Affiliate Marketing Rocks, If You Think First
When I started out six and a half years ago, I wanted to sell my books. I’ve written 10 of them that as you may or may not know, were published traditionally. I got an advance from my publishers, wrote the books, and then, waited for the royalty checks that never arrived. I thought that by trying some marketing online, I’d be able to get bigger checks. So, let’s talk about how I got my FIRST royalty check for a book I wrote in 2001… in 2008.
I quickly realized that if I wanted to make money (and I really needed to do that at the time), that I’d better start doing something different, though I really love researching and writing about things I”m interested in. It just didn’t help to pay the bills. So…
As I started to study affiliate marketing, it seemed to me that all anyone was selling was “how to make money online” products. Any of the “gurus” I knew about from Mark Joyner to Tellman himself were in the “make money” niche, and it seemed like the smartest place to be.
I was so wrong.
It was the dumbest place to be.
People like Joyner, Knudson, Bacak, Kern, and on and on had WAY more experience at this than I did. And, they had much larger lists. In fact, I didn’t even have a list. But, I decided that was what I wanted to do. It was fun and exciting, and… it never occurred to me that I couldn’t teach people to do what I didn’t know how to do myself. DUH. Big triple DUH.
Now, I do know. I”ve spent almost four years working for one of the smartest marketers out there and have learned more than I could even attempt to tell you. But back then, I had no chops at all. Who did I think I was? And if you’re new and thinking about the IM niche… think again.
Roll up to now, and I”m doing OK. I have thousands of people on my list, and many of them have been with me for most of the time I’ve been at this. They’re awesome folks, and though I send them things to consider buying almost every day, they know I have their best interests at heart. I try to deliver value and offer them solutions to their problems. Typical affiliate marketing stuff, and the bottom line is…
I do OK.
I’m not a multi-millionaire, but what I make helps me to have a much better life. I mean, it supplements what I make working for Tellman, and it allows me to have a Cadillac CTS to drive and to live in a luxury condo in Florida and to send my daughter to school, but I”m NOT one of the mega-bucks people. I don’t have the time I really need to make that happen, and I don’t really care. I have a better chance to help more people by working for OE, and they’re like my family. Someday, I’ll probably go off on my own, but for now, it’s still something that I’m passionate about.
But here’s my point:
Had I been smart, I’d have picked a better niche, a niche where people spend money, and a niche I could stand working in for a long time. It could have been golf, polo, yachts, quilting, fish, gems, pets, or any one of a gazillion different businesses where people are craving information. And, I’d probably done a lot better, a lot faster. I wouldn’t have had the C-O-M-P-E-T-I-T-I-O-N.
And let’s face it… I just mentioned some of the wildly successful people in the game. Think of all the lower-level marketers like myself that are out there all vying for the same consumer’s dollar.
So, if you’re new to Internet marketing, or if you’re in the Internet marketing space, think about something you love. Make sure that people spend money for information there, and then see what happens.
I’ll bet you’ll be doing way better than you ever expected.
Want to see my blog on cats? http://CaptivatingCatBreeds.com . I’m having fun with it right now, bonding with an audience of people that love cats just like I do, and when I find that happening, I’m going to start monetizing what love. If I don’t… I’ll move into something else. But the thing is, you need to figure out what you like and then, start testing the waters. See if the niche you want to put your energy into is viable and then, make a mark. It’s way easier than trying to create a better IM mouse-trap. Chances are it’s been created and re-created and overdone to death.
