I GAVE UP on blogging (the value of EXPERIENCE)
Just a quick thought that I would like to share with you, especially those that are struggling to get started and not seeing the results you think you should see by now.
Online business has natural ups and downs. There will be times when business is booming, but there will be times when business is in the toilet.
As of now, my affiliate income, specifically with WA, is down... in the proverbial toilet.
Since May 18, 2019, have had over 120 free memberships but only 2 premium upgrades (all organic).
For you math whizzes out there, that is a conversion rate of about 1.6%.
In a word... ABYSMAL.
I remember something similar happening in November 2017. Back then, I was fighting just to get a handful of free membership referrals per week! At one time in 60 days, the blog generated over 105 free memberships... and not a single one upgraded to premium.
Have you ever fought and clawed for something SOO FREAKIN' HARD just to get zero results?
When that happened to me, in Nov and Dec 2017, I came within 1 inch of just throwing in the towel. I ALMOST GAVE UP ON OLINE BUSINESS COMPLETELY.
I think I even stopped posting for two weeks in my own little "pity party protest" (that only hurt myself, lol)
At this point, the BenjisDad brand was about 7 months old and I was generating income from past sales, but I wanted to keep adding to my pile. But being inexperienced I could not see the forest for the trees. I was just looking at the 'NOW.'
One thing I did when I felt discouraged, was I leaned on the community here at WA. Anytime I had an extra few minutes I read 'success at Wealthy Affiliate'... the THOUSANDS of success stories here at WA. They are very easy to find, you just have to look. (Here is a favorite of mine that Nathaniell posts annually: https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/nathaniell/blog/2018-another-year-of-success-growth-at-wealthy-affiliate )
Reading the success of others who were farther along than I was in their journey, helped give me a boost to just keep pushing. Many people complain that I always tell them, 'just keep pushing' the reason for that is not to be the 'rah-rah' guy, not delivering any 'actionable' advice, but just a wise and spirited push from an experienced marketer.
Mindset is everything. If you are resolved not to quit until you figure it out, then no amount of discouragement will stop you from achieving your goals.
Anyways.. back to the story...
The worst-kept secret is that I did not give up. As a result, things got interesting when January and February 2018 hit.
Business... started... BOOMING....
My main blog was picking up steam in traffic AND sales.
So, what I realized happened is in Nov and Dec, nearly everyone experiences dips in traffic and conversions because it is the holidays and most people are worried with other things than rather than starting an online business.
So fast forward to present... 120 referrals, very few premium upgrades..... what could be the cause?
Holidays? Maybe...
End of the Month? Maybe...
Just how business is? MOST LIKELY...
There are so many factors that come into play to make a sale. Early on when your sales are 'hit and miss', it can seem like an eternity and nothing is working. But allow some time to pass as you keep building. Looking back, you WILL realize that it was likely one or two factors that could have caused the dip.
So what do I want you to learn from this entire thing... For me, I am not even the least bit worried about the dip, and nor should You in regards to your business.
As long as I keep doing things I have control over (such as creating and posting more content), then I KNOW IT WILL BOUNCE BACK.
It ALWAYS does.
In Nov 2017, I did not have that experience. And I panicked and almost gave up on something that in the ensuing months and years changed EVERYTHING. My life and my family's lives have been completely transformed, simply because "I kept pushing"
So where are you in your journey? Are you going through a tough time? Feel you are working non-stop and getting zero results?
I can honestly tell you, I've been there.... It gets's better.
But Only If You Keep Pushing.
Comment below with your where you are in your journey. How long have you been chipping away
Recent Comments
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My niche website's traffic was cut by 50% in mid march. I haven't fully recovered but I still write 3-4 blog posts per week because I know 1 or 2 of those posts will rank and when they do, I will be back in the money :)
You'll get back in the money Mubs. You have a great mindset and work ethic from what I've seen.
Thanks for this bolt of motivation BenjisDad. I have been chipping away now for the past 10 months and it feels like it is all in vain. There are days when I feel like giving up also. I have even stopped writing on my niche site.
However, I will certainly keep pushing forward. I am now apart of the SuperAffiliate Challenge and I have made a new commitment to stick it out to the end comes what may.
So once again thank you for the motivation and for sharing your experience.
Wishing you all the best and continued success.
I guess you are right behind me. I'm only 5 months ahead. Keep pushing. Have you seen my 15 month video case study? Maybe there's some thoughts in there that could help you out.
Thanks, I will check out your video I saw it but was unable to open the video I will try again tonight.
Keep going. It gets more and more exciting as you stick with it. Hopefully the training illustrates that for you.
Well said Chris.
I know when I first started I didn't understand things like seasonality, Google's sandbox, etc.
All of these things can play into why you may not be seeing results when you want during a given time. And I think having a community like this is very helpful because you can talk to other affiliates to see what they have experienced to give you some encouragement and guidance.
Ironically a few super affiliates hit me this week about slow sales and traffic. And I reminded them it's the memorial day week and weekend. People are on summer vacation mode. So you'll definitely see a dip in either traffic or sales conversions if you're in the make money niche.
Whereas if you're in another niche that compliments this holiday time, your revenue and traffic may shoot up. I think its natural that people want to have a knee jerk reaction when things aren't going their way. But its short sighted and can lead you to losing a whole new life. So I'm happy we have this community where we can depend on each other for that push.
Because I remember what it was like when this didn't exist. It was very tough and lonely. I only made it because I was stubborn and wanted to prove to the naysayers that I could make money online. But now my motivation is all about my family. So giving up isn't an option because that means I'm giving up on them.
That's why I love having more established members here because it's important to be pulled back into reality, and told about trends like Memorial Day and so on. Thanks for being a great resource to many of us here. I remember my first months here, and I'm pretty sure I would've given up if it hadn't been for your posts and encouragement. Thanks for that.
You're welcome Tiffany. So many people have missed out on so much because they gave up too quickly with this business. It saddens me.
well thought out Eddy. What we know because of our experience helps us. Those without it need to trust the process.
The rumors about what to expect from online are so confusing! When I came here, my expectations were completely off. If it wasn't for reality checks from honest people like you, I would've been taking it personal when I didn't make a full-time income by now. Hahahaha.
Yeah that's the crappy thing about the internet. So much hype and misinformation. It makes people come here with unrealistic expectations that I'm happy to squash immediately. Some don't listen and chase after shiny new objects only to come back and realize I was right.
Hi Chris
This blog has landed at the perfect time for me - thank you VERY much!
Like you, I have read the success stories in the community, at first they really encouraged me, now that get on my nerves (just a bit) because I am still not reaping the rewards of my labour.
Giving up is not an option though, this is my future and I have many, many plans :-) Just got to find out what I am doing wrong and correct it.
Thank you for your (always valuable) share.
Blessings
Louise
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I've been chipping away for 15 months and I can empathize deeply for those moments when things seem silent. It's pretty lackluster, or "abysmal" as you put it, but I'm super grateful for people like you who told me to keep going when I could hear crickets. Haha.
Now, things are looking a little more exciting, so I'm much more motivated than I was. I'm starting to see what you're saying about the trends and patterns, and it's also nice when you see the cause and effect (how your actions connect to the end result).
15 months is much better than the earlier months for me. It's definitely been a compound effect, and I'm excited about the continuation of that.
so traffic and sales are picking pu on the blog?
Crickets..lol
Yes. Things have been picking up. Now, I'm just experimenting with optimizing my posts and working on adding traffic channels. The learning curve in this business is real.