Friday I logged into a very old forum that I rarely go into but I was very active in when I was just starting in the internet marketing genre. I had lots of private messages and threads that I have not visited in over 4 months. What I thought I would do was a questions and answer thread, just because I was gone from the forum and wanted to give something back for my absence. Below you will find questions ask by members of the Young Entrepreneur forum and of course my experienced answers.
Sorry for not editing my answers, just in case I misspelled or have poor grammar.
Best affiliate sites?
There are multitudes of affiliate sites and most of them tend to offer the same offer, varying payouts. You also want to see what the network can offer you besides exclusive offers and high payouts. Is the communication there and is your affiliate manager willing to help you? Are you comfortable with their interface and layout? There are just numerous questions you want to ask yourself. I personally find NeverBlueAds and Azoogle Ads work best for me. I recently started with Motive Interactive and CPA Storm - just because their account managers are great people to talk too, I like communication in a network.
Hi
I am thinking about starting my own business what would I need to do first????
First find out what you enjoy doing. This is a very important factor when trying to market/make money online. If you do not enjoy what you are doing you will not put out your heart in your business. Find a model with your idea. Research the market, see if it is viable and can be done with your finances if you are doing it by yourself. Create and brainstorm your idea making sure your idea and business model do not collide. Having a strong foundation will give you more of a benefit in the long run.
Most importantly read read read read!
making the decision on what/who's product to sell: affiliate, order my own, make my own
Ordering your own product, I personally do not think is the most beneficial. The reason for this is because someone probably already has it and is marketing it much better than you, they already have a step up on you by simply purchasing a product to resell. I say be unique and have your own product.
Having your own product will be more of a benefit to you because you are the only one out there that has it and you know people want it (assuming you did the research). Having your own product or services easily seperates you from the competition and crowd.
Affiliate products will depend on the market and what time of year it is. Also it also depends on what you like to promote and what you will put your heart in promoting. Affiliate marketing is great since you do not need an inventory, you just promote someone else's products and services and get a cut. Choosing a product to promote can be hard since you will have to think about a lot of things, brand, market value, the market need, seasonal item, etc.
Are all the internet marketers are liars?
I bolded this one because it is a controversial question and it is base on the marketer themselves. Personally I am not a liar which is why I have this blog to show my own experiences. But there are marketers out there that will 'fake it to make it' which is a bad business model but does work. More so marketers out there are trying to make the most money in as little time as possible, so they take short cuts, which is another bad reason we marketers have a bad reputation.
This question is really base on the individual marketer and their product that they are selling/promoting. It is more of a moral to that marketer/entrepreneur or maybe even ego. But I have met a lot of trust worthy and honest marketers that make their income online. I would rather associate with these types than those that want to make a quick dollar.
Do you see value in generice traffic from sites like Bux Sense
There has been a study on this by a well known marketer, you can view the forum thread here and see his results. These types of traffic are not properly done and are just thrown in front of a user. By means of overlay popups, pop unders, pop overs, etc - these service uses these tactics to give you the traffic. Is it healthy and good traffic I say no. Just because it does not convert. It just really annoys the user surfing the web.
My question is
What if you had (or was capable of producing) a perfect unique product one that has never been marketed, something that is unique and appeals to a very specific tight niche group (market easillly identified) and potentially very profitable...but you didn't feel competitant to properly handle the marketing...
What would be the more practical way for me to waste my time... market myself or, find someone to market for me?
The best answer to this is get someone to market it, knowing if you have the money andknowing you will get a good return. If it is unique then it can be safe to say to market it. BUT I would test the market by marketing it my self first. This way you can have a feel of what is happening and see if your product/service is optimal to market at this specific time of year. Make sure you do the research - it is what the market demands. Making or providing a service does not mean it will be successful. Make sure to get in contact with people who are already successful and ask their opnions before pouring your financial into a marketing agency. But having someone else market or buying the targeted traffic (PPC) can be beneficial.
How do I get to first page on google - I have tried advertising but it doesnt seem to be working - I heard that you should link your ad to your articles - is that true - I have been using USfreeads.
There are numerous ways to get in first for Google. Since this is very general and open -I suggest reading some SEO tactics such as backlinks and keyword density. Getting first on Google is not that hard as long as you have a keyword that is not very competitive. I have blog posts that come up first or appear on the first page of Google for specific targeted keywords. Learn the foundation of SEO and have a basic understanding of SERP and you can easily be first on Google for your targeted keyword.
Have questions leave them in the comments section or contact me.