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If You HAD to Start Over - What would you do Different???

If I had to do it all over again

well let's see...First I would have started focussing more on the traffic flow and building my list...and then I would have searched for more JV opportunities...and god knows i would not have wasted soooooo much time and efforts on reading the same regurgitating facts that were really nothing more than a bunch of fluff twisted around to say the exact same thing...I have only just recently discovered craigslist so i feel like i am way behind on the power curve...

I would have also started my own website a lot sooner than what i did. If i would have only done those three things i think that my sales would be a lot more hefty than what they already are...

Ohh just thought about it as well, I would not have been one of those "newbies" who think that because someone else is doing some grey marketing angles that that would be the best thing to do as well..The number one thing for any successful business is put yourself in the shoes of a prospective customer and treat them like they are not in kindergarden...Too many "gurus" find loopholes and then publish a 7 page ebook that tells you to fabricate the truth to your customers...i just do not understand that...business should be fun and enjoyable...and the customer should not just be a customer but a friend as well...
 
I would not have listened to fly-by-night webmasters and other marketers who misled me and caused me tons of time in having to undo all the bad advice I tried. Always make sure your resources are credible...
 
What I would do different

Ha, ha! My first trial with affiliate programs was also web hosting. I had no money and no idea what I was going into. I managed to drive some traffic to my page, but it did not convert at all, because it was all coming from social networking sites, form people who did not need web hosting.

Then I diversified, but I suppose I'm lousy at writing copy, as nobody ever wanted to buy even a single pin from me... except the Christmas period, when I sold a few books and a few tree stands.

What I never wanted to do: use PPC campaigns to drive targeted traffic to my sites. This is what I started yesterday and I hope it will work (although I've seen only one click so far).
 
1) I would have created my first affiliate site on a broader focus rather than an extremely narrow niche.

2) This was mentioned earlier, but I would have jobbed out more work and been more diligent searching for the right help.

3) I would not have given up on affiliate marketing all together 5-6 years ago. However, I did come back 4 years ago, learned from my mistakes and have been blessed.
I have found it takes 2-3 times for me to do most things right, but I have learned to make this learning curve quicker and much less costly.

4) Would have found the answers on sites such as five-star.
 
I would have learnt more about Google ad words...I had no idea what I was doing and lost quite a bit of money that I didn't have!
 
Things I would do differently

My Partner and I Jumped into the Internet Marketing world in October 2006.. We self taught ourselves everything! Along the way we hit a few bumps on the road.. which we look at as growing pains.

One main thing we wished we could have done different:

Not hire a programmer from India. We didn't have much money to spend so we hired someone really cheep, and as you all know time is money... and we waisted a lot of time working with them! Tons of communication problems, time difference, no sense of detail..ect. So, we learned later that we should of jumped on Rent-a-coder from the very beginning. After we started working that way, we were much satisfied with the quality of work and the time frame we have it presented to us.

I'm sure there is a few more.. and more I will learn along the way!

Until then...Much Success to us all!
 
Start working on building a list on day one.

When you're staring out, you're tempted to go for the quick return by driving more traffic to your sales page, but you'll only help yourself in the long run by working on the list first. Think of it as putting your paycheck into an interest-bearing account -vs- getting paid in $20 bills.


-OOE
 
If I had to start over one of the first things I would have done as an affiliate would be to get a Domain Name from Godaddy to use in my marketing instead of my affiliate link. They are available 24/7 to help the newbie get started and are very patient, which has been my experience. So many times I see new marketers advertising their affiliate links and they even have them on business cards, this I feel quickly distinguishes them as a newbie.

The next thing I would have done differently would have been to send my prospects to a 'Lead Capture Page' first before sending them directly to my affiliate site, this puts me in a position to follow up with them with a good autoresponder like Aweber or Getresponse. This also puts me in the position so that I have captured their name and can market similiar, helpful products to them. Many times I have seen new marketers spend many dollars on marketing only to have the Affiliate Program they are marketing for capture their names. Most people will not buy on the first exposure so it is critical that we put ourselves in a position where we can followup and build our list at the same time.
 
I'd have got my domain name right away. I had a free site for so many years I got it on top of the SEs then basically had to start over lol

Great idea about getting your own forum perhaps I should look into it

Rick
 
Lisa76 said:
Linda, this is a fabulous thread and can produce tons of learning lessons.

I would have definitely stayed away from the saturated niches like Internet Marketing and Web Hosting and chosen a topic I have a passion for.

My first site was a site on "how to market your website" and it contained a summary of a lot of the advice from the affiliate gurus. I tried selling all the books that taught people "how to market online" and my site just got swallowed up by all the competition. I didn't have the money to promote it so it was hard to be "seen".

This niche is great if you're a savvy marketer like Linda, Stephen, Shawn, Allan, Ralph, Ken, etc. I admire those of you who have MADE it. But if you're a newbie like I was 7 years ago, it's so hard to get your site seen out here unless you build something that is so unique or you have the budget to promote it. It's funny that I had a site about how to make money online when I was barely earning much myself. I see lots of sites like that.

So I would have definitely built a site on my hobby instead of choosing such a highly competitive niche.
Click to expand...

Tis true Lisa76.
People need to first seriously reflect on what they are passionate over and then conduct some researching on it becoming a productive niche.
Too many dive right and end up frustrated because they failed to plan ahead and do some homework. Affiliate products can be a good way to go but everyone has that one niche that can be their compass.
Right now I am blogging on a few sites and have my several blogs out there already.

I am still green behind the gills where how to properly add in codes,etc using NotePad. I can open the Source box,copy and paste the codes and click Save,yet nothing I wanted would show up on the page afterwards.
So before I search out my niche,I need to learn proper code placement and the tools used,etc.
 
I did delve immediately into martial arts. Unfortuneately one of the cheapest groups around myself included lol, but I truly enjoy writing and selling martial arts books as well as affiliating for ma authors

Better to make a little less money doing something you love as opposed to a lot of money doing something you are not the least interested in

Rick
 
Take action

If i started over the one thing i would have done different is to take action. I hope i am not the only one who read great ebooks with excellent strategies in them but did not take action. Too difficult, too busy, too complicated, not sure; all the excuses in the world.

I have since become as much a doer as a learner, and the results are amazing
 
You are definately not the only one. I believe many people, including myself, know how to do things even better than they are doing them but have not taken the action to do so yet

Rick
 
Mistake!

My most stupid move i made in the beginning was that i bought leads. I thought i could buy my way to internet success by flooding my autoresponder with hundreds of names and addresses. 99.9% of those leads could not have cared less. The traffic numbers looked good but there were no conversions.
 
I went through many posts and infer that everyone learns from his or her past experiences. I will refresh my past experiences to do differently if I ever have to start my own business.
 

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