There is a huge segment of the net, with people that have been searching for get rich quick opportunities for years. It's second nature to look for a means to replace your 9-5 jobs and be your own Boss. We all aspire to that. With so much content out there on the net, we have all seen it at some stage. Some have probably taken it a step further or researched it. You may have even sampled some of the opportunities.
The truth is, on a global scale there is a lot of money being traded in this sector. There are the ones Providing, the ones acting as their agents, and the ones buying.
The ones Providing, are the ones who realised the sheer volume of people searching to make quick money online. They decided people would pay for tools or a course on how to achieve this rags to riches dream. So they put togethers some quick e-books on various skills associated with marketing online. Usually this would include how to set up a one-page web site, include a sales page and funnel, a means of capturing e-mail addresses to use for mail-outs, give them a free White-cover version of the same course you bought, and then promote it online at a bargain price.
The sellers are the ones that have bought the course from the provider, followed all the e-book tutorials, got the web-page and funnel up and running and are making barely as much as their costs of being involved or tiny commissions for directing people to the providers sales page. The provider is also capturing the same email addresses for their marketing direct to the buyers, and/or selling these e-mail lists to other marketers for further profit.
The buyers are the ones that are just entering this tumble-dryer.
The reality of what they receive is they learn how to on sell the same thing they just bought - a dream.
You become an affiliate selling a "Get rich quick "course. In the end there is no real product, no secrets - just an endless propagation of people feeding off the next unsuspecting person that searches for "Get rich quick". They continually supplement and freshen their offer by creating a new "Product" or add-on that you must have. It might be a new sales funnel, an app for your website, the list goes on. They are searching for every last cent they can get from you, keeping the dream alive as long as they can.
It is known as the "Next Shiny New Thing Syndrome". None of these things are actually aimed at consumers looking for you or your services.
The scope of the web is so great that there is no shortage of new players. The problem is that each new player can spend a lot of time and money promoting these schemes but realizing only small returns and little satisfaction for what they are doing. Its a dead-end street unless they are the one on top of the Pyramid cranking out the questionable content others are selling for you.
The more sustainable Path
The way to realise a long term and viable presence on the web is a lot more satisfying. The one most evident trait of a successful website or web presence is to offer people quality service, information, goods or experience.
If you choose to run a site on a specific topic, product or service, offer regular posts and informative articles, you can build a following of people that consume that type of content. It works to the same laws as basic market placement. For every business there is a Demographic of people that businesses service suits. Some of the factors are age, sex, marital status, interests, hobbies, disposable income etc. I think you know which of the factors describe the people most likely to be interested in what you are offering. Write them down and keep them somewhere prominent so they are in your face everytime you create something for your website. If you have ever done an advert or promotion on Facebook, you will have been asked to define these before pressing go on the advert. These are your potential followers.
These are also people that are drawn to you because your words show how you think and how closely they resonate with their thoughts. It works the same in how you make friends in the real world, but on the net you are in touch with a much larger audience. Cultivate that following, give them quality content for free, it does not have to cost you anything but your time. Your experiences and solutions are valuable - share them. People appreciate this.
Content is not hard to create yourself. If you use the web a lot to research various topics that interest you, that research may be valuable to others. Write an article about it. You can share suitable articles you have found on the web - just be open about it, check the copyright requirements and make sure you give full attribution to the author or source . One thing you should know is Google and other search engines index website pages. That is how they find what you want when you do a search. Google finds content pages that best match your search words. If google sees the same identical content on multiple sites it can penalize you in the search results. Fresh new content written or re-written by you is always better.
Make your site Dynamic. What does that mean? It means you need to commit to adding new content on a regular basis. If this is going to be your 9-5 job that shouldn't be a problem. Make it a programmed part of your working day or week depending on how regularly you need to post. Don't let it stagnate and become static and boring. If it isn't your 9-5 job still take time to keep the conversation alive. If you write an article or post, allow a comments section where people can post thoughts, observations or questions. This is a built-in function in a WordPress site. Its there already. You don't have to build it.
What do I do about negative comments?
The first thing to remember when writing content is to be Informative. Avoid being Opinionated. Avoid being derogatory. Be open to diversity and alternate opinions. When a negative comment arrives, first validate where the writer is coming from. Then decide if they are genuinely trying to add to the conversation. From there you can proceed clarifying your response, giving more information, suggesting all opinions are welcome if they add to the quality of the conversation.
Negative comments of feedback are a crucial part of learning how to fine tune what you are doing and how you serve it up to your followers. Handled correctly they can be a powerful tool.
If after you have evaluated all this, you decide the comment is purely an attack on you or your Brand for divisive reasons, Moderate the comment by removing it.
You should also immediately Moderate any protracted banter between posters that goes off topic. Make it a safe forum for opinion that respects all parties.
The result of all this is that you grow a following of people. You have gained their trust and respect. You effectively have an ongoing conversation happening. It is perfectly acceptable at this point to promote commercial products to this following. Just do it in an unbiased and respectful way. These products can be directly related to the topic of a post you have written or at least something that would reflect the Demographic of your followers. You may also have a shop page on your site. You may have links to an Amazon product you sell. Many opportunities. And as we said before, you may also be selling your consulting or professional services.
(A good Post to read about Rampant Shiny New Objects)
Working online and or running a Website is not about getting rich quick.
Its about about taking back your freedom, and if you are an Expat you already know what that is about.