Hello, since there is a few very helpful people emerging from the depths of digital points, I figured this would be a good time to start my own progress journal. I have read a lot of things from thread to thread and developed my own plan that I will keep people updated with. Since I'm 17 and don't really have investment money, sticking with article marketing seems to be the easiest for now. So time to reveal my plan step by step and hopefully get some constructive feedback. 1. Decisions Decisions Decisions Choose 5 clickbank products and write 5 article reviews about each of them. (I went with reviews because I've heard customers love them) The requirements for each product I choose are going to be at least $20 commisions each, money back guarentee, and it has hard proof on the sales page. 2. Copy And Paste Post the article reviews on different article directories and relevant forums. (I'm still figuring out how to drive traffic to directories such as ArticleBase, that's my biggest concern right now.) 3. Bring em Home When the articles I write are done, I'll be sure to have my affiliate link in there so it can go to the "landing page" (Or sales page, there the same thing right?) 4. Time Management / Wash Rinse Repeat Since I'm 17 and still in school constantly getting projects and stuff, it's going to be hard trying to juggle both. So what I'll do is Monday through Friday put aside 2 hours to work online, and saturday will be my day off. Sunday I'll get back to work with 5 -7 hours of work. If this method turns out to be successful, therefore it's time to wash, rinse and repeat. My overall goal is: Make $100 my first time of being an active affiliate marketer. This is not, I repeat NOT just ordinary spending money. My schools videogame club (Yes, school videogame clubs exist now, SOGA! Society Of Gamers Anime) is having a trip to tokyo next year and each member has to give their part finacially. It's next year, so this is a real test I can strive for because 1) If I can't make $100 by next year, it'll prove I don't belong in this bussiness and 2) If it does work out I'll be able to help other people that live around me do the same thing. I've always pictured myself teaching a bunch of people who are excited to learn about this stuff, and seeing the look on their faces when they get their first sale. So, this is my plan, like I said before constructive critisism. By the way, today I'll be picking the products.
Still new to adwords since google doesn't approve much of the submitted sites from me, or take so long to do so. I'll try to research more on SEO.
Don't use adwords.. I'm sure you don't want to waste money on ppc starting out.. Stick with the free methods..I'm starting in the same boat as you.. I'm just waiting on my content/ articles to be finished and then we'll go from there..Best luck to the both of us.. :>)
Hi RGA, You're definetly in the right mindset, and if you are really 17 and showing this type of passion, I don't think you should rule this out as a business. First off, what type of development skills do you have? Have you dabbled in html/css, php, coldfusion or any types of programming languages? Even basic html/css are important skills to have as they'll allow you to develop, expand and solidify a marketing channel for next to nothing. Right now you have an amazing asset on your side - time. If you can learn basic development and search optimization skills then you'll be able to build long term marketing channels that have value, as opposed to article marketing which tends to have a much shorter life span. For you, I would start a blog and keep writing. You're 17 and seem to have a good grasp of grammar and the language, which is paramount to both success and learning efforts. If you haven't already been introduced to the art and science of "copywriting" then I highly suggest you take a look, soak it in and master the critical techniques that will help you connect with your prospects on a deeper level. Focus on gaining valuable feedback like you are in this thread and you'll continue to improve. I'm 21 myself and started around your age. Since then my journey has been an exciting rollercoaster, starting by learning development languages and creating content, writing my own blogs and creating revenue sources and ultimately specializing in "Local SEO" which led to a job working for a company I truly respect and believe in. I never made a single dollar in my first year, but what I gained was far more important. Use the time you have to your benefit and accumulate wisdom and human capital, build relationships and study the psychological behavior of every potential prospect. Good luck and have fun! Feel free to PM me anytime if you have questions or want to chat - I would love to share my experiences and learn from yours.
Adwards is a great tool if utilized correctly. Before uploading money and spending it on useless keywords, research the net and find what's converting well in your niche!
Thanks friend, and I never really thought about getting into programming language. Once I was studying C++ but I stopped because I wondered what would I do with that knowledge. And your right, article marketing isn't the a long term plan it's just a lift off. Especially since keywords still confuse me. Anyway, thank you very much for your input and check into the journal anytime you wish.
Yeah, we'll both learn from this, keep coming back and I'll share what I've learned with you anytime.
Hey RGA, C++ is a bit trickier than most of the browser based programming languages and you may find learning html/php to be instantly applicable to your marketing ventures. In terms of keywords, they're your best friend in search marketing and a good point to refine. If you have any specifric questions on keywords feel free to PM or post here and I'll be happy to shed some light Cheers!
Just push yourself to publish as much content as you can everyday, even if its poor its better to have 10 poor and quickly done articles than 1 amazing one.
I'm sorry I could not disagree more; sure, if you write eight or so hastily made articles containing grammatical errors, false information and accidental misuse of rhetorical devices you can drive some traffic to your content. But, if looking from a professional standpoint, if you would like repeat visitors who enjoy reading amazing and unique content, then you should write and rewrite your content in such a way. I cannot stress enough that even when writing, if you go back and refine what you have written, you can always find areas in need of improvement. Would you purchase an ebook written for English-speakers by a writer in another country with the language skills equivalent to that of a grade school student? Or would you rather read the one hundred page step-by-step ebook written by a professional in clear, grammatically correct language? Again, if looking for development, especially in hopes of receiving future writing jobs, you should aim to create premium content. The more your users love your work, the more likely they will return to read your latest releases.
What crappy advice. This coming from a guy advertising an "article spinner" in his signature. There's a difference between generating lots of content and generating lots of QUALITY content. If you publish "poor" content, you will only see "poor" revenue.
Right on! A great lesson to learn at your age is to approach any advice critically (even from ones you trust and respect). There is a lot of "fluff" on the net and you'll ultimately need to separate the wheat from the chaff on your own accord. Critical thinking is definitely an undervalued skill, and an extremely important one as well. It's good to see the other DP members stepping in to help out and share their critical opinions. Like dlm said - poor content, attention to detail and lack of focus will always result in poor returns. Demeven makes some great points on why quality content creates more value and adds to your long-term efforts.
I agree, Quality over Quantity is no doubt a plus, and later today, I'll be making my next official journal entry.
Perfect 3 products chosen from the ClickBank marketplace. I will revise my drafts to make the articles written for them spotless. Then, upload them to the list of article directories. http://www.vretoolbar.com/articles/directories.php Still, I can't figure out to get traffic to it, so I'm just hoping it comes along. Also, I'll be posting on forums relevant to the product. But Luckily, My Amigo Localism filled me in on SEO marketing, so I'll find 5-7 long tail keywords each article, place the main really good keyword with little to no competition in the title. Also he taught me about keyword density, and that overloading an article with keywords is a bad idea. I wish I would of known that sooner. =/ But, better later than never *Startes Writing*