One of my ezine subscribers recently wrote me complaining that
many Internet marketing ezines have degenerated into nothing
more than continuous sales pitches. He went on to explain
that he was a "newbie" - still struggling to have that first
$200 week. He asked for detailed instructions on how to do just
that.
His dilemma is not new, and is not one I'm unfamiliar with.
In-fact, many of the nearly 400 articles that I've personally
written were "attempts" to answer that very question.
The whole key to online success is finding a pressing problem
and filling it. People go online seeking solutions to painful,
nagging problems, and if you offer those solutions, they will
gladly pay you for your assistance.
Finding these painful, nagging problems just means looking
around you at the problems you, or your regular contacts,
experience (and complain about). Many of these are very
persistent problems.
Here's an example. I've been online since late-1996. A problem
I've noticed practically EVERY webmaster complain about, and
seek a solution to, is not enough website traffic. This has,
and will continue to give rise to countless opportunities. I
could list a dozen similar problems, but this one is hard to
argue with.
Back in 2002, I discussed putting together an encyclopedia of
website traffic generation methods with a trusted friend. I
purchased the domain name, WebsiteTrafficPhD.com and began
compiling a list, and doing research. After a while, I
concluded that the project was bigger than I was ready to
complete at the time. So I allowed the name to lapse, and
then later renewed it. A few years later, John Reese was up to
the challenge, and produced his monumental Traffic Secrets
Course, which you'll find at
http://TrafficSecretsByJohnReese.com John sold more than $1
million worth of copies of this course IN A DAY.
Part of John Reese's success with Traffic Secrets was due to the
fact that potential customers were acutely aware of the problem
that the course solved! Ideally, you find and market solutions
to problems that are just as painful... and that they are just
as desperate to solve.
Many newbies that I see struggling are trying to sell products
for which there's no market. Others are selling products for
which there is a market, but the market is not very aware that
this is a REAL problem. This is where I've excelled as an
affiliate marketer, and where I honestly believe that anyone
can do the same.
MOST of my affiliate sales are driven by simple articles that I
write... like this one. My "secret formula" that I use in
writing these articles is a classic copywriting one. It's
called "problem, agitate, solution.
With this formula, you find a nagging problem that people are
desperately looking for solutions to. Then you find a great
solution. Next, you write articles that explain the problem. You
go on to explain why the problem is "severe" enough that the
reader really does want to solve it. Then, finally you explain
why the product you are marketing is THE perfect solution. In
the article you are educating your reader, the reader
appreciates you helping them locate a solution, and they act
upon your recommendation.
Many online marketers approach the above all wrong. They come up
with a product idea, create the product, and then seek a market.
Often, only they think that the product solves a really painful
problem. Most of their potential customers do not see the
problem, or don't see it as very painful, so the product
flounders. That's why you need to locate really severe problems
that your market is already aware of!
The final part of this very simple formula is getting your
articles in circulation. You need ezine publishers, and
frequently trafficked websites, to run your articles, and give
you free exposure.
For the article distribution, you have three basic choices, and
I've used all three. You can manually submit your articles to
sites and ezines that you locate through research. You can use
article distribution services, or you can use software. I
currently use the last two options. I don't use option number
one because it is too time consuming for the return-on-
investment that I get.
There are three article distribution services that I have used
and recommend. They are:
http://EzineTrendz.com
http://SubmitYourArticle.com
http://ThePhantomWriters.com
All three of the above services will take your article and
submit it to their database of appropriate places. Since they
take the time to maintain their databases, and to review the
quality of articles submitted, using them is very cost
effective.
I also use a piece of software called Article Submitter
Pro. It "semi-automates" the process of submitting your
articles to over 760 places. The process is not fully automated
because many of the article directories and ezines that you can
submit to do have unique requirements. You do need to take the
time to make sure that you are properly submitting to them, and
not just bombarding them with what amounts to unwelcome spam.
Properly submitting ensures that MANY more places run your
articles.
My subscription to Article Submitter Pro and the training to
properly use it is included in my membership in a site called
Content Propulsion Lab. This is a site where I help teach
members how to properly develop and distribute their content
for maximum results. We teach using not just articles though -
we also cover audio, video, and other content formats.
You can read more about Content Propulsion Lab at:
http://CashThroughContent.com
I've just laid out EXACTLY what I've done for years to
generate not just $200 per week, but up to $11,000 from a single
article that took me 30 minutes to write. This level of success
with writing articles wasn't overnight. However, I did find
that well-written, informative articles gave me the best "bang
for the buck" right from the very beginning.
Since articles are archived in article directories and ezine
archives, they can generate traffic and sales for you for YEARS
to come. That makes taking the time to research and polish them
very worthwhile. Since there are so many low quality articles
being produced, it's really not very hard to stand out in the
crowd and actually have ezine publishers coming to you asking
for more of your work that they can publish.
There you have it! Remember though, it is essential that
you identify that really nagging, painful problem that you
are going to solve first. Also remember that the market should
already be acutely aware of the problem.
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