Diary of an internet marketer 2004-present
ByI’ve just completed an exercise in preparation for Chris Freville’s Mastermind Group next week, and although I can’t discuss much of what goes on there, I can reveal this fascinating information.
Chris has asked us to list the software and services that we have purchased in our Internet Marketing careers since we began, and mine shows a pattern and development which I hadn’t noticed before.
This is a fascinating picture of how my internet marketing has built over the years and begun to accelerate at a rapid pace.
Here are the key points:
- Most of what I bought as software I still use regularly and like
- If I wasted any money it was with web directory listings, Facebook, Google and Microsoft ads and ‘submit to search engine’ services. I had to spend that money to assess the value of those services … you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs
- I have probably ‘wasted’ no more than £500 in total on services which probably didn’t bring much benefit to me … that’s not bad for someone who started building websites with a modest aim of making some money – not necessarily a lot!) in 2004
- I really started to spend money in October 2008 as I began to encounter Internet Marketing for the first time.
- That spending has accelerated sharply since September 2009 when I first discovered Giveaways
- In 2010, that spending has increased once again as I am now paying established marketers for personal coaching.
- I began making proper money on the internet in September 2009, and as my success has increased, so has my spending. You can clearly see each time I ‘upscale’ my business.
- Coaching costs are censored … in case my wife spots them
So here it is, an Internet Marketing career charted step-by-step by my expenditure along the way … where would you say you are now?
2004: The beginning
2004: Dreamweaver & Photoshop - I still use both of these most days
2004-Sept 2007
Lots of domain names + hosting with T35/Nativespace
Sept 2007: Namesco submit to search engines tool … multiple sites, waste of money!
Lots of ‘For Dummies’ guides purchased, mainly for my blog posts
June 2008: Php forms software, great purchase, still use it
August 2008: MillionDollarPixel script … great scripts, used it twice, still in use, no business!
September 2008: Wordtracker (didn’t like it!)
September 2008: SoftBizAuctions online shop script … fine, but decided against it
First big purchase!
October 12th 2008: Discovered Site Build It! £178.79 … still use it. Like it very much for content sites, but won’t be my breakthrough. I’d consider it again if I had success in a particular niche. This site was the first site to start earning me money, and it still does.
Dec 2008: Easy Voip Recorder software … still use it
Feb 2009: CoverActionPro Photoshop … $97.00 … still use it
Feb 2009: Web directory submissions … expensive and a waste of money!
March 2008: Start experimenting with Facebook & Google ads … wasted money, a potential money pit. Take care!
April 2009: Widgetbox Pro upgrade … still use it
June 2009: Start to buy e-books, discover Clickbank
June 2009: Sean Lowery Graphics package
June 2009: Viral PDF & PDF locker – great purchases, use them regularly
July 2009: Clickbank Code … £56.44, great package, very useful, but Pay-Per-Click frightened me off!
July 2009: Wavepad sound editor … £37.10, still use it, don’t like Audacity
July 2009: Move to Heart Internet, unlimited everything hosting, £35 per month
July 4th 2009 – My first Chris Freville purchase! Dominating Niches
IDevAffiliate software … £62.48 … like it, haven’t used it because I prefer automated systems, it’s very good but I suspect I’ll go for something more scalable like Nanocaster now.
August 2009: Camtasia £260.96 … love it, still use it!
August 2009: Virtual Smart Agent £60 … love it, will continue to use it!
Proper Internet Marketing begins
August 15th 2009: AWeber subscription begins
August 19th 2009: Automated List Builder … 2nd Chris Freville purchase!
August 2009: Power Link Generator £42, still use it very regularly
August 2009: ViralTweets £35.65, still use it and like it
September 1st 2009 … my first Giveaway!
September 2009: Viral Ebook Explosion £22.82 Still use it and love it
September 14th 2009: Ultimate JV Giveaway Script £85.40 … getting great use from it
September 2009: Your membership website software £29.99 … use it, it’s fine, not really resilient enough
September 2009: Instant Bonus Pahe membership £48.57 … use it regularly and love it
October 2nd 2009: Third Chris Freville purchase, Clickbank Inner Circle
>>> December 2009 … lots of Giveaway expenditure
Start my own Giveaways
January 2010: Easy Member Pro £60, looking for a more resilient membership site
January 2010: Hostgator hosting (bought primarily for training purposes)
January 2010: Humyo back-up … bought for protecting all my valuable content!
Coaching begins
February 4th 2010: Mastermind group payment £Censored
February 2010: £150 Lee McIntrye training event
February 2010: GoToWebinar service $99 monthly
AdSwaps begin
February 2010: Safe Swaps subscription £24 per month
February 2010: £Censored Lee McIntyre personal coaching package
February 2010: £Censored Steven Essa personal coaching package
The future?
I’m convinced that coaching packages are the way to go … watch this space
Facebook comments:
Hi, Paul, I am SO sick of buying a book, only to find it’s another sad story about living in a trailer, flippin’ burgers, and all the usual stuff, Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad for them if they made it. Bin’ there, done that!! To buy an e-book, hoping for information, what I end up with is 98% Bull S^*&^T, and 1% useless information, plus 1% blank space!! PLEASE, people, I’m not trying to steal your business, just trying to make a few bucks to get by on. If you advertise INFORMATION, you should PROVIDE information. Thanks for your time, Paul, and now I’ll go and keep trying to make my FIRST dollar online!!!!! Have a good one,……David H.
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Paul Teague Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 4:35 pm
I don’t know if you found this blog via Twitter or if you’re on my subscriber’s list, but keep opening my emails David, if it’s information that you want I’ve got a big announcement coming up very soon that will give you free access to nothing but information. Also, take a look at my website web-work-at-home.com as that’s packed with nothing but pure information
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Hello Paul,
Very nice to see there’s a person out here willing to say it how it IS.
Could you possibly elaborate you feelings about Google Adsense
a bit more clearly? Without, of course, getting “Sued”. I’ve had a lot
of those emails lately, the ones where every person in the mail is
purging their admiration for it and urging my participation. I personally
don’t nor would use it. However, I’m quite sure you have readers that
may want to know your reasoning as well.
Great blog and super content!
Rob
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Paul Teague Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Hey Robert, thanks for your comment.
Do you mean Google Adsense or Google Adwords?
My best success with a content/information website to date has been with Web-Work-At-Home.com.
This site uses a product called Site Build It! which I highly rate because it’s totally geared to creating properly keyworded web pages packed with great content … and that makes them good for Adsense.
This site doesn’t bring in a lot of Adsense income … it’s very slow, drip-drip-drip, and I won’t be opening an overseas account for the income anytime soon
My personal view of Adsense and Adwords is that they’re specialisms in Internet Marketing … you can’t just waltz in and make a $Million.
Adwords particularly is a pit of snakes … there’s nothing wrong with the product, but you need to know what you’re doing, or you’ll lose your shirt on it.
Take a listen to my interview with Ben Brooks and find out about the huge debts he ran up on Adwords … he’s turned it round and he’s a hugely successful marketer now, but wow, it’ll take your breath away!
http://paul-recommends.com/info/BB3/
[Reply]
Hi Paul
Really interesting post and a very important one at that…..for way too long getting caught up in buying way too many products was a major problem for me.
However thats the job of copy writers. I know that your posts primarily surrounds the day to day running of things online, but I’m with you on that you need to follow one, two or maybe three peoples advice to begin with and stick with them or you will be led in way too many directions and will find yourself spending money that there was no need to spend.
Just to change the subject slightly…..for anyone who is reading your post and my comments I would certainly try out and concentrate upon Giveaways as one form of list building.
I could kick myself, because I flirted with these some time ago…but struggled with the relationship building in that I found it difficult to convert to customers from prospects, whatever I seemed to try.
I’m now heavily involved in Giveaways and my list count of active subscribers is closing in on the 1,000 mark….hopefully approaching a decent amount to enter into adswaps.
Lastly enjoyed your last Giveaway with Ashley Gough and will keep an eye out for other giveaways through yourself in the future.
Kind Regards
Chris
[Reply]
Paul Teague Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Thanks for the reply Chris and I’m delighted to hear that you’ve found Giveaways a great way to grow your list.
It’s how I started after struggling with no more than 25 subscribers forever, and it was my breakthrough.
Get into Ad Swaps now you have 1000 subscribers … Safe Swaps is my favorite site, I’m using it at the moment … I’ve even got a testimonial on there
Also, a tip … try and swap with people who have a bigger list than you … go for the 2000-3000 level with a list of 1000, you seem to get more and better subscribers.
I may get back to you, I’m currently working on a product launch in the Giveaway niche and I’m keen to find people who built their list to 1000+ in Giveaways.
Paul
You get more new subscribers when you go up rather than down
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I “like” KompoZer. It is a great tool for coaching just as you stated. Have found that it is perfect for getting people started out.
Also great if you just need to make a quick change or add a payment button/link.
The biggest dislike I have for KompoZer is it can make some really nasty code in the background. Leaves a lot of junk and makes the page larger than need be. But for a free program I do recommend it for quickies or newbies.
Did a video series on it and found it to be a wildly popular subject.
Thanks Paul,
Terry
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Hi Paul.
Oh how your story sounds so familiar. Will not bore you with retyping pretty much the same thing you did, own pretty much the same as you.
Fast forward for 1997 until today….
The main tools I use in the office are:
Photoshop CS4
Paint.net
Dreamweaver
KompoZer (for quick jobs)
XSite Pro
Camtasia
OpenOffice
There are of course many more little helpers, but above pretty much runs my daily internet (online and off) business.
Thanks for sharing and good day to all,
Terry
[Reply]
Paul Teague Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 11:29 am
I think you’re right Terry, there’s a kit of parts that virtually everybody needs.
The number 1 must have is AWeber, or a similar auto responder, yet I didn’t get this until fairly recently … I was going for Adsense and Clickbank income up until that point.
I’ve never used Komozer as I’ve always been a Dreamweaver man, but I just downloaded it the other day as it’s free and therefore better to use as a coaching tool.
How do you get on with it?
Paul
[Reply]
Hi Paul,
I didn’t think the list was ever going to end! lol
Seriously though, I too have had some howlers of purchased products, but that was mainly down to me just chasing money instead of building a business, but there are a few in the list there that are essential.
I use Hostgator, Camtasia 6, PLG, aweber of course, but i have also started utilising odesk to outsource many of the jobs I know will be time consuming for me and ones that I really can’t do! Oh and coaching.
Essentially though Paul, your list will make any newbie marketer understand that Internet Marketing is a business and will require some form of investment if they want a real chance of succeeding.
My no 1 recommendation for your list is to find a Mentor/Coach as you have, without a doubt.
Talk soon Paul,
Take care
Sean
[Reply]
Paul Teague Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 11:51 am
Thanks for this Sean, that’s a good point about outsourcing.
I’m now outsourcing graphics, transcription and I’ve just sent some writing work to a great contact in the USA that I made through Giveaway events.
I’m going to need someone in for video next I think … if you have any god people that you use, please pass them on.
I think you’re absolutely right when you say that Internet Marketing is a business and will require some form of investment.
Compared to setting up a shop or a restaurant, say, the costs of starting in IM are tiny, and you don’t venture nearly as much risk as in a ‘bricks and mortar’ business, but like you I think you have to get a mentor to move through all the learning and wastd time that everybody goes through without one.
Are you an Alex Jefferys student?
Cheers, Paul
[Reply]
That’s really interesting … have to say that I’ve not invested as much as you in my own development but the more I do spend … the more I seem to achieve.
I’m not convinced it’s just because I’m learning more but because you start to immerse yourself in marketing … start to take it more seriously and something happens subconsciously.
Before I’d invested in hosting and an auto-responder account I think there is something in the back of your mind that says … “I’m not prepared to committ to this” and that might be because deep down you don’t think you can make it online (despite what you conscously say to yourself).
Thanks for the post. Very different, very hosting and really valuable.
Al
[Reply]
Paul Teague Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 11:33 am
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head Allen … you’ve got to invest in your personal development.
After all, you don’t take to the wheel of car without training, not would you expect to jump in a car and drive it without training first.
One thing that has really made an impact on me recently is that everybody has a coach in this business, whoever they are.
I’m working with guys now who have 6-7 figure businesses and even they have coaches to take them to the next level.
I think I always thought it would be admitting to failure if I got coaching, but it’s the best thing I ever did … and it opens doors too.
I just landed two big guru interviews because of it … I’ll release details as soon as I can via my email updates
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