If you’re reading this, you’re probably either considering making some money online via internet marketing, or you’re already involved in internet marketing and maybe looking for a way to improve the results you’ve had so far. I was in the same boat myself not too long ago; actually, the former case applied to me, i.e. I was looking around for a way to make some money online. I came across a community called Wealthy Affiliate University, and decided to take the plunge and give it a try, because it seemed to have all the tools and support I thought I’d need to be successful.
I Was In For A Rude Awakening!
Of course, one thing I should make clear is that I had never been involved in internet marketing (or IM, as I learned it’s referred to by the people in the know) and didn’t have the first idea where to start. The first thing I found out is that there was a whole new language involved that I didn’t understand or speak and that left me feeling completely lost and confused. I mean, auto-responder? What the heck is that? How about a squeeze page? And so much more. I mean, I’m a linguist by training with a degree in languages, but this was something different again! A bit like going back to school – exciting but intimidating at the same time.
I needed help – and badly. I scoured around all over the internet, searching for the help I needed. I bought this and that course from some self-proclaimed guru or another and seemed to be going nowhere, except straight to bankruptcy court. Finally, I came across Wealthy Affiliate University, and it looked like it had all the training and support I needed to learn all I needed to know to succeed in IM (!) at a reasonable charge. So, in desperation and having decided this would be the last thing I’d throw money at as far as internet marketing is concerned, I signed up.
Never Looked Back
That turned out to be the best move I could have made. Not only were the training and support provided first class, but the tools they supply are also outstanding, enabling a complete novice like me to create and build my own WordPress blog in next to no time, amongst many other things.
Not long after I joined, they announced a 30 Day Article Marketing Club. From the training I’d done inside Wealthy Affiliate (or WA for short), I learned that article marketing was an excellent, no-cost way to promote a web site or product and generate sales, and, consequently, income. But, I knew nothing about the process and what it took to actually make money through article marketing, so I decided to sign up.
Step-By-Step Instructions
I was really excited to think I was finally going to learn what I needed to do to be successful at this IM stuff! Day 1 came along and the first e-mail arrived from the club leader, and I couldn’t wait to read it and get started. The e-mail contained complete instructions as well as training on how to complete the tasks. This was great – I was off and running!
Over the next 30 days, I and the other members of the club learned the entire article marketing process:
- how to effectively research new sub-niches, new concepts
- how to find keywords that are easy to get ranked for
- how to determine if a keyword will yield high or low traffic
- how to write articles targeting keywords
- how to submit articles to different article directories
- how to optimize articles for maximum click-through rates
- how to create a blog from scratch (it was a snap using WA’s tool, WordPress Express)
- how to build both pages and posts on your website
- how to write website content
- how to get a Google Adsense account
- how to social bookmark your site
- how to use different social bookmarking sites
- how to obtain back-links from other blogs
- how to find authoritative sites to link to
- how the process of article marketing works
- how to start building a business online
Note that last point – “how to start building a business online”. Wow! Now, to me that sounded pretty impressive – here I was, Day 1, no idea what to do or where to go, and there I am by Day 30 with an online business set up that I’m actually building. Now that’s what I call progress.
I’m not claiming to have made any money by that time, but to me the main objective had been achieved. And that was to learn the process of article marketing, so that I could then go off on my own and apply what I’d learned to any other campaign I might like to create, safe in the knowledge that I was now fully equipped with the tools I needed to succeed online both procedurally and financially.
I and all the other club members had come a long way in a relatively short period of time. It was hard work, but each step followed the previous one both logically and thematically, building up our skills and confidence layer upon layer like building blocks til we had covered all the steps needed to create a fully rounded article marketing campaign.
Mission accomplished! Thanks to Wealthy Affiliate University!