by TSDN
9 replies
Hello everybody my name is Russell Roseman and I really need some help Please. I have this Group that I created "The Sports Debate Network" that has over 10,000 members but I don't know how to monetize it. I narrowed down my niche already I know who my target audience is but I don't know how to make my group profitable. I make commercials & flyer's for my group already I also have a website for my group as well.

If you can give me some real advice I would really appreciate it because I'm trying hard to make this work but I don't know what to do.

Thank You for reading this and thank you for having me in the forum.
#confused
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Mensah
    Originally Posted by TSDN View Post

    Hello everybody my name is Russell Roseman and I really need some help Please. I have this Group that I created "The Sports Debate Network" that has over 10,000 members but I don't know how to monetize it. I narrowed down my niche already I know who my target audience is but I don't know how to make my group profitable. I make commercials & flyer's for my group already I also have a website for my group as well.

    If you can give me some real advice I would really appreciate it because I'm trying hard to make this work but I don't know what to do.

    Thank You for reading this and thank you for having me in the forum.

    If you can create a subsection for this group add some more value to that subsection and then charge your members a little fee to be part of this private subsection group and make it a monthly charge you can monetize your group that way. You could also offer some sort of advertising for your group. Maybe your members can pay you to advertise their business or service on your group or something of that nature.
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    • Profile picture of the author TSDN
      That interesting... I never looked at it that way. It's a sports group and our target market is those who like to talk trash to rival sports fans during games. It's like an online sports bar where members argue during games on activity feeds lol. If i could think of something valuable enough that I can charge for thats related that could work for me probably.

      I got an offer already to sell ad space on my website I just don't feel like my traffic numbers are good enough yet to ask for money. I plan on doing that tho once i figure out how to really drive traffic.

      Thank You Alex
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      The Last Sports Network You Will Ever Join!
      http://www.TheDebateNetwork.com

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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    You can promote affiliate products and you can also have CPA offers.

    You should read many posts in this forum about affiliate marketing. There is a CPA section too.





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    • Profile picture of the author TSDN
      Thank you Clever7 for your response i appreciate it. I started looking into Affiliate Marketing the other day I think I might be able to go that route as well I just have to learn how to do it right. I will be sure to read the posts on this forum i see a lot of knowledge around here.

      Thank You once again
      Signature

      The Last Sports Network You Will Ever Join!
      http://www.TheDebateNetwork.com

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  • Profile picture of the author Brannigans
    If you have 10,000 members that you want to market to you need a really smart email campaign.

    Create some cool new feature for the site so that you have a reason to email them all.

    Plan a series of 5-7 emails that start off talking about the new site changes, and then market an affiliate product to them that is related.
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  • Profile picture of the author d3communications
    Monetizing a forum (especially like the one you have...a lot of anonymous trash talkers) is always a tough thing to do. Definitely look into running ads (banners, text, etc.) on the site in niches that are focused on your audience.

    I doubt they will be very happy if you start sending them emails, but you could try to create some kind of report (fantasy sports-related?) that they have to opt-in to get--that way you can build an email list in a specific niche, which is likely to be more responsive to calls to action for purchases, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nightengale
    Clarity is a HUGE part of IM success. I hope this post brings some clarity. It's so simple when you know it -- and darn difficult when you don't! I owe my mentors a world of thanks for bringing this clarity.

    IM is actually pretty simple: you can sell only one of two things:

    1. Products
    2. Services

    That's it!

    And selling products or services online happens in the same basic way for everyone, no matter what they're selling:

    Traffic > Opt-in page > Autoresponder series (or e-zine) > Sales page

    That's it! It's just that simple. (We IMers tend to overcomplicate things.)

    But no matter what your niche is, or whether you're selling a product or a service, do you know what your business model is?

    A business model is the framework or skeleton of your business. Essentially there are three types of online business models:

    1. Membership-based model

    A membership-based business model allows you to build a community of people (your members) who are as passionate about your subject as you are. Your membership fees can be monthly or annual, but either way, you're building recurring, passive income.

    There are a lot of resources and information out there to help you build a membership-based business if you're interested in doing this.

    2. Product-based model

    Selling products allows you to maximize your time and effort by selling items over and over again. This can be hard goods or it can be information products. Information marketing is it's own business model under the product-based model. Information marketing allows you to take your brain to the bank by creating a product ONCE based on what you know and selling it over and over again.

    Affiliate marketing falls under both models. You can choose to market either products or services as an affiliate.

    3. Service-based model

    Selling services can be great for 1) generating quick cash (as in the case of article writing or video producing) and 2) establishing your expertise and getting testimonials.

    However, in the long run, your goal should be to offer services at a PREMIUM. The biggest advantage of IM is LEVERAGE. You're able to leverage your time, money and expertise exponentially online. We all have just 24 hours each day. Time to get ruthless about what you expect for those hours you spend in IM each day. Expect more of yourself and more from your business friends, clients, partners, etc.

    What results are you getting for those hours you spend online each day? Ultimately, your services should be at the bottom of your funnel and cost the most since they involve your time and personal attention. (We all have a limited amount of time each day.)

    The fun (and confusion) comes in with all of the endless mix-and-match possibilities of the above models. If you're just starting or still struggling to make money, keep it simple:

    Pick just ONE!

    1. Pick ONE niche. (Something you're interested in and know something about.)

    2. Pick ONE target market for your product or service. (Who will buy what you're offering? The more specific you are, the more you narrow it down, the more successful you'll be.)

    3. Pick ONE business model.

    Now that you're clear about what business you're in, FOCUS! (And stop buying any info not related to your niche and target market, period!)

    F -- Follow
    O -- One
    C -- Course
    U -- Until
    S -- Successful

    And remember: build a list, Build a List, BUILD A LIST!

    In IM, it's easy to put the cart before the horse. Take a deep breath, step back and consider what type of business you REALLY want. Don't worry about getting traffic or buying that expensive traffic product until you know 1) what your business model is, 2) what niche you're in and 3) WHO your target market is!

    Successful business people will tell you that MARKETING is more than half the effort that's needed for success anyway. So pick a niche, target market and business model. Then spend most of your time and effort marketing it.

    If you DON'T have a solid plan or system, THAT'S when it's hard. A good system will shave YEARS (and save you big $$$) off of your learning curve

    That's why I recommend investing in at least one good, comprehensive IM course (or mentor who will give you such a system) instead of jumping from one $37 e-book to the next. A lot of people here complain about not being able to make any money. But neither are they willing to invest in their business. (Buying a random bunch of $37 e-books doesn't count.)

    The best thing I ever did was invest in a comprehensive IM course aimed at REAL business owners, not just other IM wannabes. Yes it was $1500. (It's no longer available.) But it was truly some of the best A-Z IM info I ever bought. Everything else I've learned (from the $37 e-books) since has simply been plugged into this system.

    Get a solid plan or system and then work the plan!

    Hope this helps!

    Michelle
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    "You can't market here. This is a marketing discussion forum!"
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  • Profile picture of the author datingworld
    Affiliate marketing is one of the best option to start with, you can scale it up later but I would suggest to start with affiliate marketing.
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