Feeling intimidated ...

[yuri21]

Hi all, this is Angelina. I've long known I've got a bit of skills in writing and just tried my hand at writing an article.

http://www.helium.com/items/1629292-organic-bloom-gentle-cleansing-milk

Problem is: how does writing play into online marketing? I mean... I see all those "writers" offering articles about various topics for sale. However, I don't even know how to start! :( I'm not even experienced enough to write for someone.. at all. Very very intimidated. :(

Tired, feeling stressed out. Would it be okay to write... say, an article about choosing a webhost? I don't think anyone would want rehashed content like that though.

[StephenT]

Angelina, take a breath. IN..... out..... There, feel better? :)

It can be a bit intimidating at times, but if you hang in there it will be ok!

Is that you blog that you linked to? Have you submitted anything to article sites like ezine.com?

There are other people here who can help you more than I, so just hang on. Help is on the way!!!

[yuri21]

Thanks. I really need to uhh... start breathing more? :D

Yes, IMing can be intimidating. :p I'm currently doing some 30dc course and phew... :o

That is not a blog but some paid review site. Yeah, the rates are really low for first-starters but I joined, so I could improve myself as it took almost an entire day to write that 1 article. But then... *super soft and embarrassed voice* I tweeted said link for the fun of it. And then... Lynn contacted me. Yeah...

[StephenT]

I did the 30DC too. It was good, but be careful, some of what they teach can cost you some bucks! They talk about wordpress direct and I am not a fan, but do have wordpress.org blog. Just take some time before you leap there. Ask questions!

[yuri21]

Yeah... the Traffic Bug is going to cost a lot, from what I see. And for me, who is not earning anything right now due to some issues, I'll have to be extremely careful about what to get. Still, it's an excellent course. :) And I know that Market Samurai or some sort of keyword program = Must get.

[jkgourmet]

You're saying exactly what I was saying just about a month ago. This is a great forum for learning as well as getting motivated and beating down those flare-ups of intimidation and dents in your self-confidence.

You might also want to consider joining the Elite Group. I've found it to be a huge bonus for my infant-sized IM business.

Welcome.

[StephenT]

Yeah... the Traffic Bug is going to cost a lot, from what I see. And for me, who is not earning anything right now due to some issues, I'll have to be extremely careful about what to get. Still, it's an excellent course. :) And I know that Market Samurai or some sort of keyword program = Must get.

I passed on TRaffic Bug. I did get Market Samurai and like it, but you can live without it! There are free keyword search tools that you can use for a while. There's lots of folks here who don't use MS. They just use wordtracker or google adwords.

[Nelson Swett]

I don't know much about the 30DC, I've been following the Super Affiliate Handbook, SEO Fast Start and Lynn's suggestions and I'm starting to see results. Everyday, I do all of the things that Lynn suggested in the Daily Do's thread (http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/members/showthread.php?t=1667). I've got several pages that are currently ranking top 25 or better in Google and my traffic in increasing exponentially. I have a ton to learn still, but have found this forum (and I would imagine the elite forum even more so) full of people willing to help when you get stuck. I understand the overwhelm feeling and I've tried to channel that to motivate me to get more done. I save the Daily Do worksheet that I fill out each day in a folder and when feeling overwhelmed look back at those to see how much I've really accomplished in a short amount of time.

Keep your chin up, keep your fingers nimble and believe the little voice that's whispering "you can do this!"

[CG12]

Nelson and the others have given you some really good advice Yuri.

Don't feel like you are alone with feeling intimidated. I know that I have felt that way on many occasions, I still do feel intimidated by some things about IM.

That is not to say that I am willing to let my fears defeat me however. On the contrary I work daily on overcoming my worst fears and attempt ONE THING AT A TIME that seems to be holding me back.

For me, breaking things down is so much easier than taking on everything as a whole. When I have try to do too much at once I just get overwhelmed, frustrated and frozen. So instead I choose which task to take on first today, finish that one and then move on.

I hope this helps you a little. Hang in there, things will get better with time.

Christine

[Lynn Terry]

Welcome Angelina - I'm so glad you've joined us here on the forum. :)

Writing articles or content for pay is one way to make money online. Building niche affiliate sites, ala 30DC is another. You'll discover that there are many ways to make money, and many models you can explore.

Any questions you have, just ask!

[TrishL]

Hi Angelina,

I hope I read your question/concern correctly...

I wouldn't let fear or a lack of experience hold you back if you want to write for income. What I recommend you do is start creating a portfolio of writing samples. If you don't know what to write about - think about what you are passionate about or a topic you already know something about (either through work or life experience).

I've found it is easier to get work if you claim a niche (although I currently write on a wider range of topics) - and all you need to do for that is decide what your area of specialization is going to be, then create some samples related to it (or offer to do some for a reduced cost for a potential client - if they like what you do, they could become your first paying customer).

Good luck - and welcome! You are in a great place! :)

[suef]

Hi Angelina

If you enjoy writing articles just write what you enjoy as this will show in your articles.

I started my own blog on healthy living as it keeps me motivated to lose weight and managed to have 3 articles published at Ezine articles. So just keep on going and you will see results. From everything I have been reading the published articles will help drive traffic back to your main site. Results will come.

Keep up the good work.

[PpcJen]

Hello Angelina!

Wow - I know the feeling of being intimidated. I'm glad you found this forum. Please know that it's possible to learn anything in small chunks. So take your time, listen to the advice from others in this thread.
We've all been there, and we're here to help you along the way.
Good luck to you!

[Steve]

I would start what some would call a sand box blog. A blog where you write about anything and everything. It's a lot of pressure picking a perfect niche and learning everything else you need to. Play and learn while not worrying about what others think or about making money. You will hone your writing skills, learn about techniques and find your place. You will get some traffic and then put adsense on your blog and go from there.

Steve

[AlexNewell]

First of all Welcome!!

"Problem is: how does writing play into online marketing? I mean... I see all those "writers" offering articles about various topics for sale. However, I don't even know how to start! I'm not even experienced enough to write for someone.. at all. Very very intimidated."

You can start with so called "Bum Marketing" - which means using your writing skills in a no cost way. It was called "Bum Marketing" by the wife of the founder of the whole idea Travis Sago

http://www.bummarketingmethod.com/

Basically the method is about writing an article and popping an affiliate link in the resource box to direct the reader to for example a clickbank product

Here's a cute example of this. David Bocock is an expert with this method and in this article is Bum Marketing his course on Bum Marketing

http://www.articlealley.com/article_1039730_3.html

30 DC is great but if you are feeling it's all too much maybe just focus on your writing for a while?

All The Best

Alex

[Clay Franklin]

Welcome Angelina,

Lot of good advice in this thread.
I need to check out the Daily Do thread that Nelson mentions.
I am also going to get the Affiliate handbook.
I have Market Samuri, yet have been using free wordtracker for post titles lately.

[yuri21]

Hey all, I'm really sorry for the slow replies. Life has been a bit busy and I've been all over my head in things to do! :) Thank you very much for all the tips and I shall slowly look them over.

Anyways, I most likely will buy Samurai 'cos after using it for a few hours, I feel it is definitely better than any SEO tool I've looked at in the past*. The gui is very user-friendly, it is stable and it's excellent at grabbing and sorting out details. I recall many tools which required tedious manual sorting, had a gazillion tabs, massive data dumps and so on. And some cost much more than Samurai but they were so poorly written, I could cry when I gave them a trial-run.

As for Traffic bug, I know it's probably very good but a bit too pricey for me, atm. I'll probably save up some cash first and then go for it, if I like it.

*I briefly toyed with online biz on and off for many years but was never able to figure out all the steps. :p It was daunting and very painful trying to see the whole picture as I'm more of a detail-centric person.

[Isha]

I agree with suef - write about what you enjoy and know about, and write what you feel compelled to communicate to other people. Perhaps alongside the writing that you're doing for the 30 day challenge.

To be honest I wouldn't write about choosing a webhost. Because there are already zillions of such articles out there and if you're fairly new to internet marketing then it's not an area you'd be expert in. And it overlaps heavily with the internet marketing niche, where people are the most clued-in and competitive:

The 30 day challenge is a great place to learn about online marketing for very little money.

By the way, I like your writing Angelina :)

Isha :)

[KathleenGageSpeaker]

Thank you for your honesty. I believe almost everyone has gone through the "feeling intimidated" stage. Even those who make great livings on the Internet.

One thing to keep in mind is there are some BSers out there and if we compare ourselves to the "boastful ones" we can feel like we will never "get it."

However, there are lots of folks who are so much the real deal (like Lynn) that you know starting from point 0 and building a successful business a step at a time is possible.

Be careful of comparing a month of experience with someone who has been doing IM for years. This can be a surefire set up for intimidation. It's like walking into a gym and thinking in a week one should look like the person who has been training for years. Ain't gonna happen.

So, what can you do? Here is one way to begin the process. First, determine what your area of interest and/or expertise is. You will work a heck of a lot harder trying to make money from something just to be making money than from what your point of passion is. IMHO

From there, who would be interested in your information? (the market). Not only who would be interested but are they willing to pay for it?

From there, develop an audio file, short report, tips sheet, etc., that can be used as an ethical bribe. Or, find an expert who will let you market their item.

Develop a simple landing page outlining the benefits of your giveaway. Have an opt-in opportunity.

From there, write a short (300 - 400 word) article. Add a nice resource box at the end, driving readers back to the landing page with your ethical bribe. Build an opt in subscriber list.

Keep in touch with your subscribers with valuable information. If you don't now what they want, ask them. You can use a tool like Survey Monkey to collect data.

From there, you have an idea of interests. Build your name recognition by continuing to write short articles that have high value to the reader.

Over time, you can turn the casual readers into customers by offering products and services as an affiliate.

It is a process and by doing a little something every day, in a few months you will likely be surprised at what you have accomplished.