Complete newbie needs help.

[Kenneth Guill]

Hi everyone. I've really only begun studying affiliate marketing in the last week or so. I still have so many questions while at the same time suffering from complete information overload. I have turned to this as a desperate attempt to make money as to avoid being homeless in the very near future as I not been able to find any kind of a "normal job" anywhere recently ( unless i wanted to work behind bullet-proof glass for minimum wage). I am confident I can rise in the field of IM but i really need someone to point me in the right direction on what kind of products or niches to promote that will earn me somewhat decent income (i don't need "a million bucks over night!" lol) without having too much competition. Forgive me if I am being vague with my question, as I still have not learned everything (obviously...duh!) and am a complete newb.
Any advice in any area will be much appreciated.
-Kenneth

[Keiron West]

the best catagories are forex, weight loss and affiliate marketing ebooks, but these are also the hardest to make money with, its better to leave thoughs topics to the people with more experience, what you need to do is work out what sort of topic you are interested, if you like golf or surfing then i suggest you try and sell ebooks through Clickbank. in a bit of a hurry at the mo but email me at leisuretimebooks@hotmail.co.uk and we can discuss exactly what you want and i will help you.

[Becky jenkins]

I have just read your post, and you could try the 30 Day Challenge, with Ed Dale, I cant speak from experience of it, it's free and I have heard it's very good. You can find out more here

http://www.challenge.co/

It would be good to hear how you get on.

Becky

[Corey Palmer]

The 30 day challenge is a great idea and perfect to start with.

I've been doing IM for about 5 years or so and have been at it full time for only about 2 months. I certainly would not call myself a veteran of this game but I may be able to give you a few quick pointers to help. Here are some very general things in point form (in no particular order) that I have learned over the years:

• Build relationships online - most important in my opinion. Unfortunately, the introvert in me just got around to doing this now. It's easy to stay in your own little bubble when working online but having some good friends that you can call upon when you need something will do wonders.
  
• Understand that you cannot do everything. Outsourcing is definitely something to look into when you get to the point that you can afford to do so. Once I started outsourcing all the tasks that I hated doing, my business really started growing.
  
• Pick a niche that you are interested in. I cannot tell you how many sites I have had and just let go of them because I really wasn't interested in the subject and got bored. If you work on something in a niche you have interest in, you are more likely to stick with it. You are also more likely to provide some excellent value for your site's visitors and keep them coming back.
  
• I spent a good couple of years chasing different ways to make money and basically just running in circles and never getting ahead. With the number of products that are launched everyday, it's easy to get caught up in each of them wasting time and a lot of money in the long run. Best thing to do is to stick with one method and make it work for you....then find a way to scale it up.
  
• I'm just getting into product creation and have to say that it is what I have been most successful in as far as the $$ earned - you may want to look into creating a product in a niche you know about and have interest in. During the time that you are creating this product, visit other sites relating to this niche and become a contributor to these sites by helping out on forums and commenting on blog posts. Eventually you too will be viewed as one of the experts in that niche and when you are ready to launch that product, people will recognize that it is coming from you.
  
• Don't over complicate things. Remember, it is just a matter of creating something and getting traffic (the right traffic) to that something you created - yes, easier said than done. Find out where your target market is online and make yourself known there.

Sorry to just shove a bunch of things at you like this but these are things that I wished that I would have known when I got started! Hope it helps! If I think of anything else, I will add them.

[R.C. Rice]

If you feel your well being (possibly being homeless) is at risk I would suggest getting a (gulp) job. At the same time work on your online biz. I want to give more exact advice, but not knowing what you're particularly interested in, good at, etc makes it a bit difficult to do so.

I've never taken the 30 day challenge as some others are suggesting, but it could be a good start. I'm not sure how much funds you have to spare but getting some good one on one coaching or group coaching may be exactly what you can use to kick start your success.

Also if you see someone new, well new as in wanting to coaching, you can probably get in on a low if not free rate in exchange for feedback and a testimony.

Just know you have options and sadly know this, IM is not the solution in many cases when it comes to needing immediate cash (as a newbie). Now, don't take this to mean you should give up, you shouldn't.

Stay focused, stay positive, and know that Rome wasn't built in a day (success doesn't happen over night). Always be making a conscious effort to move one step, even if its a small one, closer to your goal(s).

[Tim OBrien]

Kenneth -

I may have some experience of my own I can share.

I spent my first year, nearly two, chasing after the 'latest & greatest' tactics, or atleast they appeared to be.

The problem is focus - and this must be developed.. When I actually started DOING stuff.. that's when I began to see some results. As silly as that sounds. What I mean is that instead of always chasing & trying to learn everything, just start doing stuff. If you've looked around you probably know of some strategies that will make you money, you just need to do them. If you're just watching a bunch of sales videos where people tell you how easy it is to wake up tomorrow and see your bank account loaded with cash, that's not the reality. I'm sure you're smart enough to realize that.

Here's the best advice I can offer - Do something that you enjoy (NOT something that someone tells you is going to fill you're bank account, bc trust me that will not motivate you and keep you focused) If you enjoy blogging, do that. If you enjoy doing videos, do THAT. People are making money doing ALL of these things, TRUST ME, you just have to pick one and ONLY one. Do that, stick with it, perfect it, get some results and, at that point, if you choose to move on, then move on.

Stay the course my friend.

(I've been in the exact situation you're describing - and sometimes desperation is a GOOD thing - if you use it for the right reasons. Sometimes desperation can motivate you!)