The Quick Start Challenge – Roundup

I thought I would summarize the essence of the Quick Start Challenge in one post.  These are the same steps you need to take to get your affiliate marketing business started.

Now, really, you need to have your niche selected before you start this. I had been messing about online for a while and had decided that I wanted to connect with other seniors who are wanting to earn money online. Thus, this blog.

A warning – this is a long post. Much of what is in here can be found in other posts on this blog but I wanted to bring it all together in one place to make it easier for you to follow.

If you are unsure about niches and niche selection, you can grab my free report here (it is an opt in page): How to Pick a Good Money Niche

If you are already one of my lists, just use the contact form and send me the email address you used to sign-up and I will send you a link to the report.

So, assuming you have your niche chosen, the Quick Start Challenge method can get you up and running and ready to start making money in 4 weeks, assuming you can meet the deadlines. If not, no biggie, just do what you can but find a way to keep momentum.

1. Get Your Blog Started

For this step you need to buy your domain name, get a hosting account, install WordPress and start your blog with one post and your about page.

Just that, nothing more.

Please, I know it is tempting, but do NOT use free services such as Blogger or WordPress.org for your site. You have no control over what happens to you site. Make the investment and get your own domain name and hosting account.

I already had a hosting account so I just needed my domain name. I was lucky that domain was available so I grabbed it right away.

Then, I installed WordPress and started my blog.

You do NOT have to use WordPress. If you have another CMS or site builder then go ahead and use it. For those of you just starting out, I recommend WordPress as it is easy to use and there are so many videos on Youtube and on WordPress site to help you set things up.

So, I ‘quickly’ whipped up a header (once I stopped obsessing it went quickly) for my site.  Then I wrote my about page and first post offline and then copied them to the blog. I do this offline (usually) as on too many occasions I lost most if not all of the post just as I was about to finish.

Done!

2. Set up Your Lead Magnet

To be truly successful online, you need your own list of subscribers. This will be your biggest asset. Step 2 of the Quick Start Challenge is setting up a system to get your visitors to subscribe to your list.

To do this, you something to give away that relates to your niche target audience. This something is your Lead Magnet – AKA – Ethical Bribe, Freebie, List Magnet etc.

This something must be of value to your prospective subscribers.

Your subscribers are potential customers. Treat them well. Give them value.

To set this system up, you need your lead magnet, a web page called an opt-in page or a lead capture page, and a thank you page.

The lead magnet I created during the challenge is a report about supplementing your pension by earning money online.

Your opt-in page is where you offer your Lead Magnet in exchange for the visitors email.

Once you have the email, you send them to your Thank You page.  This is where you tell them how to get the lead magnet and also a chance to let them get to know you better.

You want to capture that email into a system that will allow you to send emails to them.  These are called Autoresponders (more on this in the next step).  I use Aweber to do this.

It is easiest if you use a page builder to help with the opt in and thank you pages.  Not necessary but easier.

There are free options, such as Elementor or there are paid options such as Optimize Press.

You can see my Opt-in Page here … and of course you can sign-up to get the report and to see my Thank You page and how I have that set up.

3. Automation

This is actually a continuation of the previous step of the Quick Start Challenge.

Now that you have subscribers to your list, you want to use this opportunity to let them know more about you and what you can offer them.

Remember, this is all about how you can help your subscribers.

Here is where your autoresponder comes in.

You will create a “list” and add the email address of those who optin to that list. As soon as they opt in, your autoresponder sends your welcome email.

This is where you get to expand on the first impression you made with your Thank You page and let them know how to get the Lead Magnet.

Let them know what to expect from you in the future.

Be Honest.

Then, over the next 7 days or so, you send out an email each day with more information and, near the end of the series, you can promote an offer that is related to the content of your emails and your site.

Now, you write these emails in advance and load them into your autoresponder and it will send them out for you at the right time depending on when they subscribed to your list.

This is the part of the Quick Start Challenge that took me the longest as I was not sure what to write about.  Once I decided on a topic, I wrote an outline and used the section heading as titles for my emails.  It then wrote key points for each one and I was away to the races.

So, once you have this set up, you can promote your lead magnet knowing that your autoresponder will take care of first contact with your subscribers and prospective customers.

In addition to your beginning series, you should email your subscribers regularly, keep you in their minds.

When you have new offers that can help your subscribers you can send an email to everyone at once to let them know about it.

If you have done your job of getting your subscribers of getting to know, like and trust you, and your offer is a good match, you will most probably make some sales.

The more you interact with your list and more targeted your list and offer, the more sales you are likely to make.

4. Traffic

This is the final piece of the puzzle in the Quick Start Challenge and in making a living online.

You can have the greatest Lead Magnet on the face of the planet but if no one knows about it, you might as well pack up and go home.

You need TRAFFIC.

…visitors to your website.

Now, you don’t want just any traffic.

You want ‘targeted’ traffic.

People who are interested in what you are offering.

There are basically two methods you can use to get visitors to your website – ‘Free’ and Paid.

Now, despite the name, Free traffic has a cost – your time.  You need to create a presence online.  At this time, social networking is the easiest way to do this.

You can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Youtube or any others you may find useful.

You can also find forums and other blogs in your niche and post valuable comments and eventually you can add a link to your site (make sure that this is allowed before you spend you time).

It will take you time to create the content and get it posted and noticed.

However, once it is out there, it stays there and can continue to work for you month after month and year after year.

Yes, you have to keep posting content but, after you get going, you can outsource it if you like.

Paid traffic is where you pay money to get visitors to your site.  There are many different ways of doing this.

You can pay for ads on Bing or Google, you can buy solo ads, buy Facebook ads or you can buy a banner ad on related sites for example.

Before you start paying for traffic make sure you do your research.  You can lose a lot of money very quickly if you do not know what you are doing.  I speak from sad experience.

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Well, that’s it for this round of the Quick Start Challenge.

That’s what it takes to get the foundation of your business setup and ready to start earning money.

A Word of Warning

One of the biggest hurdles I faced (and still do to some extent) is that I am a bit of a perfectionist. If it is not perfect, I do not want to publish it. With that mindset, NOTHING will ever get done.

As Nike says,  JUST DO IT!

Taking imperfect action is ALWAYS better the no action – ALWAYS.

OK, enough from me.

It’s time for you to GO GO GO!

Oh, if you look in the upper right of this page, you will see and opt in form for my FREE Newbie Lessons Email course.  It is a series of emails that helps you through each of the steps to get you set up.