Hello everyone,
Just like the title says, I'm taking a break from affiliate marketing (paid traffic).
Unfortunately for me at this time I don't have enough money to spend on campaigns, tracker and server, so for the next 3-6 months I'm gonna save up all the money I can so I will be able to once again start investing into my campaigns.
For those months that I won't be running campaigns, I'd like to focus my time and energy into something that will help me be successful in affiliate marketing.
I've already bought two books on marketing and found a couple good websites / blogs on that subject. I'll be focusing a good amount of my time into anything related to marketing but I'd like to also study other subjects that could help me out in AM.
What would you guys recommend? Business, Psychology?
Any subjects you guys think I should focus my time on, please let me know.
Thanks.
- Victor S
100% SEO and/or programming.
In fact I'd start SEO asap and waste time reading about neither psych nor business 101
If you go with programming learn a more "new school" stack (mean is perfect); the people paying for remote jobs are starting to give less and less of a f-k whether you have a degree so long as your github/portfolio is good.
You can set the AM mostly on autopilot and roll whatever you make into the campaigns
I'll have to disagree with matt here, SEO and programming are employee skills. You should hire those out (if you want to do SEO at all in 2016).
There are two threads on STM that I've come across so far where all the super affiliates chime in about the #1 most important skill in this business... the consensus and by a wide margin is copywriting. I would focus the time on that. Start with Gary Halbert... in fact, start here:
http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/...experience.htm
Hey Matt K,
For programming, I'm already spending some time learning JavaScript and sharpening my skills in HTML / CSS. Maybe server management would be something that I could focus on too.
I don't know about SEO, I've never done it. Don't see how SEO will help me be successful in paid traffic.
Why do you think I should focus on SEO?
Hey John Galt,
Copy writing is a very good subject I could invest my time in. I will definitely study this subject as much as I can.
Thank you for recommending it.
Get a job/internship that involves you managing huge amount of spend online.
You will learn a lot.
Stop reading. Start hustling.
12 Hours revenue generating tasks per day. 2-4 hours media buying per day in your free time. In 6-12 months you won't be broke anymore.
-Freelancing on Odesk (copywriting, programming, writing, media buying), 50 pitches per day
-Freelancing for local businesses, reach out to 50 per day and ask what they need help with
-Buy stuff cheap and sell it with an markup
-bring buyer and seller together for a fee (think blue color work)
-look for hourly paid jobs in your city
-ask your friends and family if they have a job for you or know somebody
Not sure if that is feasible?
I did it when I was in an similar situation.
I think you should learn SEO because having your own source of traffic is a huge advantage, in general. As much as 20% of purchased traffic may or may not be bots (at least desktop....even more specifically windows). Also, it's something you can do with no cash.
In a lot of ways I agree with galt, but - for similar reasons to why one can't hire a *truly good* marketer - people that kickass at SEO (aka in the know of "whats working now" + have a smooth system in place to rapidly compete) aren't going to be for hire...they're going to be BANKING, maybe even off of selling you traffic. For clarification, I do 100% mean blackhat SEO.
In regards to programming I actually 100% agree with galt....but at the same time kind of love (and simultaneously hate) programming + think its a good skill to know. I've heard a decent argument somewhere that its not knowing programming in and of itself that's important, it's comprehending what programming's capable of + being an expert in (pretty much) any other field For example, imagine if Warren Buffet knew programming...only so much you can articulate to a hired hand, especially if you yourself don't fully comprehend what the dude your paying is doing. I could go on and on here but at the end of the day it's definitely not the worst use of one's time.
If you haven't started learning any languages yet I'd say ignore everything else and go balls-to-the-wall with javascript. With the mean stack you can get away with only knowing one language...(for the web at least).
Last point - programming and SEO are only "employee skills" until you use them for selling your own software or ranking your own sites.
(mic hits floor)
Invest your time learning skills that can make you work more efficiently.
If you don't know how to design banners, learn photoshop.
If you don't know basic HTML/css - learn that.
It will come in very handy and save you a lot of time and money knowing these skills.
Other than that, SPY, see whats working, and study the funnel flow. That means, click through the entire offer, fill it with fake info, just go through it - you will learn a lot.
As for books, I recommend reading books related to advertising and organization, and getting things done vs procrascinating.
Some that come to mind. All marketers are liers, Adweek book, cashvertising..
Lots of good answers here! Copywriting is super-valuable, programming can be extremely useful too, and SEO obviously gives you a new route into traffic and an income stream.
Here's one more suggestion that you might find interesting, from the guy who built startup 37 Signals: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110301...d_pagen_3.html . Look at the last few paragraphs for the concrete suggestion, but the entire article's interesting.
My vote is for Copywriting. it's an incredibly useful skill that's needed in all industries. If you can write great copy, you can sell anything. Furthermore, if you can learn about conversion rate optimization then that will help you in your own business, and other businesses if you choose to sell your services.
Personally, I think some basic programming skills would be useful (HTML, CSS, beginner JavaScript) but I wouldn't spend too much time on that. Advanced programming needs are something you should outsource if at all possible. Unless you're hell-bent on creating something specifically, don't just tippy-toe your way into programming because the effort required to be even a "good" programmer is huge. If you're not doing it every day then you're just going to forget most of what you learn anyway. That's just my advice.