Why Sell Your Own Products Online?
INTRODUCTION
One of the questions I get from people I interact with who are starting out is "Why do I need my own products to sell online?"
Here are my reasons why this is a good idea, both for the short and long term when it comes to building your online marketing business...
CASH FLOW
Affiliate marketing is an excellent strategy for generating income on a somewhat passive basis over time. As your dossier of content grows from constant adding and building posts/articles/reviews that people are interested in, your income will grow using affiliate marketing...
Short term, many people need to realize income from their efforts, and many will become frustrated and give up when this does not happen. They may stick with affiliate marketing only for 3 months, 4 months or longer and have little commission to show for their work.
If you have a product that you own and sell, and it is one that is in demand, you can get it published on your site and create a second stream of income that will provide some of that cash you are looking for.
The good thing about your own product (depending on what it is) is that fact that you own it. Any sales will go directly into your account. No waiting for commission payments, no having to chase down or track what you are selling and how much you are owed...
BRAND and NAME BUILDING
As you gain more experience in online marketing, you will want to build your name recognition and brand recognition. Having your own products is an excellent way to move this along smartly...
This is important for your long term strategy as a viable business. Think about the big name brands like Coke, Mercedes, Volkswagen, etc. They spend a yuge amount of money to get their brands in the news. They want to be Bigly (just a little Trump-speak here hehe)...
EVERGREEN PRODUCTS
I believe that any effort you put into product creation and roll out is best if evergreen in nature. By this I am talking about creating a product that will be in need for large swaths of the target niche over time.
Having such products mean that you will be able to generate sales from niche members over a long period of time, and once the work is done to create them, publish them, offer them via a sales funnel or other means, you reap the benefits without much further effort...
DOES THIS INTERFERE WITH YOUR AFFILIATE MARKETING EFFORT?
It should not and will not if you plan your work and work your plan. Allot a specific amount of time for each effort you pursue for your online business, and stick to it. You are not taking away from affiliate marketing activities, or at least know where you are spending your time and for what...
CONCLUSION
Just getting started understanding everything involve with online marketing and affiliate marketing takes a lot of work if you are starting from zero or near zero. However, I do think that once you go through some of the training here, you can think about adding some additional income streams without harming your overall online business...
My suggestion is that you assess where you are at, determine how much time you can dedicate to your online business, where best to use that time and work (i.e. niche development, affiliate marketing, product development/roll out, etc.), and then develop a plan of attack...
Cheers!
Dave : )
Recent Comments
14
Thanks much William...I am having a good day, I made one request by a member here for some hints into 3 blog posts that will hopefully clarify more than a simple answer in the comments thread...Now I have to move on to other stuff...Cheers! Dave : )
See more comments
Great advice and well-written blog. Thanks!
Thanks so much for your compliment! You are more than welcome as well and I hope that this post helps (like I hope for the other two posts I published today)...
I really do believe in moving to selling your own products over time, as you continue to work the affiliate marketing angle. It can be overwhelming for some, so there are some that will want to wait to start selling their own products...
There are people that do very well just with affiliate marketing too, but I suspect that the percentage of the success stories is very low compared to all that try...
Having some kind of bridge income can make the difference between giving up and sticking it out because you see success and you are making some money...
It is for these (and I include myself in this group) that I decided to add this post today.
Cheers!
Dave : )
I have some bridge revenue...the bridge is pretty sparse and thin right now, though. I'm trying to be savvier and more open, too. I'm working on being stronger and smarter about what and how I charge for my current services right now, too. Thanks again! ~ t
Hi, T (Is that right?)...
I know that feeling (sparse bridge)...
In the old days, I was charging 2000 USD a day plus expenses for writing contract proposals (answering RFP for large multi-year Government contracts)...In dangerous areas dodging bullets and worse...
Those days are gone, but so is the stress that comes with the expectations of clients who are paying that kind of wage/the danger...I prefer what I am doing now - the offline work is still very interesting and lucrative...The online efforts are great too...
Don't lowball yourself, that is for sure. If you have a specialty that a client requires to get what they are looking for, they will pay if the potential win is big enough for them...
Heading off to sleep now, here in Dubai, it is after 1 AM...Up at 4, so need a few hours shut-eye!
Cheers!
Dave : )
Thanks for the advice and feedback! I appreciate it! I'd LOVE to work in Dubai! I'm on a short petcare stint where I'm doing more of a "pay it forward" payment arrangement for this family in New Mexico right now. Hope you slept well! ~ t
Here's my blog about the outdoors here in NM:
http://getoffmybuttandgooutside.com/new-mexico-outdoor-adventures
Enjoy Dubai! ~t
Hi, t...
Dubai is a great place, it is like the Beirut of the 70's, but on amphetemines hehe...I have never seen a place grow up as fast as this...More to come, these people have vision (and a lot of them have money)...
I will have a look at your blog...Pretty sure it will interest me...Having been through NM several times over the years, each time has been nice...
The western part of the USA has always fascinated me, although I grew up on the border of Canada (MN) literally ON the border - lots of family and friend connections in Ontario and Manitoba (Winnepeg)...
The most memorable trip to NM was a stop years ago with the family in Las Vegas (yes there IS a Las Vegas there too) - we attended a Mexican wedding by accident, they just happened to be celebrating the night we were there in the same hotel, so they invited us in....It was great (can you say tequila?)!
That gig you are doing sounds pretty good to me...
Cheers!
Dave : )
I'm in the mountains between Las Vegas and Santa Fe right now. I've been invited to a potluck later this week. I've only passed through Las Vegas on my way to AZ before this visit. It's gorgeous here! Getting ready to head to the Georgia O'Keefe Museum soon. ~ t
Enjoy! : )
Thanks!
Heh YW!