The Build your Business in 52 weeks playlist has over 26 weeks of trainings on how to use the Build your Business 15 principles to grow your business. Watch current episode each week or click on the PLAYLIST bar to scroll and find an episode you would like to watch and click play!
You've been told a thousand times that SEO is the magic bullet for blog traffic. You've installed the plugins, researched the keywords, and optimized your headlines. You've read every guide about meta descriptions and alt tags.
You've done everything right, at least according to the experts. Yet your traffic numbers still look depressingly flat. The analytics don't lie, and they're telling you something isn't working.
Here's what no one wants to admit: SEO isn't your biggest problem. Not even close.
The real reason your blog isn't getting traffic has nothing to do with algorithms or backlinks or keyword density.
It's about relevance. It's about writing something people actually care about reading. You can optimize an irrelevant blog post to death and Google will still ignore it because readers ignore it first.
It watches how quickly people hit the back button after landing on your site. It notices when readers don't click through to other articles. It pays attention when no one bothers to share your content. All the SEO tricks in the world can't save content that doesn't connect with a real human need.
You didn't click on the first result because it had perfect keyword placement. You clicked because the title and description promised to solve your specific problem. And you stayed on that page because it delivered on that promise immediately, not because it had an optimized header structure.
Most blogs fail because they're answering questions nobody is asking. They're solving problems no one actually has. They're written to impress peers rather than help readers. They blend in with the sea of sameness that floods the internet every day. No amount of technical optimization can fix content that doesn't deserve attention in the first place.
They're the ones that make readers feel something. They're the ones that cut through the noise instead of adding to it.
They pick fights with established ideas. They share insights no one else has noticed yet. They speak with an authentic voice that stands out from the corporate blandness most content falls into.
That moment where the reader thinks, "I've never thought about it quite like that before." That's not an SEO problem. It's a thinking problem. It's a creativity problem. It's a courage problem.
Look at the blogs you actually read regularly. Do you read them because they're perfectly optimized for search engines? Or do you read them because the writer has a unique perspective you can't find elsewhere?
Do you read them because every technical SEO box is checked, or because they challenge your thinking and make you see the world differently? Do you read them because they have the right keyword density, or because they feel like they were written specifically for you?
The hard truth is that "good enough" content doesn't work anymore. There's too much competition. Too much noise. Too many blogs saying the exact same things in slightly different words.
Your readers aren't dumb. They recognize recycled ideas and generic advice within seconds. And when they spot it, they leave and never come back. What your blog needs isn't more optimization.
It needs a reason to exist. It needs a clear point of view. It needs to say something that hasn't been said a thousand times before. It needs personality, edge, specificity. It needs to feel like it could only have come from you.
This doesn't mean ignoring SEO completely. SEO still matters for being discovered. But it's the secondary concern, not the primary one. Technical optimization should support great content, not try to mask mediocre content. SEO gets people to your door. The content itself determines whether they step inside and stay awhile.
Forget about SEO for a moment and ask yourself what you know that most people in your industry don't know yet.
2.What counterintuitive lessons have you learned the hard way?
4.What's the advice you're scared to give because it goes against conventional wisdom?
That's where your best content lives. That's where traffic comes from. Not from chasing algorithms, but from being brave enough to say something worth reading.
Generic advice creates generic results. Your blog post about "How to Grow Your Business" is competing with literally millions of similar articles. But a post about "How Solo Consultants Can Land $20K Projects Without Cold Emails" is speaking to a specific person with a specific problem. It cuts through the noise because it promises a specific outcome for a specific reader.
When you try to speak to everyone, you end up connecting with no one. The fastest way to increase traffic isn't better SEO—it's narrowing your focus until your content feels tailor-made for a particular type of reader. Those readers become your advocates. They share your content because it speaks directly to their situation in a way generic content never could.
Another reason blogs fail to attract traffic is poor storytelling.
Facts inform, but stories persuade. Stories create emotional connections. They build trust. They make abstract concepts concrete. A blog without stories is like food without flavor—it might contain nutrients, but no one wants to consume it.
Every great blog post needs a narrative hook—something that pulls the reader in and makes them care about what comes next.
This isn't about clickbait. It's about context. It's about showing readers why they should care about the information you're sharing. Why it matters to their lives right now.
Your traffic problems might also stem from inconsistency.
Not just posting schedule (though that matters), but inconsistency of quality and voice. Readers need to know what to expect from you. They need to recognize your content as distinctly yours. If every post feels like it could have been written by anyone, why would readers seek out your blog specifically?
The most successful blogs aren't just information sources. They're worldviews.
They're lenses through which readers can understand their challenges in a new way. They create a sense of belonging—a feeling that "this writer gets me and my specific situation."
Your blog might not be getting traffic because, frankly, it's boring.
Not factually wrong. Not poorly written. Just boring. Safe. Expected. It follows all the rules but breaks no new ground. It says all the right things but provokes no new thoughts. It checks all the boxes but ignites no emotions.
Boring content doesn't get shared. It doesn't create word of mouth. It doesn't build an audience. And all the SEO in the world can't fix that fundamental problem. You need to make people feel something—curiosity, surprise, validation, hope, even productive discomfort. Anything but indifference.
So stop obsessing over SEO tricks. Start obsessing over creating content that simply can't be ignored. Content that makes a clear, specific promise and delivers on it in an unexpected way.
Content that could only have come from you and your unique experiences. That's what builds traffic that lasts. That's what creates an audience that grows. Not because an algorithm says so, but because actual humans can't wait to see what you'll say next.
The one glaring fact that no one can deny these days is that the rising cost of living is putting a serious dent in our wallets and bank accounts. Seniors who have retired or are on a fixed pension are usually hit the hardest.
Because of the current state of things, more seniors are jumping online to boost their income or grow their businesses.
But here’s the hard truth - navigating the online marketing world can feel like trying to find your way out of an IKEA store. The process is confusing, winding, and labyrinthine.
Add in a tight budget and tech tools that seem to require a PhD to operate, and it’s easy to see why so many seniors get tripped up or feel stuck.
But don’t panic…
Thousands of senior marketers have discovered that Systeme.io will simplify the process and keep things affordable, and surprisingly fun to use.
In this article, we’ll look at 12 reasons why senior marketers are ditching the chaos and embracing Systeme.io to make their digital journeys smoother, smarter, and a whole lot less stressful.
Of all the benefits, this is probably the best one. Systeme.io has a very generous free plan that will allow most seniors to dip their toes in the online marketing world and start profiting online without any financial risk.
Seniors on a tight budget will truly appreciate Systeme.io’s free plan.
While other tools have trial periods or monthly fees, Systeme.io gives you enough features (within limits) for you to get your feet wet and start making a profit.
Here’s a quick glimpse of their free features:
Managing multiple tools can be a headache, but with Systeme.io, everything you need is in one place. No need to log into multiple tools and platforms and have 99 open tabs in your browser.
From email marketing to building funnels, to automating your campaigns, it’s all right there, so you can focus on growing your business without hassle.
Time is precious. Most seniors often get exhausted faster than people half their age. Systeme.io saves you time by bringing everything together.
You’ll spend less time setting up and managing tools, and more time doing what matters such as creating content, strategizing, or engaging with your audience. It’s all about working smarter, not harder.
Tech is one of the biggest ‘mental hurdles’ that seniors struggle with. Furthermore, the tech online changes so fast that just as you get used to one interface, it changes to another new update that looks foreign to you.
Many seniors abhor the tech and learning curve that comes along with it.
Thankfully, you don’t need to be a tech expert to make the most of Systeme.io. Its clean, simple interface makes it easy for anyone to use - whether you’re tech-savvy or just starting out.
You’ll feel right at home, building funnels and automating your marketing with ease. The drag-and-drop page builder is a breeze to use.
Tired of wrestling with clunky integrations?
With Systeme.io, everything clicks together effortlessly. From syncing your payment system to connecting your autoresponder to your landing page – the platform works beautifully. No tech headaches - just smooth sailing.
Since it has multiple tools in one place and it’s all integrated.
If you’re using other tools, you’ll need to figure out API keys and other tech gobbledygook just to get all the different tools to play nice with each other… and suddenly out of nowhere, the entire thing might ‘break down’ just because one tool has been updated.
This happens all the time and most seniors just won’t have the patience to deal with this constant chaos. If you value your peace of mind, you’re definitely better off with Systeme.io where everything works like clockwork.
Once you’re making money, you may wish to sell more products and add more funnels to your account. Congrats! Your business is growing…
And the good news is that Systeme.io will grow with you. Here’s a quick look at their plans:
It’s flexible, allowing you to scale up when you’re ready without feeling overwhelmed. Your business can evolve, and Systeme.io will be there to support you every step of the way.
Unlike tools such as ClickFunnels or LeadPages which require you to pay a flat fee regardless of the size of your business, with Systeme.io, you only pay for what you need.
As your business grows, you can upgrade your plan. You’ll avoid wasting money and see a positive impact on your bottom line.
Systeme.io includes pre-made templates for sales pages, landing pages, etc. Seniors will love this. They won’t need to build pages from scratch – this can require creativity and may be time-consuming.
With attractive pre-built pages, all you’ll need to do is edit them and make them yours. What could take days can be finished in an hour or two.
Systeme.io’s templates are like having a cheat sheet for success. You can skip the guesswork and go straight to creating high-converting funnels and emails.
It gets even better – there are many marketers selling pre-built Systeme.io templates on Etsy and other marketplaces. You’re spoiled for choice here!
If you purchase a template, you’ll be given a link. All you’ll need to do is click that link and the entire template will be imported into your Systeme account.
One click-one import… it doesn’t get easier than this!
With Systeme.io, you can build a blog, run webinars, have a digital store, sell single products and so on. These are all income opportunities that most seniors can tap into.
The platform makes it easy to explore new income streams, all while keeping everything in one place.
Automation is like having a personal assistant that neither sleeps nor needs coffee breaks.
With Systeme.io, you can automate repetitive tasks. Those who purchase your products are automatically added to your email list. They’ll be sent follow-up emails to nurture them – on autopilot.
It handles the grunt work in the background to keep your business running while giving you more time to focus on other important tasks.
Wondering how your campaigns are doing?
Systeme.io makes it easy to track your progress with clear, straightforward analytics. You’ll always know what’s working and what’s not, so you can tweak your strategies and keep improving.
With Systeme.io, you won’t need to pay for 3rd party affiliate tracking tools. This feature is already built into Systeme.io.
Setting up, managing, and tracking your affiliate program is simple. You’ll have full control over your partnerships/affiliates, helping you to grow your brand and your sales with minimal effort.
When it comes to customer support, Systeme.io is second to none. Their knowledgeable support desk usually responds within a couple of hours. Fast, efficient, and extremely helpful.
Systeme.io also has an official Facebook group with thousands of members (users) who are familiar with the platform. By engaging here, you’ll pick up a lot of tips and tricks on using Systeme to build your thriving online business.
If you’re ready to ditch the tech headaches and save some cash - Systeme.io has everything you need in one place. Any senior marketer worth his/her salt will be able to profit with this awesome platform. No more juggling tools or wasting time.
It’s easy, affordable, and designed to help your business grow without the stress. Start for free today and see how simple online marketing can be!
What’s Lacking in Your Business?
For those who come online hoping to launch a career as a successful niche marketer, you’re often looking for an exact systematic approach. Newbies hate to be overwhelmed and confused by too much information.
If you want to keep it simple, yet effective, there are only three things you need to worry about:
Now you might be thinking, “I already have those in place and I’m still struggling.”
That only means you’re one step closer to success!
What you need to do now is track and tweak, an on-going part of the process to managing a successful business on the Internet.
Let’s go back to look over all three elements to look at what you need and where your system might not be measuring up…
When you think of your offer, whether you’re the vendor or an affiliate promoting for someone else, you have to think in terms of what the consumer sees. There are several things they’ll be looking for and if your offer is lacking in any of these areas, it could cause it to flop.
First and foremost, they want it to resonate with their needs. It needs to address their pain points, needs and goals. An offer on getting more traffic with short form videos on TikTok is likely going to convert better than a broad “Internet Marketing Success” book, for example because it’s definable and helps people with a specific goal.
Study your audience, find their needs and then present or create an offer for them. Not the other way around. You have to know everything about them first – who you’re going to serve.
The demographic details will help. Someone wanting to learn online marketing as a college student may want a very different approach from a senior, retired audience, for example.
If the offer packed with valuable, actionable advice? It has to meet and exceed audience expectations. Make sure it delivers more than they want, like bonus items, superb customer support, etc.
You have to be willing to convey how this is going to change their life for the better. What problem is it going to solve? How can it helps them achieve a goal? If it’s not meaningful enough, like freeing up time, saving or making money for them, and so on, they might not feel it’s worth it.
Even the format of the offer might make a different. Is it a 150-page eBook that feels tedious? Or a series of 10 minutes videos that they can complete as they have time? Any time you can create a hybrid course to appeal to preferences, it’s best.
Simplicity is another factor in offers. Overcomplicate things and it will be a deterrent to your customers. Even with advanced concepts, people still want things to be simplified for them.
Next let’s look at traffic. Are you trying to send anyone and everyone to an offer and expecting it to convert? That’s not going to happen.
Targeted traffic is key to your success.
You can have the best offer in the world, but if the wrong person lands on your page, it won’t make a sale. Targeted traffic means knowing who your perfect audience is and where they’re going to come from.
Are they searching on Google with specific keyword phrases? You have to know how they search. Are they using a voice assistant? That’s a different kind of keyword phrase your site has to be optimized for.
What about social media platforms? Are they on Facebook or TikTok? Maybe YouTube or Instagram is what they prefer. You don’t want to waste time on the wrong platforms. This is true whether you’re using free content or paid ads.
Speaking of paid ads, you have to zero in on your audience perfectly, and use creative ads that convert well. You can split test the image or video along with the content of your ad to see what works best, but always do it with the goal of spending as little as possible.
Every traffic source is going to work in a unique way. You can’t just slap up the same content across every platform and expect it to work the same. Your audience, even if they’re the same age, might respond to content on TikTok different from Facebook.
Learn their expectations (for length, style, and substance) as well as things like timing, hashtags, thumbnails, and more. For organic blog traffic, you have more leeway, but if you want to pull in targeted traffic, you have to be tuned into their search strategy and content needs.
All of these traffic tactics require a few things: consumer search habit knowledge, format and slant preference insight, and consistent creation and publication to keep your brand alive in front of the audience.
You need to be paying attention to data to analyze which traffic sources are performing well. That doesn’t just mean sending the most people,but converting them into click and purchases.
You might find one source has a lot of traffic, but few sales, while another sends less traffic, but it’s more targeted and converts into profits at a higher percentage rate than the other.
Once you have tidied up your offer and traffic, move on to the conversions to see if you’re lacking in that area. This often comes on the sales page, but sometimes before the sales page, too.
You have to build trust with your potential customers early on, whether you’re a vendor or affiliate. This can be done through your social media content, blog, and especially your direct email communications.
Trust and loyalty are important for conversions. This means catering to their needs with free insight and guidance so that when the time comes to sell to them, they can believe in what you offer.
Another part of the conversion process is determining how hard you make it to buy the product and get started. The less they have to do, the better. Eliminate forms that ask for things like phone numbers and addresses.
Make sure your form is mobile-friendly in case someone is buying from a smart phone. You want the process smooth so they don’t abandon the item in their cart. Everything that hinders their experience on your site can result in a lack of sales, whether it’s the speed of your site loading, your navigation being off, etc.
Be sure to split test as many elements as possible one at a time. This includes headlines, the call to action statement, buttons, and more. Even the overall messaging and personalization needs to be tested for improvements.
Don’t just talk about what’s in a product. Talk about the benefits they’ll get from owning it. If you’re an affiliate and not a vendor, use a bridge page if the sales page does a poor job of handling this.
As the vendor, you also need to make sure the price is right for good conversions. It has to be affordable without diluting the perceived worth of your offer. If the pricepoint can’t be lowered, increase the value with built-in bonuses and add a risk-free guarantee, too.
There’s no need to make this more complex than it has to be. Simplicity is key, and if you can tweak your offer, traffic and conversions, you’ll rise to the top level of online entrepreneurs earning a steady six or seven figures with ease.
For more on offers, audience, traffic, conversions, sales pages and selling, try out the Business of At Home Business membership where we talk about what you need to be successful as a new entrepreneur.
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be your own boss?
Becoming an entrepreneur can be a tough road, but it does come with numerous advantages. Imagine having the power to manage your own schedule, finances, and decisions. As we will discover in this article, there is a common thread that connects all these advantages and that is Freedom.
We’ll look at how this freedom can transform different areas of your life. If you've ever thought about breaking free from regular employment, then the journey into entrepreneurship awaits you. It's not always easy, but it could be the rewarding adventure you've been seeking.
Say goodbye to dull, routine jobs and hello to doing what you truly love!
When you work for yourself, you have the incredible opportunity to chase your dreams. It’s a chance to turn your hobbies and other pursuits into income streams.
The corporate world is full of people whose heart isn’t in it. The job itself could be monotonous, or they might have taken promotions for the pay increase rather than genuine interest.
When you’re working for reasons that don’t align with your own motivation, your performance tends to suffer. It’s challenging to do your best when you lack personal drive. You’ll also feel frustrated by spending your time and energy doing something you’re not excited about.
Entrepreneurs may not always be able to generate income solely from their passions. However, they have the freedom to pursue their love and give it a try. Even if their effort fails, they learn valuable lessons they can use for the next business venture.
Many entrepreneurs DO manage to earn a living from their ambitions. The key to doing this is to identify an interest of yours that has a hungry market. You can do this by identifying your passions and testing your ideas until you find one that’s profitable.
Time is an invaluable resource. When you work for yourself, you’re free to manage your time however you see fit. You can create your schedule and balance work and personal life on your terms.
When you work for others, you need to be on their schedule. Even if you work remotely, you often must be available at certain hours. In addition, working for others usually involves non-essential meetings and unnecessary tasks that waste your time and decrease productivity.
As an entrepreneur, you can set your work schedule. When there’s a family event or something else important, you can take time off without asking your boss. You can manage your time to prioritize self-care, reduce stress, and optimize productivity.
Entrepreneurship allows you to be financially independent. First, create your own financial objectives and establish your spending habits and protocols. Then, you can choose to invest your funds in new business ideas and take measures to avoid spending needlessly.
Best of all, you can decide how much you earn. You know what it’s like to be stuck at a certain pay scale. But, running your own business, you can choose how much you should take home and how much to reinvest in your business’s growth.
It may take you time to learn the fundaments of business finance, such as profit and loss and cash flow management but this will be time well spent.
You can make decisions without anyone else's approval when you run your own business. There are no rigid corporate procedures to follow and no red tape. Instead, you can consider your best course and then take action.
Organizational structure is complicated, and this means it’s hard to make changes. As a result, you often find yourself going along with what the boss decides, even when you’re convinced it’s the wrong choice.
As an entrepreneur, you have the ability to shape your business strategies, select partnerships, and make crucial decisions guided by your own vision and values. You’re not bound by rigid structures or slow-moving processes.
You can respond swiftly to market dynamics, adapt to changes, and embrace innovative approaches. This gives you a sense of ownership and allows you to steer your ventures toward success.
When you work within someone else’s company, there are limits to how much you can truly do for others. However, running your own business opens up a world of possibilities to make real changes in the lives of your target market.
Your business can create products, services, and content that helps people solve problems they’re facing. You have expertise most people lack. If you can develop offerings that help people overcome their problems, you’ll have a profitable business and make a difference in the world.
The 1 Thing All Entrepreneurs Need to Do
“I’ve never found anyone that didn’t want to help me if I asked them for help,” said Steve Jobs. “Most people never ask … and that’s what separates, sometimes, the people who do things from the people who just dream about them.”
In the entrepreneurial industry online, this is especially true. There has never been a more isolating business than this one, but that doesn't mean you have to work in a bubble where you never ask for or receive assistance from others.
This is a business where there is no formal education or degree that is going to map out every step you need to take from start to finish in order to succeed. In fact, there are too many different pathways you can take, which almost makes it more like a “Choose Your Adventure” scenario.
But asking for help is sometimes either intimidating or unacceptable for certain men and women. There are those who insist on doing it all themselves because they have too much pride to turn to others and ask for help.
There are also those who are just too shy to reach out to another person because they feel like a burden having to ask for information or assistance with something they may not know how to do.
Online Marketing Isolation Is Self Sabotage
Repeat after me: “There is no way I can know every single thing there is to do as an online entrepreneur.” This is a multi-hat career path. You have to do things like write content, research, learn technical things, master social media, be a blogger and email marketer, handle customer service issues, figure out copywriting and more.
To think you can quickly earn money and simultaneously master all of this (and more) is ridiculous. If you do intend on taking a full DIY path, it’s going to take ample time, which means slower earnings.
You have to remove your ego, set aside your lack of self confidence, and be willing to learn from others. Sometimes, that means doing more than just buying courses or absorbing free information from the ‘net.
Yes, that’s where you start. It’s the best starting point for anyone. But as we all know, there will be times when that’s not enough. You might do everything you’re taught and something still glitches or isn’t effective and then what?
You might turn to the person who created the course and ask (but you may not always get an answer). You might ask in a forum, but get ineffective replies. Asking someone specific for help is an option you need to have available to you.
Asking for Help Doesn’t Mean You Get to Be a Burden
There’s a caveat to the instruction of making sure you’re willing to ask for help. Don’t be a pain to anyone else. That means a couple of things. First and foremost, always be able to tell the person you’re turning to what you’ve done so far.
If you haven’t done anything and you go asking someone, “How do I build a blog?” then you’re being a leech. Go Google it. Go to YouTube. Try it. Don’t go to someone else until you’ve made an attempt.
Secondly, you want to limit your questions and be very precise with them. Don’t go to someone saying, “I don’t know why my emails aren’t getting opened.” You have to give the person data to work with, examples of your subject lines, time of day you send them, etc.
Don’t bug them for a reply. They’re busy. You’re asking for help for free. And once they answer, don’t bombard them with endless additional questions. Unless you’re paying them for coaching, make sure it’s a two-way street.
Your appreciation needs to be shown in some way. You might mention and tag them on social media as a fantastic mentor in the industry – someone willing to go above and beyond.
You might share their post with a product promotion, both on social media as well as to your list of subscribers if it’s relevant. Be sure to ask if there’s anything you can do for them.
Perhaps you have talent whipping up high-ranking blog content, and they struggle with that. You can have them give you a keyword phrase and create a post to help them rank their blog.
Steve Jobs called Bill Hewlett (co-founder of Hewlett-Packard) when he was just twelve years old and asked for help. He needed spare parts for a project. Not only did Hewlett give him the parts, he gave him a job later, and the rest is history.
Asking for Help the Right Way
We already talked about making it a two-way street. But what else do you need to know? First, realize that just the simple act of asking is an ego boost for most successful marketers.
It means you look at them as a leader or authority figure. It’s a sign of respect, unless you are demanding about it. Have some confidence when asking for help and don’t keep apologizing.
People like to help those who are fellow go getters. If they get the vibe from you that you’re too meek and mild mannered and just going to continue floundering, it will be a waste of time for them.
For many marketers, they view your success either as a badge of honor for them to have help you achieve it – or as a future collaborator in some way that can help them earn more in their own business.
Sometimes, your question might be turned into a lesson for all of their followers. So you might be doing them a favor giving them a good content idea, while being able to show everyone how helpful they are.
You need to figure out the best people to ask for help. Not everyone is going to have the same expertise, skill level or even ethics. This requires you to do your homework on reputation – and not rush into anything in a panic.
Keep mental notes (or an actual record) of who shows expertise in which areas. You might have some names for those who excel with email marketing, others whose copy converts amazingly well.
Watch their social media to see if they post about something related to what you need to learn. Or, see if someone else tags them to compliment them on an achievement regarding something you want to know.
Never contact someone on the first time and dump a bunch of questions and a request for help on them. Introduce yourself. Explain that you’re impressed with their knowledge. Then mention what you’re doing and how you still have an unanswered question that you think they might know, but ask if they’d mind you giving it to them.
Some might respond that they don’t have time. That’s okay. Don’t let that deter you from asking someone else – even if you get a negative reply several times in a row. You will encounter all kinds of very busy entrepreneurs, and some really don’t have time to help everyone who comes around asking questions.
Don’t sound too needy or flustered. It’s not their job to calm you down. Be an adult and very professional in your exchange. When they give you advice, take action on it. Don’t waste their time asking for help and then do nothing with the information.
That’s a slap in the face. Execute the instructions or advice and follow up with the results and your appreciation, or further question if what you did didn’t produce the kind of results you’d hoped to see.
Asking for help is something you’ll probably do even when you’re bringing in six or seven figures. It’s not something that ends. Your questions might change. It might be something like asking for help in who they recommend as a virtual assistant so you can delegate your growing business tasks to.
The Business of At Home Business membership is all about starting, running and growing a home business so you are in the right place!
Are you looking to build authority, trust, and credibility in your niche?
You are?
Excellent. Then you probably know that you need a loyal audience of people who will eagerly consume your content and buy whatever you create or promote.
But here’s the problem!
We live in an information age where people are bombarded with content, non-stop notifications, social media drivel, and a plethora of other distractions.
Building a solid community is only half-the battle… keeping them engaged and interested is the other half – and it’s the more important and difficult half.
While several solutions have popped up on the marketplace to address this problem, there’s on exceptionally outstanding platform called Skool that does this brilliantly…
And we’ll look at it in more detail further down.
What’s important now is that you understand why you need a community…
Having a community ensures that you are in constant contact with your audience/customers. This is imperative not only for trust-building… but for the survivability of your business.
Building a reliable community is key to boosting repeat sales, conversions, and recurring income.
A community could be a Facebook group, a server on Discord or a cool niche group on Skool.
While each has its pros and cons, the underlying principle is the same – there’s a place for your audience to hang out and interact with each other.
When you have a group, it’s inevitable that some members will help others and if your courses/training are good, they’ll recommend what worked for them. This social proof and brand advocacy will lead to higher conversions and increased sales for you.
With a community, you’ll be able to get feedback on your products/training. You could conduct polls, ask for suggestions, etc. You’ll gain a better grasp of what your audience truly needs… and you can serve them better.
When you’re present in a group and interacting with your members, you’re no longer a vendor who sells from a distance. You’re now a friend – and people love interacting and supporting their friends.
We could go on and on about the benefits of having your own community, but you get the idea.
What you probably want to know is…
This Is an Excellent Question!
But it’s not so easily answered because several variables are involved.
Up until now, Facebook groups were seen as the ideal way to build a community. The fact that they’re free to set up and most people are already hanging out on Facebook works in the platform’s favor.
However, there’s a very insidious side to Facebook – the platform itself is designed to distract your audience with ads, other posts, and a ton of other ‘interruptions’ – that make money for the platform.
If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product… and the currency is your attention… and your subscribers’ attention.
Their focus is NOT on helping you win. Facebook looks out for Facebook. Period.
So, while you could build a tribe on Facebook, you’ll want to funnel your audience to a group on a platform like Skool where you control things in your group.
Everything will be more focused on your content, your offers and your messaging.
There are several platforms like Discord, Circle, Teachable, Kajabi, etc.
We looked at most of these and after weighing the pros and cons, there was just no denying that Skool was far superior to all the rest.
Created by marketing legend, Sam Ovens, this structured platform is designed to minimize distractions while offering excellent course and community features.
So while you could go around looking at the other options, you’ll soon discover that nothing comes close to Skool at the moment.
The fact that another popular marketer, Alex Hormozi, has been raving about it in his YouTube videos is only going to increase Skool’s popularity.
We’re hoping they maintain their relatively low (straightforward) pricing as demand increases. It’d be better to get in early while you can.
If you’re planning to build a community with the products/courses you’re selling, here’s why Skool helps…
This platform is extremely simple to navigate and set up.
Even the greenest of beginners will be able to create, host and sell their courses here and create a lively community.
With the drag-and-drop editor, you won’t need coding knowledge or anything complex.
The learning curve is short, gentle, and fun.
Skool is an all-in-one platform… and your customers/members will find it just as easy and intuitive to use.
Unlike Discord which seems clunky and confusing to navigate, Skool is a breeze and looks a lot neater.
Why else would you use Skool if not for this awesome feature?!!
Your students will be able to hang out and engage with each other in your group (on Skool).
Interacting in a Skool group is very similar to what you’d do on Facebook. You can post videos, gifs, comments, likes, etc. and it all updates in real-time so everything stays ‘active’ and fluid.
As the leader of the group, you’ll be able to engage with your members by chatting with them and even message members privately, if you want to.
****
Even more important, members can develop relationships with other members because there is direct messaging available for them too! Your group could get known as a place for members to collaborate and partner on ventures with little intervention by you!
This reason is definitely why so many course creators are switching to Skool. It’s designed to make it easy for vendors to focus on teaching and selling their infoproducts.
As mentioned earlier, you’ll be hosting your courses on Skool. So there’s no need to build a separate course website and connect a whole bunch of complicated plugins. Everything can be done in minutes!
The unified search function will allow you to find comments, posts, members from one place quickly.
You’ll be able to send broadcast emails to your members too. So it has some degree of email marketing feature – though it comes nowhere close to a solid autoresponder such as ConvertKit. So you may want to invest in a separate email marketing tool.
*****
I am in three Skool groups. What I love is I can set up a weekly digest email to come into my Inbox every week to see what's happening and even more important, I can click on button in email and go to the group to add my comments or observations! Unlike the Facebook notification that push onto your monitor while you work, you can look to see what's happening in your groups in your email provider when YOU are ready!
Skool also has payment processing integrated into it. You can accept payments through Stripe and PayPal.
It you wish to use other integrations, Skool works well with Zapier… and you can contact their support for further advice related to your needs.
The learning management system in Skool is just as good (maybe even better) than most platforms such as Kajabi, Teachable, and even LMS plugins.
It has all the features you’ll need: modules, lessons, progress tracking, transcripts, etc.
The greatest advantage Skool has is that it integrates the community building with the courses flawlessly. Everything is smooth and works synergistically.
So your students are not only consuming your content, but also engaging at the same time. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Unlike Facebook which bombards its feed with ads, there are no ads in Skool.
No one is going to be distracting or ‘stealing’ sales/customers from you. This point alone makes Skool a clear winner in our books.
It’s easy for members to forget group events and so on. Thankfully, Skool has an event calendar feature that’s prominently displayed so your members are always on track and reminded of any upcoming events.
When it comes to selling courses and building a community, Skool’s closest competitor is probably Circle.
But while Circle is priced slightly cheaper (which makes it more attractive to those on a budget) … it lacks the superior gamification features found on Skool. So your students will not have as much fun consuming your content, if you were on Circle.
Gamification features include points, badges, leaderboards, and levels, which aim to motivate users through game-like elements.
The hard truth is that most students who sign up for a course, despite paying for it, will drop off halfway. That’s just the way things are.
With gamification features that enhance engagement, encourage participation, and foster a sense of accomplishment – you’ll not only be able to keep the student motivated, but they’ll be more likely to finish what they start.
Skool’s gamification features such as points, leaderboards, activity tracking and so on are excellent for keeping your tribe hooked on your training.
******
In the Skool groups I am in, they use gamification to keep us coming back to participate. If I make a post asking a question, I get so many points; if I make a comment on a post, I get so many points and there is a leaderboard showing who does the most comments, posts etc. With Skool, you can even open a course in your community depending on how many points a person gets, they can get a new course to watch!
Skool has a metrics dashboard that will show you how your students are progressing, what their favorite modules are, how many students you have within a time range and so on.
By looking at the numbers, you’ll be able to ascertain the health of your group and what type of content works best.
It’s all laid out easily. So you won’t need a PhD in calculus to understand your stats.
When it comes to customer support, Skool is excellent. The only other platform that seems to have faster support is Systeme.io.
But the key takeaway here is that if you ever need help, Skool’s support is always there to assist you at any time of day.
Skool has a few free courses for you to enroll in so that you understand how to use the platform well.
These invaluable courses will help you get the best out of Skool and help you sell more subscriptions.
Some platforms like Kajabi offer a myriad of features (most of which you won’t use) … but they charge an arm and a leg.
Skool is a lot more affordable and charges a flat rate every month. The pricing plan is very simple. You pay one fee and get ALL the features.
You get unlimited courses, unlimited students, no hidden fees – and you can cancel at any time.
Skool’s transaction fees are the lowest when you compare it to its competitors!
Still on the fence?
Give Skool a 14-day spin and see if it’s right for you. Our guess is that you’ll never look back. There is zero risk for you here.
For the most part, we were highly impressed with Skool, but it would be remiss not to discuss the disadvantages – and there are few.
If you host all your courses on Skool, you’ll need to keep paying the monthly fee. If you stop paying, you’ll forfeit your account and your tribe on the Skool platform.
Similarly, if you decide to move to another platform, it’ll be a hassle to move all your courses and members to a new platform. While this is not a deal breaker and is mostly true for any SAAS service, it’s still something to be aware of.
The good news is that Skool and the people behind it are legit and reliable. The platform is skyrocketing in popularity and should last a long time.
While you’ll see several popular groups displayed on the home page of the Skool website, the truth is that you’ll need to find your own members, customers, etc.
Skool is an excellent platform that hosts courses and communities. But it’s just a ‘tool’.
Ultimately, your success in making your business work will rest squarely on your lead generation and sales skills.
Don’t expect Skool to make you an overnight millionaire, despite the hyped-up content and fanfare you may come across online. You still need to do the work.
If you’re a successful marketer, forking out $99 a month is not an issue. For a beginner who’s just starting out, this monthly fee can feel like a burden.
The best way to remedy this issue will be to sell a few courses first and gain traction. With an email list, you’ll be able to do remarketing and get more repeat sales.
Once your course sales cover the monthly Skool fees, then you can leverage the 14-day free trial and go on to pay for it.
Baby steps here.
* Facebook is still an unconquerable behemoth (for now).
While Skool is a far better course platform and has much more community engagement features… when it comes to traffic, it’s absolutely no match for Facebook.
That’s just the hard truth.
Most people do not consciously choose to use Facebook. It’s an almost subconscious habit for them to reach for their phone and scroll on social media.
They’ll read whatever posts appear on their feed, including the group posts… which have limited reach.
On the other hand, it’ll take a conscious effort to get your tribe to log into your Skool group to consume your content. It’s not a habit for them.
The best way to remedy this problem will be to have a Facebook (FB) group and ask your Skool members to join that too.
Then you could post teasers of your latest/upcoming content in your FB group and have a link pointing to your Skool group. Now, your tribe that’s doom scrolling on FB will see your post and be more likely to see what’s in your Skool group.
You’ll also want to add your Skool members to an email list so that you can email them about new content, events, etc.
When you can reach them on multiple platforms, you’ll get them to repeatedly visit your group more easily. This will always be a bugbear when it comes to using Skool, because using the platform is not a mainstream habit.
So extra effort will be required to get them inside and engaged.
A definite yes.
If you’re a marketer selling your own courses… building a community is not an option, but a necessity.
It’s the surest way to build and maintain a connection with your tribe. It’ll also ensure business longevity while creating brand awareness and trust in you and your products.
Feature-wise, Skool is all you’ll need to sell courses and build a community.
Everything on Skool will take your course business to the next level.
There’s no risk for you here. With the 14-day free trial, you have nothing to lose.
Give Skool a try and you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to set up, sell on and charge monthly fees.
Nothing like recurring revenue from an engaged community to boost your bottom-line and skyrocket your profits.
Try Skool today and you’ll be glad you did.
One of the biggest reasons that "business systemization" is so important is that it allows you to step out of your business and focus on ways to make it better. Often we are too concerned with working in our business that we stop working on them- and when we allow this to happen it can often represent the start of a vicious circle and a road to nowhere!
If you are someone who is working in your business, you start each day with a long to-do list and work through it till complete and you start again the next day! You are only managing the workload instead of having some time to think of new direction or new ideas for your business.
If you are working on your business, you have more time for research and development. You are looking for potential future markets to go into and/or forecasting profits for the business. You are finding new ways to grow and expand rather than maintaining the status quo.
How to get to work on your business?
You should be working on increasing your profit and decreasing the amount of time you are working on it. Either way, you are improving your position and that's the point of a business.
Business systemization helps you to get to working on your business because you hand over some chores in your business to automation or staff so you can concentrate on future planning and profit growth.
You won't be constantly putting out fires in your business because you will have systems that automate tasks or staff that can handle the fires and they know what to do to put them out.
Business systemization makes your business more efficient and that means your business can grow and/or you can step back from the chores of doing business. Recognizing and developing systems in your business can lead to a more fulfilling business and life balance.
The Digital Product vs. Affiliate Business Method
Which Business Model will fit into your Lifestyle?
When starting an online business, many newbies can’t decide on the business model which will fit their lifestyle while making them revenue. When starting a business, the decision often boils down to two options – promoting other’s products or selling their own products.
There are definite pros and cons to each one, and some of that is based on your own personal skills and preferences. But other aspects of your decision will be based on things like profit potential, ease of implementation, and even the speed with which you can earn.
There are some new things that have changed in the marketplace in recent years making it easier than ever for people to choose either of these methods for their business – or, combine them into one lucrative option!
Below, we’re going to go over some things that might sway your mind to select one over another, and help you start off on a path that will not only be profitable, but personally fulfilling as well.
How Fast You Can Get Your Money
There’s a big difference between how fast you can earn money and how fast that money is deposited in your bank account. We’re starting off with this point, because for many (if not most) people, the desperation they feel in needing to get paid is palpable.
In order to calculate the speed with which you can earn, several factors come into play. For example, as a digital vendor of products like eBooks or video courses, you have to factor in the product creation time and whatever amount of time you want to spend recruiting affiliates.
This is going to vary for everyone because it takes some people months to create products and others a few hours. It’s feasible for some people to come up with a product idea, create it in a day, tell affiliates about it and start having money in their PayPal or Stipe account within 24 hours.
But that’s not usual for everyone. Most people take at least a few weeks. Once it’s live, though, you will only have to check to see how fast your payment processor is in depositing the funds to your bank.
Affiliates’ payments also vary by many factors. Each platform may have their own unique payment system. For example, ClickBank is going to pay affiliates on Fridays, two days after the end of the pay period and if you’re going direct deposit, you can get paid weekly.
But on Amazon, you’re not getting paid until 60 days after you earn, and the payments are once a month. On Warrior Plus, you will have your affiliate earnings going into a site wallet, and the speed with which you can get those funds varies, too – from a few days to an entire month.
How Much Money You Can Earn
Now let’s dig into how much you can earn through each of the two business models. This is going to have variations as well. For example, as an affiliate, you have a myriad of options available that will impact the amount you earn.
You might promote digital products, which have a low-price front end but an entire funnel of upsells and downsells that contribute to higher profits (not to mention some affiliate contests you can earn from, too).
You might be promoting recurring income items that build your profits like a snowball, or you may choose one-time commission items instead. Even if you promote tangible products, there will be high ticket items that are harder to convert but pay more – and low ticket items that convert easily, but pay less.
As a digital vendor, your earnings are going to be impacted by several factors. The first is the speed with which you release new products. Then there’s the matter of how many upgrades you have to add more profits to your bottom line.
You also need to take into consideration whether or not you are going to spend time split testing your sales letter for improved conversions and recruit the top affiliates for your launches.
There’s also the matter of control. You can earn as a digital vendor because you’re in control of your process. But as an affiliate, you’re at the mercy of the product creators and platforms, hoping you get approval to promote.
There are some affiliates and vendors who only earn three figures each month because they’re slow or they just aren’t very good at what they do. Then there are seven and eight figure earners online, with many five and six figure earners as well.
Basically, there’s no crystal ball that will tell you how much you can earn because everyone is unique and their process will vary from others’ processes, even if they try to copy someone else verbatim.
What It Requires to Get Started
The requirements include a mix of skill, tools and money. For some, it doesn’t require any money upfront. For others, it may require minimal investment – but nothing big or insurmountable for either business model.
Let’s look at the cost of getting started first. If your plan is to launch products as a digital vendor, you pretty much need a domain and hosting. It is possible to set up a store on Etsy or elsewhere, but most people want control over their business, and if you’ll be creating sales pages, JV (joint venture) pages for affiliates and download pages, you’ll need to get a domain of your own.
Look up GoDaddy coupon code and find a $0.99 dot com domain and then pay for a small hosting plan that should not cost more than $5-10 per month. From there, you can use WordPress themes for free.
But if you want to, you can invest in a page building tool that will help you create professional pages made from templates. The platforms (like Warrior Plus) won’t cost anything up front to sell on – but they’ll take a small fee from each sale as their cut.
If you’re operating as an affiliate marketer, you definitely want to have your own site eventually, but it’s not a requirement up front. You can get started, though using social media platforms instead.
You can promote products on YouTube, Facebook and other places that allow your links without having to buy a domain and hosting until you feel you can afford it. The only other investment you may want to make from time to time is of a product you’re reviewing, but that’s not a necessity.
Now let’s look at the tools you may need to learn. In addition to WordPress or page builders, you’ll likely want a good keyword tool. This can be a free or paid tool, but it can tell you what the needs of your customers are and help you craft products and reviews.
Graphics creators are another type of tool that will come in handy. But luckily, you can pair a free stock photo site with a tool like Canva (the free version) and use the built-in templates to create what you need.
Last, let’s consider the skills you need to succeed with these business models. As a digital product creator, you have to know how to write well or how to record your course, depending on your preferences and those of your customers.
You’ll also need to know how to create listings on platforms like Warrior Plus, JVZoo, ClickBank or an individual platform like Thrivecart, depending on how you want to set it up.
There’s also the matter of customer service. As a digital product vendor, you’re going to need to deal with people directly. But as an affiliate, you’ll simply be the bridge between the vendor and customer, so the vendor will handle any customer service issues that arise.
As an affiliate, you’re also going to need to know how to write or record your product reviews. Plus, you want your reviews to get found easily, so you have to learn more about search engine optimization than if you were a digital vendor getting traffic through a launch.
For both business models, you’ll need to have good research skills. The good news is, there are tools that can help you with content creation, SEO and even customer service.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can spiff up your content, it can conduct research on your behalf, engage in social listening and predictive analysis to help you create something your audience craves and more.
How You’ll Get Customers
This is one aspect that’s very different between the two business models – the way in which you’ll get customers. As a digital product vendor, if you have a launch coming up, you’ll want to recruit affiliates to promote for you.
If you were to optimize your own site and promote it, you could also get customers that way, but it’s far more time-intensive than recruiting the right affiliates. They will send a recommendation of your product to their list of subscribers on your behalf.
So in order to make sure you achieve this goal, you have to first ensure the quality of your product and that it’s something that will be in demand. Then price it so that it gives value to the buyers, with an upsell funnel that caters to the commission needs of your affiliates.
The more you can do to entice affiliates onboard, the better. That means creating an informative JV page with readymade swipe files they can use, hosting a cash prize contest, and giving them advance notice so they can create a bonus (or give them a bonus to use instead).
Traffic as an affiliate is a bit different. You’re going to need to optimize your content - whether it’s on social media or Google and other search engines. That means learning the algorithms and hashtags, which thumbnails will grab the attention of users and more.
Knowledge You’ll Need to Have
This brings us to the knowledge you need. In addition to what’s already been covered about research, tools and SEO, you will have other knowledge needs. For example, if you are a digital vendor, you are going to be immersed in a continual learning cycle.
You must constantly pay attention to trends and research within your niche so that you can teach what your audience needs to know. But in addition to niche-based learning, you also have to stay on top of the marketing aspect have your business.
There will always be new evolutions in marketing strategies, so you're going to have to learn how to sell in a way that allows you to be competitive. There also will be new ways of developing products.
For example, webinars and video products were not always an option in the early days, where people had to teach from text only. Anytime a new strategy emerges that consumers embrace fully, you want to be aware of it so you can use it in your business.
As an affiliate marketer, you're going to have to stay on top of different trends and marketing methods that are used on social media and elsewhere. But you also have to pay attention to different products that are being released within your niche.
It's not just an affiliate’s job to present the product and tell people about the features and pricing. You have to know enough about the niche itself, such as the problems and pain points you are audiences having as well as the new technology or strategies that are being released so that you can select the right products to review.
Time Benefits and Obstacles
Lastly, you want to compare the time benefits and drawbacks of both business models. Many people avoid being a digital vendor because it's more demanding than affiliate marketing.
If you decide to have an info product launch, you are going to be setting a date for the release of that product that your affiliates are going to expect you to abide by. That means you will need to put yourself on a schedule with boundaries in place to ensure your launch goes live at that date and time.
It can be a bit more pressure filled than working as an affiliate, where you are on your own timetable discussing products that are already released, unless you are getting ready for a vendor’s product launch and trying to create a bonus or review for it.
As a digital vendor, you're also going to be restricted by time when it comes to providing support to your customers. If you have an inbox filled with customer service requests, you need to make sure you are replying to them in a timely manner rather than letting them go unaddressed.
With affiliate marketing, there's more pressure to scale your business so that you can continue bringing in profits, so you must be consistent with your reviews. As a digital product creator, depending on how well your post launch sales go, you may be able to take your foot off the gas a bit and slow down in the development of your next launch.
With both options, you'll be able to scale your business into something bigger, but it's going to require you to invest more time and effort so that you can continue serving your audience well and even expand your audience base.
There are definite benefits and drawbacks to both business models, but that’s true of every option you have available to you. The key is to find what you enjoy and pursue it vigorously so that you build a thriving online empire – even if that means combining them into one!
