If you're a member of the traffic exchange featured below, then no doubt you would have received it too. I just hope that you stopped long enough to read it... LOL :p So thank you to Matthew Graves for this...
The question is a common one.
"What is the most important thing I should do first to achieve success online?"
Well, after more than a decade working in the Internet Marketing business, and more than 3 decades is business overall, my experience has taught me that building a recognizable name in your niche is a key to lasting success. Many people and businesses come and go, especially in the traffic exchange and Internet Marketing world. However, there are a group of names that everyone in the industry recognizes. Right off the top of my head, here are a few that come to mind: Jon Olsen, Paul Kinder, Tony Tezak, Darren Olander, Sean Supplee, Tim Rash, Tim Linden, John Guanzon, Steve Ayling ... and the list goes on. I can think of a whole group of others, who I hope will forgive me for not including them here.
The important point is that you want your name on that list of names which immediately come to mind when someone thinks about your niche.
The key to your long-lasting Internet success is not getting a sale or signup this week. When you are first starting out in this business, your focus needs to be on building your brand. Building your brand is just as important to you as building the Coke brand is to Coca-Cola. You want to become a recognized authority in your field. With that authority comes influence and with influence comes income.
So, you ask, how do you build your brand? Well, the scope of that question is beyond a single email, but here is a good first start.
1. Focus On Your Brand First - What you focus on is what will get done. Keep your focus on building your brand at this point, not on making a sale. You want long-term success, not short-term, fleeting signups. Make sure your efforts are focused on the long-term effects.
2. Become an Expert - You cannot learn too much about your niche. In order to build the respect and influence of others, you have to know what you are talking about. Simple as that. Learn all that you can, and only communicate what you know. Don't damage your brand with what you say.
3. Personalize Your Promos - You don't want to be promoting generic affiliate signup pages, banners, or text ads. You want your name, or even better, your name and picture out there. Just make sure the picture is a good representation of yourself. It shouldn't look like a jail mugshot. The tools that are available to create your own splash pages and banners, like AdKreator or InstantSplash, make doing this so easy.
4. Prepare Your Tools - The best core tool to building your brand is a blog. It is the heart of any branding campaign. You want people to subscribe to your blog and you want to distribute interesting and valuable information in your blog posts. Wordpress has a great free blog service, as do other sites like BlogSpot. To drive members to your blog, use the social media tools, like Facebook and Twitter. Of course, use the traffic exchanges and list builders to drive traffic to your blog as well.
5. Build Relationships - The best way to get people to remember you is for them to really get to know you. Be yourself online. Build your online relationships just like the offline ones. Treat people with respect and focus on how you can help them. The more help you give away, the more you will receive in return. Use Facebook - how many friends do you have? Join groups within your niche. Participate in webinars, like those by TE Live and Affiliate Funnel. Get your name and personality out there.
"What is the most important thing I should do first to achieve success online?"
Well, after more than a decade working in the Internet Marketing business, and more than 3 decades is business overall, my experience has taught me that building a recognizable name in your niche is a key to lasting success. Many people and businesses come and go, especially in the traffic exchange and Internet Marketing world. However, there are a group of names that everyone in the industry recognizes. Right off the top of my head, here are a few that come to mind: Jon Olsen, Paul Kinder, Tony Tezak, Darren Olander, Sean Supplee, Tim Rash, Tim Linden, John Guanzon, Steve Ayling ... and the list goes on. I can think of a whole group of others, who I hope will forgive me for not including them here.
The important point is that you want your name on that list of names which immediately come to mind when someone thinks about your niche.
The key to your long-lasting Internet success is not getting a sale or signup this week. When you are first starting out in this business, your focus needs to be on building your brand. Building your brand is just as important to you as building the Coke brand is to Coca-Cola. You want to become a recognized authority in your field. With that authority comes influence and with influence comes income.
So, you ask, how do you build your brand? Well, the scope of that question is beyond a single email, but here is a good first start.
1. Focus On Your Brand First - What you focus on is what will get done. Keep your focus on building your brand at this point, not on making a sale. You want long-term success, not short-term, fleeting signups. Make sure your efforts are focused on the long-term effects.
2. Become an Expert - You cannot learn too much about your niche. In order to build the respect and influence of others, you have to know what you are talking about. Simple as that. Learn all that you can, and only communicate what you know. Don't damage your brand with what you say.
3. Personalize Your Promos - You don't want to be promoting generic affiliate signup pages, banners, or text ads. You want your name, or even better, your name and picture out there. Just make sure the picture is a good representation of yourself. It shouldn't look like a jail mugshot. The tools that are available to create your own splash pages and banners, like AdKreator or InstantSplash, make doing this so easy.
4. Prepare Your Tools - The best core tool to building your brand is a blog. It is the heart of any branding campaign. You want people to subscribe to your blog and you want to distribute interesting and valuable information in your blog posts. Wordpress has a great free blog service, as do other sites like BlogSpot. To drive members to your blog, use the social media tools, like Facebook and Twitter. Of course, use the traffic exchanges and list builders to drive traffic to your blog as well.
5. Build Relationships - The best way to get people to remember you is for them to really get to know you. Be yourself online. Build your online relationships just like the offline ones. Treat people with respect and focus on how you can help them. The more help you give away, the more you will receive in return. Use Facebook - how many friends do you have? Join groups within your niche. Participate in webinars, like those by TE Live and Affiliate Funnel. Get your name and personality out there.
So there you have it! For all the newbies out there, this is a concise format of what you need to work on as you're starting on your journey to success. I've started on my path, I hope it won't take long before you do so as well.
Great thoughts you got there, believe I may possibly try just some of it throughout my daily life.
ReplyDeleteInternet Marketing
Hello Marilyn, thank you for your comment. Yes, the above pointers are indeed helpful. ^_^
ReplyDeleteRain