An Early Mistake That Causes Some Websites to Choke (Video)

This post is for all the beginners or those who have tried to create online stores, forums or interactive websites and could not get them going.

But first, check out a few emails I’ve received recently.  See if you notice any similarities among them.

Hey Lisa,

I’m ready to quit.  I have been trying to make money online for nearly 2 years.  I’ve tried everything from Empower Network, Clickbank to affiliate marketing and AdSense.  Nothing seems to work.  Can you recommend the best way to make money online?

Thanks,
-J.T.

Hi Lisa,

Been following you for awhile and saw your video on Clickbank.  What products do you recommend I promote?  Can you share your top earners?

Blessings,
-P.B.

Hi Lisa,

What kind of website is best for AdSense?

Thanks in advance,
-K

What vs. Who

One big mistake I see people making is they focus waaaay too much on WHAT they want to sell and HOW they want to make money, and don’t spend enough time on WHO they want to target.

Obviously you need to dedicate time to all areas, but many people become blinded by the potential income too early so the primary focus is AdSense clicks, the “best products” to promote, etc.

I often hear about the crazy amounts of money spent on design and development for online stores, but there has to be a plan for how people will actually find your sites to make a purchase.

This is the very reason turnkey systems are so attractive to people who want to make money online.

Most companies don’t educate people on the importance of building a niche audience first, which takes work.  And the formula/process is different for every site.

People get lured in by the ready-made website or online store with the bells and whistles, but setting that up is sometimes the easiest part. Attracting converting customers is more challenging.

There’s nothing turnkey about a website if you don’t have a targeted audience to sell to.

My natural hair T-shirt store is having a record year.  No, I’m not making a ton of money with my Zazzle store, but it’s doing pretty well.

Well enough for me to dedicate part of the last month to developing new shirts upon request from a few forum members.

Sure, I could have created the store without a website and used social media, FB ads and word of mouth to promote it, but I feel it would have been a lot more challenging to generate sales.

And I didn’t really focus on promoting the store until AFTER the site, forum and YouTube channel were developed and active.

The Bottom Line…

Have a clear vision of WHO you want to reach and not just what you want to sell.

Build an audience FIRST through compelling content, video, podcasting, etc. and it becomes much easier to make money in the future.  Your audience may even give you ideas for what to sell through their questions, problems, comments, suggestions, etc.

Now, I will admit.  This is not the only way to generate customers.  Obviously content publishing/blogging is not for everyone and may not be best for every site’s model.

But if that’s what you plan to do, it has its advantages if you want to expand your website and create an online store, forum, interactive site, etc.

I created a video to illustrate this very point.  If you’re just starting out, it may cause you to adjust your approach.

Hope it helps!