Getting through the BS.... starting out.

From an "inside view" of someone who is an active part of this forum...

Show some respect. Don't come on here talking about how you're a big time computer whiz in your hometown and how internet marketing as it's done by many people on here is scammy. Trust me, it doesn't go down well, as you would have already seen.

Don't take this as negative. Just understand that being humble, keeping an open mind and not taking everything as "BS" will go a long way towards getting you the help you want.

The Clickbank products with the highest gravity and conversion rate...whether it's a scam, complete crap, the same old submission software with a fancy name, products relaunched under a different name, "push button and you're rich" crap and whatnot...

I don't think there's many out there who really want to help other internet marketers out...they just want to sell as much as possible.

Andre

Sounds like you need an ebook.

Templates are more efficient. This forum isnt about being a programmer, its about making money.

kodyabbot - Skip over anything that says "sit back, write some articles, and watch the money come in" posts.

My advice - Make a list of the kinds of business models you see mentioned in the forum that interest you. Do some searches to find out who seems to be the most knowledgeable in the field for each model. Read their posts - you'll find at least a basic outline for almost any business model buried in the depths of this forum. Pick one model that interests you the most. Outline the steps you have to take based on your research of that business model and DO THEM. Don't hop around from model to model until you've made it work. Buy a guide if you think it will propel you forward more quickly, otherwise use this forum to research specific issues as they arise.

Sounds as if you have a good head on your shoulders for figuring out how things tick and that will serve you well in piecing together a strategy that works for you. You almost need to go through the info overload stage in order to get to the evaluation stage and then you can take action.

Good luck!

Haha thanks. I see were valuable information especially when someone wants to learn something new (hmmm like me? ) can be sold. video blog pdf etc...

ive seen those infomercials and just think really? but i know when it comes down to it hard work and persistence pay.

Listen,

Some people couldn't sell water in the desert - while others could sell sand in the same desert.

Does that make them scammers?

:rolleyes:

To say "extremely bad headlines that promise riches beyond your wildest dreams if you drink coffee while sitting at a computer" are bad, is just so ignorant as coming here saying IM is bull**** and we're a bunch of scammers.

See how presidents are elected, how big corporations rule markets and why YOU buy some stuff... It's their marketing - including those "bad" headlines.

Rant on!

Some people here DO make more money online in one week then some other people will ever make in a entire life. Some 7$ ebooks taught me more in 2 minutes then 3 months private coaching. Some 7$ ebooks made me more money last year then you can ever imagine.

In fact, one of these WSO's with "extremely bad headlines that promise riches beyond your wildest dreams" got me so well in Youtube that I made WAY more then expected and advertised in that headline. At same time people were bashing the poor WSO author, cause they couldn't follow his simple plan to make money with CPA's and Youtube.

What a bunch of dorfs - they can't drive a car and scream to the world car sellers are scammers.



When I started it out there was NO information like the one YOU can find in here for FREE.

Nada.

Yet, everyday people complaint "this is a scam", "that is hard" and "that other thing is impossible"...

Know what?

You guys have all this good info in here and you don't make nothing out of it.

You're the only one to blame. No one else.

And thats why I am here, looking for the new and not missing out on whats going on!

So I am going to "just do it" and go with the flow. I am going to start a site now and began writing something that I am familiar with. My next question is do you build up content and slowly starting marketing it as you go? I know its all up to me on a strategy. But a path would be nice to follow... and now begans my forum search....

If you use Google effectively, it's hard to get taken by IM and there are some basically rules. If the claims is too good to be true, it is. After a while you learn to separate the junk from the real opportunities.

Vince, do you have a mentor? Where did you find a mentor?

Hi there, a little late on this (thanks to my week long sudden return of wrist RSI). It's nice to see someone working from Mariotts on here, especially from a managerial perspective.

Okay, at first I was feeling confused, all these rituals - backlinking, seo, autoresponder, opt-ins, sales talk, sketchy looking sales websites...

In one month I learned that all these things are real strategies are undoubtedly bsiness strategies. If I started an offline business now, I would actually have a good idea how to market it lol as ridiculous as it may sound.

The problem I find is that Affiliate Marketing doesn't get enough attention offline e.g. books, universities, friendly word of mouth.

For me to become 100% convinced that this is real, I needed to see 'Affiliate Marketing' defined in a hardback academic book.
And I did!! I saw it in my old uni archives something called 21st century marketing or online marketing, something like that. I actually read some seo books and lol its ridiculous, I already knew what all those books were talking about.

So I'd like to make one additional point. Although it's hard to find enough offline proof that Affiliate Marketing is a real way of making money, on the internet there are quite a few places that teach you more than books and it's possible for newbs to take that for advantage, including me!

Ofcourse, here I am talking about afilliate marketing instead of doing it, still searching for my first damn niche lol.

Hope you find my perspective useful!

I am beginning to realize that your first thoughts are proving to be correct ha... Never thought of it that way!

So I just quit my job and started full time! Hahaha.


But thanks for the comments MikesWebShow and MariluNieto! I feel Like I am slowly coming out of the info overload stage....

Well no problem! Glad I could be of service.

Wow! Thanks vic! By the way your keyword WSO looks awesome. Might have a potential client as soon as I get home.

I understand that it is very important. But can you be more detailed?

well, if you know ppc, you can be making money from day one of launching a campaign.. Send the traffic to a review page, or an opt-in page.

Nope - I won't give you more details on how.. search is your friend

Clarity is a HUGE part of IM success.

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.

I see someone has already recommended affiliate marketing. 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

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're 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. (Now it's only $997. :p) 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

Very solid advice. I think I just choose a route in college just do get a degree. It took 4 years, some people take longer because they don't know what they want to have a career in. But I just decided to get a degree and dont waste my time.

Michelle, wow! Very thought out!! This is why I love forums... seriously. Cant Get much better

Have you Googled me? I'm everywhere

So glad my post was helpful to you, Mira!

The information in my post (which I got from MY mentors) was very helpful to me too. And I think it's badly-needed in IM, and most especially on the Warrior forum.

One of my pet peeves on the WF is when someone asks for suggestions about how to make money online and Warriors jump in with advice like "article marketing."

Article marketing is NOT an IM business!!!! (Unless you're selling article marketing SERVICES to other people, that is). It's a marketing STRATEGY to sell products or services.

With advice like that, no wonder the newbies are confused!

I think that if we remain focused and keep the basics in mind, we'll build a viable business and reach profitability much faster.

Michelle