Stop Sitting on the Marketing Sidelines
December 14th, 2010
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Author: Someone emailed me today and wow – she’s done a TON of research and studying about Internet Marketing but hasn’t gotten going yet. So here was my reply to her:
You sound like the kind of person who is so afraid of failing at this, you’re making sure every T is crossed and every i is dotted before you ACT. That’s usually a positive thing, isn’t it? But not in marketing.
You see, everything online can be tweaked, altered and fixed as you go. The problem is, some people never get going. It’s like sitting in a new car, making sure the lights are, the oil is right, the gears are perfect, etc. and never putting your foot on the gas.
You can get started with JUST a domain and hosting – nothing else. Heck, to be honest you could get started with a free Squidoo lens. If you don’t have hosting and a domain yet, and can’t afford it, then do a free blog yes – BUT the reason I always worry about free is that when you don’t own it, they can delete it without warning (happened to me once)!
On finding a topic….
This is another reason I tell people to become a service provider (ghostwriter) first. Not only are you making money, but you’re dipping your toe into a ton of niches and seeing how you like them. For instance, I always thought I’d like the relationship niche but after ghosting so many guides on it, I discovered I didn’t.
Health, Wealth and Relationships are the big 3 broad niches. But not the ONLY niches. And some people say, “Write what you know” but I almost went on the LPGA (women’s pro golf) and I find writing about golf BORING!
When you pick a topic, you have to have passion for it. And you have to be invested to be able to write about it a lot – because it doesn’t stop with an eBook. You have to write blog posts, articles, reports, emails, etc.
Check out the non fiction section on book sites.
Check out the ClickBank marketplace.
Write down about 5 ideas you think you might be interested in. Make an outline of a table of contents for a book. See if each one has a good domain available based on keyword research.
Maybe even start all 5 blogs to test the waters. Spend about 2 weeks blogging on each one and seeing how
you like the process, how your traffic picks up, etc.
Then narrow down your decision.
You may even change course after awhile but you will have learned how to do more things, so the second time will be faster and more enjoyable – less of a struggle.
Tiff 
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Great post! I was stuck in the analysis & learning paralysis stage for over two years.
I am VERY glad to be free from that now!
It’s funny how things are working out, I have suddenly become a “service provider”, I’m writing articles and acting as a “virtual assistant.” I regularly write on one subject for two of my clients and jokingly said I could write an ebook. “Don’t joke” said one client, “that’s what I am planning to do.”
Perhaps you could give me some ideas about making money from that venture Tiffany, I don;t want to sell myself short.
Anyway this is my 4th week doing this and I am making a good consistent income, people are offering me bonuses and extra money for rush jobs too. If you can write reasonably well, it’s the fastest way to earn money from home. I had my first job within an hour of posting my one and only ad, and have as much work as I can handle.
Tiffany is right, it’s definitely working for me and I am learning so much, I’ll be on Jeopardy soon!
That is fantastic Karen! Email me if you have any questions about eBook authorship. I’m glad the ghostwriting path is paying off and yes, I forgot about the bonus for faster deliverables! Another thing I need to mention
Paralysis by analysis kept me from starting for around 18 months but I don’t regret one day of it as I learned so much. I’m very lucky in that my husband is totally supportive and won’t hear of me finding a job outside the home. He refuses to let that education go to waste.
I still devote part of my day and week to learning but now spend the majority of my time on my sites. I just wish they paid a little more.
Kathy
That IS wonderful Kathy! Kudos to your husband
Great post, Tiffany! We, too, get many emails from folks like your subscriber, who learn but don’t DO, and we give them similar advice.
You are absolutely right that starting is sometimes the hardest thing. The reality is you know more than you think but you’ve never put it to work. I am loving internet marketing and totally getting addicted- I completely understand your domain craze!
Thanks for the nudge. It is a big scarey step to take-that first one, into a reality which is relatively new for most of us. Things happen so quickly in the internet world that it feels like having to leap into a rapidly moving river with a leap of faith, without knowing where we are going to end up on the other side. Not that we should let that stop us because the worse case scenario is a learning curve. Does anyone have any recommendations of a software to assist with writing/ grammer editing.
Mostly I use Microsoft Word or you can use Open Office if you don’t have that. I also read through everything I write. I figure if after all that is still has errors I am only human and maybe that will appeal to people.
There is a saying ‘ever learning and never coming to the knowledge …’ and that knowledge is, as Nike says – just doing it.