Why Keep Trying?
Why Keep Trying?
Once in a while I ask myself this question and the answer to it gets a bit crazier all of the time and justifying the time, aggravation and little bit of expense is a little ridiculous. I forget about this adventure for thirty to forty minutes at a time, but then I find myself wondering if fluorescent, backlit toilet seats might be just the niche that everyone else has overlooked and find myself with an open tab for Google insights for search, the Google keyword tool and Wealthy Affiliates competition spy tool. Eventually the heady blast of inspiration passes and I succumb to more realistic thoughts, like starting the tractor and dragging the snow out of the drive.
Determination Has Led To Another Bad Habit
Used to be when the clock had passed into yet another day and I lay slumped over at my laptop, that the promise of simple websites with perfect domain names, a little S.E.O., and back linking made it all O.K. The simple fact is I don't find much success and I may be one of the ninety five percent who never do but I have learned a lot of things that makes not doing this hard. I would like to say I am one of the people who does not gamble because they understand the odds. I like to gamble. Like the smell of all the other sick souls who know that once in a while a card is turned that forgives seven years bad luck. Hate to lose though...so I don't gamble often. Internet marketing isn't much different. Once you've made a single sale, you'll always try to figure out how it happened. Make it happen again. See I've learned just enough to know it can be done. Not only that but I've bungled around enough to understand that it isn't necessarily a game of craps after all. It takes skill.
Why Internet Marketing Works For Some And Not Others
Greed and bull chip is a huge motivating force and it's human nature to take things at face value if it answers the need. Earning money while I sleep seems like a heck of a good idea, and maybe if it had never happened I could walk away from this but it did. Not often as yet, and certainly not the way 100 million internet scams will have you believe but I know how it happened. It took me a total of a million khaghillion hours of doing things the wrong way. I even dappled in a few of those "get mighty rich in forty minutes plans". I did eventually make a sale. Just because something does not work right away or the way some one else does it, does not mean it can't. It means you didn't take the time or energy to make it happen.
I'm An Idiot. Will It Take Me Longer Succeed?
Yes! Marketing is the silent word in your plans. Affiliate is the easy part. Marketing has more curves than a lesbian love triangle. I did not come equipped to this trade with a four year degree and while the power of positive thinking is an able teacher, it will take me a long time to learn and hone the skills that are used in online marketing. You see, (internet) affiliate marketing is complex mix of business, web design, writing, and psychology, to mention just a few of the struggles. A lucky few seem to come into this business with the necessary skills, and like any successful business, a personal love or ambition that drives their online presence to the top of every search engine out there. Call it charisma, call it believability, but these people offer the mix that every marketer dreams of, excellent credentials, a desired product, and a character that stands behind that product based on their own PERSONAL BELIEF. They not only walk the walk, they talk the talk.
Who Are You?
One of the perplexing aspects to affiliate marketing is that everyone who involves themselves in it winds up going through this weird period of introspection. Why would anyone buy from me? How do I compete on a level that seems to be far more distinguished than what my abilities are? How can I ever learn the necessary skills? Heck, just getting a domain name is a huge hurdle for some of us. My family thinks I've lost my mind.. There are million reasons you can't succeed. There are just three things you need to avoid failure and develop the credentials you don't have. You have to more determined than anyone else. You must be willing to fail and accept that the only thing you "get" for your effort is the opportunity to fail again. Try something, even if it does not work. You will get it right and when you do no one can undo that. You will own that knowledge and you will build on it. Finally, there is no time frame for success. There is no blueprint that can be made to work for everyone. Your success will come, probably sooner than mine. The least you will do is learn a hundred new things, and I think that's why I keep trying.
Recent Comments
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I have had a lot of flops... more than I care to admit too... but each month that goes by I make a little more. Will I ever make a living at this? Don't know but I don't collect recycle any more! lol... All the things that were such a challenge not to long ago are 2nd nature now... My last site was making me money in the first week... not a lot but some. It is now out doing all the rest I have combined and just turned 6 months old. It has been a 5 yr. journey to this point. All I can say is keep at it and it will happen. This is a business I completely enjoy even though it can be aggravating at times. I think what I like most is the challenge and how things are always changing... keeps the grey matter active and that is something I need at my age! Success is different for everyone but just thought you should know that I found your post encouraging... along with the rest of the comments that you have provoked. Thanx
Excellent blog, Art. You express this journey with color and feeling. I've come to the conclusion that the process itself has to carry you along. In other words, just enjoy yourself. If you're having fun, you will communicate that to an audience. To make sales, I think you need a product/s that people absolutely want, plus you have to reach "real" buyers, not just shoppers. Having a list to communicate with is very valuable. Your list is your captive audience. Growing a list takes some doing, but I think that is how you get your following. I learned this the hard way. My list needs to grow, since it is full of relatives, friends, and not necessarily buyers, though some. Interesting thing is that it is all contingent. The kind of traffic you attract determines who opts in to your newsletter and forms your list. You have to find a simple strategy that works for you and just repeat it, tweaking, testing as you go along. I think there are people here who figure it all out from the start, and others who take more time. Doesn't matter. If it's fun, just keep going. Takes effort. The interesting thing I've discovered about the internet is that it seems to have a life all its own. I have sites I put up years ago and just totally neglected. As a matter of fact, I forgot about them. They're getting good traffic with no help from me, even some sales. Anyway, effort is never wasted. Learning anything new can never be taken away from you. Also, you never know how it will all play out. Sooner or later, you'll have a brainstorm, not an aha moment, but a bonafied brainstorm. Illuminated toilet seat, hmmmm.
Thanks Joan and you are right, the internet does have a life of it's own. I think making it mesh with our own reality is what defines that aha moment. Mean time it is an engaging puzzle that never really lets you stay away. Just one more piece and it will get so much easier..
Great post, I recognize myself a lot in it. I have made a few sales, received a couple of checks but no consistent sales. Constantly getting new ideas, starting a new project and giving up because I get doubts and no longer believe in what I am doing. Still I know that it can work and this is why I keep going, I want it so badly. I have been trying too hard too long to quit now, I need to succeed. Best of luck to you and really nice to hear from someone else who is also struggling.
Cheers,
Joakim
Knowing that it does work and that we have made it work a few times is what is so maddening and knowing how little success it takes to make a big difference. Just give me a ten sites making twenty dollars a day and you'll hear me crowing like Warren Buffet after he's proved another stock pick. Best of luck in your efforts!
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You have a great talent for expressing yourself.