Provo, UT (PRWEB) July 16, 2010
When looking for the next growth opportunity online, the owners of Flirty Aprons decided it was time to launch an affiliate marketing program and hired Greg Hoffman Consulting to handle the project. Since last Fall, the wildly popular ecommerce site has seen a solid 30% growth through affiliate traffic.

Flirty Aprons first launched on the ShareASale network at the beginning of the Holiday season in early November, 2009. The affiliate management strategy was to recruit as many affiliates as possible and get them active quickly so as to capitalize on the holiday rush. Several weeks later, they launched another program on Commission Junction. Sales started immediately for affiliates in both networks and Flirty Aprons finished November with more than 100 sales combined at 4.5% conversion.

“Our total holiday sales in 2009 were fantastic but Mother’s Day 2010 trumped even those amazing figures,” said Joseph Hansen, CEO of Flirty Aprons. “We knew our sales were historically higher around Mother’s Day (than other non-holiday months) but they were really over the top this year. The affiliate channel helped us grow tremendously by adding thousands of new customers.”

Melea Johnson, owner of www.freebies2deals.com, was one of Flirty Aprons top performing affiliates this year.

“Mom’s love a cute and fun product, but they also love a great price,” she said. “And, that is exactly what Flirty Aprons is all about.”

Affiliate marketing isn’t usually this easy for merchants but Hansen and his team worked hard on fine tuning conversions on each product page and made the sales process very simple for customers, according to Greg Hoffman, President of Greg Hoffman Consulting. “Their aprons are unique gifts for mom, priced well and fun for affiliates to promote,” he added.

To combat seasonality, Hoffman is working with Flirty Aprons to come up with powerful affiliate-based promotions to keep the traffic coming. Through a combination of special sales, coupons and deals along with individual communication and intense recruiting of affiliates, Hoffman is preparing the program to be one of the hottest products for Cyber Monday 2010 and Mother’s Day 2011.

Flirty Aprons can be found on the ShareASale, Commission Junction and Pepperjam networks. The program pays 15% with a 60-day cookie. The program conversion rate ranges between 3% – 7% and the typical Earnings Per Click (EPC) is around $30. The datafeed is updated regularly and is available in Popshops and other popular tools for affiliates.

Flirty Aprons was founded by two married couples: Joseph and Heather Hansen, and Spencer and Jamie Taylor. When the owners initially met they discovered they each had a strong passion for business. They knew that their partnership would be enriched with a variety of skills that would allow them to create a successful and enjoyable business. Their products include aprons for women, children and men.

Greg Hoffman Consulting is an outsourced program management agency with merchants in the top affiliate networks. The GHC team consists of two experienced affiliate managers and a recruiter. Visit www.greghoffmanconsulting.com to learn more about our style of affiliate management.

Josh is co-hosting a webinar called Twitter for Beginners next week!

This webinar series is best attended by…

Entrepreneurs world wide that are “NEW” to Twitter!
Business Owners who are frustrated with their results in Twitter!
People who have a general interest in proven methods for CONVERTING people out of the world of Twitter and into their world!
Here are the particulars…

When:
Wednesday July 21st & Thursday July 22nd at 8pm (EDT)
2 – 1 hour shows!

Where:
Neworld Web… Our safe and secure online interface where you can attend webinars without the use of a phone line! All you need to attend is a PC (sorry Mac) High speed internet and speakers!

Who:
Michael Fletcher from Neworld Coaching has teamed up with Josh Stanley (TWITTER EXPERT!)

What:
2 part webinar series where you will learn…

How to create a professional profile on Twitter
How to brand yourself as the Expert in your “niche”
How to develop a targeted following of endless people!
How to “Tweet” and how NOT to “Tweet” (now THAT is an important question!)
How to “Work Once” on Twitter by using automation!
How to convert people by using a very simple strategy!
Recordings of both shows for you to download and keep for your reference anytime

Workbooks with Action Steps to help you progress

Follow up help available from either Josh, his crew or Michael and his Neworld Crew

How (much)?: ONLY $20.00

Register Now at Neworld Coaching

Have you heard the story on how I met my wife? Here is the post on the old blog, but I will repost here as well.

Update: We were married February 6.

Originally posted 9/28/09
You may or may not know this but over the summer, I got engaged! Her name is Jen Williams and we met on eHarmony last year. Our official match date was 11/27/08.

I was on eHarmony after my divorce several years ago but I wasn’t ready for a serious commitment. When my children relocated from Florida to the metro-Atlanta area in the fall of 2008, I started looking at relocating and wanted to get serious about finding the right match once I moved. During the Thanksgiving Weekend, I signed up for eHarmony again and filled out my detailed profile. This time I knew in my head the kind of person I was looking for in Atlanta. I had a checklist. I won’t embarass her with the details here but I will tell you that my search was over on day one. Jen was the only person I went to open communication with and as soon as we started talking on the phone, I cancelled my eHarmony subscription. When you know, you know.

Jen had been on eHarmony for a while and was about to give it a break. I think my persistence and overall confidence that we should be together helped her decide that she was done looking as well.

We were an incredible match from the beginning. We talked for hours every night for the next two weeks. We met one night in mid December at a Taco Mac in Alpharetta. There was an instant attraction. Sometime during the date she excused herself and went to the ladies room. On her way back, she leaned into the booth and kissed me. I was floored. I was in love.

I Got Lucky. In January, I was fixated on XM Elvis Radio. One night I heard the song, I Got Lucky, a 1962 recording from the movie Kid Galahad. For some reason, every lyric of that song hit me with truth. I really did get lucky when I found Jen. And I have cherished her everyday since then. Needless to say we have a theme song.

I moved to Roswell in March and the courtship was on… We are getting married on June 12, 2010 in Roswell, Georgia. Her two boys and my son and daughter will be a family that day. For now, we are spending lots of time together and loving every minute of it.

It’s time for you to join eHarmony. You know who you are.

Save 17% on a 12 month subscription at eHarmony! (coupon code: CJPROMOBBT Expiration Date 9/30/10)

By Sharon Hall
The Nugget

Dahlonega resident Bruce Hoffman has read plenty of books on Vietnam. Many, perhaps most of them, he says, “are either all about combat, or crying-in-your-beer books.”

Hoffman had a different perspective on the war. He was a young (right out of high school), gung ho Marine, ready for action and stuck much of his time “in the rear with the beer,” he says. But recollections of those times, and the struggle and eventual success to get into combat, generated some good memories. Those memories are the basis of “And My Mother Danced With Chesty Puller.”

The unusual title comes from a family story Hoffman says he often heard as a child. “My dad served in the Pacific with Marine Corps Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, the only Marine to earn the Navy Cross five times. My mother used to tell the story about being at a reunion with my dad, and Chesty Puller was there, sitting at a table. Marines would approach his table and shake his hand, but most just pointed him out to their wives or dates. My mother was never shy, and she told my dad the general was just sitting there and needed to get up and dance and enjoy himself and she was going to go ask him to dance, and before he could say anything, she did. I think later on, my dad told the story more often than my mom, but that story is one of the reasons I joined the Corps. I just always knew I would be a Marine like my dad.”

Hoffman joined the Corps soon after high school, right after the Gulf of Tonkin incident which propelled the U.S. into the Vietnam War. He then spent “three and a half years fighting to get into the war,” he says. “If you are a Marine, and there’s a war going on, that’s what you’re supposed to do.”

Most of this time was spent stateside or in Okinawa, with one tour of duty in the rear echelon in Vietnam before he was able to get into the action, finally serving as a gunner on a Huey helicopter flying Medevac and gunship missions during his last six months in service.

All the stories, from training to trooping through bars and brothels with his buddies, are there, along with stories of brave young men in combat. Amidst the recollections is the story of an adolescent’s growth into manhood, of a dedication to duty and the bonds of friendship formed by men in common cause.

“I just wanted to write all my old stories down before I forgot them,” Hoffman says.

He did have to do some research to refresh his memory about some of the details. He bought a collection of “Leatherneck” magazines on E-Bay, and accessed the Texas Tech Vietnam archives online, but he also “kind-of filled in the blanks a little bit with my own perceptions,” he says.

He was a little concerned how those perceptions would be received by other Marines who served at the same time as himself. He has since been vindicated, however, by reviews posted on the Amazon site where his book is available (www.amazon.com).

“I’ve really appreciated those reviews, especially since some were from folks I served with,” he says.

“The book aroused some strong memories of the times and the ‘men’ (most under 21) who humped the terrain, unloaded the bodies, resupplied their fellow Mariknes and that special group that came back to get you no matter how hot the LZ,” wrote one reviewer. “… a wonderful book that captures his Vietnam service and presents it in a very personal and real manner,” writes another; and “… an insightful and accurate portrayal,” writes a third.

“And My Mother Danced With Chesty Puller” is Hoffman’s first attempt at writing. He is currently involved in a second project, writing his memoir of 27 years with the Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Fla.

It’s not just soccer fans around the world who are interested in the FIFA World Cup, which is kicking off in South Africa on Friday, June 11. The huge global interest in the event also attracts cybercriminals who see it as a major opportunity to make money by selling fake tickets, attracting soccer fans to drive-by download websites (websites that download malware without the users knowledge) and carrying out phishing attacks camouflaged with a World Cup theme.

Mikko Hypponen, Chief Research Officer at F-Secure, said, “I urge soccer fans everywhere to give cybercriminals the red card by refusing to be fooled by their dirty tricks. In addition to online vigilance against World Cup spam, scams and hoaxes, it’s also crucial to keep computers patched and up-to-date to avoid getting hit by drive-by downloads from dubious websites.”

World Cup tickets are hot property at the moment and desperate fans looking for last minute bargains make an ideal target group for online fraudsters. Unfortunately, many of the seemingly attractive ticket deals offered outside the official World Cup website, www.fifa.com, are bogus and fans end up losing their money.

A survey commissioned by F-Secure* conducted in Germany, Sweden and the UK asked how likely Internet users would be to click on a link promising information about cheap tickets for the World Cup. An average of 28 percent of respondents in the three countries were tempted to some degree, with about 8 percent of respondents saying they would be very likely to click on the link.

With World Cup fever taking over the planet, hundreds of millions of people are also visiting all kinds of websites that purport to give the latest results and breaking news from the tournament. In anticipation of all this web traffic, cybercriminals have been setting up bogus websites designed to appear near the top of search engine results for the World Cup, ready to infect visitors. Spam email about star player scandals, sensational sports news reports from South Africa and fraudulent World Cup tickets are also certain to multiply as the tournament gets under way.

Soccer fans should also be on the look-out for phishing attacks disguised as competitions or surprise lottery wins that attempt to steal their credit card numbers, online banking details, personal passwords, and other confidential information.

Mikko Hypponen’s top tips for staying safe online during the World Cup:

- Don’t believe the spam – you have not won a lottery for free tickets for the World Cup final.

- Only buy online tickets and merchandise from www.fifa.com and authorized vendors. More information is available on the FIFA website.

- Get your World Cup news from reputable websites.

- Use the free F-Secure Health Check (www.f-secure.com/healthcheck) and Online Scanner (http://ols.f-secure.com) to check if your computer is secure or get full protection with a free 30-day trial of F-Secure Internet Security 2010 (www.f-secure.com/is2010).

F-Secure’s free online Health Check and Online Scanner can pinpoint any security issues that need to be fixed so you can enjoy the World Cup to the full. Health Check lets you know if you are using the latest software versions – this way criminals cannot exploit vulnerabilities that exist in out-of-date programs. Online Scanner scans your computer for known malware. F-Secure is also offering a free 30-day trial of F-Secure Internet Security 2010, which provides comprehensive protection for your computer – perfect for the duration of the World Cup.

F-Secure – Protecting the irreplaceable
While you concentrate on what is important to you, we make sure you are protected and safe online whether you are using a computer or a smartphone. We also backup and enable you to share your important files. Our services are available through over 200 operators around the world and trusted in millions of homes and businesses. Founded in 1988, F-Secure is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.
f-secure.com | twitter.com/fsecure | facebook.com/f-secure

Patrons can now lounge about California Tea House by uploading their personalized avatars, socializing live with fellow tea drinking enthusiasts and divulging in earthly conversations, all while earning Tea Token rewards for interactions, feedback and purchases. The Tea Token rewards program allows participants to redeem their earned Tea Tokens to purchase tea at the online tea store.

Visitors can also navigate throughout the site while jamming to original, lounge-style music, akin to a local cafe’s “open-mic” night. They can even tip their favorite artists with Tea Tokens to show their appreciation.

A few more features of interest: job-seekers can check the site’s “Opportunities” bulletin for openings at coffee and tea shops in a variety of positions around the nation; health buffs can read about the scientific links between individual types of tea and health; gypsys’ can learn about and exchange various home remedies utilizing tea.

“As a small business owner starting out, I want to be as personal to my clients as possible, by making them feel as cozy about the website as they would while visiting a cafe’,” says founder Ani Bailey.

Ani Bailey has been passionate about tea ever since she was a child. Her interest in starting a tea company brush-fired when she visited the Moorish tea houses (teterias) of Spain while studying abroad. Bailey became fascinated by the incredible variety and decadent flavors of loose leaf tea and herbal blends at the teterias that she knew it was time to act.

Prior to establishing her tea brand, Ani Bailey first debuted her tea collection at local California farmers’ markets where her custom teas were welcomed with open arms.

California Tea House is highly selective in its collection of world wide gourmet loose leaf tea, blooming tea and herbal tea blends, thereby currently carrying only 34 types of loose leaf teas. CTH prides itself in presenting its teas through environmentally conscious means by utilizing biodegradable peanuts, recyclable bags and offering promotions to charitable organizations.

What especially makes California Tea House stand out from the competition is its superior quality teas, competitive prices and that it provides free shipping on every order within the US.

Join the California Tea House Affiliate Program on ShareASale and earn top commissions.

I haven’t laughed like that since the first time I saw JackAss the movie. The name FreshBalls.com is, well it just is. I was expecting some dryer freshness product but deep down I was really hoping the domain would deliver what it did. Fresh balls, you know, the product for sweaty balls.

The sales pitch got even better when the woman on the video showed me the sister product. Yes, Fresh Breasts, for sweaty breasts! I couldn’t breathe I was laughing so much.

It was a little hard to explain to the kids when they kept asking what I was laughing at.

This is their About us:
SoFreshSoDry was created to take care of the problems the other companies forgot about. Here at SoFreshSoDry we take pride in using natural products that not only solve the problem, but they are good for the skin. We started out by creating Fresh Balls for the problem men have suffered from for a long time without a good solution until now. Men have been using powders and other chemicals to keep them dry in the groin area, and as we know that is not the area to mess around with. When creating the product we made sure not to use Aluminum, Parabens, or Talc. As we all know those ingredients are not good for us. After the launch of Fresh Balls we received many emails from our female customers asking “when are we going to make a solution for our problem, sweat under the breasts?”. So we went back to the lab and came up with Fresh Breasts. It is also natural and is good for the skin.

Here is a testimonial from their site:

Just wanted to let you know, I sort of ordered this as a “joke”, my husband and I are at the gym 5 days a week and he loves it. He coached high school football and said this would have been the best. Also, I’m passing the word at the gym we go to. It’s really such a great idea. My husband was the perfect “test”,, he just is so leary about trying anything…and we’ll be ordering again in the near future. Here’s to FRESH BALLS !
- Kathy

I know it’s funny but I betcha it will do really well. Go ahead and click the link, help me earn some commission for once while keeping your private’s fresh and clean.

My choice for Georgia Senate District 56 – John Albers, has been endorsed by the retiring incumbent and that’s outstanding news, says Greg Hoffman, Marketing Gorilla.

John Albers, the leading candidate for the Georgia State Senate for District 56, is proud to announce that retiring Senator Dan Moody, who has tirelessly and steadfastly served the people of North Fulton County in the State Senate for the last 8 years, has strongly endorsed John Albers to be his successor.

The announcement was made (Saturday) at the North Fulton GOP breakfast at Horseshoe Bend Country Club.

Said Senator Moody, “I am extremely proud to endorse John Albers in the campaign to be our next State Senator. Serving in the Senate has been a great honor and it has reinforced my commitment to supporting leaders with a deep commitment to serving others over self. In both his professional and personal life, John has demonstrated a consistent commitment to serving others. He will truly be a “Customer Service” Senator who will serve the families of North Fulton faithfully and effectively.”

Albers thanked Moody for his service and his confidence. He then proceeded to tell the Senator of how much he would be missed. Said Albers, “My inspiration to run for this office and my model for how to lead effectively is Dan Moody. Dan has been a tireless advocate for all the people of North Fulton. I look forward to continuing his proud tradition of leadership and service.”

Moody’s endorsement comes on the heels of Albers impressive debate performances and continues the surge of grassroots support that John is receiving all across North Fulton. John has and will continue to be the candidate of choice, who has chosen to run on the issues and not false negative attacks.

For more information or questions, please contact the campaign at info@votealbers.com. Visit VoteAlbers.com

And My Mother Danced With Chesty Puller by Bruce Hoffman is the story of a young Marine’s adventure during the Vietnam War, sometimes humorous, sometimes hair-raising.

Drawn into the Marine Corps by World War II stories from family members and the ultimate dream of serving as an Embassy Marine in an exotic land, Hoffman enlisted in 1964. Over the next few years he struggles to get into the fight in Vietnam but mostly finds himself stuck “in the rear with the beer”. After volunteering three times for Vietnam he’s finally able to transfer to Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron VMO-2, and fly as an Aerial Gunner in UH-1E Huey Helicopters.

“My first kill and the loss of fellow Marines left lasting memories but so did the adventures at other duty stations along the way,” Hoffman said. “I wanted to highlight the adventure part rather than focus on the combat. From the feedback I’m hearing, my readers appreciate being reminded of the little details about their service that made the experience less painful.”

Hoffman shares stories about boot camp where he writes, “Parris Island, the first place the Marine Corps tried to kill me.” He also goes in-depth into being stationed at the Marine Corps Air Stations in Beaufort, SC and Cherry Point, NC. It was the Beaufort station where he turns down a part-time job as a shotgun rider for a bootlegger. Then off to war training at Camp Pendleton, CA followed by the endless tales of booze and brothels in Okinawa. He was able to find a few girlfriends in the Carolina’s, Okinawa, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The one life lesson Hoffman says he wants to pass along to future Marines who read this book was taught to him by a Major at his first duty station in Beaufort. “Be careful who you make friends with.” the Major warned him. “You become who your friends are, if you pick Marines who get in trouble, you will get into trouble, if you pick good Marines as your friends, you will become a good Marine. Pick your friends in this Marine Corps very carefully.” Hoffman says this is a life lesson he still carries to this day and has served him well throughout his life.

The book title refers to a story told by his parents that during a 1st Marine Division reunion in Chicago, his mother danced with the legendary Marine Corps General Chesty Puller. He writes, ” I told your father I’m going to go over and ask General Puller to dance, he is just sitting there, he needs to get up and enjoy himself…While we were dancing, I pointed to your father and said that’s my husband, he served with you and has great respect for you. After the dance the General led me over and he shook your father’s hand and told your father, “Thank you for being with me.” Your father tells that story more than I do now.”

Bruce Hoffman returned to Tampa and retired as a captain with the Sheriff’s Office, after twenty-seven years. He worked for a federal agency in Washington, DC, was security chief for the Tampa Port Authority after 9-11-01, and later owned an investigative business. He is retired and lives in Dahlonega, Georgia. To purchase the book, please visit http://www.mymarineyears.com.

Aquariums are fascinating, just like affiliate marketing. I’ll explain in a minute.

I’ve longed to start up again in the hobby I left about 5 years ago and now was the right time. As my 40th birthday present (early by a few weeks), my wife and I went out and purchased a top of the line 70-gallon system at Marine Fish and Reef in Marietta, GA. The lights and filtration were beyond the technology I used in the mid-90′s. Back then I had a fabulous show tank filled with lots of plants and easy to keep Angels and tetras. I want the same thing but the difference is we invested in everything up front as opposed to building a system over a period of a few years and experimenting. I’m using my best practices from back then to do it right this time. I’m sure I will make new mistakes but that’s part of the fun of keeping an aquarium.

The need for some personal balance is key when working from home. I keep the same routine. I don’t watch soap operas and I’m staying away from the refrigerator. Staying active physically is a challenge when you try to grow a business online and you want to sit in front of the computer 24/7. It helps that when I’m on the phone with affiliates or merchants because I pace around the house and now that it’s warmer, I pace “around” the house! So to help myself mentally, I placed the tank directly across from my desk in the home office. This way I can focus on it when thinking, especially when glancing over the top of my monitor. It’s very calming and easy to concentrate on when going through a brain blast on how to grow the affiliate programs I manage.

The way to pull this back to affiliate marketing in general is that building an aquarium for the first time is like building your first website and trying to earn money consistently. It takes knowledge, research, experimentation and failure before you figure out how to make it work. You will kill fish unintentionally – lots of them. Don’t believe everything you read, it takes lots of different variations to find the results you are looking for. If you keep at it and learn from your mistakes, those fish will stay alive and your plants will fill out and bloom. Ask questions on the FishChannel forum and bug the managers at the local fish store. or, ask questions on ABestWeb and talk to affiliate managers like myself.

Look for more pictures of my aquarium as time goes on. This is day 5 after adding water. No fish yet.

Equipment:
70-gallon glass tank
Custom built Cherry cabinet with hood
Reaction 4 EFU-35 canister filter
Root Therm substrate heating system
CoraLife 24-inch professional series retrofit kit – 10,000K Daylight HQI Metal halide Lighting [1 x 150 watt], True Actinic 03 Blue Compact Flourescent [2 x 65 watt], Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow 470nm LED Lighting [2x1 watt]
External Thermal Heater
5 bags of Flourite

Plants:
Amazon sword, microsword, bulbs, wisteria, ludwigia, various bulbs.