Seeking advice, I'm a little stuck

Building a list and selling solos does not work for most people. Your list gets old after a while and it doesn't even respond to you. Also, selling solos is the fastest way to kill your list as well.

I like building drop shipping sites. As you said, you don't want to get into something that relies on SEO too much. I feel the same way.

That's why when I build my drop ship sites, I don't focus on building crazy amounts of backlinks. I just make sure the site is easy for customers/users to navigate and order products. I also keep in mind that my product descriptions, meta tags, and things like that need to be unique and of high quality. Links will naturally begin to come in when you start pushing press releases or writing articles and posting them on ezinearticles.com.

There are so many fun ways to promote a drop ship site as well. You really need to focus on having it be your BRAND. Don't think of it as just another website. Think of ways you can get your BRAND to stand apart. You can do things like social media marketing or do some simple offline marketing tactics to get your website address out there.

This is a very tough question an answer as we don't know you personally. Some one could suggest something that you dread doing.

Building a list and building a relationship with that list, sending them ore than just offers, can be a great way to go. If done right, you always have traffic, no matter what G's rules are at the moment.

I've never done drop shipping, but seems like it could be alot of work and you have to have good margins to make it worth your time. Just something to keep in mind. You know there i a sub forum just for ecomm.

So many questions asked, so little time.

Email marketing is an art and science you know.

You can either build a relationship, or play it by the numbers.

Playing it by the numbers:

If you play it by the numbers (and are a churn and burn solo ad vendor) you can make it work. The trick is to constantly get new leads... Playing it by the numbers type mailers typically mail their list a ton of times per day, and spend less time building a relationship.

The other side of the spectrum:

You can also be more personal with your list, and build a relationship.

If you want to be a "guru" so to speak and develop a relationship, you'll treat your list a little differently.



There are successful email marketers on both sides of the spectrum (Relationship Builders vs. Churn and Burn) and both are feasible in my opinion.

You can also do both you know... Remember that email marketing is an art and a science.

The hardest part about building a list and only using solely solo ads is that they can turn into cold traffic, and they may never even respond. Split test the list, but start off with building a good relationship with them. Like on guy here said, it could be great since you;ve got traffic that Google will never break with.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I feel like the squeeze page / solo ad model is most fitting for me. As fcf360 & internetmarketer1 pointed out, it's important to build a relationship and I plan on sending my list relevant and valuable content. I was just worried about how squeeze pages convert nowadays when everyone is more internet savvy than ever. I, personally, have grown an instinctual aversion of giving up my email address online

Whatever you do, you have to build authority. I think you are right in staying away from relying entirely on SEO. If you're going the content route these days, it's better to produce quality stuff that people will share.

But it's important to know, so much online is about reputation and authority. In order to get there, you often have to start small and figure out how to build trust with people. The squeeze page/list/solo ad game still works for a lot of people. I can't personally say I love that business since it usually just keeps people in a never-ending search for "the next big thing." I.E. I don't see a lot of those marketers actually wanting to truly help people make money. But if you can find a way to really add value for people, go for it. In the long run, that's the kind of list that will work anyway.

Hi,

Creating a squeeze page to build a list and selling solo ads is okay but doesn't work for long-term. Instead, creating a blog, building a list through the blog and monetizing it and offering something valuable to your readers, then selling your product/service to your list is much more fruitful and a long-term business.

I use this blog method myself and have in earning, not in millions, but much to make a living for myself and my family.

Hey Sly, welcome to the forums man. Yes, you can build a list and sell solo ads. I sell a couple solo ads every single day. It's a pretty fun business as long as you deliver quality customer service. The last thing you want is for your customers to get mad at you.

I would recommend you put together a sales funnel though and separate buyers from freebie seekers. If I could start all over I would have created a list of buyers a lot sooner.

yes, you can make money selling solo ads and you can use other methods to make money with your traffic

There's a lot more to it than Solo Ads. Promoting useful products and services is a great way to build quick and recurring income. Being on your list shows they have a problem or need for information. Give them that information and solve their problems.

Of course you can make a living with a good list. As long as you know how to keep your list entertained, and growing.

You don't need a Blog, or any website, to be successful with a list. You need to focus on what your audiences problems are, and what solutions they are interested in and can afford.

Besides, your blog is a traffic source meant to get people on your list. It's a lot harder to sell someone what they need when they are being constantly bombarded with distractions.

Sly you've been studying the WF for over an year and still don't know where to start? Maybe you consumed the wrong threads. Have a look for the threads with similar questions like yours because there are already great threads with great answers.

As for your solo ad idea. I wouldn't go for it. I mean you could make a long term business out of it but I would always recommend to built a list with people on it who trust you, follow you and with whom you have a relationship instead of burning it. It isn't easy to hold your list fresh when you sell solo ads unless you buy a lot of traffic. Think about that.

Sly, one piece of advice, before you read and study and absorb ANY information here Do not make your main aim to make money. Chase money, it'll flee. You'll scare it away. Hold a pure intent. Fall in love with the science of IM, find joy in helping people, and you'll find the right advice, from the right folks, Young Grasshopper lol....all the best, and for my take...start blogging on your own self-hosted blog! Own your real estate, and brand you.

I agree it's wise to avoid anything that's reliant on SEO but droppshipping or a blog need not be reliant on search engine traffic.

You can drive traffic from paid sources, blogs, forums, social media, forums, syndication sites and so on.

Just be aware that squeeze pages do tend to get high opt in rates but the subscriber tends to be of a lesser quality and open and click rates will be low too.

It's a hard way to build an engaged list IME and a smaller list with higher quality subs always out performs it in my testing.

Once again, thanks to everyone for the advice You're a friendly bunch aren't you haha

Sly,

First let me commend you on making 'making money' a priority in your IM business.

Most people are scared shxtless to say things like that, but I mean it.

You are here to make money. To put food on your table. Yes, earning an income should be numero uno.

That said, I want to address some points you make and offer some advice based on my experience in becoming your own boss as it relates to internet marketing.

As a solo ad seller myself, DO NOT begin your business with the sole purpose of selling solo ads.

That business model as a stand alone method to make money works FLAWLESSLY for about 0.005% of all internet marketers, and DESTROYS both most IM'ers businesses AND creates legions of jaded, pissed off email subscribers and prospects to the point that they become blind to everything they hear and see.

And yes - you'll hear the three people that make millions selling solos exclusively screaming from the rooftops about how amazing their life is.

You have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than having a twenty year career selling solos only.

The idea of setting of some squeeze pages and trying to add value wherever you can in the interest of making money is a fair idea and one I can recommend.

If you look at some of the very well known marketers in the internet marketing space right now, you can usually pinpoint what their main businesses consist of:

Frank Kern: Consultant
Mike Filsaime: Product creator
Jeff Walker: Product creator and soon to be best selling author
Ryan Deiss: Consultant

I am just throwing names out there....but what these gentleman really are, are list builders.

So learning how to build a list in the beginning is a great idea and it's a formula that has proven to work time and time again.

As for traffic generation, forget about search engines.

Learn paid traffic.

Frank Kern will tell you his favorite method of paid traffic is PPC.

TONS of people building lists through Facebook ads.

Solo ads can be thrown in there as another great source of traffic if you do it correctly.

Ad swaps - when done right - are free and effective.

Learn about the paid traffic methods as you slowly start building out your sales funnels and you'll be well on your way to success in this business.

I waited way too long to build a list and I kick myself daily for that but you live and learn.

Either way good luck!

Firstly, you need to know the basic underlying philosophy for Internet marketing. You're not selling a product or a website or an eBook. You're selling a solution or an experience that the customer cannot get anywhere else.

Moreover, most Internet marketing focuses on targeting customers with urgency in mind. You're solving a problem with immediacy that keeps them from going to a book store or a local department store where they might find a slightly less expensive solution.

There are some people making over $10,000 per month with solo ads. So to say it is dead would be wrong. Some of the people making money with solo ads are making more money and working less time than people doing other methods of making money online. But just like anything in life they worked their butt off to get to where they are today.

If you have been reading the WF for a year studying but have not started implementing anything that you have learned then you might need to evaluate why that is. If you haven't taken action yet do you think you would have the drive to work your butt off to make five figures a month with solo ads?