My first online sale! And mistakes I made along the way.
So, when I signed into W.A. yesterday I got a BIG surprise - a message from Kyle that read 'Congrats on your 1st sale!'!
My first thought was 'what?!' quickly followed by 'how?!' and 'where did that come from?!'
For those who don't know, I joined WA in January 2020. I joined because I had previously tried to build a website (for my network marketing business) but got so stuck, I gave up.
My first website was in the personal development niche, but I was so blown away with the training at W.A., I was desperate to spread the word.
Consequently, I started another website aimed at helping people like me who were stuck trying to start a blog.
However, I found it so competitive that I took up freelance writing instead! Hence my surprise at my first sign-up!(Btw - I am so grateful to W.A. for giving me the skills to be able to work as a freelance writer. In a million years I would not have the skills or confidence otherwise.)
Here are some mistakes I made along the way.
Choosing the wrong keywords
Here's the thing about keywords if you are in an ultra-competitive niche. You can find keywords that look perfect on paper (or on Jaaxy!), but you need to do one more thing.
Even if the QSR on Jaaxy is super-low, do a Google search for the keyword you are considering. If the 'A List' of your industry is on page one (and two, and three!), forget it.
Just make sure it is 'your' keyword they are ranking for. If it's similar but not the same, you still have a chance.
Time and again I would find I was up against superstar bloggers with high authority and world-class content. My new blog was never going to stand a chance.
Google Ads
I made the most classic mistake with my first Google ads.
I had done some research on where my target audience lived (the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, and UK),
Don't ask why, but I didn't select those countries. I guess I was thinking that our opportunity could appeal to people anywhere.
Big, big, big mistake. I got LOTS of sign-ups (I mean hundreds!) and was sooooo excited! I was on my way to Vegas and retiring to the Bahamas in the foreseeable future! Yesssss!
Except that not all nationalities have Paypal or credit cards. And some live in countries where the cost of W.A. simply wouldn't be affordable. Not one of those leads converted.
On the plus side, I have enjoyed writing about these mistakes on my blog! If I can stop other people from making the same mistakes, it was worth it.
What next?
Good question!
Many of the Las Vegas qualifiers in W.A. focus on reviews for their content but I find reviews so time-consuming and tedious to write. I much prefer the 'how to' approach.
However, review readers are much closer to making a purchase so maybe I need to just get over it!
It's either back to the drawing board for a new content strategy or maybe I need to embrace social media. (I swore I was finished with Facebook after 10 years in network marketing!)
There are so many people out there stuck creating a blog - I just know it! All I have to do is find them!
Kyle has advised to go through the Bootcamp training from start to finish and not miss anything out. I think that is pretty sound advice.
Thanks for being a sounding board!
Feel free to put suggestions of how I can turn 1 sale into 300 in the comments!
Recent Comments
79
Hi Jean - congrats on the sale, great job, even if you're not entirely certain how it happened!
How to increase your sales:
1. Check Google Analytics and/or GSC to find out which posts have been read the most - then write more around those subject matters.
2. Discover the questions being asked in your niche and write and publish an answer to them - questions are great as you can find the Q&A sites such as Reddit and Quora in the top rankings and they're relatively easy to outrank.
3. Promote your site/content across more platforms - social media, video, forums etc. - simply get more eyeballs on your stuff.
4. You could try PPC ads - I think Google and Bing have a coupon you can use to try out the service. Also try Facebook Ads
Thanks, Dom. I have one post that ranks! It's a review so yeah, I might just need to take the pain and do more. (I used my ad vouchers a long time ago.)
Best,
Jean
Congratulations on your first sale. What a great feeling.
Yes, there is a lot of learning, trying and then succeeding.
We do hope you find your grove of what is comfortable yet profitable for you.
You are definitely not alone in what you have learned.
Thanks again for sharing your success and challenges.
Hello Jean,
Congrats on your first sale. When that happened to me, I was also surprised. But guess what. The individual who signed up and upgraded was a Mary Kay consultant!
Writing reviews of MLM companies work precisely because the vast majority of distributors like you and me in a past life could never make it.
Thanks so much for sharing valuable lessons learned. I did learn from your post.
All the best to you.
Edwin
That's interesting. I have a few MLM posts with no traffic but I might make that a focus.
In fact, W.A. could work alongside network marketing. My plan was to write helpful blog posts then direct visitors to my product links (with up to 30% commission).
But I got struck building a website and the rest is history!
Thanks for that!
Best,
Jean
Hi,
Glad to hear from you again, Jean.
Thank you for sharing your journey.
Yes, review posts are time consuming but as you said conversion rate with this kind of post are higher compared to how to post.
Though the best way is mixte thème togheter.
For paid ads, I never try it.
Best wishes!
Hi Sebastian
I had some credit on my Google account from an old business so thought I might as well try it.
W.A. do it for the business all the time so I guess it works (thought they have more cash to invest than I have!).
Best,
Jean
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Very good advice. People are not told these facts when they start affiliate marketing and can end up wasting your time. I have experienced all the things you talked about but I just had to learn to adjust on many levels to reach success and it is always an on going process since this is a business.