Dear New Marketers: This never works, so stop it already...

[BeauJustin]

I did it.

It sucked.

Upon my very first day as a new marketer (many moons ago) I "launched" a blog about my internet marketing experiences, of which I had zero. No one came, and those who did found my blog useless.

In spite of how much I assured everyone that "we would have some fun while I learned the ropes", even a blog of me falling on my face has to have some meat to it, and I just didn't have anything to offer.

Anyway, me bouncing from one new scheme to the next was interesting to no one... except maybe sadists. There are so many other niches out there to tickle. Find a better one. IMing is not a good one on which to "learn the ropes". It can be quite humiliating, as a matter of fact.

And get that ridiculous s**t out of your sig. Other than the product your promoting has a potential commission involved, what do you know about the people you're promoting?

Not much if you're new.

Do some research. Ask around. Be sure of the people you're promoting, even more than the product. Good people promote good products. Bad people promote dung heaps.

Because here's the thing. If you partner yourself with some douchebag who rips a bunch of people off, who will the victims blame? Yeah, the douchebag, but they'll blame you to.

If your marked as someone who, even once in the past, participated in a scam, even if it was unintentional, you're virtually dead. It is very difficult to recover your good name in this community - just because there are so many dirtbags who've done a lot of damage.

If you love the IMing niche, and think it really is your gig, your credibility is your most important asset. Nothing you have to offer in terms of knowledge will make it past your lack of credibility.

On the other hand, good credibility adds value to even the simplest of concepts.

Credibility; guard it well.

[PCH]

Hey BJ,

some great points raised there. And I for one am guilty of the main theme of your post. I wondered how useful it might be at the time, but my 'guru' said it was the way to go, so off I went. I don't think it did me any harm, and the 'guru' was a top guy as it turned out, but I question the usefulness of a personal blog as you say.

Cheers,
Paul

[fin]

If you listen to some very smart people they will tell you not to start a blog about:

• Internet Marketing
• Lifestyle Design
• Self Improvement

Stick to something much more niche. Only a tiny amount of people who start a blog so vague will ever see any real success.

[nasuryono]

Thanks for reminding all the new people who are new to IM.

I have seen to many people sacrifice their credibility in pursuit of some quick bucks.

Bottom line is, if someone wants to build a long term business in IM, always check your credibility and guard it really, really well.

[chykee]

Hey, some good points but don't give up in your online quest for wealth and affluence

[IMMaster]

I really started my own forum about Internet Marketing and really i'm struggling cause the competition is very very high .

[chykee]

Hey, some good points but don't give up in your online quest for wealth and affluence

[Joseph Robinson]

That's one of those cringe-worthy mistakes we all kind of have to make I think. We think that "ours will be different" and that we'll be the ones to show newbies the light in a fun interesting way (while never selling anything of course ).

It makes me wish for time traveling abilities so I can go back, slap myself and say "no stupid. Oh and btw, here come the Google updates! Get ready to watch the show."

[denysapu]

Hi BeauJustin,

Great advice listed and many thanks for that.

[hostwindsEvanM]

Maybe you gave up too easily, or maybe it wasn't specific enough. Either way, its cool to have for personal records once you succeed.

[Joseph Robinson]

Originally Posted by hostwindsEvanM

Either way, its cool to have for personal records once you succeed.

The blog would be nice. The bank statements are much more satisfying.

[WinstonTian]

Originally Posted by fin

If you listen to some very smart people they will tell you not to start a blog about:

• Internet Marketing
• Lifestyle Design
• Self Improvement

Stick to something much more niche. Only a tiny amount of people who start a blog so vague will ever see any real success.

fin's on to something here...

When you dig deeper into market specializations,
you're going to find warmer leads that convert
far better.

There are tons of opportunities out there, and
the demand is never going to be fulfilled.

Winston Tian

[fluffythewondercat]

Upon my very first day as a new marketer (many moons ago) I "launched" a blog about my internet marketing experiences, of which I had zero. No one came, and those who did found my blog useless.

I wish I had a dollar for every "My IM Journey" blog I've had the misfortune to encounter. They're all dull as dishwater.

Kudos to you, sir, for being frank about it. And the sig thing too; you are of course absolutely correct there. I watched someone start posting in the WF as a total newbie, professing ignorance and asking newbiesque questions. A week later his sig claimed he was making $6,000 a day in IM and for a small fee he'd show you how.

fLufF
--

[Vlad Romanov]

I have to disagree with you on all counts. The personal blog is a great way to keep track of your activities. You for example had no focus and thus zero success with your blog. I know others who genuinely reviewed products they used and made money from clickbank.

That being said a personal blog is great to receive feedback and build up a portfolio. Especially important for those building websites or writing for a living.

The signatures are nothing new, but why do you care what others have? It's Internet marketing for a reason, if you purchase a make 6k$ in your first day product from some new guy, you're the only one to blame.

Don't discredit IM practices based on one trial and learn how to apply them correctly before you bash on them..
Vlad

[TheRealDudeman]

Originally Posted by fin

If you listen to some very smart people they will tell you not to start a blog about:

• Internet Marketing
• Lifestyle Design
• Self Improvement

Stick to something much more niche. Only a tiny amount of people who start a blog so vague will ever see any real success.

agreed fin, but lolz ever notice that every noob starts their website and brands themselves as an expert on one of those 3 markets? Seems like everyone's an expert on marketing, lifestyle design, or self improvement...in fact, I've seen some people that brand themselves as experts on all 3. smh

[fin]

Originally Posted by TheRealDudeman

agreed fin, but lolz ever notice that every noob starts their website and brands themselves as an expert on one of those 3 markets? Seems like everyone's an expert on marketing, lifestyle design, or self improvement...in fact, I've seen some people that brand themselves as experts on all 3. smh

Yeah, all the time. I have to admit I tried to do it too. Not say I was an expert, but try to write about all 3. Everyone nowadays tries to do the exact same time and only a few ever go anywhere.

[yourreviewer]

The sad truth to blogging is that an overwhelming majority of bloggers are broke and even some of the most successful blog owners will tell you that there is a stark difference between their traffic stats and their revenue stats.

While the number of comments or Facebook likes or Tweets are all good, they don't add to your bottom line unless you are actively building a list and more importantly have a robust follow up sequence.

[Daniel Evans]

Originally Posted by BeauJustin

Other than the product your promoting has a potential commission involved, what do you know about the people you're promoting?

Be sure of the people you're promoting, even more than the product. .

No-one should be promoting any person or product they don't know of since the WF sig facility doesn't allow for affiliate links and promotion of affiliation in general (in WSO's) has been ruled out recently too.

[Anoopchawla]

I know where you are coming from I too did the same mistake 3 years back. I thought I will share the knowledge I gained from wso and other clickbank stuff and share it for free on my blog.

Sadly I ended up posting just one 200 words post and never to see that blog again because I jumped to the next shiny thing already. I was suffering from the famous Newbie syndrome and I paid the price for it by wasting 2 years of my precious time.

Anyway, as of now things are moving in the right direction and I plan to start an IM blog after an year or so.

[Langknow]

You're pretty much right.

Starting a blog without any research or any idea who you are targeting is not going to work. Not having a plan or any idea what content you are going to be putting up is asking for failure.

That's not to say that Internet Marketing as a niche itself is not doable. But it's kinda of like saying I'm in the Weight Loss niche. That's a huge niche, both of them are.

I think people forget that within these niches you can segment and really hone down to your target audience.

These niches are big for a reason, lots of money to be made, but you have to know which part of the pie you gonna be targeting.

For example: internet marketing :

I will be targeting Stay At Home moms in the United States ages 25 - 30, who have very little experience in internet marketing and marketing in general. These people want to use their current skills to make some extra income to support their families, and maybe save for a vacation. Their husbands work 9 - 5 jobs in white collar jobs. Family household income is around 50 000 month. They own a house and have a mortgage on it. Generally these moms have 2 kids or expecting a third. They've tried Mlm and selling tupperware at parties and even at the home. They even tried selling nutritional supplements, but their was no plan for them.

They want simple and easy to understand information that shows them the best ways to translate their skills into a website business in certain niches. They are not very technical, but can learn these skills if given the right instructions .

[jr1228]

Originally Posted by Langknow

You're pretty much right.

Starting a blog without any research or any idea who you are targeting is not going to work. Not having a plan or any idea what content you are going to be putting up is asking for failure.

That's not to say that Internet Marketing as a niche itself is not doable. But it's kinda of like saying I'm in the Weight Loss niche. That's a huge niche, both of them are.

I think people forget that within these niches you can segment and really hone down to your target audience.

These niches are big for a reason, lots of money to be made, but you have to know which part of the pie you gonna be targeting.

Agreed. There is money to be made in these niches if you can segment and target just the right audience. Although marketing online can reach a lot more people than a B&M business, there's no reason why IMers shouldn't be targeting very specific segments of the big online pie.

[Lance K]

Yes...go "do" before you try to "teach". You just might find that you would rather "do" than "teach" anyway. And if you have success in "doing" and still have the desire to "teach", then by all means go for it.

[TheRealDudeman]

Originally Posted by fin

Yeah, all the time. I have to admit I tried to do it too. Not say I was an expert, but try to write about all 3. Everyone nowadays tries to do the exact same time and only a few ever go anywhere.

That's understandable. Truth is, I wish I did that sometimes. On my first failed blog, I was so conscientious about coming off like a wannabe expert that I demanded no authority on my site. Looking back, it might have been better to just shamelessly act like an expert, rather than just giving my humble opinion and experiences and praying people would subscribe.

[hostwindsEvanM]

What I have always been curious about is people selling "How to make $10K a day, fast!" type of stuff. Why bother if you are REALLY making 10 grand a day? Id be on vacation!

[Joanne D]

So True! I'm guilty of the same thing although I have to say that I did learn a lot and had fun learning.
My advice to anyone just starting out - if you want a blog of your own, create one on something that you are knowledgeable and passionate about. Even if it never makes any money for you, at least you would be doing something that you enjoy.
After a few years of work, work and more work with little to no ROI, I am now doing something altogether different that I really love AND I'm making money (and I have a blog for pleasure).

[peterakie]

Thanks for the advice. Will tread carefully.

[mazero]

It's nothing more than a learning process. I too was victim of listening to every would be marketer that claimed to have the direct hotline to internet marketing wealth. As it turned out. I did ok. As for blogging? I usually use blogs just to promote products or archive my stuff.

[BeauJustin]

Originally Posted by Daniel Evans

No-one should be promoting any person or product they don't know of since the WF sig facility doesn't allow for affiliate links and promotion of affiliation in general (in WSO's) has been ruled out recently too.

I did not know that, Daniel. Thanks for the clarification.

[TiffanyDow]

I disagree on some points

I started a blog documenting my journey and it kicks butt. I started initially as a newbie, sharing my failures, my small successes and everything I learned along the way. I told people if I didn't know a thing about whatever topic we were discussing that day, but I also shared with them how I was learning.

I love(d) the fact that I logged in daily and share(d) my story. It kept me on track to some degree, it represented a journal of my journey. Even if it was JUST for me, it'd be nice to see how it went.

It helped me build a loyal readership. Because they see my story unfold there - everything I love, everything I hate...they trust me and convert really high when I DO have good products to recommend.

I do agree with you on that - never promote crap, it ruins your reputation.

Also on the IM niche we disagree. I say if you're learning it, help others discover what products are worthy of their money and what isn't. It's not as competitive as people think.

It's all about branding yourself and building a reputation as a QUALITY sharer. If you don't have credibility, then it won't matter WHAT niche you choose.

The title of the thread might just need a tweak. Never say never.

Tiff

[2ndopkate]

I just had this conversation with my IM coach. Should I start a perz blog about Internet Marketing. Fear keeps me away from it. And commitment. My deal is that I'm afraid I won't keep up with posts and comments. Plus, I'm not sure I'm a great example. So many on this thread have pure wisdom to share.Now that I think about it, maybe a blog about my failures isn't such a bad idea. Hmm.

Earlier today I posted on a thread in the offline marketers section of WF. The topic is about being able to build raving fans by "just being you". John Durham shared his tips for "Power Posting" in an effort to help people generate helpful posts. If you want to do a better job of building a great reputation and finding a niche where people love your stuff... download Bill's free report at this link: FREE - The "POWER POSTING" REPORT- For My Offline Brothers and Sisters Who Post Alot

[ksmusselman]

I guess I'll pop in with my 2c too.

One of my blogs is about working from home. The archived posts mostly have to do with working from home doing general transcription, and I've ventured into article writing and marketing, writing ebooks, etc., so that's more in the area of IM than general transcription.

I agree that you should never promote "crap" or promote or be an affiliate for any product you have never purchased and tried for yourself, otherwise, you're not giving an honest review of it.

But as for blogging about your IM trials and tribulations, if you're a fun and creative writer and can write about it like an "adventure into" blog, you could build up a hell of a list just by being funny, regardless of what pitfalls you actually disclose!

It's rare that I stumble onto a blog of an IM "guru" who hasn't told his audience what he was doing before, or how he got started; what worked and what didn't. So as others have mentioned, maybe you didn't follow through on your blog.

So I would never advise any newbie to "never" write about their ongoing journeys in IM, in search of that Holy Grail that's going to make them $1,000,000 overnight, especially if they have the ability to tell it like it's been a real adventure and make their readers chuckle about it.

[fluffythewondercat]

if you purchase a make 6k$ in your first day product from some new guy, you're the only one to blame.

So it's okay to make any kind of outlandish false claim and anyone who believes you is a sucker. Got it.

What was your name again? Something to do with "Impaler"?

fLufF
--

[Joseph Robinson]

Originally Posted by TiffanyDow

I started a blog documenting my journey and it kicks butt.

Hi Exception. Meet my friend Rule. You tend to prove him .

[cjreynolds]

Originally Posted by TiffanyDow

I disagree on some points

I started a blog documenting my journey and it kicks butt. I started initially as a newbie, sharing my failures, my small successes and everything I learned along the way. I told people if I didn't know a thing about whatever topic we were discussing that day, but I also shared with them how I was learning.

I tried that, starting out. I really hope nobody here ever saw it (it's gone now ). The thing is, you write really well! I'm sure your blog was interesting, intriguing and engaging. On the other hand, mine leaned more toward banal, lame, and boring!

[TiffanyDow]

That's fine too - but there are many people who can write well, so I would hate to see some of those get their blogs stifled by this advice. Besides, my blog isn't any type of "pro" writing. It's just conversation - slang, curse words, and all.

[Portlandrocks]

Originally Posted by TiffanyDow

I disagree on some points

I started a blog documenting my journey and it kicks butt. I started initially as a newbie, sharing my failures, my small successes and everything I learned along the way. I told people if I didn't know a thing about whatever topic we were discussing that day, but I also shared with them how I was learning.

Tiff

i agree with tiffany. You can offer REAL value to readers by being completely transparent. Will you make huge money from a blog like that? Probably not at first, but if you are patient and have built a readership that has emotionally connected with you as you have gone through struggle after struggle, you will be golden. You could literally recommend anything and they would buy it.

One of my favorite blogs to read right now is Murlu, simply because the guy is just doing what he can to make it online and he is really transparent about everything.

But IDK, I don't make $10,000k / month so you probably shouldn't listen to me :-)

[Chris-]

Indeed, the IM niche is not a good one for newbies, unless you learn unusually fast!

It is possible that a very specific sub-niche of IM might be good, even for a newbie, if you are willing to rapidly learn what there is to know about that topic, IN PRACTICE, then help others with genuine knowledge and practical help. If you want to try that, pick a niche that people are asking about, and which is realistic for you to learn and test quickly.

Or pick a completely different niche, that you already have experience and practical success in, because it will come accross how much you believe in yourself, when you do your marketing material and/or content, copying someone else who knows what they are talking about will just make you feel like a fake, and that will be picked up by your audience, even if you copy the identical words from a real expert.

Chris

[fred67]

Amusing post - I read a post not too long ago on a very famous IM entrepreneurs blog (who has a very high credibility rating) that said the best way to get people clamouring towards your blog and ultimately your product is to start a controversial post in a popular forum and see the reaction of the 'sheep' - Me included here by the way

All of the most successful entrepreneurs have made numerous mistakes 'and' fallen foul of the law in many cases, but todays news is tomorrows chip-paper and that's the fact of the matter. In this 'socially networked world' we have at present people expect to read about you - warts'n'all - even BA are now profiling their passengers using FaceBook so I personally think that a 'newbie' and even an 'oldie' should start a blog or blogs to chart their journey. As long as it's ethical and moral, that it doesn't intentionally try to scam anyone it's a positive move.

A lot of people reading this thread subscribe to a very popular lady blogger who apparently breaks the rules according to this post, but she has probably one of the most loyal readership 'anywhere' on the internet today.

(she might even be contributing to this thread )

I doubt there's anyone who in IM who hasn't been the victim of a dubious product promotion that they at first fell in love with so much so that they promoted it themselves in good faith only to get burned further down the line. Does it scar for life? NO! We just take note, apologise and move on - that's life with all of it's ups and downs, positives and negatives.

Celebrities show us the finest examples of how a bad reputation can get you notoriety and a whole lot of money. 'The Rich Jerk' was a character dreamed up to shock and apall us, he went on to generate a fortune but the chap behind it turned out to be an OK sort of bloke who has gone 'mainstream' and continues to make an even bigger fortune now. I doubt there's many here who don't recognise that little example.

It's all good - positive - negative - in between - as long as the ethics are intentionally good all avenues are open to everyone - it's called LIFE!

Cheers - Pete

[Iwriteforyou]

Well, I am so at the newbie stage that I haven't even gotten near starting a blog. This world of IM is really confusing for me, but I can speak from the perspective of over 30 years in the brick ans mortar world.

When I started my career, the most help was always from those who were willing to share their personal stories of mistakes and successes on their way up the ladder. Analogy to a blog? It was then up to me to learn or not learn. I was always impressed by those willing to share.

As my own career developed, I tried to do the same for other "newbies." There is absolutely nothing wrong with being honest about your mistakes as you learn. I am certainly hoping I learn from my mistakes as I start this new journey, and I also hope that I find some to help me along the way based on their experiences.

[Anonymous Affiliate]

The thing is that Blogging is like Twitter: people like to follow authorities, not random anonymous dudes who have little insight to share.

Starting a blog in a niche you have little experience about is a certain failure. Who is going to follow you?!?!

[Joanne D]

Originally Posted by TiffanyDow

That's fine too - but there are many people who can write well, so I would hate to see some of those get their blogs stifled by this advice. Besides, my blog isn't any type of "pro" writing. It's just conversation - slang, curse words, and all.

Thanks for the reminder to be more "myself" and conversational with my blog. I tend to forget that that is what makes a blog more genuine...

[Joseph Robinson]

Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate

The thing is that Blogging is like Twitter: people like to follow authorities, not random anonymous dudes who have little insight to share.

Starting a blog in a niche you have little experience about is a certain failure. Who is going to follow you?!?!

Well, everyone does have to start somewhere. The problem is not being a complete newbie, but how the newbie handles their blog. They usually mismanage, have no direction, and then quickly burn out.

[Karen Blundell]

Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate

The thing is that Blogging is like Twitter: people like to follow authorities, not random anonymous dudes who have little insight to share.

Starting a blog in a niche you have little experience about is a certain failure. Who is going to follow you?!?!

It's been my experience that people don't just necessarily follow authorities, they follow those people who are interesting, entertaining, or who they feel resonates with them.

[Karson]

I think I'll stick to it and keep my blog. I am getting a small following and subscribers on my list through it. Oh yea... I started my blog less than 30 days ago and already have over 1000 hits and a steady 50 visits a day. So despite what some of you might think... it works if you do it right.

[Michael Oksa]

There is another option here.

You don't have to start a blog at the onset of your journey, BUT you can start a personal journal of everything you are doing along the way.

THEN...once you achieve a fair level of success, you can go through and use that journal (in edited form) as the source of a blog, forum, or product.

Just a thought.

All the best,
Michael

[murphyslaw]

There are advantages to writing a personal blog initially before tackling your niche blogs. It helps you get used to the platform. You can also use your personal blog to test out new plugins and such.

[Alessandro Zamboni]

Back in 2008, I started my first internet marketing blog, when I was just playing with PayPerClick websites, paying 1 cent for 1 click. I've included everything on that blog, and now it is a powerful PR3 who sells for thousands of dollars each and every month.

I've no comments on it, just a few, and it seem to receive no participation, but visits and sales are going up like crazy and that's what counts above all, right?

So you must continue your job, and never be tired to continue writing. Time will pay yourself.

See you soon,
Alessandro Zamboni

[BeauJustin]

I will add a few caveats to my original post, as I loath blanket statements, especially when Im ake them.

Newbies shouldn't start an IM blog UNLESS:

A.) You really, really, really, really love the IM niche. Otherwise don't.

and,

B.) You really, really love blogging.

One of the great surprises with Google's Penguin update is that, enjoyable, quality blogs have made a big comeback on page 1-5 over the SEO backlink junkies.

So there, some new marketers can absolutely clean up in the IM niche, but you have to really love it, and you'll have to have a level of extra-tenacity that the rest of us simply aren't in possession of.

Enjoy.

[johnnys229]

Originally Posted by hostwindsEvanM

What I have always been curious about is people selling "How to make $10K a day, fast!" type of stuff. Why bother if you are REALLY making 10 grand a day? Id be on vacation!

This is true of so many courses online, unfortunately. Feeding on desperation and greed, because people who promote like this KNOW that greed and desperation will supersede logic. Hence the massive sales such products make even though it does, as you rightly say, make no sense to sell an ebook, for example, at $10 a piece if you're already making $10,000 with that method. Why would you care for $10? Even if you sold 1000 copies that would be the same as a day's pay for you. Moreover, if the method really makes 10,000 a day, do you think anyone in their right mind would share it?

Please guys, let's just take a step back and think. A lot of success first involves accepting that great success invariably involves HARD WORK. We would all like to click a button and become rich, but alas, such isn't life.

[azmanar]

Originally Posted by jb200800

Please guys, let's just take a step back and think. A lot of success first involves accepting that great success invariably involves HARD WORK. We would all like to click a button and become rich, but alas, such isn't life.

Hi,

A lot of people work really hard day in day out but they aren't really getting anywhere for so many years.

Hard Work isn't enough to succeed.

It has to start off with a vision, measurable goals, a plan and start working hard based on the plan.

Failing to plan, is planning to fail.