼ page ad (valued
at $550) in the Summer 2006 issue of The
Old Schoolhouse. Deadline for entries is midnight
Wednesday March 8, 2006.
1.
|
What company is paying
bloggers to talk about the Olympics and their products?
A) Pepsi
B) The Old Schoolhouse
C) Coca-Cola
D) HomeschoolBlogger |
| 2. |
What is the first
law of marketing in The 22 Immutable Laws of
Marketing? |
| 3. |
What did the creators of Times Tales do to improve
the sales of their mini flipchart on their website?
A) Bundled with other products
B) Reduced the price
C) Advertised heavily on their homepage
D) Changed the packaging |
| 4. |
What tagline does KONOS use
to describe what makes them different? |
| 5. |
How does Gena challenge you to contact
5 people a day to grow?
A) Email them
B) Send them each a personalized letter
C) Comment on their blogs
D) Call them |
| 6. |
Should you judge
the success of your marketing based on direct response? |
| 7. |
What is step 2 in developing your Ready,
Set, Action plan?
A) Define your market
B) Look at your company's history
C) Set goals
D) Develop marketing strategies |
| 8. |
What 2 factors work together to draw
readers into a print ad? |
| 9. |
Which of these methods does Crystal suggest for becoming
recognized as an expert in
your field?
A) Commit $10,000 a year to advertising
B) Send out 5 press releases a week
C) Contribute articles to other sites with your bio and website
link
D) Go to a homeschool conference in each state |
| 10. |
What is the most
important thing to remember when marketing your product
to homeschool parents? |
Disclaimer and Legal Notice:
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC ("Company") is sponsoring the PR Mama/TOS
Free Ad Contest, running from February 25, 2006 - March 8, 2006. You must be 18
years of age or older and follow all rules to participate. Entering the contest
constitutes (a) full and complete acceptance of all contest terms, including without
limitation all of the www.homeschoolblogger.com Terms of Use (posted at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/legal_notices.php)
and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Writer Guidelines and Terms and Conditions for
Submitting Queries (posted at http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/writers/index.php),
(b) full consent and unlimited permission for Company to print, publish, broadcast
and use all submitted information, including without limitation the entrant's
full name and proposed blog entry, on the Internet and in any and all Company
publications, including without limitation the Internet websites located at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com
, www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
and the print publication The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and (c) acknowledgment
that consideration of the entry for potential publication and, if appropriate,
publication of the entry in one or more Company publications is the full and complete
compensation due the entrant, whether or not Company actually publishes the entry.
Entries become the sole property of Company and will not be returned. Employees
and independent contractors of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, Company sponsors
and advertisers, and their family members may not participate in this contest.
Winners will be chosen at random by Company staff. Company reserves the
sole, discretionary right to determine contest winners and to cancel, terminate,
modify, or suspend the contest at any time with or without notice or cause. The
invitation to enter this contest is void where restricted or prohibited by law. |
|
Paul and Gena Suarez, publishers of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine,
just released a brand-new e-book, Secrets of Successful Homeschooling,
to show you that "Yes! You CAN homeschool!" Whether you are a new parent
thinking ahead to your family's educational years, a homeschooler in the trenches,
or a veteran who has "been there, done that," this e-book holds something
for everyone.
"You will cry, laugh, and feel inspired at the different stories ... I
think that this book will springboard a new homeschooler to venture out into the
unknown and inspire veteran moms to hang in there and keep going." -
Karen Flores, homeschool mom of two boys
Affordable and instantly downloadable, this e-book would be
perfect to help you start out the new year inspired, motivated,
and encouraged in your homeschooling journey.
To purchase your copy of Secrets to Successful Homeschooling, visit
www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/subscribe/secrets.php
Looking for a way to earn extra money?
Sign up for our affiliate program and you can earn 66%
of each sale by telling your friends
about our e-book. Sign up here:
www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/subscribe/affiliate.php |
You may forward this e-Newsletter
to your friends in its entirety. If you have any comments, email me at PRMama@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
with your feedback. Don't forget to look for the Winter issue of the magazine,
now in stores and mailboxes! Right now, 19 free gifts to the first 300 new subscribers!
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