Stepping Stones: Getting Started (Part II)

Continuing on the theme of choosing your market from the last post (Stepping Stones: Getting Started (Part I)), the one downfall I have seen with newcomers is that not only do they scatter throughout different markets, but they also try too hard to do it all at once. This is completely understandable, since when you first enter into the world of Internet Marketing, you may not know exactly what you want to do, and so in turn, you try a little of this and a little of that.

This is also one of the primary reasons newcomers fail or go into debt trying to establish an online business the wrong way. In truth, the easiest way to get your foot in the door is to determine, right from the beginning, exactly what you want to achieve. Then, you can begin to brand yourself as an expert in that specific field, and once you have established yourself, then (and only then) should you move onto other markets. The last thing you want to appear as is someone who is fickle, shifting from topic to topic claiming to know everything about everything.

Not only will this become quite transparent to your peers, but it will make you look as if you have no real direction which will make it difficult for others to trust you, or believe in your claims, even if they are true. Take a few minutes to think about what it is that you are good at, passionate about, and are interested in. Are you a proficient writer? Do you enjoy learning graphic or web design? Do you think you could become a good copywriter? Do you know a lot about SEO, Blogging, Web Development, and Programming? And don’t let it stop there. Carve out your own place in the Internet Marketing industry by honing in on what you are good at, and expanding on that.

If you are a parent, perhaps the parenting niche would be something you would do well with, or if you are into health, dieting, working out, recipes, the list goes on and on. You simply have to settle down and choose exactly what niche you want to venture into and ultimately dominate. Think this is the easy part? Think again. For many, determining exactly what they want to do is the hardest part of getting started. Since many of us know a little about all sorts of things, tying it down to one niche market can be incredibly frustrating, not to mention tedious when we may be interested in a variety of subjects. To be clear, however, you do not have to stay within one subject, just one market (when you are starting out). This means that if you are a WordPress guru, you could offer ebooks on profitable blogging, or on the other end of the spectrum, offer blog template customization, themes, plugins, and so on. You will brand yourself as someone experienced and knowledgeable with WordPress and can expand from there.

The very first thing you should do is set up a blog or website on your own domain. This will help you establish a web presence and will also give you a place to direct potential buyers to explore your products and/or services. Even if you do not yet have a product, you need to begin constructing your website.

This is why you should narrow down the niche market that you plan to move into right from the start so that your domain name and website are structured and designed around that specific audience. One of the easiest ways to establish a presence online is to install WordPress, a blog platform that makes it incredibly easy to set get a website up and running in just minutes. WordPress is free and is one of the most popular blogging scripts available online. You can download a free copy at  http://www.WordPress.org

Free WordPress Resource

If you are not experienced in installing scripts, you can find my 28-Day eCourse tutorial guides and information on setting up your WordPress blog, absolutely free by signing up at 28-Day WordPress eCourse.  Of course, before you install WordPress, you will need two things:

1. Domain Name
2. Hosting Account You can get a domain name at many places online. My favorite is www.NameCheap.com, which is also one of the more affordable domain registrars. Of course, you can always look around for other domain registrars and choose one that you feel comfortable using and can afford. Hosting is also affordable these days, and the list of providers is endless. One of the more Friendly hosting providers for new marketers is Mom Webs.