I need a kick-start!!

[Tanya]

Hi everyone!

I feel like I've read all I can about IM. Surfed the web, checked out books and just finished Rosalind Gardner's Super Affiliate Guide (which is great by the way) and I've perused ClickNewz so often I think I could be reconized as a stalker - but I just can't seem to get myself to design my site.
I've chosen what I think is a very narrow niche to start blogging but it's my hobby and it's what I know. Although when I search for my niche I don't find many that are doing a blog on that topic (maybe because it's too narrow?). I've written an e-book relating to a specialty in my niche and it's been selling very slowly on Etsy for several years so I had planned to promote it on my blog. I've had a website for my ebook which directs buyers to my Etsy shop. I've also already registered my niche name and signed up with Wordpress, but I think that WP is intimidating to me. I'm somewhat familiar with blogger so I may be resisting the change.
I've made of list of topics to blog about and have started drafting some of the posts.

But, again, I can't seem to push myself to look at the WP themes (again) and decide on one and open myself up to the www. What gives here? Have others had that paralyzing fear that stops them in their tracks?

[angienewton]

Oh yea we have all been there! But you really just need to get started. You'll learn as you go and figure it all out. And you don't have to spend so much time on a theme. You could pick a basic one for now and get a header done or if you have the funds to invest in a design I would get that done.

Happy to help with suggestions, tips, etc. if you want to share your niche and ideas. This is an open forum so whatever you share is open to the search engines. However the elite mastermind group is not indexed by the search engines so you can feel free to share openly.

[slowstarter]

Hey Tanya!

I'd thoroughly recommend you risk the first couple of months membership to the mastermind forum, let the group kick you into gear (nicely of course) and give you (private) feedback on your niche, your chosen theme, and even how you plan to go about monetising your blog etc. It is amazing how a little group accountability propels you into action! And they/we are unbelievably supportive.

As far as getting your blog launched goes, if you hang around here long enough, you'll realise you have already done the hard part:

you've chosen your niche
your niche is something you already enjoy
you have knowledge in your niche - you could be an authority already if no-one else is blogging about it
you can write knowledgeably and have already written about your niche
you already have a product to promote (and it's selling - doesn't matter how slowly!)
you have your niche domain (.com I hope)

I'd suggest you put your own wordpress blog on your own hosting rather than on wordpress.com (I think that's what you mean by "I've registered with Wordpress?) As you already have a website, you already have hosting I am assuming.

So - to recap, you have all the above ready to go - the easiest part is installing wordpress and picking a theme. Just pick any theme at all - the elite members in the forum will soon tell you if it's a disaster!

When I first joined the elite forum I was totally blown away by the incisive and focussed way that Lynn gave her feedback on the sites that the group was asked to give feedback on. She will point you in the right direction. And not some vague direction, but exactly what you should do.

What's the worst that can happen? You might have a less than perfect blog "out there" for a few days and I'd be amazed, but after a couple of months, you might decide you've wasted your membership - that will not happen!

Hope this helps.

Martin

[Lynn Terry]

Welcome Tanya! :)

You may find this post helpful, as it's a checklist you can work through one step at a time:

How To Start A WordPress Blog (http://www.clicknewz.com/1872/how-to-start-a-wordpress-blog/)

Start there, and then let us know if you run into any questions or snags along the way!

[Tanya]

Thank you so much everyone for that little kick!! I have finally signed up with HostGator - a little unnerving since we're Seminoles in this part of FL :0 - and am now working on designing my site. Will be back in touch soon.

[angienewton]

Awesome! Let us know how we can help you.

[Lynn Terry]

Congrats on taking action, Tanya! :)

[erange]

Hi Tanya...
I hope you're not a Miami Hurricane?!? Go Kansas State! :-)
(...sorry, I'm a die-hard, huh? lol)

I just wanted to tell you you're in the right spot for motivation! Lynn even kept me accountable for finding a niche!!! lol

I struggle with actually 'writing' and procrastinate like crazy...ugh! I love to dabble around with websites, etc. though. So I just found that if I just dedicate 30min to just sit down and write...I wind up actually enjoying it and spend 3x that writing. I think the point it... 'just do it'. ;-)

Best of luck!

Eileen

[Tanya]

Thanks Eileen! Actually we're Seminoles here (GO 'NOLES)!!

I did go public with my site - you can check it out here: www.stainedglassantics.com

I'm a little slow on the posting side right now - we're getting ready for a wedding and that has taken up a little of my time - and I haven't monetized it yet. I was waiting until I could get more posts up and a little traffic before I started adding advertisers.

I'm assuming you found your niche and are well on your way. If so, send me your link - I would love to take a look.

Tanya

[Lynn Terry]

Great start, and way to go on taking fast action! :)

Tip: You need a Title Tag for your main page. Right now your title tag is just your domain name, so you'll want to use a descriptive title that includes a keyword phrase relevant to your topic. Let me know if you need any help with that. Happy to brainstorm keyword phrases & title ideas! ;-)

[Lynn Terry]

I haven't monetized it yet. I was waiting until I could get more posts up and a little traffic before I started adding advertisers.

Hi Tanya,

You're on the right track. It's best to publish quality content first while you are building a readership and getting inbound links to your site. I assume you have social media accounts set up for this site, specifically? If not, that's next on the list:

http://www.clicknewz.com/3038/how-to-use-social-media/

Once you have some solid content on the site, and some quality inbound links, you can start applying to affiliate programs and monetizing in other ways.

[sheriesmith]

Hi Tanya,

I LOVE your posts! Your writing with passion which makes it interesting, and your steps are easy follow. The main thing that kept my attention are your images. Like videos keep the visitor on a website longer, your step by step photographs lead us to stay longer. It's like following a trail of breadcrumbs through the forest. There's no way I could leave until I got to see the finished product. LOL

Your images are large and colorful, and good quality. Plus you already have links in your right side bar to your Etsy store - great work!!

No more excuses that you're afraid of WordPress! You are already miles down the road, and the hardest part is already over, in my opinion.

Sherie

http://organizemyclosetblog.com
http://pettailnews.com

[Gweb]

Boy oh boy, can I relate! Yes, I've battled paralyzing fear all my life, and learning IM has been no exception. Fear is why I went into the anxiety market, because it's what I know. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), there are a lot of potential customers out there. The feeling of overwhelm you describe here has been the hardest part of marketing for me so far.

I'm still very much a beginner, but I have learned a few things. Writing it out helps me get it into my own brain, so I'm speaking as much to myself here as to anyone else:

1). At some point, you have to take action, even if it's the wrong action. "Analysis paralysis" and doing nothing (not producing content) is the worst thing you can (not) do.

2). You'll never know for sure if people will buy what you're selling until you actually get it in front of them. Market research gauges the probability that people will pay for something but it guarantees nothing. Ultimately, the only way to know for sure if your idea is a good one is to try it out.

3). You may put lots of time, creativity, and effort into producing something that never makes a dime. That's been the hardest thing for me to accept: the very real possibility of failure. I read a book a couple of years ago that said failure is part of marketing and should be expected and planned for.

What's hard about this for me is the fear that I'll become too discouraged if I fail and I'll quit. It'll all be for naught, and it will be MY FAULT because I suck! Add to that the little voice in my head that's constantly telling me I don't know what I'm doing and that I WILL fail and you've got quite a recipe for total paralysis. Which of course just guarantees failure.

I think not being able to navigate through the early period of having marketing "colt legs" is why 90% of new marketers quit before making any real money. The ones who eventually make it somehow push through this seemingly impenetrable wall. Bottom line: it's very easy to get discouraged, but you have to keep going anyway.

4). You have to have some sort of support community, or better yet, a mentor. I don't do mentors or community very well, but there's simply no way around it. I'm just not smart enough to figure everything out on my own. Some people just innately "get" marketing, but I think they're one in a million. It took me six months to learn how to write a 600 word article. The real, day-to-day work of marketing is HARD, and not something most people naturally gravitate towards.

But congratulations are in order. You've taken the first step toward what I think is a great topic that your "niche" will find very interesting. Great job! Now keep going. And then make sure you tell me how you did it! ;-)

[Lynn Terry]

Great points!

I think many readers will be able to relate.

For what it's worth, I had zero business or marketing experience when I got started over 15 years ago. I was 23 years old and had never held a job that paid more than minimum wage, didn't finish high school and did not go to college. I learned "marketing" (and all the great technical stuff that goes with it) by trial & error. A lot of error, lol.

Getting your hands dirty and implementing what you learn is the best thing you can do. Sure some things will flop - but that's how you figure out what works, by figuring out what doesn't work! :)

[erange]

Once you have some solid content on the site, and some quality inbound links, you can start applying to affiliate programs and monetizing in other ways.

I'm assuming this is because some affiliate programs and/or adsense may cancel your affiliation with them if your site appearts to be lacking and/or junk?!? I'm a wrong on that?

...and I guess it's a two part questions because what would be 'considered' solid content and quality inbound links? (...or is that too arbitrary to comment on?)

Eileen

[erange]

Gweb,
I'm one of those readers that can relate! Great motivation taking me into a free 'work on my business' weekend! ;-)
(...hoping to share more soon!)

Eileen

[Lynn Terry]

I'm assuming this is because some affiliate programs and/or adsense may cancel your affiliation with them if your site appearts to be lacking and/or junk?!? I'm a wrong on that?

...and I guess it's a two part questions because what would be 'considered' solid content and quality inbound links? (...or is that too arbitrary to comment on?)

Hi Eileen,

Quality content is unique and well-written. The kind of content real people want to read and share. Quality inbound links are from related websites and relevant sources. When other people are linking to and/or talking about your page or your site, this gives it more weight in the search results.

It's not that merchants will cancel your affiliation - it's that it's difficult to get approved with them in the first place if you don't have good content and decent traffic. So you want to work on that first. And when it comes to getting people to link to your pages, you'll have an easier time getting links if it's not covered in ads.

[erange]

Thanks Lynn,

I've heard so many people talk about the 'Panda' update and not relying on Adsense, etc....I thought maybe there was something too not monetizing your site until you have significant traffic - whatever 'significant' traffic is. LOL

Eileen

[jedha]

Hi Tanya,

I've been following along with this thread and I would HIGHLY recommend you join the private forum. You get so much more help in there and loads of support from other members. Fear, confusion, overwhelm, it's all normal but the great part about the private forum is that it's full of people who are taking action! And there is no question too small or too stupid to ask, you get all the help you need.

I'm only saying this from my experience because I used to be sitting on the sidelines less than a year ago and now my site makes money. So if you're looking to progress, it will definitely help you.

Good luck :)

[Lynn Terry]

And you should read Jedha's ^ threads and case studies in the private forum. She has detailed out step by step and shared her progress along the way. Very insightful & inspiring! :)

[Tanya]

Checking in to give a progress update. I've been live and online for a little over a month with 4 solid posts under my belt. I thought I would have at least a few browsers (thank you to the 2 commenters from this site!!). I've done a few google searches and don't see my site coming up in the first 4-6 pages. I think I'm doing something wrong. Should I have more terms in my tags or is there somewhere else in WP that I should be adding key words?

Tanya
www.stainedglassantics.com

[erange]

Are you backlinking? I'm somewhat at the same stage...

I've been working on backlinking and posting additional unique content on EzineArticles and Squiddo. But I'm a newbie...so I'd be interested in what other say too! ;-)

Eileen

[Tanya]

Is backlinking the process of visiting other similar blogs and commenting? I haven't done that yet but plan to soon. I still have a wedding and some wedding related projects to finish. The wedding is next weekend and I should have time to get things rolling!

[kellymccausey]

It is one way of building links IF the blog owner has a set up that 'follows' your link.

It takes awhile for a site to rank for any particular keyword phrase. I find your site if I search for 'stained glass antics' directly.

What phrases are you trying to be found for?

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Tanya,

Your site IS indexed by Google. You can see that by typing "site:stainedglassantics.com" into the Google search box. You definitely want to get links pointing to your site to help your rankings. And are you optimizing your posts for specific keyword phrases?

This is a good starting point for you on marketing your site:
http://www.clicknewz.com/3091/organic-marketing-strategy/

:)