This is a great question, in part because I have started over here and there over the years. And every time I go into a new niche, I’m essentially starting over.
I have no lists, no partners, no traffic sources, no products… nothing. I build everything up from scratch.
So what would I do if I was starting over? Take a look…
Do Market Research
When you get a certain level of experience in a niche, you don’t need to research every little thing.
However, if I was just starting out and entering a niche I knew nothing about, you can bet I’d be elbows deep in the market research.
That’s because the best predictor of what people will buy tomorrow is to look at what they’re already buying today.
Focus On List Building
Your list is one of your most important assets. Because think about it…
If all your products disappeared overnight, you could STILL make money tomorrow as long you had your list. Just load up an affiliate offer and hit the send button.
On the flip side, if you have a great product but no list, then you’re going to struggle to reach your market.
Sure, you can advertise, blog, use social media marketing… but none of that is quite as effective as getting people on your list, building relationships with them, and then closing the sale via follow-up emails.
Create Sales Funnels
A lot of marketers think about creating products, which is great. But it’s better to plan entire sales funnels rather than focusing on individual products that aren’t really connected with one another.
As you plan your sales funnel, consider:
What products to include in your funnel.
This includes your lead magnet, tripwire, core offer, upsells and backend offers.
How you can cross-promote each product in your funnel.
This includes links in products, email marketing, order-form upsells and more.
Next…
Focus On One Thing At a Time
A big problem I see with those who are just starting out is that they spread themselves too thin. They try to do everything at once, which usually leads to disappointment and failure.
So here’s what I suggest…
Focus on ONE niche.
Create ONE website for that niche.
Design ONE sales funnel for that niche.
Choose ONE traffic source for that niche.
Set up one email list for that niche (though you can and should segment this list).
You see, an online sales machine has a lot of moving pieces. But you can find success by simplifying the process.
Just focus on ONE piece of each part of the process as described above. When you get that one piece up and running, then move onto the next piece. Rinse and repeat.
Remember, online marketing is a bright and shiny place to be. There’s always going to be someone dangling some traffic method or strategy as “the next big thing.”
And it might be.
But if it’s truly something effective, it will still be there six months or a year from now.
So don’t get distracted. Keep your head down, and focus on getting these parts of your business up and running.
And finally…
Find A Good Source of Information
Now this is important…
If I was starting over, but I didn’t know much about online marketing, then I’d find one good source of information—a virtual mentor, if you will.
You see, a lot of beginning marketers read as much as they can on the topic. But the problem is, they up receiving contradicting information from the experts.
The information isn’t wrong necessarily, it’s just that the experts don’t agree. And what ends up happening is that the beginning marketer gets very confused.
Ever hear of analysis paralysis?
Yep – that’s when someone is so overwhelmed with information (often contradicting info) that they can’t move forward.
That’s why I suggest you select one expert to learn from in the beginning.
Get your basics down from one person, and once you get momentum you can seek out information from other sources.