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Looking to get my feet wet, where to start?

by MrElectric
15 replies
I've been lurking the forum for a while and thought I'd introduce myself and ask for some advice as an affiliate marketing newbie.

A little background, I'll make it brief as possible. I've been an electrician for the last 15 years in the construction, repair and maintenance trades. I've gotten to the point where I'm no longer fulfilled in the work that I do and the bills still don't get paid on time, even after being in the industry for so long.

My long term goal is to set up a passive income system that will allow me to live a comfortable life without having to work 9 to 5. I'm a fairly simple man so by "comfortable" I don't mean filthy rich, I'd just like to be able to travel, eat out when I want to, finally afford that swimming pool my wife has been dreaming about, etc. I know this won't happen overnight and am perfectly fine with that. I'm not expecting to get rich quick (although it would be nice ).

Should I start with building a small niche content site? Should I just start blogging about a subject the interests me then attempt to monetize the site later? Should I focus on ebay or amazon type sites and offer reviews and comparisons? Should I write an ebook?

I've thought about writing an ebook for home electrical repair DIY'ers containing things such as adding or changing ceiling fans, how to install recessed lighting, how to add receptacles, how to troubleshoot a tripping breaker, etc. Do you think this would be a good idea? My writing skills are a little sub par but my knowledge in this field is rather wide. Other than that my interests are mainly in the health and fitness fields.

In a nutshell, what can I do right now that will at least get the ball rolling with limited computer and marketing skills, and very little start up capital? My goal is to start something now then learn as I go, rather than the other way around which is why I believe so many people fail to ever really take action.

Thanks in advance.
#feet #start #wet
  • Profile picture of the author Jim Nariel
    Hi

    Really its whatever you feel is your strenght. If you are starting up with little knowledge and little capital maybe Affiliate marketing is the best start for a newbie. This is where you drive traffic to somebody elses product and earn a commission. Most people will tell you that clickbank is the best place to start this

    If you feel that you dont like writing then video or social media may be the best one for you. Your choice.

    I would say also that in my view if you are going to do this start list building as well. This means that if you are getting their name on an email list as well as selling to them. This means you can send offers to your list in the future - you are building a life long asset.

    Hope this helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author KenJ
    Hi MrElectric

    In your trade it would be difficult in the UK to profit in the UK from your skill set. This is due to the "part P"regulations that have placed a stranglehold on the installation of anything in the UK

    So.... Where are you based? If you are free to give advice and guidance to home owners who can "fix" their own electrics then that would be the easiest route to follow.
    KenJ
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    • Profile picture of the author Cyberdog1
      Originally Posted by KenJ View Post

      Hi MrElectric

      In your trade it would be difficult in the UK to profit in the UK from your skill set. This is due to the "part P"regulations that have placed a stranglehold on the installation of anything in the UK

      So.... Where are you based? If you are free to give advice and guidance to home owners who can "fix" their own electrics then that would be the easiest route to follow.
      KenJ
      That makes no sense and is nonsense???!!!

      To the OP - try everything and see what works for you! Start learning as much as you can then implement it and see what works best for you.

      eBay is always a good starting point and you could promote your future eBook through clickbank or another affiliate program and have other people sell it for you!

      Good Luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author Ettienne
    First of all, unfortunately there's no such thing as "get rich quick", I don't care who says what (unless you're selling drugs or stolen cars and don't mind spending a few years in prison of course).

    Start with a niche you're REALLY interested in, that makes life a LOT easier. If you're passionate about a certain niche, your readers will see it in your writing and they'll be more willing to buy through your affiliate links.

    Don't think about "what niche is going to make me more money", but think about what you really enjoy doing or talking about. Maybe consider starting a blog about construction, repair or maintenance trades? You surely know A LOT about this after so many years, if you can lure a construction company looking for a bulldozer (or whatever they might need) to your site and they buy one through your affiliate link (yes, there are affiliate programs for nearly anything) that's a TON of cash.
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    • Profile picture of the author Galasso22
      Originally Posted by Ettienne View Post

      Start with a niche you're REALLY interested in, that makes life a LOT easier. If you're passionate about a certain niche, your readers will see it in your writing and they'll be more willing to buy through your affiliate links.
      Very sound advice. I have tried doing everything from knives to vacations and never have I done as well as I am now. I have been in IT for 15+ years and this product is perfect for me and I believe in it 100%. I would sell it to my dad and I would use it even if I was not an affiliate. I think too many people that fail just picked things they thought would make a lot of money fast. If you are not interested in the product or believe in it, people see right through you.
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    • Profile picture of the author cijenterprises
      Originally Posted by Ettienne View Post

      First of all, unfortunately there's no such thing as "get rich quick", I don't care who says what (unless you're selling drugs or stolen cars and don't mind spending a few years in prison of course).

      Start with a niche you're REALLY interested in, that makes life a LOT easier. If you're passionate about a certain niche, your readers will see it in your writing and they'll be more willing to buy through your affiliate links.

      Don't think about "what niche is going to make me more money", but think about what you really enjoy doing or talking about. Maybe consider starting a blog about construction, repair or maintenance trades? You surely know A LOT about this after so many years, if you can lure a construction company looking for a bulldozer (or whatever they might need) to your site and they buy one through your affiliate link (yes, there are affiliate programs for nearly anything) that's a TON of cash.
      I know I did not start the post but thanks for the advice.
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  • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
    I actually know someone who was in a very similar situation who took his expertise and built a rather massive online business that now makes money in multiple ways - Adsense, affiliate marketing and more recently his own paid training products (ebooks and private membership site).

    Here's how he started.

    1. Articles with an aim toward syndication. He literally built up 1000's of quality pages of content online and monetized those in the beginning with Adsense
    2. Videos, created short 3-5 minute tips/training videos and put them on Youtube, started less professional and made them more professional as he went...he now monetizes those directly through their ad network
    3. Started to add certain affiliate products and even finder's fees/ad brokered space on his content pages - and now blog
    4. Has created both his own ebooks and a private membership site with his expertise

    What motivates him is not only the passive income, but having a legacy and business he can leave to his children...he certainly has that.

    Jeff
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Morgan
    Looking to get my feet wet, where to start?
    Put your legs in a swimming pool

    I would start with a bit of affiliate marketing for starters.

    I would:
    -Get a domain
    -install wordpress
    -find a popular niche
    -write articles on that (you will have to do keyword research)
    -and promote affiliate products to start with, which are related to your chosen niche.
    Which would be at the bottom of your articles, so the articles would presell them.

    A small niche sit/blog would be good, (eg even DIY )
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    • Profile picture of the author mollymarkiewicz
      Originally Posted by Matt Morgan View Post

      Put your legs in a swimming pool

      I would start with a bit of affiliate marketing for starters.

      I would:
      -Get a domain
      -install wordpress
      -find a popular niche
      -write articles on that (you will have to do keyword research)
      -and promote affiliate products to start with, which are related to your chosen niche.
      Which would be at the bottom of your articles, so the articles would presell them.

      A small niche sit/blog would be good, (eg even DIY )


      Try using YouTube for your marketing....it is the fastest way to get you started.
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    • Profile picture of the author mollymarkiewicz
      Originally Posted by Matt Morgan View Post

      Put your legs in a swimming pool

      I would start with a bit of affiliate marketing for starters.

      I would:
      -Get a domain
      -install wordpress
      -find a popular niche
      -write articles on that (you will have to do keyword research)
      -and promote affiliate products to start with, which are related to your chosen niche.
      Which would be at the bottom of your articles, so the articles would presell them.

      A small niche sit/blog would be good, (eg even DIY )
      Try using YouTube to do some Marketing with your blog. It is the fastest way to get your site exposed. Intergrate as much as possible.
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  • Profile picture of the author FNHPWR11
    I'm agreeing with the "jumping in the pool" way of thinking. Start doing a little affiliate marketing to see what is all involved. Once you get familiar with what it takes, repeat on your successes. Then use your knowledge to put together a blog, DIY video series, something along those lines.
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  • Profile picture of the author jakecoop79
    Well you could certainly just pick a niche and start a little website, say on dog training. However, if you really have no interest in that it can be hard to start there. I would still do niche sites like that, but I would start with something else first.

    You might think about doing a site on home repair/electrical stuff. Do videos on each task or even video series on things. Host them on youtube, but also start a blog where you embed the video and do a write up about it, even just a transcript if you want. That will put unique content on your site. Also allow people to post comments and ask questions.

    You can monitize with adsense and amazon to begin with. I bought a fixer upper house and it was always so great when I could find a video of some one showing me exactly what I needed to do, and even better when I could easily ask them a question.

    You could also set up an ebay store and sell the electrical/home repair products you talk about.

    While you are working on that site you could also start exploring other make money online possibilities, like clickbank and smaller niche sites, or whatever.
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  • Profile picture of the author hazyl lee
    Setup a website that has affiliate products or link in it.. Write many useful articles, post to ezine, articlebase, goarticle.. Do video, I m sure nowadays it's not difficult to make video
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  • Profile picture of the author CankleFish
    Regardless of which direction you choose, you should ALWAYS choose something that interests you.

    I started some initial projects that involved sites centered around crap like Forex, martini glasses, polycarbonate roofing sheets, etc. See where I'm going with this? Those sites just sit there now and I have no interest in even viewing them. Heck, it's a pain in the backside just going in and updating the plugins and whatnot.

    Now, I'm pursuing a passion site or two, some kindle writing, as well as some list building techniques, but this is stuff I had no idea existed a few years ago.

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author webbo83
    Ettienne hits the nail on the head here. You will see everywhere these "earn thousands in 1 week whilst doing nothing other than eating fried chicken" products, the only person making $$$$ is the person selling the trash.

    Dont get me wrong there are some genuine people out there, just dont get burnt.

    I would listen to what people are saying here, pick something you are intrested in to start with, get learning if you dont know already about building simple websites. Get yourself a decent host and a cheap .INFo domain and get some practice in before trying to get in too deep.

    And a little more advice, no matter where you start, always capture your traffic as best as possible with a autoresponder, not everyone will admit it, but if we could all go back to the beginging we would all be capturing emails from day 1!

    Above all, stay positive and good luck in your new venture
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