"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got." We've all heard this saying time and again; but how many of us, as marketers, actually take heed to this saying? How many of us were disappointed with what we earned in 2009, yet in the 35 days that we've spent in this year, haven't changed a thing about our strategy, or even evaluated it for that matter? I know I belong in this category. For the past seven years I've been sitting on the sidelines, trying to learn everything I could about marketing online. I have attempted different methods of marketing, but none consistently; and the results I've seen have followed suit; I've made some money online here and there, but nothing consistently. I AM READY FOR CHANGE This year starts a new beginning for me. I am no longer going to sit on the sidelines; this marketing thing becomes more than a hobby and a pastime. I will see start to see the results that I have set for myself long ago, by actually giving my all for this. I am setting some resolutions for myself, in order to truly see positive change in my results. YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR GOALS IN SIGHT In order to make any resolutions, you have to have the end result in mind. Once you picture that, think about what it will take and what you will need for you as you presently are, to achieve that end result. Right now, my goal is to earn $100 consistently each month from affiliate marketing. This may sound like a small goal, but I am keeping it realistic as I have earned online but never consistently. In order to achieve this,I will have to take the time to organize the affiliate sites I am interested in into a funnel system that I can market. I will also have to come up with a marketing schedule that will fit around my schooling, that effectively drives traffic. I need to get over my hangups of procrastination for doing things, and being a perfectionist when creating things to publish. Finally, and probably most important, I need to find a mentor that will both help me with the knowledge I need to market my system, and also hold me accountable when I tend to procrastinate. USE THE CHANGES NECESSARY AS RESOLUTIONS OR GOALS FOR THIS YEAR. Once you've figured out where you want to go and how you need to get there; use that information to set goals or resolutions for yourself. It works even better if you write them down and post them where you can see them every day. As you achieve them, don't just cross them off the list, write the word 'VICTORY' across it so it impressions in your mind that you have gotten one step closer to your goals Another tip for sticking to your resolutions is to share them with friends and other individuals interested in Marketing (hint-hint lol) Here are my official Marketers Resolutions for 2010 below: I will come up with a daily marketing plan by 2/18/10 I will organize the websites that I am member of into a profitable sales funnel I will contribute daily to my member forums I will seek out a mentor who is willing to help me with my marketing and structure of my sales funnel, without attempting to sell me on another product/service/opportunity I will write about my progress daily on my blog. That is what I have so far (I know I'm late *blush*). It is a growing list by the way, as I am ready to do anything but sit on the bench one more minute. But I would love to have feedback from you? What are your resolutions for marketing in this new year? Have you made any? Is this thread helpful? Do you think you can help me on my journey?
Great post. Where can you find a mentor who will teach you everything without charging you something? I think the best way to learn as much as you can using all the free information out there. Sign up for people's mailing list using a separate email account and lots of time you will see they will give you free stuff as a pre-sale for their products. I have found that you can learn lots of stuff from the presale videos, reports, and webinar. But be careful, it can be a big time killer also. Learn a little bit and implement it. Don't wait to learn everything before you implements anything. There is no everything. There are bits and pieces and to become successful, you have to put together your own pieces of the puzzle and come up with a system that works for you Once you have the system, you become guru and start selling the system
drknlvly6781: "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got." We've all heard this saying time and again; but how many of us, as marketers, actually take heed to this saying? How many of us were disappointed with what we earned in 2009, yet in the 35 days that we've spent in this year, haven't changed a thing about our strategy, or even evaluated it for that matter? I know I belong in this category. For the past seven years I've been sitting on the sidelines, trying to learn everything I could about marketing online. I have attempted different methods of marketing, but none consistently; and the results I've seen have followed suit; I've made some money online here and there, but nothing consistently. I AM READY FOR CHANGE I think your determination to make a change is wonderful and necessary. It saddens me that you have spent so many years trying to piece things together without having a whole lot to show for it. That's one of the "fatal flaws," I believe, in trying to learn how to make money online "on your own for free." It's just far too easy to either get distracted, confused, misinformation, etc. Yes, there are too many (probably the majority) programs and systems, etc., that claim to be able to teach you and willing to take your money, only to leave you high and dry or still floundering. That can be very demoralizing and discouraging. However, there really are a few wonderful systems set up to take a person by the hand and walk them through the entire business building process step-by-step. The one I learned from was both proven and affordable, and the best thing of all - all-inclusive. While doing my research, I was overwhelmed with the idea of trying to grab all these different pieces of information from all of these different sources and put them together into some mysterious puzzle that I really had no idea what the finished "picture" was supposed to look like (apart from money in my pocket). I admire your tenacity in sticking it out this long in that state and still being determined. I would most likely given up within a year as a result of the sheer frustration. $100 per month is a worthy first goal. That was my first goal, too, when I started three years ago. I really only thought I'd ever achieve about $300 per month. I was just looking for some extra spending money and thought I might be able to achieve that online. I discovered that the more you make, the more you want (blush). I'm now averaging almost $100 per day and hoping to make that $150 by the end of the year. (One of my 2010 Marketers Resolutions). Reading through your list of resolutions, I'd like to offer some tips to you. I hope that you will receive them in the spirit in which they are offered. Don't try to do too many things. Focus on ONE project and stick with it for however long it takes to get yourself earning steady income. Taking the time each day to write about your progress on a blog is not the best use of your time. Instead, use that time to actually make more progress. Does that make sense? Stay out of the forums for a while. You certainly don't need to post daily in the forums. It's not the best use of your time while you are trying to build a foundation. Instead, build your foundation. The forums will still be there when you are earning. Everyone that knows me in this forum (and others) knows that I'm sold on the idea of building a niche website as the best way to do affiliate marketing successfully. That's not because it is the ONLY way to do it, but rather because it's the only way I know how to do it. I joined SBI and started my first website in December 2006. I put blinders on for about 8 months and concentrated solely on building my first site. I rarely visited forums, I didn't blog, do squidoo, hub pages, article marketing, etc. I just focused on building a good website full of content that searchers were looking for following the step by step Action Guide that they provided. It was a LOT of work with little reward for the first 9 months or so. But since then, it has been more and more reward for less and less work. It was well worth the effort. Once I confirmed to myself that the process really did work, I repeated the cycle by starting more theme based websites that were of interest to me. I know you really weren't looking for another suggestion of something "different" for you to do, but when I see someone with your drive and determination, struggling for so long, I can't help but try to encourage you to reconsider your path and trod one that so many others have traveled successfully. In keeping with the spirit of the thread, here are some more of my 2010 Marketers Resolutions... - set my chocolate site up so that visitors can sell their own homemade candy on the site (for a monthly fee). - flesh out my health site and my insurance site with more content to increase visitor numbers and add more value to the user. - hire some writers to help with content creation so that I don't have to do it all myself, freeing up my time. - re-learn the uploading html process for my new website so that I can get back to working on it again. - create a couple of digital products to offer for sale on my newest website. Well, those are the basics I'd like to accomplish. I may not achieve them all by year's end (time just goes too fast these days), but I know where I'm headed, and I know (most of the time) how to get there. I have to crack the whip and get myself to get it done. I, too, need to avoid spending "too much" time in forums. Wishing you genuine success in 2010. Blessings, Angie
onera onera: Great post. Where can you find a mentor who will teach you everything without charging you something? I think the best way to learn as much as you can using all the free information out there. Well, in a nutshell that is exactly my problem. Without someone to guide me, I have been overloaded with all the free information that I get, putting me at a standstill with my progress. But what I have found is that if you put it out there that you are looking, you will find many helpful people that aren't trying to sell you something on the back end. I've posted this on many forums, and have gotten great advice from each. happywife I believe that if you use the forums constructively, they can be very beneficial to marketing efforts, both in getting traffic to your sites through signature links, and also from the helpful information you get from people like you! Remember that people don't join opportunities, people join people they trust and feel are knowledgeable in their opportunity. Even though I feel that I don't spend enough time in the forums, you are right to say that one shouldn't spend too much time in them, nor in blogging about their progress. Focusing on one aspect of marketing is detrimental, because you are handicapping yourself in all the other ways that you could be getting your opportunity out there. Thanks for both of your responses, they are a great help!
You are more than halfway there just because you've actually taken the time to identify some goals for this year and then written them down. There's a higher level of commitment (and achievement) once they are in writing. Good Luck to you!
