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Lost and adrift in the IM sea ... Need advice to plot my course!

by SavvyScarlett
24 replies
Hi everyone,

I'm sure this is a story that you've heard many, many times before: financially strapped newbie stumbles onto the internet marketing concept, gets excited, spends days and days reading forum posts and blogs, buys a handful (or dozen) WSOs, sporadically makes attempts to get things going, then finally succumbs to a combination of mental exhaustion, confusion, and information paralysis.

Hi, my name is Scarlett, and I'm an IM information addict! ;-)

To give you a bit more background, I co-own small business that's been steadily failing for the last two years, and I'm toeing the edge of bankruptcy - something that everyone in my immediate family has weathered at some point in their lives, which is a trend I'd hoped to avoid. I have tremendous passion and drive to succeed, but I'm also insatiably curious and a learning junkie -- so it's hard for me to take action without lots (and lots and lots) of research beforehand.

And therein lies my problem: out of my intense desire to begin making money as quickly as possible, I've latched onto too many methodologies, instead of being able to focus on only one. For some people, choosing one way to start seems to be easy -- they just go with what comes most natural. But I feel like my experience as a business owner is hindering me, since I've had to be a jack of all trades for years. I've been into web design for ten years; I'm very well versed in Wordpress; I'm very comfortable with SEO; I've created my own (physical) products and written sales copy; I think I'm a compelling writer ... And believe me, I don't say any of that to boost myself up, because when it comes to IM, I think being competent in a few different areas is part of what's limiting my ability to focus.

I would love some guidance on where to go from here. As much as I respect and admire those who have been super-successful at IM, being exposed to so many in such a short period of time has led to severe "where do I go from here"-itis. While there are some core methods that most seem to share, everyone has their own little "spin" on the process, and that much spinning has spun my brain into overload! Specifically, I really enjoyed the blogs/forum posts/eBooks by:

Court & Mark (Keyword Academy blog)
Grizz (How to Make Money Online for Beginners blog)
Allen Graves
Steve Wagenheim
Travis Sago
Rosalind Gardner
Jack Duncan
"Big Mike" Kotzakolios
Bryan Kumar
Chris Rempel
Jeremey Kelsall
Daniel Molano
... and many more I'm sure I'm forgetting!

But with so many brilliant, yet diverse, plans of action, I have no idea where my time, effort and energy is best spent. And I must admit that I'm a Little Miss Impatient-Pants, so having my websites take two weeks (or more) to be indexed by Google, and my watching articles not be approved at EZA for 6 or 7 days, it's driving me mad! :-)

I'm 100% motivated to find the right path, but I just don't know which direction to turn in. Any advice would be greatly, greatly appreciated!

Cheers!
Scarlett
#adrift #advice #lost #plot #sea
  • Profile picture of the author Matt Bard
    Hi Scarlett,

    By your list of abilities and I also checked out your blog I would say that you are obviously competent and talented.

    As you already know, your problem is focus and patience.

    If you can't master those then I would say your best alternative would be to find a business partner that can be the practical down to business task master and you the creative force.

    I don't want to sound off base here, but this could be why your business is failing.

    It takes those things that you are lacking. The focus, patience, and follow through to keep all of the mundane parts of a business operating.

    I think you are very creative and if you can find a way to utilize that while someone else like a partner or an assistant can handle the day-to-day stuff you will be very successful.

    Matt
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    • Profile picture of the author SavvyScarlett
      Originally Posted by Matthew Maiden

      As you already know, your problem is focus and patience.

      If you can't master those then I would say your best alternative would be to find a business partner that can be the practical down to business task master and you the creative force.
      Hi Matt! I completely agree with you -- impatience and focus are the banes of my existence at this point. Unfortunately the experience with my small business has taught me that being patient doesn't always lead to profits, hence why it's hard for me to relax when I feel like I should be doing something more/better/faster to see results. Also, it's hard to be patient when you see so many WSOs and eBooks about making "$100/day within one month" or similar. (You all are MASTERS at writing compelling copy!) And incidentally, I do have a business partner (the one I co-own my business with) but he's a rather pessimistic fellow who thinks I'm wasting my time with this "making money online stuff". Helpful, huh? ;-)

      Originally Posted by nick1123

      Write articles for other people and get paid for each one you write. If you have never done this, volunteer to write 1 300 word article for 5 different people on the forum and ask them for a testimonial.

      Armed with your 5 testimonials launch a WSO offering your writing services to warriors at a discount.
      That's an interesting idea, Nick. Although I'd rather be writing the articles for myself, truth be told. That's another area where I'm stuck. There seems to be quite a dichotomy between article marketers -- those who go for quantity over quality and vice versa. While it's awesome to know that you can find sucess by way of several different methods, for someone like me, I get paralyzed and think "Uh oh ... So whose method is the best?"

      Originally Posted by Clyde Dennis

      If I could go back to the beginning and do things differently or have someone tell me how to get started it would be this:

      As hard as it is to do pick ONE model and master it. Don't "try" the new thing of the week each week. The education and confidence you'll give yourself from mastering the one thing will propel you on to bigger things. Even if it's not a huge money making thing MASTER it before moving on or expanding. It's the same principle as brick and mortar businesses starting small and growing.
      That's really insightful, Clyde! I agree 100%. Now if only I could decide on what that one thing should be!

      Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

      A lot of people get very caught up in the idea of using the internet for
      free advertising but fail to really understand that the formula is
      targeted traffic-compelling offer. It has always been thus, even before
      the net. In the old days we would have to spend money to test in the
      mail. I did that. It taught me discipline.

      Sure, don't say no to free traffic... but the real SECRET to direct response
      marketing (which is mostly what we do here) is to be able to break-even
      or better on your cost to get a customer. It's not to get visitors, or sign-ups, or traffic, or leads. It's to get buyers and not lose money doing it.
      Loren, I'm not sure what you mean ... Are you talking about PPC advertising? I've already spent too much money, so I'm very gunshy about taking that approach. Generating traffic is key though, very much so. Which is again where my impatience kicks in. Index me, Google! C'mon, you know you want to! ;-)
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  • Profile picture of the author nick1123
    Welcome Scarlett.

    It sounds like you want to make money, right.

    From here on out I want you to ask yourself "How will this make me money?" before you pickup any more WSO's or read anymore ebooks or read anymore forum posts.

    There are several ways to make money fast if you have some extra time.

    Write articles for other people and get paid for each one you write. If you have never done this, volunteer to write 1 300 word article for 5 different people on the forum and ask them for a testimonial.

    Armed with your 5 testimonials launch a WSO offering your writing services to warriors at a discount.

    Another way to make money is to submit peoples' sites to social media sites using tools like socialmarker.com .

    Long term you need an email list to really create an effective business.
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  • Profile picture of the author Clyde Dennis
    Been at this a while and I'm not rich yet but I'm doing OK.

    If I could go back to the beginning and do things differently or have someone tell me how to get started it would be this:

    As hard as it is to do pick ONE model and master it. Don't "try" the new thing of the week each week. The education and confidence you'll give yourself from mastering the one thing will propel you on to bigger things. Even if it's not a huge money making thing MASTER it before moving on or expanding. It's the same principle as brick and mortar businesses starting small and growing.

    Just my two cents...
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    Originally Posted by SavvyScarlett View Post


    But with so many brilliant, yet diverse, plans of action, I have no idea where my time, effort and energy is best spent. And I must admit that I'm a Little Miss Impatient-Pants, so having my websites take two weeks (or more) to be indexed by Google, and my watching articles not be approved at EZA for 6 or 7 days, it's driving me mad! :-)
    Do you want to be an organic traffic person or a marketer who spends
    a dollar to earn 2 back?

    A lot of people get very caught up in the idea of using the internet for
    free advertising but fail to really understand that the formula is
    targeted traffic-compelling offer. It has always been thus, even before
    the net. In the old days we would have to spend money to test in the
    mail. I did that. It taught me discipline.

    Sure, don't say no to free traffic... but the real SECRET to direct response
    marketing (which is mostly what we do here) is to be able to break-even
    or better on your cost to get a customer. It's not to get visitors, or sign-ups,
    or traffic, or leads. It's to get buyers and not lose money doing it.

    Trying to do it well with free traffic can be awkward because of the
    nature of the way people search and buy online. Review sites work - but
    SEO is tedious and often competitive.

    Do you want to be in profit or do you want to be an SEO technician?

    You can be both of course, but it's a long-term study. Really success with
    marketing can be broken down to 3 words :"making ads pay" - the methods
    are many but if the proof is in the numbers... either your advertising is
    making you money or it is not.
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  • Profile picture of the author Quentin
    The best advise I offer all my students Scarlet is to pick a niche first and become the master of that niche. It results in may benefits.

    1. You don't get information overload because if something is not related to your niche then youn can put it aside for those times of fun

    2. You can put all your efforts into one thing which will produce better results

    3. You become and expert and then you can branch out into other fields.

    4. You work out all your systems and get them humming and then diversifying is a lot easier.

    5. Lastly you make some money that you can then invest into other projects.

    I have been doing this for 10 years and believe me not much has changed in reality. Ok there is better software and communication tools however a good online business still requires the basic elements.

    Quentin
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    • Profile picture of the author SavvyScarlett
      Originally Posted by Quentin View Post

      The best advise I offer all my students Scarlet is to pick a niche first and become the master of that niche. It results in may benefits
      Hi Quentin! Finding niches isn't my issue -- it's what to do with it that has me roadblocked. Bum marketing? Affiliate websites? Conduit method? Adsense article sites? Niche blogging? Yikes! :-)
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      • Profile picture of the author Sonni
        You need a mentor to guide you and keep you focused on a system. One such good one is Ed Dale teacher of the 30 Day Challenge it's FREE so no money spent. I don't know what level you're at the 30 DC is designed for newbies so it is broken down to that level.

        Then there's Wealthy Affiliate only it does cost money. And there are other membership sites that have mentors guiding people in a specific direction. Like Amy Bass of the Niche Blogger. Take your time, but do something along the way in the form of research and study. You have a good list to learn from especially Griz, Court and that gang. Steve Wagenheim is no slouch either.

        You're on the right course it just takes time.
        Sonni
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  • Profile picture of the author BizBooks
    Clyde hit it on the nail.

    Choose, Focus, Refine, Profit, Succeed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    Doesn't have to be PPC. If you try to build a business on the premise
    that you will only advertise if it is free you will impose a very stern
    limitation on your speed of growth. But go ahead, knock yourself
    out with article marketing and SEO.
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    • Profile picture of the author SavvyScarlett
      Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye View Post

      Doesn't have to be PPC. If you try to build a business on the premise
      that you will only advertise if it is free you will impose a very stern
      limitation on your speed of growth. But go ahead, knock yourself
      out with article marketing and SEO.
      Loren, I understand what you're saying, but as someone who's already operating at a deficit every month (both personally and professionally), the idea of spending more money when there are free methods is daunting. One piece of advice that I've read over and over is that it's best to start as low cost as possible, and then outsource and invest more and more as your income grows. It sounds like a feasible goal to me!
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  • Profile picture of the author Quentin
    Well thats it Scarlet when you find your niche you do all those things and test what works.

    For example my first major niche was Streaming Audio.

    I wrote ebooks, built lead capture pages, did affiliate marketing etc and because it was all around that one niche I could actually see what worked.

    Having multiple niches means that you spread yourself out to thin.

    So by just concentrating on that niche to start with I discovered how to build successful campaigns, set up my delivery systems, sort out my customer support, how to leverage into all the different areas within that niche, schools, marketers, poets, musicians etc. I also get economies of scale because even though I developed a wide customer base they were all using the same product.

    You see most people look at niche marketing as it is one product for one set of customers which is totally the wrong mind set.

    A niche should be one product covering a whole range of different customers sets.

    So I have websites for my software covering streaming audio for churches, non profits, muscians, schools and education and so on. The one product covering different customer groups.

    The other day I sold 50 to a university. They bought because they said I had been around for a while and had seen my business grow and felt secure that I could deliver. People are watching you.

    That is not a niche but a customer group within that niche.

    I started that over 8 years ago and now I do coaching, hosting, co-porate consulting and much more but still all based on those systems I learnt way back then because I know and have proven they work.

    So the niche you choose does not negate any of the things you mentioned it's what to do with it that has me roadblocked. Bum marketing? Affiliate websites? Conduit method? Adsense article sites? Niche blogging

    You use them all in that niche.

    Q
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  • Profile picture of the author Bryan Kumar
    Scarlett,

    I'm sorry to hear about your situation. And you're right, it's a story that's very common.

    It seems your main challenge right now is cash flow (financially strapped, at the edge of bankruptcy, etc.)

    First, realize right now that none of that will be the end of the world. It may bruise your ego, but my guess is that you will survive all of that. Take the time you need to really 'get' that part of it, mentally.

    Now...shift your focus so that most of it is on "how do I increase my cash flow" instead of on "how do I get out of this situation.". There's a very subtle difference there, but an extremely important one. (Don't start by focusing on the problem.)

    Okay...

    There are two things I like to focus on, when it comes to business and marketing:

    1. Instant income (windfalls - for new toys, vacations, special fund raisers / charities, etc.)
    2. Residual income (which is also, or will eventually turn into, passive income)

    Those are always my main two goals. Always.

    For instant income, simply start by taking an inventory of your existing resources (including your skills, relationships, assets, etc.)

    I would suggest you start with your existing business since you have one at your disposal. (Since I don't know exactly what your business is, some of the following advice may need to be tweaked accordingly.)

    >> Do you have a customer list? If you don't, can you look through your records and compile one?

    What can you do to get those customers to buy again? Can you offer a crazy discount to get them to spend some money? (This is one of the absolute best income sources available to businesses. And you don't have to spend a penny to sell to them again.)

    Can you make deals with partners and/or find new partners to JV with?

    >> Make a list of your skills, abilities, and even existing products, i.e. products and/or services you can offer to others.

    Decide which one(s) is the most marketable and run a WSO. (Look through existing WSOs to get an idea of what sells best, and match that to your list from above.) Take the time to set it up right, so it's an extremely compelling offer.

    SELL what you already have, that's marketable. Right now is not the time to create new products, write new sales letters, or put up new websites. (That will be next...)

    That's the place to start anyway.

    Number 2 (residual income) will be your next focus.

    Oh yeah, regarding your partner's pessimism... just laugh it off, and realize that he doesn't have the same perspective yet (access to the Warrior Forum, knowledge of IM that you have, etc.) so he just doesn't realize the potential of IM yet. (He will after you "show him the money." ;-)

    Bryan
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  • Profile picture of the author AnneE
    Scarlett

    I was wondering about your offline business and if it might help you choose a direction or niche online?

    Suppose your business is a florist shop that was floundering. You might want to choose a gardening niche (assuming that you are knowledgeable about indoor and/or outdoor plants). Or if you have always been good at giving advice about what exactly to give someone... you could choose a gift niche.

    This still is going to leave you with a thousand additional choices -- Wordpress blogs versus article marketing, selling real products on Ebay versus affiliate marketing. And my own track record is nothing to brag about. I'm finally making a profit online, but it's a small one so far. But I do think there is something to choosing a direction that matches YOU. A lot of people seem to be able to sell in niches they know little about, but it hasn't worked for me.

    As for getting indexed quickly. When you have enough posts to add a signature link, I think you'll find web pages that your Warrior signature point to, get indexed very quickly.

    Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Bruno
    Scarlett I just sent you a PM


    Frank Bruno
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  • Profile picture of the author SavvyScarlett
    Bryan and Anne, thank you so much for your responses!

    In regards to my existing small business, it's in the natural/organic products niche ... Although I want to put "niche" in quotes since we went from having a dozen competitors in 2005 to having hundreds (if not thousands) in 2009. Hindsight is 20/20! If only we'd known then what we know know ... etc, etc.

    I have a list of about 4000 newsletter subscribers, and I send them discount codes and/or sale offers every week, but the response rate is pretty low. I think it's a combination of the recession (our products would probably be considered "luxury" and similar products are now readily available at all drug, department, and mass retailer stores); also the niche is just saturated with low-quality, low-cost companies that are driving us out of business. BUT that's off the subject. I'm not sure what I could do with this list that wouldn't violate my customers' trust (ie, only sending them company-specific emails). It's an interesting thing to ponder though!

    And Anne, you're 100% right -- I could certainly create websites to support what I already know about this niche. It's the *monetization* factor that's got me stymied. I'm giving everything a shot though. I just wish someone would bonk me on the head and say "STOP EVERYTHING AND DO ("bum marketing" or "massive backlinking" or "SEO for organic traffic" or "focus on AdSense" or "Google Trends blogging" or ... so on). I feel like trying to do it ALL is diulting my focus too much. Any thoughts?
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    • Profile picture of the author AnneE
      Originally Posted by SavvyScarlett View Post

      similar products are now readily available at all drug, department, and mass retailer stores); also the niche is just saturated with low-quality, low-cost companies that are driving us out of business. BUT that's off the subject.
      Actually... I'm not sure it is completely off subject. Look at a need you can fulfill that others can't. Yes... there are thousands of 'natural/organic health' products and suppliers. But that plethora can also be overwhelming to consumers. Okay.... now... I am NO EXPERT and others might have lots better advice. But here is ONE idea (sorry, I won't clunk you over the head as you requested and tell you this is your only option).

      Suppose you set up a blog on your website and played the role of advisor, you could send out a note to your newsletter subscribers and ask them to send you questions, etc. You could even offer something like $10 in store purchases for the best question or concern each month. Until you got questions, you could seed it with made up questions, like --

      Do you have a recommendation for a fish oil pill? You offer 5 varieties and there are another dozen at CVS, which should I take? Do I really get anything if I pay more?
      Or...

      Do you think there is anything to the latest **** Berry craze? I was thinking of trying it.

      I don't really know if this fits your niche exactly or not. And obviously with health stuff, you have to put in some legal disclaimer about it just being YOUR opinion and not medical advice.

      What I'm thinking... and this is not alas, a get-rich-quick scheme is that you would get a higher response rate if your customers viewed you as a friend whose advice they could trust. Then you would have something to offer that they can't get at CVS or Walmart. The blogging format might help get more of a dialog going with your newsletter subscriber audience and you could generate some leads and/or Adsense sales.

      Oh, dear... I guess you posted that you had too many ideas and wanted help settling down and here I am throwing another idea out with a reminder that it's just one idea.

      You said you are trying it all now and have a diluted focus. So narrow your focus. Maybe you can't quite get to the I'm-only-going-to-do X. Can you narrow it down to only doing x and y. Or only doing X for the month of March?

      Again, I'm a big believer in choosing your focus based on your skills and interests. If you can churn out articles and variations on the same topic quickly, then article marketing could be a good fit. I write slowly and don't like saying almost the same thing 15 different ways, so for me that's not a good approach. But I tried squidoo lenses and I can make them halfway quickly. It's not a path to riches, yet.... but something that I have a knack for and therefore will continue pursuing.

      The decision is ultimately yours. You can opt to choose a coach and turn over the little decisions to them, but you'd still have to pick the coach. I'm really sympathetic to how you can get caught thrashing, changing directions. The good news is you've realized your efforts are too diluted, so.... identifying the challenge, is step 1 to conquering the challenge.
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  • Profile picture of the author Allen Graves
    Hi Scarlett,

    I was in your shoes. I was a newbie who didn't have a real job and was trying to make it online so I wouldn't have to trudge the 9-5 workplace again.

    Well, I ended up getting a job and taking things at a slow pace...but persistence eventually paid off...it just took longer than I wanted it to.

    Whatever you do, don't give up on your online business. Even if you have to go back to a J.O.B. you need to keep trying online. Eventually you will make it - I can just tell.

    You only have 29 or so posts on this forum, but your posts scream integrity, hard work and dedication. This is how a newbie to this forum should enterhere - I commend you for that.

    This is a great place and full of people who are willing to help out those who are willing to help themselves and give back to the community whenever possible. You seem to be one of those people.

    Anyhow, I just did a search and found you on my membership database. You are exactly the type of person that I want as a member...so here's the deal. You have a lifetime membership now - go to ClickBank and cancel your membership...your login will continue working.

    Good luck - and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Whenever you get on your feet and you are comfortable...just pay it forward.

    Respectfully,
    Allen Graves
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    • Profile picture of the author SavvyScarlett
      Allen, you brought tears to my eyes with your kindness!! What a truly lovely thing to say and do ... You're a wonderful guy!

      I would love nothing more than to soak up all the incredible knowledge and information here (thanks to the truly amazing people who offer it so freely and frequently) and be able to realize success, then come back and offer advice and insights to a new crop of blossoming IM'ers. That spirit of "giving back" is so prevalent here, and I've never, ever felt silly for asking a question that I thought was too "obvious" or "newbie-minded". I love this place! ... Now if only it was so dang addictive! ;-)



      Originally Posted by Allen Graves View Post

      Hi Scarlett,

      I was in your shoes. I was a newbie who didn't have a real job and was trying to make it online so I wouldn't have to trudge the 9-5 workplace again.

      Well, I ended up getting a job and taking things at a slow pace...but persistence eventually paid off...it just took longer than I wanted it to.

      Whatever you do, don't give up on your online business. Even if you have to go back to a J.O.B. you need to keep trying online. Eventually you will make it - I can just tell.

      You only have 29 or so posts on this forum, but your posts scream integrity, hard work and dedication. This is how a newbie to this forum should enterhere - I commend you for that.

      This is a great place and full of people who are willing to help out those who are willing to help themselves and give back to the community whenever possible. You seem to be one of those people.

      Anyhow, I just did a search and found you on my membership database. You are exactly the type of person that I want as a member...so here's the deal. You have a lifetime membership now - go to ClickBank and cancel your membership...your login will continue working.

      Good luck - and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Whenever you get on your feet and you are comfortable...just pay it forward.

      Respectfully,
      Allen Graves
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      • Profile picture of the author Allen Graves
        Originally Posted by SavvyScarlett View Post

        Allen, you brought tears to my eyes with your kindness!! What a truly lovely thing to say and do ... You're a wonderful guy!

        I would love nothing more than to soak up all the incredible knowledge and information here (thanks to the truly amazing people who offer it so freely and frequently) and be able to realize success, then come back and offer advice and insights to a new crop of blossoming IM'ers. That spirit of "giving back" is so prevalent here, and I've never, ever felt silly for asking a question that I thought was too "obvious" or "newbie-minded". I love this place! ... Now if only it was so dang addictive! ;-)
        Well, you're on the right track! Keep it up.

        AL
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  • Profile picture of the author SavvyScarlett
    Hi Anne!

    I've actually tried the blogging approach (it's been very, very successful for one of our biggest competitors) but my customers don't seem to be very keen on the interaction. We've had 2 or 3 forums in the past as well, and most die out after a few months. It's curious how that happens - these days, the only most "established" companies staying afloat in this niche are ones that have either drastically changed their business plans, or run a ridiculous amount of sales - which in my opinion, tends to lower the perceived value of your products after a time. Anyway, it's been a fascinating journey, but it never really was my passion - more something I just "fell into". Honestly, I have more fun making websites and writing, that's why I just love the idea of internet marketing. I have to learn how to be patient though. I'm the girl who used to spend 5 hours building a *killer* house in The Sims, and then get bored after an hour or two of playing the game. Haha!
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    • Profile picture of the author AnneE
      Originally Posted by SavvyScarlett View Post

      ....it never really was my passion - more something I just "fell into". Honestly, I have more fun making websites and writing, that's why I just love the idea of internet marketing. I have to learn how to be patient though....
      First.... I definitely believe in following your passion.... that's what will make you get up early even though you are tired!

      In terms of patience..
      One analogy that someone posted once on this website, was the idea of getting in shape physically. You can't expect to go run 5 miles one day and wake up the next day in great physical condition or ready to win the Boston Marathon. You have work out on a regular basis and for a sustained period of time AND... you have to deal with not seeing results instantly.

      Certainly with search-engine rankings, I've had some webpages that initially have pretty so-so results that... I don't know whether Google boosted them once they were older or whether I kept them more current or recent than the competition... but at some point they climbed up into respectable rankings. But... I had to keep investing at least some level of getting links to them or maintaining their content before I saw results.
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  • Profile picture of the author InternetMarketingCenter
    Hi Scarlett!

    We've actually done some interviews in Secrets To Their Success and a bunch of client interaction with people in that market space, and according to them, they're getting the best results from the following:

    1. Interaction on social networks -- setting up groups, Twittering, Facebooking, etc. and getting to know the community that will buy from you (because people still buy luxury products, especially if they feel a connection to the brand -- ask La Mer!) Not only that... but it's free.

    2. Sending samples to bloggers for review (esp. beauty blogs, mommyblogs, style blogs, etc.)

    3. Press releases with a solid angle (Earth Day is coming up, and you could offer yourself as a natural products expert to stations or magazines or whatnot that are doing stories about people living more "green" lives). Everyone is always looking for content and something to talk about.

    The social angle seems to be the most beneficial at this point, especially when it comes to developing loyal, addicted customers. Just make sure to brand yourself in a luxury way, but emphasize "affordable" luxury. That's the hot idea in beauty right now.
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  • Profile picture of the author SavvyScarlett
    Hi Anne!

    I totally agree with you -- I just get suckered into the instant gratification mentality. (Case in point: I've been oddly fascinated with infomercials since I was a kid. I am far too impressionable for my own good!) So when I read really inspiring threads about making $600 in an hour or $70/day after only 3 weeks ... It's very fascinating and intriguing, but when I don't see results nearly as fast, I wonder if I'm doing something wrong ...

    I'm learning to be patient and ride it out though! My goal now is to work steadily on one website (I picked the one that I think has the most profit potential) and then get it to the point where it's making some income before moving onto the next. Slow and steady wins the race, right? ;-)

    Scarlett

    PS -- I did have an interesting dream that I checked my AdSense account and had 10,000 ad clicks in one day. Boy, I hope that was foreshadowing and not a pipe dream!!
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