Not Making Money Yet? Have You Covered These 3 Bases?

[steveweber]

I work with many beginning Internet marketers every day. Beginners usually flounder early on as they filter through all the scams and misconceptions about online marketing. Too often they pass go and try to make money without the foggiest idea of how Internet marketing really works.

Failure to understand the basic principles of online marketing leads to major frustration in most beginners.

These core principles are:

Traffic – This is a tough one of course. It’s at the top of every Internet marketer’s list. Plenty of traffic means you “might” enjoy success. Too little traffic leaves your offer dead in the water. However, not just any traffic will do; the marketer must learn the art of attracting targeted traffic. This of course is an entire topic in itself.

Trust – Big traffic is worthless if the visitors do not trust you or your site. For squeeze pages, visitors must trust enough to give away their email address. For selling your own or others’ products visitors must trust enough to pull out their credit card. If your site is monetized with AdSense, the visitor must trust the site enough to invest the time required to look at some of the content and maybe click an ad instead of the back button.

Value – You must offer value to the world. You might offer lower prices, great service, high quality information, or you may simply use SEO techniques to rank information in ways that make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for. If you don’t offer real value to the world, your Internet career is on shaky ground.

Making money online actually becomes the easy part once your offer embraces these core principles of Internet marketing.

[radicals]

Steve, thank you for your post, however I would like to know where I can get a very good course on getting "Targeted Traffic" I would also like to get a good course on PPC. What courses have you tried that you find works for you?

[steveweber]

IMO, Perry Marshall is the king of AdWords. I've learned much from him.
Targeted traffic is more general. It depends much on your niche, exact product/service, etc. Simply applying SEO techniques will often produce tremendous amounts of targeted traffic. SEO is my favorite method, but I also get very targeted traffic from things like Twitter and forums.

[bgmacaw]

Let me ask you this then, "Does a billboard in a high traffic area have to offer trust and value?"

[Kelly Verge]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

Let me ask you this then, "Does a billboard in a high traffic area have to offer trust and value?"

No. But the billboard just produces traffic. Somehow a sale has to be made from that traffic.

[steveweber]

The billboard is a means to traffic. The product or service it promotes must meet the value and trust principles.

For example, if the billboard promotes a dating service whose website is cheesy looking or the service is too expensive, then the billboard was worthless.

[mudmat]

Thank you for the post steve! Really well said indeed..

Traffic + Trust + Value = Successful Online Business

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by steveweber

The billboard is a means to traffic. The product or service it promotes must meet the value and trust principles.

That is true. That's why I design most of my niche blogs to essentially be billboards that direct traffic to an offer I consider worthwhile, be it Adsense, eBay or some other offer. They don't have to have much in the way of value and trust themselves, they just need to pass targeted traffic onward. The point is that 'billboard' sites can make decent money without having to have all the ingredients you mentioned.

I do agree with your points though when it comes to flagship blogs and salespages though.

[steveweber]

But you still want those "billboard" sites to look good, right? Otherwise visitors are just clicking the back button. I bet you put more thought into value and trust on the sites than you might think...even though those pages are not exactly selling anything for you.

[in2it]

Good advice, Steve. You have conveyed the IM fundamentals very clearly.

Quality of the product is the most important, I think, otherwise there's not going to be any trust or traffic in the long term.

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by steveweber

But you still want those "billboard" sites to look good, right?

Look good but not too good. I want the advertising to be the star of the show, not the content of the site. Google on 'credit cards' and you'll see some examples of this in the first positions (they're not my sites but the kind of thing I'm going for more or less)

[Mohamed_Mnafeg]

Originally Posted by steveweber

You might offer lower prices,

Good post but I don't agree with you Steve about the lower price because lower price don't give value to your product, if you ask any marketer in this world about the price you get the same answer: high price high price
why ?
Because price qualifies your customers more than you might realize. The ones that pay $7 for an ebook are going to be the ones that whine and complain the most! They'll tax and strain your customer support team. But in comparison the customers who spend significant amounts of money are surprisingly easier to deal with and less demanding.

[Doug Simons]

Hey Steve

Thanks

Doug

[steveweber]

Mohamed_Mnafeg, I agree about the pricing on info products. I was thinking of our retail site when I wrote that. There we sell nutritional products. We have competition from other sites for the same product, so a lower, or at least very competitive price, in that case can be important.

[Li Weng]

Hey good one! I think the 2nd point trust is overlooked by a lot of internet marketers. I was always taught to build that connection where possible, and it's also part of branding your own name as an internet marketer. Great post.

[steveweber]

Yes, it amazes me the number of new customers I get who have been scammed by the Data Entry offers. I wonder how many sales I lose simply because scammers get to potential customers first. After being burned once, many people simply forget about their Internet marketing dreams.

[jayden.fellze]

How to get more traffic to your site is the most difficult part of internet marketing, especially for newbies, which could leave them frustrated. Proper links to genuine sites and content which prove trustworthy alone can pull more visitors and buyers to your site. And on top of it, customer service does play a great role. If you follow all these rules and also decide to quote prices that are competitive, then you can smell success.

[tush]

Wonderful points..

One thing that kills trust is putting banners and links before you warm up the audience. My sales increased when I reduced on the banners.
Annette

[tanya7zhou]

Totally agree 100%

You need to build your own Credibility. There are customers out there and scammers too.

Customers are looking for people who are genuine and whom they can trust. Throwing adsense, banners, etc left, right and center... those days are gone.

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by tush

One thing that kills trust is putting banners and links before you warm up the audience. My sales increased when I reduced on the banners.

I make most of my affiliate money from the first time visitor to my sites. Since I seek to bring in the person who's already warmed up, who's searching Google for info on the best price on a widget or service, all I have to do is essentially say "I recommend you take a look at this and, oh look, here's how you get there."

I think it's also a matter of the banner you chose to fly. If the banner and the visitor are a good match, and, as Steve indicated, the ultimate sales site engenders trust and value, then you'll make the sale and get paid. If the banner isn't a good match for the visitor they won't click it. If the target site is not trustworthy or valuable, then both you and the advertiser lose.

Originally Posted by tanya7zhou

Customers are looking for people who are genuine and whom they can trust. Throwing adsense, banners, etc left, right and center... those days are gone.

I've had the most success sticking with one affiliate offer banner per page. Now that offer may be huge and in your face but there is only one overt offer. No dozens of 125x125 ads, flashing sidebar ads or confusing sign-up boxes, just one page, one target. Now I may use contextual text links for a second chance or secondary offer but there's only one star of the show.

Another mistake I see with Adsense are sites where people are selling a product and putting Adsense on the page with it. If you're selling a product you don't want people jumping away, particularly to a competitor's site.

[steveweber]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

Another mistake I see with Adsense are sites where people are selling a product and putting Adsense on the page with it. If you're selling a product you don't want people jumping away, particularly to a competitor's site.

Yes, it amazes me how many people put AdSense on their sales page. I critiqued a page the other day for a writer who was just starting out. The page had major problems, but worst of all, she had AdSense on it. Still worse, for some reason the AdSense was showing up with TATTOO ads....geeesh!!! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!

[shayne54]

I think I need to go over my websites again to make sure that I am developing trust with my potential buyers....

[steveweber]

Yes, that is always wise to re-look at some of your older work. Sometime I go back over some pages or autoresponder emails I did many months ago and think, "What was I thinking"!

[JamesFraze]

I personally could use some "blueprint" steps. Something that is 1 page or less that says:

step 1: bleh
step 2: bleh
step 3: bleh

even if it only produces a little bit, if it's scalable and repeatable, I'm interested. I appreciate the brevity of your post. It is helpful to be able to digest important bullets at a glance.

[steveweber]

Hi James,

There are more ways than one to achieve Internet marketing success...but here is my favorite method:

1. Learn how to choose a niche you can succeed in and earn money with.

2. Learn effective keyword research methods.

3. Learn and apply SEO techniques to your niche site in order to get free search engine traffic.

4. Make sure your site and offer follow the "value and trust" principles.

These steps sound fairly easy I suppose. However, they require quite a bit of practice and skill to get right.

I hope that helps,

[MortenLA]

Good advice Steve.. Basic business theory is always welcome....

[godisgood]

Hi Steve,

Great points! I totally agree with your bullet points. It is applicable to any business online or offline.

Jennifer

[freudianslip27]

I think a big mistake people make is that they think that any kind of traffic is going to make big money.

For example, how many of you have bought traffic from a cheap source expecting big sales? I know I have, lol!

Quality traffic is so, so important. 10 fantastic visitors can be worth more then 1,000.

Matt

[Richniche]

Originally Posted by steveweber

For selling your own or others’ products visitors must trust enough to pull out their credit card. If your site is monetized with AdSense, the visitor must trust the site enough to invest the time required to look at some of the content and maybe click an ad instead of the back button.

Very well-written post. But I think this a part where some are finding it difficult to. It's really hard to sell a product while trying to make money from Adsense.

If decides to sell something, then his post should be neat and has almost complete information about the product. This means that the reader will focus on the product, and not the ads.

On the other hand, one should have an ugly blog to make money from Adsense. In short, the ads should distract the readers for them to notice it. They should be on top of each post, at least.

Therefore, choosing only one of the them is better. After building sufficient traffic and trust, that's the time he should add the other.

[mayfairpearl]

thanks i'n new so this is really helpful info

[Mike Johnson]

As a former designer and *traditional* marketer, I would cringe at some of the sites that pay no attention to nuances of user design and usability...but, I've reformed.

You really boiled it down to the essence of a sale-qualified eyeballs that need you as much as you need them.

I'm learning to let go of my ideas about logos, branding, and other things that don't positively affect the bottom line.

[gerrypeters]

Originally Posted by steveweber

Hi James,

There are more ways than one to achieve Internet marketing success...but here is my favorite method:

1. Learn how to choose a niche you can succeed in and earn money with.

2. Learn effective keyword research methods.

3. Learn and apply SEO techniques to your niche site in order to get free search engine traffic.

4. Make sure your site and offer follow the "value and trust" principles.

These steps sound fairly easy I suppose. However, they require quite a bit of practice and skill to get right.

I hope that helps,

Step 1 sounds particularly key. If you don't get the niche right doing well at everything else won't really help. Any general tips on how to approach niche research?

Gerry

[shellyoung]

Hi there New to this sorry anyway I have been reading lots and I am so lost, I have a website I want to advertise plus use it to be an affliate do I have to do this seperatly or can I build something to put it all together my website is isashell.com I know you have got a life but I have been reading all week, I am willing to put some time in when I know what I am doing. thanks if you can help.

[forous]

Make sure you over deliver. For a $10 product, give them a $100 value and you will succeed.

[rhclemmons]

Thanks I am a newbie and your post I extremly valid and important ,My toughest challenge has been getting all the technical aspects in order.Lnking,hoplinks ,doorway pages,thankyous,seo, and more.It's a challenge ,but a lot of fun too.

[Mark Harbert]

Thanks for the info steve, this is without a doubt a timeless principle. I am in sales for my job, and sales is all about relationship building. why would it be any different in the internet world? My customers only buy from me because the know, like and trust me. I could have the best product in the world, but with trust you have nothing!!!!!

[Sonni]

I noticed there are a lot of us newbies on this thread obviously due to the title however, if you're having problems as I was when I first began about 5 months ago you can take the 30 Day Challenge it is free and it helped me a lot to get a better understanding of IM and what steps to take and what order to take them in. Like I said it's FREE and it's worth your time and effort if you're a total beginner. It's totally newbie friendly no slamming, no put downs, no get lost kid you're buggin me.
Sonni

[Brandon Bridges]

Originally Posted by radicals

Steve, thank you for your post, however I would like to know where I can get a very good course on getting "Targeted Traffic" I would also like to get a good course on PPC. What courses have you tried that you find works for you?

PPC Classroom was very informative, but I noticed that it is currently closed to new subscribers. I do have the entire course book and discs available, if you're interested. Just PM me.

However, the most complete and in-depth training I've found to date is Maverick Money Makers. Not only does he cover PPC, but NUMEROUS other really effective methods, as well. You'll find a link in the first line of my signature file if you want to check it out.

[Sell]

Traffic, Trust, Value, and what about originality. You will make more money if it starts with you.

[Vince Courtney]

Thanks - meaningful, straightforward post.
Vince

[SDavis2702]

Very good posts.... brings you back to the basics. I need that sometimes.

[raycal]

Hi James,
I am new to this forum but what has helped me a lot is coaching. I struggled a lot before I was introduced to someone who, together with his very knowledgeable team, held my hand and led out of the mire and into the clean air of success. I am still learning but I am getting paid to do it.

[MarkAmes]

Thanks Steve - some valuable tips and advice to take onboard.

Regards
Mark

[chris-1960]

Great information. I'm new and kinda been going around in circles with all the info available. this gets me to bottom line up front.

chris

[artemis360]

Good info Steve. Straight to the point and very practical.

Artemis

[usualcliche]

Yeah, I can totally see your points as being very valid and to the point. I need to refine my techniques but being in IM for less then 1 month time is on my side!

Thanks for sharing your insight!

[Waterways2k8]

Hi Steve

Thanks for your great post

Best wishes

[jobscreation]

hi steve totally agree there and this is veryy important information, being information overloaded in the internet era, direct answer is always useful

[Marino Flovent]

I am an absolute beginner in this and I Thank you for this information. I am Reading about Gogol AdSense on your site and thinking of buying your product when I know more.

Thanks again man

[Marino Flovent]

I am an absolute beginner in this and I thank you for this information. I am Reading about Gogol AdSense on your site.

Thanks again man greate info