Hello, name's Ian

[idm]

Hello to all,

I'm an IT guy and hobbyist web designer with enough know-how to get a site up quickly but I'm new to affiliate marketing. The terminology and mystery put me off for a long time but a few years ago I didn't feel like I was stuck in a rat race like now.

I'm here trying to crawl out of a hole just like I suspect most of the population is. I don't see a valuable future in working for someone else and will try almost anything to escape a life of quiet desperation.

That may seem a bit dramatic, or you might know just how I feel about it. Either way I've been lurking for a few days reading in the newbie forum and the attitude was very welcoming.

My experience with affiliate marketing really begins with Ewen Chia's "How I Made My First Million on the Internet and How You Can Too!" While I'm learning a lot from the book I'm still in need of some human feedback.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to soaking up the info and maybe giving something back of value.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hello Ian,

Welcome to our 5 Star Community. Glad you decided to join us.

Thanks for the great intro. I'm sure many can relate to your sentiments!

Glad you already jumped into the newbie forum. Be sure to read all the stickies then head over to the niche marketing forum and read the stickies there too. Ask questions when you have any. We're happy to help.

 

[idm]

Thanks for the welcome. The stickies have been helpful and I know my first call to action is to find a niche I'm passionate about. I hope to get to that very soon.

 

[Laura61]

Nice to meet you, Ian! I can definitely relate to your feelings. The rat race isn't a fun place to be.

 

[idm]

Thanks Serena, or is it Laura? I checked your signature links and now I'm interested in this 9 step guide. Is it lengthy? You might just make a sale on me.

 

[Laura61]

Hello again - it's Laura, actually; Serena's a middle name. I might look into getting my username changed for consistency if it's possible.

Anyway, the guide's 9 steps vary from 3 pages each to about 21, with most being about 5-7. You get an access key for the web site once you've purchased it. If you follow it carefully and give it the effort it deserves, you can hardly fail. I have personally taken the steps and know it works.

 

[idm]

I know the answer to this question may be a big X but in your case how long did it take for you to earn what you consider a decent ROI from the site's instructions? Also please tell me if you consider yourself exceptionally motivated and focused to help me make a better decision, thanks.

 

[Laura61]

Well, I started affiliate marketing quite a while before the guide was put out. I bought it because it was put out by the creators of the affiliate software I started with (BANS). But I had done what the guide teaches, and it took about 3 months to make back my investment in the software and hosting, working at it in addition to my real job at the time. I am very motivated in regard to IM, but I haven't always had the time available that I wanted. So I was pretty happy to do that well part-time.

The hard part about motivation is staying off of Twitter and Facebook long enough to get some work done!

 

[idm]

Thanks. I'm new to practical IM and really only vaguely familiar with its makeup never having launched a campaign of any kind. Oh yeah I know you mean about staying motivated, actually I looked at your page and took that YouTube clip of the Sound of Music and shared it on my Facebook this morning. Amazing.

3 months doesn't sound like too long, is it fairly automated by now?

 

[Laura61]

Yes, it doesn't take near as long to set up a site now. You definitely get a rhythm going. I've made my own checklist of things I personally want to do or have on my sites and have learned lots of tips that make it faster and easier.

But another challenge is finishing one site before getting distracted by other ideas that I want to pursue. Not that a site is ever truly finished, but at least complete enough that it both offers value and does the job I created it to do, which is earn money.

 

[idm]

That doesn't sound too bad, at least you have ideas. I'm a little short on the ideas. I could put the sites out very quickly because of my background in web development but what would they be centered around? I suppose that's where developing the skill of finding niches comes into play.

That is my big challenge. I could just pick something I think would be profitable but writing articles about it and driving traffic to the site might be difficult if I had nothing original or provocative to say. That and the last thing I want to be is a complete phoney. Authenticity is big in my book.

I think more people are able to see through bogus offers online recently and I'll say the copy on your page is very professional and clear. I've never written copy for anything so that's something I'm getting interested in.

 

[Ron Bechdolt]

Hi Ian and welcome to the forum!

 

[idm]

Thanks Ron, it's good to be a newbie here!

 

[Laura61]

I suppose that's where developing the skill of finding niches comes into play.

That is my big challenge. I could just pick something I think would be profitable but writing articles about it and driving traffic to the site might be difficult if I had nothing original or provocative to say. That and the last thing I want to be is a complete phoney. Authenticity is big in my book.

You're right. Being able to choose profitable niches is something you have to learn, but it's really not too hard. The 9-step course does walk you through that process in the "Get Started" section, before you even start Step 1.

Everyone has something they're passionate about and have at least some knowledge of. That's the key. If you love your subject, working on your site will never be a drag; you'll look forward to it. And you'll have an almost never-ending well of things to talk about. What do you love to do? What is the topic of most of your conversations? Whatever that is, do you ever get tired of talking about it? Most people can think of something that fits those criteria. And you don't have to be an expert in the field, because you can write what you do know and research what you don't and then write about that too.

The nice thing is you don't have to become an expert in a wide field where there is more than one person could reasonably assimilate. A niche, by definition, is narrow. So each site would be about a small subsection of the overall topic. It shouldn't be too hard to become an expert in your niche if you're focusing on one thing at a time.

I love to see new marketers like you who have the right idea. You know authenticity is a must, and your ethics won't allow you to put out an inferior site. You're one of a small minority, let me tell you. But you will be successful in the long run if you hold to those principles, and the phonies will flame out and disappear.

 

[idm]

It feels a bit like standing on the edge of a cliff when I think about what niche I want to begin with. I don't want to offer something of little or no value. If I wouldn't think about buying it I don't want anything to do with it. That's part of my hesitation. The other part is my funds are limited and even small ventures like a web site and a guide can negatively affect me right now.

I may purchase the guide because niches are a bit of a stumbling block right now. As for the web hosting and domain names does anyone have a current suggestion? I've got a site with asmallorange.com that you can find in my user profile here but I'm not selling anything on it.

I like to tinker with Joomla, Magento and other web technologies. Currently my site's running on Joomla and I'd probably use it for future projects. I can whip a site up in less than a day if I have to.

I feel that I'm on the right track with my approach and it's good to have support and validation when your own opinion doesn't have experience backing it. So thanks, I think I'll run with what you said for now.

 

[Laura61]

I had never heard of asmallorange.com. Looks like you can have unlimited add-on domains, which is good in case (I mean when ) you want to build more sites. Domains can be had for as little as $6 or $7, which I'm sure you already know, sometimes even $1.99 if you get in on a deal. I always Google Go-Daddy codes or visit retailmenot.com to get a coupon code before I buy. And I would stick with .com or .net for your best chance of success.

The guide does have a money-back policy if you feel it doesn't deliver - or more accurately, it's ClickBank's refund policy since it's sold through them. You can look up the policy on ClickBank's site for more details.

(Linda and/or mods: I'll take this to PM if you feel I'm violating the rules by talking about the guide in my sig; wait a minute, he started it! )

I wish you the best in your endeavors, and make sure to keep us in the loop! I'm anxious to see how it goes for you.

 

[Laura61]

Oh, and by the way, I am now Laura.

Catch you later,
Ex-Serena (ooh, that sounds like a skin condition)

 

[idm]

I don't think there's any harm in discussing it but if it's against the terms then please consider me the instigator. I'm anxious to get started and I almost forgot about the add-on domains. I have a decent-sized account with them so I may just upgrade it and attach the new domains when I find my niches.

Oh you have Ex-Serena too? Boy do I have the solution for you! [insert link]

 

[Laura61]

Oh you have Ex-Serena too? Boy do I have the solution for you! [insert link]

hehe, good one.