It’s the start of a new year.
If you’re reading this post, you’ve probably been playing round with marketing online for a while and if you’re like most people, you’re ready to stop spending money and start MAKING some this year.
Or you might have your business up and running, and be looking to really make this the year that things take off… make that jump to the next level.
Either way, here are some insights – my thoughts on what might make the difference in your business in 2010… what might take your online income to the next level, FINALLY!
1. More Digging!
I was having a chat to my Dad about this very subject last week and I came up with a surprisingly fitting metaphor that I knew I had to share.
Did you ever think that with everything that you’ve tried in your online business, you’ve actually been doing the right thing at least SOME of the time? Well it’s probably true.
Imagine if you were trying to dig a hole…
You stuck your shovel into the ground, moved a little dirt…
You did that a couple of times and stopped, saying “This isn’t working, look at this thing, this isn’t a hole!”
If you did, I might say to you, “You’re doing the right thing, you just need to do more of it!”.
Sticking your shovel in the ground is the right thing, you just need to it lots of times before you have yourself a hole!
Building your internet business, in particular growing your website traffic is a lot like that. People ask me “I’ve submitted articles, I’ve built links to my site, but I just don’t have any traffic yet, what should I do??” And I say: “More of that!”
As at any other time, you’ll succeed in 2010 if you are able to have yourself some discipline and create some CONSISTENCY. If you can be one of the few that can commit to sticking your shovel into the ground over and over again and gradually build the ONE business without deviating, you’ll be one of the success stories of the coming year, I promise you.
2. More Yak Sperm.
I got chatting to a lady at an NYE gathering in London last night who was looking to get started in affiliate marketing. I told her about the idea that “everyone’s an expert at something” and I was reminded of one of the crazier things I’d heard of being sold through affiliate marketing online… Yak Sperm!
The point of the conversation, and the point of this… point… was that as that tail of the internet grows ever longer, success will be easily forthcoming to those who can become an authority on an extremely specific subject.
The “every day – just getting started” affiliate marketer isn’t going to have the resources (initially) to compete in the big markets… so why try? Especially when there’s so much money to be made in those little pockets of the web that few know exist.
I’m not saying enter markets that are so weird and crazy that they aren’t being touched for a reason. I’m saying that there are markets, many in fact, where money is changing hands, profits are being made, but online competition is low… very low!
Those markets exist, and diligent entrepreneurs will find them and profit from them in 2010.
3. Flexibility Of Monetization
You might not realize it, but there’s always more revenue to pull from your website, especially if you’re flexible with the way you’re monetizing your site. At the end of the day, affiliate marketing is great, advertising is great, banners are great, selling your own products are great, selling leads is great… it’s all good!
Don’t go into any project deciding that “this is an Adsense site”. Instead, decide: This is a site where I’m trying to serve X market and I’m open to learning from THEM how best they want to be served 
4. Traffic: Stick To Your Fundamentals BUT…
At the start of 2008 people said it would be the year of social media… at the start of 2009 people said it would be the year of social media… and I’m sure this year people will say it’s the year of social media for online marketers.
This isn’t about social media specifically but what I think is that there are certain modes of online marketing that have been bubbling for a while now that we may be starting to know enough about to make profitable and consistently worthwhile. I’m sure we’ll all be sold alot of products about these in 2010 anyway so I’ll avoid them for now.
My point here is we all need to remember that fundamentals of traffic generation aren’t going to stop working with new changes in online marketing technology. If it’s search, links aren’t suddenly going to become useless. If it’s PPC, relevancy isn’t suddenly going to become… irrelevant (had to do it). The things that are always talked about aren’t going to become less effective just because they’re always talked about.
So keep an eye on the trends, don’t be afraid to dabble in new methods of promotion, but don’t make them your focus – stick to your fundamentals!
5. Remember Relationships
It’s easy to forget, when you’re sitting at your computer in your lonely little home office that a real person is sitting in their lonely little home office reading what you write, and hopefully feeling some kind of connection. As impersonal as it may be, online business, like any other, is about relationships.
Regardless of your business model, almost most anything you want more of in your online business, you can get through relationships. You want more content, more links, more affiliates, more traffic… knowing the right people in your niche can help you get them.
And the great thing is, in 2010, online relationships are easier than ever to develop.
Most niches you’re in, you can be that the other website owners that are your search competition are on Twitter somewhere; maybe not broadcasting that they’re the owner of that site, but they’ll be there. Connecting is as simple as an @ reply or a friend invite, and once your connected, the possibilities are endless.
I’m not saying it’s completely “who you know” over “what you know” but a little “who you know” sprinkled on top of your “what you know” certainly can go a long way.
That’s it!
If you can integrate more of these 5 things into your mindset and your business this year, I’m confident this year could be the one you look back on in 10 years time as you’re telling your friends about the growth of your business and say “THAT was the year that things really changed for me. After 2010 I was never the same!”
Here’s to your success in 2010!
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Was wondering what happened to you Andrew…been over a month since you posted last. Anyways, great post! I think two of the most important things is consistency and building relationships and if people focus on that, they’ll kill it this year!
hey Andrew, fantastic post my friend!
I particularly love the section about “More Yak Sperm.” I think I’m going to look for more creative ways to insert a word spurn into my marketing
Anyway, have a fantastic new year and if you ever need anything do not hesitate to contact me.
Talk soon,
Shannon Herod
Hi, great kickstart post! I downloaded your 1000 visitors report and after studying it, I became a regular reader of your blog. I find it much more useful when people are entertaining, especially when they are trying to inform. Love your style! Makes the message much more remarkable. I never forget something that is fun.
Another gem of a post, Andrew. Good to hear from you again!
Point #1 is spot on … consistency has made all the difference for me in the latter part of 2009. I chose to focus, and worked daily at content and promotion … and it’s working great.
Best to you,
Scott
Great to hear from you again Andrew I was starting to believe the rumour that you had been abducted by aliens and taken to a far away planet with no Internet access. I hope you are enjoying London and ther lovely frosty mornings and our expensive pubs.Anyway have a great 2010 and hope to see you in the Firepow forum soon.
Thanks Andrew, I am going to make traffic my new years resolution and build, build and build !!!!
“New Years Resolutions”……..alotta…… BLOODY – BULL – SHIT !!!
A Vehicle To……. COP/OPT OUT !!!
2010……Is A Year Of “POSITIVITY”……..You’re Either In or Out,
You Either “DO or DON’T DO !!!
None of This CRAP…..about New Years Resolution !!!!
Ha, just like Shannon, the word ’sperm’ caught my eyes before I even came to that paragraph. lol. Thanks Andrew, was a nice read.
Re: digging
Nice Andrew reminds me of when i got my first adsense check – A friend asked me what i was going to do now – Answer: More of the Same! Duh! it worked, just work on improving the process!
Andrew,good post I guess the one thing keeps coming through is persistence and focus so look forward to some more meaningful stuff in the future.
Cheers
John
Yep my new years resolution is to keep digging, and make friends,,,,can sometimes feel like your are on your own but there are many people digging too!!!!!
Andrew – your holiday clearly did you good!
I love the metaphor about digging. Let’s take it a bit further…suppose you were digging a tunnel…through a mountain…(that’s what it feels like anyway) the tunnel just gets longer and you see no light at all even after miles of digging.
Until you break through the last few inches…
Here’s to 2010 being a Breakthrough Year for All of Us/!
All The Best
Alex and Kathy
Hello Andrew!
When I was a kid in the 60’s my father gave me the job of digging irrigation ditches across our ten acre pasture. I hated it but there was only one way to get it done or get out of it.
To get ‘er done I had to keep digging.
To get out of it I had to do a horrible job so I wouldn’t get asked again. That was much worse as my father simply gave me an even more horrible job.
I got pretty good at digging ditches!
I’d lot rather make some money into my account when I don’t even know it than another way.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to grow this thing I’m having a little success with. It IS real work but after I graduated from ditch digging I went to laying railroad track in Montana. That’s FAR worse!
Experience can give you a great perspective or it can ruin your day. Your choice!
Thanks for the Crap Cutter!
Riley West – An Internet Marketer In The Making.
Hi Andrew, you’ve always written and sent great materials to me at no cost. I’m a newbie with a couple of affiliate sites and I’m going to practice what I’ve been learning from you. This year I’m focusing on traffic and hopefully make enough to learn more from your blogging institute.
Thanks for the freebies, they are highly appreciated.
Hi Andrew,
Simple step but everyone must do the same thing for 2010 biz solution!
Thanks,
This was so encouraging. I have truly tried everything. I’m starting a new site soon, and I’m going to try again. I’m going to keep digging. I think articles work best for me so I’ll do more of that. I’ve got to do better in 2010!
Good thought piece, Andrew. And I see that already several commenters have focused in on the two items I feel are key … keep digging and make some friends.
The majority of folks who “can’t make it work” absolutely “can” make it work, but they stumble when they get to the ‘work” part. You just have to keep digging in the same place for a while, not running the length of a golf course, digging out a shovel full every 50 yards. Some may remember that great “feel good” fantasy movie from a few year’s back, “Field of Dreams”, which gave us the well known phrase phrase, “If you build it, they will come”.
The big take away from the movie was, of course, follow your dream, but remember how diligently Kevin Kostner worked at it? Even digging a lot of holes for the light poles, manicuring the grass, building the stands for the fans who weren’t yet there and precisely lining the foul lines and the batter’s box?
Most of us, and I am certainly looking in the mirror when I say this as well, it’s not just “other people” who make the mistake … start by hammering a sign into the edge of a corn field that says, “Here will rise a great baseball field” and then the next morning start working on creating football field farther down the road.
The movie was fantasy, but the catch phrase is the truth, as long as you focus on the ‘build’ part rather than the ‘if’ part.
And for goodness sake, be a real person and treat others politely. I can’t begin to tell how many times I’ve written to other entrepreneurs over the years and been ignored, or gotten back nasty or shifty and evasive answers.
Significantly, I have exchanged many an email or comment chain with some of the biggest names on line … in many cases, the biggest names are the most patient, polite and open folks. Wonder if that has anything to do with the fact they are ‘big guns”? Na, probably not, their ‘big’ only because they were born lucky or they had some advantage poor little me never had. Coluldn’t be that their popularity comes from the fact that many people find them friendly and helpful … everyone “knows” that doesn’t work …
Hi Andrew,
Hope you had a nice holiday and you will be pleased to know that ~ It’s raining in Hervey Bay!
An excellent way to start a new year, plant new ’seeds’ and harvest the best crop yet from new ideas and new ventures.
Thanks for the great post!
Great post Andrew.
This year, I’m going to do more of #1 and #5, so wish me luck
At the beginning of every year, people always make new year resolutions of what they want to achieve for that year.
Sadly, their excitement and enthusiasm usually only last for a few weeks, max. Whenever they do so, they should come back and read this cool post.
See you around mate!
Welly Mulia
Hi Andrew,
Great Post! I’m going to work on all of it this year and just keep digging away! The main thing I need is consistency, which is something I desperately need to work on. It’s sooo easy to become distracted…. I feel that everything else will fall in place if I can improve on consistency.
I hope you had a nice holiday. Happy New Year!
Lori
My New Year’s Resolution is to STOP wasting time and money on “internet marketing” emails, scams, activities, etc., and use the time more productively on things that give me some return, like playing my guitar. I am done with all of this crap.
Hey Andrew –
Yak sperm is too funny – but a good reminder that ANYTHING – or should I say content about anything – is always out there on the Internet. Write enough about a topic and visitors WILL find you.
Content, content, content should be our mantra.
Good luck to all!
“stick to your fundamentals!” That is such great advice, thanks for reaffirming what I have already realized for myself. You are the best Andrew, and Happy New Year to you and all!
Consistency and discipline – those 2 words are very powerful. Simple concept but how many of us stick to it. There are some many distractions in the internet marketing world and you do need alot of self control and certainly I am looking to improve in that area in 2010.
Hi Andrew,
I can’t even remember who’s list directed me to your Crap Cutting Marketing Report, but I’m glad I found it. I’m relatively new to marketing, but I’ve done a lot of research and tried a lot of “tips” from gurus. I’ve had a little success, but I tend to get distracted by “shiny things” and go off in a new direction as I search for some hidden jewel.
I really like how you presented your information. Those I often subscribe to lists (usually to unsubscribe in a matter of days), you are one of a handful of people I will continue to follow as your content is actually of value. I can’t wait to check out your blog a little more and hope to learn even more from it.
There is no better mentor than Andrew for affiliate marketing. The key is to maintain focus on your project. It’s like trying to burn a pile of leaves while moving the magnifying glass around….not gonna happen…you have to keep the magnifying glass in one spot to catch a spark…just like affiliate marketing… Thanks Andrew for helping me keep my magnifying glass steady…. To ALL, Let’s have an Abundant 2010!