22 replies
Hello everyone, I'm brand new to the forum - I plan to make it a weekly sojourn. I'm a freelance writer, copywriter, content marketer etc etc.

Anyway...

I was interested in discussing the issue of giving up. Because we hear a lot about succeeding, but how do you know when a project is simply not going to work - and managing the process of stepping away.

I ask because I've been helping with a project for two-three years but the founder has decided to give it up. Which is fair enough. We were getting 7,000 - 8,000 visits a month, but we tried to launch a course - and unfortunately none of our 2,000 plus subscribers actually took us up on it.

And after that, the founder decided, 'well we tried but I think it's time to knock it on the head.'

It's a good niche and part of me wonders, what if I took it on myself? Perhaps I could try monetizing it via Adsense, affiliate marketing and e-books.

I'm really stuck in two minds at this point... perhaps I need to take on a new side project and learn the lessons from this one.

Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing people's thoughts on this one... (And general experiences in this regard)
#give
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
    2,000 subscribers is a good asset if they're willing to spend money, or engage with your brand in someway.

    It sounds like you didn't find out what kinda stuff they want to buy.

    So just ask them what they need - run a poll or survey to find out what they're having trouble with, and make a product around that need.

    Notice on the WF we frequently get people asking "what do you find difficult about Internet marketing?"... those guys are doing market research (on the cheap), and they're gonna come back here in a few weeks with a new product that matches that need.

    Don't be a douche and ask those kinda questions on forums or Facebook groups though, just ask your email list.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149199].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Copyerr
      Yep fair points. I'm not sure why I wrote 2,000 subscribers - I meant 1,000!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149247].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Dennielle Lee
    I'd say follow your intuition, there is obviously quite a lot of potential with the project.

    I think Michael has provided some great advice, ask and find out what your subscribers want. It's the most effective way of finding out where there is a need that needs to be filled.

    Good luck
    Signature

    Newbie to internet marketing? This free video training reveals all you need to know to become a successful internet marketer http://tidyurl.com/bn3gpx

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149248].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    It's a good niche
    Is it? Did you sell anything to the list? Or did you try only the one product?

    Before I made a decision I'd do serious research into the niche itself. Is it a niche where people BUY - or just look up info? Is it a niche you could grow or one that could branch out into subniches or related niches? Was the 'course' you tried to sell in 'tune' with the niche - was there a need to be filled?

    I agree with the poll idea - if you can get them to participate. Before I did that I'd dissect competing sites to see how they approach the niche....and sign up to their lists to see how they are promoting to the niche market. I'd look at potential products to promote to that niche, etc.

    It may be a good list for you to take over - or a lost cause. I'd take my time and decide which is the case before putting more years into it.
    Signature
    Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
    ***
    Please do not 'release balloons' for celebrations. The balloons and trailing ribbons entangle birds and kill wildlife and livestock that think the balloons are food.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149319].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Gambino
    You said that you collected 1,000 emails over the 2 to 3 years you've worked on this website. Out of curiosity, when did those emails start coming in? And what were you sending to those emails for the last three years?

    Is it possible that your audience forgot who you are if you weren't in contact with them? Or is it possible that you send them so much free information for so long that you conditioned them to expect everything for free?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149328].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Copyerr
      We starting sending most of the emails over the course of the the final year.

      I think they were perhaps conditioned to expecting free info - and so to hit them with a £250 product perhaps was too high.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149345].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author esmarshall
        Originally Posted by Copyerr View Post

        We starting sending most of the emails over the course of the the final year.

        I think they were perhaps conditioned to expecting free info - and so to hit them with a £250 product perhaps was too high.
        If you spent 3 years developing a list and you only started mailing to them in the last year

        then the list has probably "gone cold" from lack of engagement...

        what you also need to bare in mind is...most of these people on your list, have likely subscribed for other stuff and this "£250 offer" (from a complete stranger) is probably buried amongst all this over stuff


        Of this 1000 names....what percentage actually open the emails? (on average)
        Signature
        $900 off a fully active gold member MOBE account (full price $2000)...message me if your interested
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149792].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Copyerr
    Thanks for all the feedback, they're all salient points. I think the big problem is that we went into this project a little naively and have made mistakes along the way.

    As anyone does. I guess I'm leaning towards starting a new project afresh but it's just so hard to let go!

    One mistake was to go in with a medium price product first - I feel we should have gone in with a smaller lower cost product (like an e-book) covering a particular angle of the niche.

    We did talk to our subscribers and ask them what they needed - and answers varied. (Basically it was about owning a pub, and most were just looking for independent advice on how get into the trade - which is what we offered.)
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149340].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Originally Posted by Copyerr View Post

      We did talk to our subscribers and ask them what they needed - and answers varied. (Basically it was about owning a pub, and most were just looking for independent advice on how get into the trade - which is what we offered.)
      Whatever you decide to do with the business, it sounds like you might be sitting on 1,000+ targeted leads for finance, mortgage or venture capital companies. And they pay big bucks.
      Signature


      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149683].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    There are a lot of variables involved in profitable campaigns.

    Besides what's already been stated,
    - Do you regularly mail offers to your list? Did they make purchases of other items besides the course you tried to launch?
    - What was the price of the course? If it was fairly expensive, and it was the first time you made an offer to the list, that could be a red flag.
    - Something like a poor sales letter that was not compelling could easily kill a new campaign.
    - What is the competition like for what you're offering? Maybe there are others selling the same thing and they have a much better offer.
    - Do you know that people in the niche are actively purchasing the same kind of product you're trying to sell?
    - Is there a lot of risk (on the part of the prospect) in losing their money buying your offer? (No proof that it works, no guarantee, no past results given)
    - What about all the technical details that are sometimes overlooked? (Like a shopping cart that doesn't work, bad links in the offer page, etc?) You'd be surprised at the number of mistakes that can be made that killed sales from an otherwise good offer.

    There are a lot of things that could go wrong, so I'm suggesting you check such things before scrapping the project. You should be able to get answers to these questions without a lot of extra work. Two years is a lot of time to put into a project without a return.

    Steve
    Signature

    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
    SteveBrowneDirect

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149342].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author hardworker2013
    Niche Research is the most important step before starting a project. First you have to find out if there is enough demand for the product you are promoting.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149699].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author fratt55
    hey there


    never give up... you already put in all of tis effort..if you were to give up now
    every thing would be lost


    it appears you did not do due diligence and find out demands prior to starting your niche


    If that's the case then do a due diligence then make adjustment to continue on a smaller


    scale until you get establish but do not give up


    ok
    talk soon
    sam f
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149710].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    Think about this in the context of the real world. A pub owner (since that is your target market) buys one ad but doesn't get any response so he closes the place down.

    Nobody does that in the real world. So why not try again?

    Just because they said no one time doesn't mean they wouldn't say yes to a different or cheaper offer.

    Throwing in the towel after one shot just seems extreme to me.

    Mark
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149767].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    For me, I answer the question based on my passion. Or lack thereof.

    I ran an old make money online blog I did not feel passionate about. So I trashed it. Was time to give up. All 3,400 blog posts, gone. Had to clean the slate.

    But with my Blogging From Paradise, blogging tips blog (with fun travel stories too), I am passionate about it. So I'm writing Warrior answers and Quora answers at 9:55 PM on a Wednesday night in lovely NYC. I will keep doing this as long as I feel passionate about it.
    Signature
    Ryan Biddulph helps you to be a successful blogger with his courses, manuals and blog at Blogging From Paradise
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149805].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    Test Test Test ,IM its a number of games testing etc .I prefer to never stay with something because all time something its change in this field .I have a channel a blog ,i start to create my list etc .If something die i have another one ,You get my point?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11150025].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Risktaker89
    If you are passionate about it, I don't think give up should exist in your dictionary
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11150054].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author blackli0n
    If you build a list based on people who only signed up for a freebie...and and not because they truly believed in you, the list is worth nothing.

    Instead of trying to get visitors and buyers...start building relationships. That's all I can say without actually seeing the site.
    Signature
    wpjohnny.com - Make Money with Wordpress
    Passive income since 2007. Trying to consistently crack 5-figures/month. find what you love - dream big - work hard
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11150145].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mrjackpowers
    Make sure you give up because your current project has actually failed. Too many people give up too soon because they find a shinier object to chase.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11150512].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dana67
    Only give up when you find something better. Be willing to try different things.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11150751].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author hoangcf
    Banned
    I agree with lee idea - if you can get them to participate
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11150900].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author nicheblogger75
    Depending on the niche, 1000 subscribers isn't really that much.

    In the niche I'm in, I add at least 2-3 times that amount every month.

    Plus, if you've been getting 7000-8000 unique visitors per month over the course of 2-3 years you should have way more than 1000 subs. If your content was halfway decent and you had opt-in forms in the right places you should be able to convert at least 5% of those visitors just as blog subscribers alone.

    I have one blog that doesn't offer a freebie or anything, just simply offers to email blog updates and that converts at around 5.5%. I have an opt-in form in the sidebar, one under every post, and a pop-up that triggers on exit.

    That said, I don't think you really have enough data to give up. IMO, It seems like there is an issue with your email marketing strategy.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11150918].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jamie3000
    1000 seems a small sample to base success or failure on. I mean if 20% open then 20% click through that's only 40 people on your product page. 1 in 40 would be a very high conversion rate....
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11152476].message }}

Trending Topics