Internet Marketing is SIMPLE, ugh Simple right?

We don't have 'thumbs up' on this forum (thank goodness).

It's not something new. For years - marketers have shared their tips and their path to success in posts on this forum. This WF is full of 'valuable insights'. You need to use the search function here - do a lot of reading to decide WHO to listen to - and ask specific questions when you have them.

If you are receiving 10-50 "buy this or that" emails a day - you've signed up to too many lists.

You don't need to 'know it all' - you need to choose the method of online work (affiliate, freelance, product creation, etc etc) you want to do and then learn all you can about that one thing. Use the search button here to find specific answers to your questions.

Yes it is simple...only on skill to learn and then ignore everything else...

Email marketing.

For me, it was article marketing. At the time, many years ago, Ezinearticles was a great source of traffic. I headed to Clickbank, picked a couple products that seemed promising, and began writing articles. At first I didn't even have my own sites to direct the traffic to. I'd link right to the products. At the time, it worked pretty darn well. When I started linking to my own sites and pre-qualifying the traffic, it worked even better.

Would this method still work now for a new affiliate marketer with a relatively good command of written English? I think the answer is yes, but probably not to the same extent. The days of those types of content mills being great traffic sources are gone. At least I think they are, if I'm wrong on that I hope someone will correct me. I'm pretty out of touch with article marketing these days.

That being said, Kay is right. There is an insane amount of information on this forum on how people made their first dollar, first sale, etc. It's all out there. And as you can see, with only a tiny number of replies, this thread has already devolved into exactly the type of vague answers that prompted you to post it in the first place.

I made my first $50 in profit from selling a fuel additive that cost $500.

How?

Using Microsoft Ads (now Bing).

Someone clicked my ad, opted into my lead capture page with a phone number and email address.

I called them up while they were still on my website...

And they bought my product.

If those are examples of the questions, no wonder the answers were vague. As Kay explained, the reason that so many members here advise newcomers to use the search function isn't simply to avoid addressing the question they posed. It's so they can actually research a topic and come up with a better question. You need to have at least some idea of what you want before anyone else can begin to help.


And this is another example of a vague question. What use would any answer be when everyone is different in terms of their work experience, life skills, expectations, personality, creativity, access to resources and/or capital etc.?

I remember many years ago my first online sales was selling headphone on eBay using dropshipping method. That first month I earned around $100+ which made me believe in online income until now.

I am also a new member and studying business online. What you say is absolutely true to a newcomer like me. I was really overwhelmed with the vast knowledge and did not know where to start. Hopefully the forum will learn more and find a specific direction for me. Thank you!

"Recently I've been looking at some of the posts here inside this forum"

Recently is not good enough, spend more time. There are no get rich quick schemes here.


"And the answers were pretty vague or very confusing to say the least."

Confusing possibly, vague, no.


"There are many people who struggle with building a real, solid online business because they overthink everything and get bombarded with information overload on a daily basis."

It's not overthinkng, it's not putting any effort in a singular places(s).

"I usually get 10 - 50+ emails every day telling me to do affiliate marketing, network marketing, selling shirts on teespring, amazon, ebay and the list goes on and on..."

Like Kay said, too many lists will flood you.

"So.. Let's do something different."

Sure, why not.

"I want every one of you guys who is currently making money online to share how you made your first sale online."

You're trying to be cunning here of sorts, not really the right angle for these forums, you're going to get demolished. Nothing is free, you need educate yourself. Focus on something you are motivated by. Heck, You can even borrow ideas from the WSO's and you can always make it better, or not. That's on you.

"I know that there are many newcomers here who still haven't made their first sale online and I'm sure if you could share some valuable insights it will help everyone one way or another."

There are no hand outs here unless you have the ability to be a sponge. So are you the Water or the Sponge? That means read, absord and execute. And then there's the Followers or the Leader (Cart or the Horse). You want to be the Horse and the Sponge. Free advice, yay! I lied about hand outs.

Search the forum.

Wow you brought back memories.

I think my first sale was Fellow Warrior Peter Drews product that was a Plug in or Program and gave me that first taste of Recurring income.

All I did was Create a Squidoo Lens and put Review on the end of the Product name.

Oh the memories haha.

These days we have to see the big picture before us.

You say you are checking EMAILS. Right here I would insert an arrow pointing to EMAILS.

Might be a good place to focus.


Art

The Affiliate marketing is the best way for anyone to start earning money online. This requires zero investment & you can use your blog or even your social media platform like Twitter, Facebook to promote & earn money. I know many bloggers who are earning thousands sitting at home just with affiliate marketing.

At its core, Internet Marketing (or just Marketing, for that matter) IS simple.

The objective is a simple exchange of value. You provide value of some sort to another person in exchange for value you want in return (usually money).

Everything else is a variation on the theme.

> Affiliate marketing: The value you deliver is actually attention to the vendor's product. If that attention results in a sale, the vendor delivers value to you in the form of commissions.

> Freelancing: You deliver a service (writing, web design, programming, editing, whatever) and the client delivers a fee.

> Selling your own products: You deliver a solution to a problem or fulfilling a desire, and the buyer delivers money.

Everything else is tactics.

Start by examining all those lists you are on. Hover your cursor over the unsubscribe link and ask yourself - does this person provide anything I will actually miss, or is it just one pitch after another? If they provide real value, keep them for now. If not, click the unsubscribe link without worry about missing out. If experience is any guide, you'll end up with 4-5 emails rather than 50.

Then spend some time looking at actual business models, not just "systems". Does one resonate with you? If yes, spend the time you saved by unsubscribing from all of those lists learning about the model. In doing so, you'll likely end up on a bunch of lists again. If they get overwhelming, go through the above exercise again.

When you have specific questions, come back and ask them.

BTW, people new to IM should be overwhelmed at first and willing to put in a few months learning.

But what many newbies call "overwhelming" many experienced IMers call "boring" and "repetitive". Many of us have been exposed to the same concepts, strategies, resources and questions (including questions just like the OP) many many times.

It isn't our job to teach people step by step how to market, unless we're selling a product or service that makes that promise. Many of us will help when we can with answers to specific questions, but it isn't our obligation to help people that may well be our competitors in the future.

What works to make money? Well, there are many methods, so many it's not worth enumerating them.

There are threr main points that never change, though.

First is, the only thing that really matters are results. So if you want results, find someone with results and you follow what they did. Who has results? Many people. Affiliates, Amazon, ecommerce, you name it.

Secondly, you just have to do something. There is no one "right way" - just pick something that shows results and follow that. Then actually start just doing something.

Thinking about it doesn't create results- actions do. Pick a path and start implementing.

Third, the one common denominator in all of these is the ability to sell. That's why my first money that I've made online was from a simple sales letter with a link to Paypal.

So find some results being made by other people, start doing it, and focus on learning how to produce sales. That's it. Simple really.

First nice sum I ever made in the world of internet marketing was by rewriting the content on a web site (my promise was to double the company's sales of their money back).

Second nice sum I ever made in this world was by creating a wordpress site, getting visitors to it, have those visitors buy from the company that hired me. I got lucky in that they were willing to pay me a large chunk upfront. I got unlucky in that I did not know how to charge, so I did not charge enough to keep them and me happy beyond the first 3 months. And I was too dumb to know that, given that I was making them good sales, I could have gone and renegotiated. Instead, I let things fizzle out.

PS I got those clients through networking, the offline online!

Listen to Kay; we have been sharing our tips for making our first AND 1000th or 100,000th sale for years. Search. Do your homework. Skip crap threads, and if you see Kay's name or John McCabe's name or my name starting a thread or responding - along with hundreds other seasoned IMers - the answer will be good money.

Yes, we are trapped with many offers from Internet Marketers out there, just unsubscribe what not important for you

I am very agree with this (y)

YES, INTERNET MARKETING IS SIMPLE, BUT THE PROBLEM IS WE NOT FOCUS.

DO LESS WITH MORE FOCUS !

My first affiliate sale was generated via building my list and using traffic exchanges.

And I know that traffic exchanges and safelists do not receive really good comments in the Warrior Forum.

Which brings me to the next point, learn how to use your resources and try to master it, you will be able to make money with it.

But the only strategy which has not changed over the years will be...

Build YOUR OWN Email List

Vague questions get vague answers.

This is why searching for a specific topic and reading the answers already given can be helpful.

In other words, "affiliate marketing", "email marketing," "blogging" etc.

Read the information already given then come back and ask very specific questions. Your chances of getting specific answers will greatly improve.

I made my first money online by writing and still make money that way. I invested money in ghostwriting courses by Tiffany Lambert and Colin Palfrey. Both well worth every penny.

Rose

Wait, wait, let me guess...

Just follow your sig link, right?

Identifying the process for making money on the
internet or anywhere else is, indeed, simple.

It's the execution that's difficult. That phase of the process
can't be described accurately in a forum post.

The best advice I can possibly give you is to find a mentor
who has done what you want to do and is willing to invest their
own time and money in teaching you how to become successful
in return for a small portion of your earnings.

Those people are rare. Most want to take your money up front
and throw you to the wolves.

I often wonder why people like Vanesa never participate in the conversation they start.

Oh Well, like the song says "Another one bites the dust"

al

For me selling simple software online that I had written.
I still believe this is the best internet marketing model.
Also created and sold video iPod tutorials on ebay back in the day.

Back in 2011, I bought a done for you blog with Kindle products on it, the blog had a banner on the right side for Amazon products, I used Bing ads and just targeted Kindle and accessories, was not good with Bing at all.
Started making sales every other day.
Was still a rookie could not update the blog sales dropped, so I let the blog go. Big loss.

Hi Vanesa,

I can understand it can feel confusing at times, anyhow, the posts on this same thread are excellent, simple and to the point.

(btw, I started doing this: "> Freelancing: You deliver a service (writing, web design, programming, editing, whatever) and the client delivers a fee." Credit: JohnMcCabe's post - 'In my case Graphic Design')

I think I have posted this a couple of times today, but check this one, really, it works:

http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...aining-go.html

Robin

True - but using a bikini clad stock image 'avatar' from "hotgirls" and 'LAProstitutes' (and 700+ other places online) - pulls in the responses....

Bum article marketing with simple anchor text link. I actually got some clicks and sales that way and was it something! I then wrote and wrote and wrote some more. That was how I started getting sales and it still works to this day! I suggest anyone taking up internet marketing to make time to write. Keep a journal, re-write very big articles into condensed versions, etc. Just write and get the hang of it.