News Notion

So, yesterday I heard about this really cool looking site called ‘Twitter’. Apparently, it is some type of social networking tool where you can easily update and chat to other people through small blurbs of text. Just what I heard though…

Just kidding! Twitter has been around for some time now, and I’ve only just signed up. As in 20 minutes ago. I did the same thing with the Entrecard bus, and as well with pretty much any other popular website that comes up out of nowhere and is supposedly really awesome. After constant praise from highly respected and well known bloggers, I *finally* decided to give it a try.

Why I Didn’t Sign Up Earlier

My impression of Twitter is that it is a time-sucking networking pit. I already have distractions to my work with Yahoo! News (seriously, it gets updated every minute), reading other blogs, and dropping on Entrecard. I don’t need another website so I can waste time “networking” when I’ve got blogs to be working on! These are my initial impressions but I know they will change. Which is why I decided to join. I know that networking is important and I know Twitter will be a useful tool.

This username is available… just kidding, it’s not… haha, just joking again!

The only issue I’ve had with Twitter so far is with picking a username. I knew it was important to pick a name that was branded/brandable, something people would remember, simple, and recognizable. My first choice was ‘CaseyF’. It’s my first name and last initial, pretty simple. After entering it in the form  I saw a green line of text saying that the username is available. Yay! I click to enter in a password and then the green goes to a red stating that the username is not available. Then, it flips back to green before I even start to backspace the desired  username. Huh? I sat back and watched it flip back and forth a few times and then went to grab something to eat. I was pretty amused and wish I had a working camera nearby.

Let’s Network, Baby! 

Currently, I’ve got no followers and only one person I’m following. (I’ll twitter up the big bloggers after this post) My username and twitter page is:

CaseyFlex

My first name and half my last name. Catchy? I think so! So stop by and follow me!

I’ve been reading blogs and posts on affiliate marketing and though I KNOW I’m not ready to tie a blindfold over my eyes and dive in, I’m going to try affiliate marketing with my first case study. I still have questions to answer but I’ll never be able to properly answer them if I haven’t tried affiliate marketing for myself. So, I’ve seen the success of many sites based off of the hit- the Apple iPhone. Hack sites, news blogs, eBay auctions, and more. I was mesmerized to see such simple sites bring in a nice sum of money.

Recently, a new touch mobile phone was announced and will be released to the US in a few months. I saw this news on the net and surprisingly recognized this as an underdeveloped, new opportunity! Usually as I’m watching TV, reading about news and new products, I later think back and think- hey! I should have checked to see if this domain name was available or if anyone has done that yet.

What I would like to do is not rush into it and in fact I’m going to spend this week continuing to research three specific things- affiliate marketing, how to go about making mobile phone sites, and the mobile phone I’m focusing on itself. I’ve bought several different extensions for the domain name allowing me to try multiple strategies at once. I’ll reveal these details once I know more about what exactly I’m talking about! In the mean time, I’ll keep you entertained. *wink*

I’ll admit it. I do not know how to do affiliate marketing, and I’ve never made money from trying. The only AM site I’ve used is ClickBank, which I’ve only recently checked out and have yet to make a “sale”. I can make money from selling ads, playing games, and writing content but affiliate marketing is not something I have tried. So, I’m going to start learning how.

Of course for any person diving into something new, there are questions to be answered. Here are the ones that have come across my mind. Feel free to comment with a response, or even link to a resource/article that you find helpful. If you have questions of your own, please ask and I’ll add it to the list. Hopefully, I will be able to eventually answer all of these questions for future newbies and of course, for myself.

1. How do I get started?

Sign up for affiliate sites, check. Then… put ads on my sites? Create new sites focusing on the products?

2.  How can I get started with little to no costs/investments?

I don’t have money to put into this (yet). So, I want to start earning without spending much.

3. What are different ways to market?

I know you can campaign with adwords and stick ads on your sites…

4. What products are the most successful converting?

5. What are things to look at when selecting affiliate products to market?

Conversion rates, landing pages, things like that is what I’m thinking.

6. What are good resources to look at?

Books, e-books, blog posts, articles, etc. What’s helped you learn the works of AM?

Can’t think of anything else at the moment, but I’m sure more will come and I’ll add them to the list.

Goals

1. Learn how to make money through affiliate marketing.

2. Make money with affiliate marketing.

3. Share my experience with readers.

4. Teach what I learn and experience to my readers and hopefully be able to teach you how to make money through affiliate marketing as well.

The Gameplan (Part 1)

I think I’ll distribute content about what I learn and stuff as soon as I can- so in bits and pieces. That way I can show progress and compile all the information into one post at the end (if there is an end?). Here’s somewhat of an outline of my “gameplan”. This goes up to working with my first case study.

1. Learn: Read, answer questions, gather knowledge.

2. Answer the questions.

3. Break it down. I need to find somewhere to start – a program, a product, a type of marketing.

4. Establish my first case study.

5. Fix, share, comment, and work with my first case study. Ask for help if needed.

That’s as far as I can see for now. I definitely do not want to overwhelm myself and end up getting confused with my own set plan. I’m not going to make a timeline either because for me, that’ll lead to procrastination, rushing, and being sloppy. I think it’s important to take it slowly with learning about affiliate marketing as much as I know it’ll take time before I start earning regularly from it.

For those who have been interested in it, now is your time to try it too! Join me!