Step 3: Building A Basic Website

My friend had approached internet marketing the standard way: he heard there was money to be made, got excited, bought a product, learned that work was involved, and quit. Two years later, he needed money, and he picked up internet marketing again (which, of course, was met with purchasing another product).

This is the usual approach to this business… sad and true. My friend picked it up again and started learning about, and he did what most people do again: He started looking for ways to make fast money that required the least amount of work. Recently, he approached me wide-eyed and said, “Ryan, you don’t even have to have a website!”

That phrase revealed that he had a long road ahead of him. Of course, he was sort of right… if you find a market that is hungry, and you find products that are relevant to what the market wants, then you can give it to them in a hundred different ways – with or without a website.

Heck, I saw one guy get to know a market really well and make a few posts on a forum, followed by his PayPal address so that he could collect payment, and he raked in $20k in a few days just from understanding the market and giving it what it wanted. Bum marketing is another way to make some money without a website.

But that guy who made the $20k on the forum disappeared immediately after his launch, and he’s now deep in the porn industry. Bum marketing is great, but you have little control over what the article directories do, and you never fully capitalize on the leads that you generate.

It is my opinion that, in order to make a significant splash in internet marketing, you absolutely need to have a website. Sometimes, a blog or small site on Weebly or Blogger will do the trick, but I’m a firm believer in having your own site on your own host and your own domain. There is no substitution.

This step is a real barrier for a lot of people, often because it requires learning to deal with domain names and hosting programs.  To help with this, I’ve listed the exact programs that I use for each step:

Design: WordPress or XSitePro
Hosting: HostGator
Domain Names: Namecheap.com

For more, see Best Website Building Software.

When I find a hot niche, I always snatch up a domain over at Namecheap (I try to avoid GoDaddy – don’t like their commercials, and they have a tendency to cause a lot of problems). Then, I simply transfer it over to my hosting company, which allows me to put files online (that is, your website). Then, I either build the site in WordPress, or I make a template in XSitePro. The latter is the easiest option for beginners.

When adding content to a web page, I usually follow a model of what I simply call a “hub.” It works like this:

On the main page, I introduce the topic and attempt to collect an opt-in for a newsletter or some sort of bonus. If the niche is bowling, for example, I’ll introduce myself and explain why I’m worthy of giving you advice, and how you can find some advice in the newsletter on the page.

From the main page, I link to my central “hubs,” which are more specific to a sub niche. For example, one hub might talk about how to choose the right bowling ball, while another describes how to throw the ball straighter.

From there, I link to specific product reviews. From the hub about choosing the right bowling ball, I link to the bowling balls that I think are the best and provide reviews for each of them.

Of course, this is my own simple formula and can be tweaked however you’d like, but I do this because this structure allows me to touch on a lot of subniches, review products, and build a list from the same site.

One big mistake that people make is to create a very broad site. For example, a blog on bowling isn’t going to get you very far; the idea is too broad and fails to target a specific market. Instead, you’d be better off offering an opt-in subscription on the main page, linking to more niche specific topics in your hubs, and then providing reviews for products that would help other avid bowlers.

Questions often arise about driving traffic, promotion, and relationship building once you have a website, and I’ll address those in the coming steps, but all of these are immaterial unless your site is up. And again, if you’ve picked a hungry niche with good products to promote, then you can do a lot of things wrong and still see success.

Building a web site is nothing to fear – the first time through, it can be a pain, but it gets easier every time. While it’s possible to make money without a website, I would dare to say that it’s IMpossible to sustain a profitable business without one.

Posted in Affiliate Marketing, Internet Marketing | 36 Comments »

Before we begin, I have a very short, very blatant promotion: I’m selling one of my niche sites. (See how quick that was?) Now, let’s begin:

Every niche, every search term, every forum, and every crowd of hungry buyers has a list of relevant products that you can promote as an affiliate.

Once you have entrenched yourself into a niche via forums and social networks, and you understand the mindset of your prospect, then you are ready to give them exactly what they want and make handsome affiliate commissions in the process.

There are two ways to sell stuff to a hungry crowd:

1) You can pick a product and attempt to jam it down the throat of your market.

Or

2) You find what the market already wants and give it to them.

Both of them work; we’ve all been “sold” on stuff. But remember that people LOVE to buy, but they HATE being sold. Therefore, sales method #2 is way easier.

With that in mind, there are an endless supply of affiliate networks and programs to match you with something that will sell well to your niche.

The most obvious is Clickbank.com, but it comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Evaluating products is difficult without purchasing them (something that you should do when promoting a product heavily), and its strict stance on selling only digital products makes it difficult to promote to certain niches.

Nevertheless, there are millions of dollars to be made on Clickbank alone.

Recently, however, I have been working more and more with Amazon’s affiliate program. At a 5% commission, it can look like peanuts in comparison to Clickbank sales (unless, of course, you are selling high volume or high-ticket items), but it allows you to sell a host of physical products, and it allows you to sell a very trusted brand.

In other words, it’s easier to sell the Amazon name than it is to convince someone to purchase an ebook that they’ve never heard of.

In addition to Clickbank and Amazon, there is Convert2Media, CJ, Azoogle, Clickbooth, and a few dozen other reputable affiliate networks to choose from.

To make things easier, you can do a search over at OfferVault, which will bring up results from many different affiliate programs to match you with an offer for your niche.

However, here’s a little secret of mine:

I have had the best results with independent affiliate programs that are specific to one company or product. In other words, I dominate in-house independent affiliate programs. Since these are rarely listed on any affiliate search engine, the best way to find these is by using Google.

For example, if you’re selling bird cages, you’d search for:

“bird cages affiliate program”

Doing so will bring up a list of affiliate programs, some of which will likely be in-house. The reason I’ve had so much success with them is a direct result from working directly with the product owners, in addition to having fewer competitor affiliates.

Of course, there are full-time business dedicated to CPA offers, digital offers, physical products, continuity programs, and the like… and you should promote all of them as long as they are related and desired by your niche.

Finally, allow me to address a common concern:

“How do I promote a program when I don’t know if it’s good?”

There are two ways to answer this question:

1) Quit overanalyzing.
2) Buy the product.

If someone in a forum (or social network, or Twitter) reveals his desire for a Green Autococker Pro Paintball Gun for under $500, and I give him my affiliate link to a Green Autococker Pro Paintball Gun for $437, I’ve done my job. If there’s a problem with the order, it’s between the buyer and the seller. Quit overanalyzing.

Of course, as an affiliate, it is my job to make sure that the buyer is happy and is getting products that are going to make his life better. Therefore, if you have a product that you plan on promoting for a long time, or to a lot of people, or it takes a hard sales approach, buy the program and evaluate for yourself. It will give you insight to write better reviews and better answers to customer emails.

In the process of dominating a niche, finding affiliate programs should be the least of your worries. Find a hungry crowd, and the commissions will be there.

Next week, I’ll cover the next step in the process: building a basic website.

(Or, in the meantime, you can just buy one of mine ;) )

Posted in Uncategorized | 41 Comments »

It amazes me that such little hurdles can prevent people from taking the steps necessary to start a campaign.

These little hurdles go all the way back to the beginning of the process – even as far as the first step of choosing a niche.

I can’t count the number of emails that I receive that say, “My biggest problem is that I don’t know what to sell.” What they really mean is, “There’s so much to do, and I don’t know where to start.” And, of course, if you don’t choose what you’re going to sell, then you’re going to have a hard time selling it.

The first step to building a campaign is to get to know a niche. For many people, this step is already taken care of, because I am a big advocate of selling what you love. As Gary Vaynerchuk famously said, “If you love Alf, start an Alf blog! If you love Smerfs, SMERF IT UP!”

Some will disagree with me, but I believe in promotion your passions. It makes your job easier, because you already know the niche, and it allows you to work in something that you love. For example, my passions are business, baseball, healthy living/alternative medicine, and free markets economics. These are all niches that can be monetized.

Here’s a problem you might face: I may know enough about baseball to write about baseball. But I don’t know enough about baseball to be considered and EXPERT in baseball. This can pose a problem. After all, if I start blogging about what’s happening in Major League Baseball, well, I’m probably not going to get very far… I might get somewhere, but I’m outmatched by people who are professional baseball bloggers.

However, I do know a ton about the Cleveland Indians. I know the city, I know the players, I know the management, and I get to about fifteen games a year. I’m an expert on the Cleveland Indians… and now we’re narrowing down the niche. In fact, I would have no problem writing killer content that was relevant to Cleveland Indians fans while also running an e-commerce store that sold only Indians memorabilia.

Of course, this is just a fictitious example to demonstrate that your passions are often your best niches, and if that’s the case, then you already know enough about your niche to get started.

If, on the other hand, you don’t know your niche very well, or you’re diving into a new niche, here’s how you can quickly get to know the people within it and find what they are ready to buy:

The most important thing that you can do is listen. You do not have to enter into a market and ‘wow’ them… you simply need to listen to what they are already discussing and meet the market where it is.

One of the best places to do this is on a forum. If you Google “your niche + forum,” you’ll find plenty of people talking about the niche. If your niche is to improve eyesight, there are forums for that. If your niche is to gain muscle, there are forums for that.

Inside, people talk all day about their fears and frustrations, their desires, their hot points, and their buying triggers. If you listen, you can gain valuable information before you enter into the market.

Furthermore, you will have located a hub of users who are all targeted to your niche. Contribute to the community of the forum and your credibility will begin to stick.

If you’re unable to find relevant forums, then it’s time to reconsider your niche – you may not be targeting a hungry crowd. A sustainable, hungry crowd will have several forums discussing the niche.

There are also blogs, social networks, and news groups within almost every niche, and each is filled with people who are talking about what’s important to them.

If you really want to dive deep, then you can head over to Quantcast and research different websites that are relevant to the people in your niche. That will allow you to analyze the demographics of your niche and find out what types of sites they frequent.

Once you have identified the fears, desires, frustrations, interests, and hot points of your ideal customer, you can begin to put together a campaign that is ready to give the niche what it wants.

Eben Pagan talks about creating a customer avatar or profitle for your ideal customer. Once you understand your niche, create a profile for what your typical customer looks like. Besides your website, what else does he or she read? What are his or her hindrances to buying your product (or affiliate product)? What benefits is he or she looking for?

Once you do this, you can literally tailor all of your marketing efforts to your customer avatar as if you were marketing to one single person.

And if you truly understand your customer, then you can be the world’s worst salesman and still have hungry buyers knocking down your door.

Posted in Uncategorized | 31 Comments »