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After a 3-year hiatus from Internet Marketing universe, I came back and find myself lost. Help!

by andrealouisechang Banned
20 replies
Things seem to have changed a lot since 2016. Do people still need articles for their sites? Are there still thousands in WF every day such as the case 3 years ago?

I focused on Facebook marketing for the last 3 years on a travel booking service I run, and it's worked great so far.

Now that I have free time on my hands as my other income stream runs its own course, I find myself back in WF, and try to see if there's still space for an IM returnee like me.

Has anyone had the same experience? And just how do you get your a$$ get back up to par?

Any new trends worth looking into?

Your input will be highly appreciated.
#3year #back #find #hiatus #internet #lost #marketing #universe
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  • Profile picture of the author treatorganic
    From my understanding, health and wellness topics are on the rise and not expected to fall anytime soon. As for me, I started trying to blog a few years back and got stuck. I wasn't getting the kinds of views I would have liked which could be the reason why I wasn't gaining anything from it. I'm still looking trying to figure out how to get the finances flowing and so I started using these get traffic sites but it just seems like people are looking at each others websites without really joining the site. There doesn't seem to be much interest because everyone is trying to do the same thing and make money. Also, a short while back I became a real estate investor and trying to see how that works out for me. Sounds like you are doing pretty good for yourself after the 3 year hiatus though. Hope things continue to go well for you. Any advice you can give me on financial gain I would greatly appreciate it.

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    • Profile picture of the author andrealouisechang
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      Originally Posted by treatorganic View Post

      From my understanding, health and wellness topics are on the rise and not expected to fall anytime soon. As for me, I started trying to blog a few years back and got stuck. I wasn't getting the kinds of views I would have liked which could be the reason why I wasn't gaining anything from it. I'm still looking trying to figure out how to get the finances flowing and so I started using these get traffic sites but it just seems like people are looking at each others websites without really joining the site. There doesn't seem to be much interest because everyone is trying to do the same thing and make money. Also, a short while back I became a real estate investor and trying to see how that works out for me. Sounds like you are doing pretty good for yourself after the 3 year hiatus though. Hope things continue to go well for you. Any advice you can give me on financial gain I would greatly appreciate it.
      Thank you for your input.

      I got lucky tapping into a highly targeted niche and providing real services from there ( I book travel for people who want to go to this particular island). I discovered the power of Facebook target marketing all throughout this years, all with tests, errors, failures and successes. Facebook marketing has allowed me to access clients who are already interested in going to this remote island, and that's been great all these years. Top that off with being one of the first who discovered the beauty and marketing that destination via Facebook, I did pretty okay.

      This experience has led me to believe that Facebook marketing is a powerful tool that works if you market the right product or service to the right people.

      I plan on doing that again on a new thing, but I don't have any idea what that thing is going to be, just yet.
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      • Profile picture of the author treatorganic
        I had a FB page a while back and tried to get into FB marketing but that fell through because I did not have nor get the help that I needed for the business to be successful. I think how you just explained it makes me want to give it another go. Knowing that you are able to have a targeted audience rather than promoting to random people makes it that much better. It has definitely been plenty of trial and error and still testing out free traffic sites and trying to get back on my blog while trying to finish school. Just out of curiosity, would real estate investing be something you would be interested in as a business venture?

        I truly understand your current situation. No one wants to be stressed out because you don't want to become burned out before you find what it is you are looking for. Would you be interested in becoming an affiliate of health and wellness products. Have you checked out Clickbank or Shareasale or is that even something you have any interest looking into?
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      • Profile picture of the author Steve B
        Originally Posted by andrealouisechang View Post

        This experience has led me to believe that Facebook marketing is a powerful tool that works if you market the right product or service to the right people.



        Marketing is really this simple, isn't it?


        You would be turning your back on the experience and success you've had already if you begin all over again from scratch.


        Use what you've learned in the niche you've already found profitable and move to the next step ... that is, find ways to move the undesirable parts of your business to others and focus on new products and services that you can offer to this same marketplace that don't have the drawbacks and downside that you're currently experiencing.


        Said another way ... use what you already know and are good at doing to craft a new business in the same marketplace which doesn't include the undesirable things that you currently hate.


        Starting over from scratch is not wise at all.



        Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    I'd break it down by focusing solely on your passion. What do you love doing now? This gives you clarity, and direction too.

    PS....Would love to see Singapore as it looks awesome. We have only laid over at Changi a few times; one of the world's great airports.
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    • Profile picture of the author treatorganic
      I agree. She should find something she enjoys doing and make that her niche.
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  • Profile picture of the author andrealouisechang
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    Im not sure about everywhere else, but in Asia, TRAVEL is all the rage these days, especially with millenials. I sell travel services via Facebook, and boy... the response is great. What's not great is the upkeep of the real world, ie paying the resorts, food concessions, boats, boatmen, tour guide, etc.

    Practically the whole business has to be taken care of, on top of the Facebook marketing I needed to do.

    I process more than 1000 messages per day, with my posts reaching 1.7 million views, 32 k comments, 12k likes, etc. The page has more than 120K followers, so when I post a sale, it's a smash.

    But then again, the business has been really stressful and I think I am on the verge of letting it go.

    When I was working online, I never was this stressed.

    So I think my question really is, what do you think can be sold to US Facebook users? That does not involve real world face to face services wherein tons of people are involved?
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  • Profile picture of the author dilipcybex
    Look back and see what you loved to do these days. Another thing is that whether you have the skill to do it. If skill and interests are joining hands, you can venture into it.


    That's how we review after we achieve a major goal. There are many things left unattended, if we have to resources to do it, let's do it is the motto
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    • Profile picture of the author andrealouisechang
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      Originally Posted by dilipcybex View Post

      Look back and see what you loved to do these days. Another thing is that whether you have the skill to do it. If skill and interests are joining hands, you can venture into it.


      That's how we review after we achieve a major goal. There are many things left unattended, if we have to resources to do it, let's do it is the motto
      I agree. I love writing, helping develop things and see them grow, build things (websites especially ) from scratch.
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  • Profile picture of the author andrealouisechang
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    Originally Posted by treatorganic View Post

    I truly understand your current situation. No one wants to be stressed out because you don't want to become burned out before you find what it is you are looking for. Would you be interested in becoming an affiliate of health and wellness products. Have you checked out Clickbank or Shareasale or is that even something you have any interest looking into?
    Maybe we can help each other
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    • Profile picture of the author treatorganic
      Sounds like a solid plan. Success by all necessary means without stress.

      Blogging is a great way to sell content depending on how involved you are in what you are writing about. Also, gaining momentum with the top search engines would help get you recognition among other things. As for development, we can come up with plenty here like exercise programs, educational videos, recipes, healthcare products, etc. I like doing websites but I prefer infographics. Building anything from the ground up allows you to appreciate it more and be more involved in the growth of the business or whatever you created the website for. If anything comes to mind let me know.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    ... .tried to get into FB marketing but that fell through because I did not have nor get the help that I needed for the business to be successfu
    So....the failure was someone else's fault? So often, that is the reason given for why IM didn't work.

    Practically the whole business has to be taken care of, on top of the Facebook marketing I needed to do.

    I process more than 1000 messages per day, with my posts reaching 1.7 million views, 32 k comments, 12k likes, etc. The page has more than 120K followers, so when I post a sale, it's a smash.
    If the business is highly profitable - why would you let it go? Why not hire VAs or a manager to take care of some of the email and daily 'stress' and focus your time on ads to increase the business?
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    • Profile picture of the author andrealouisechang
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      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      So....the failure was someone else's fault? So often, that is the reason given for why IM didn't work.

      If the business is highly profitable - why would you let it go? Why not hire VAs or a manager to take care of some of the email and daily 'stress' and focus your time on ads to increase the business?
      The stress comes from the "non-online" facet of the business-- the actual hosting of the guests, dealing with the boats who island tours the guests, feeding the guests, pleasing them, dealing with complaints, etc.

      Smartly managing these things cannot be outsourced, sad to say, as the finer points of it cannot be done by anyone but me.
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      • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
        Originally Posted by andrealouisechang View Post

        The stress comes from the "non-online" facet of the business-- the actual hosting of the guests, dealing with the boats who island tours the guests, feeding the guests, pleasing them, dealing with complaints, etc.
        From your previous posts, it sounds like you may be creating a "customized" experience for each customer - essentially "creating" a brand-new product/experience for each customer. You might want to see if you can create x number of standardized tours as package deals, with pre-planned itineraries, dining experiences, etc.

        Leave some "free time" in the itinerary for shopping excursions, or recreation options. You can provide suggestions, brochures, etc. to help the guest plan this time for themselves.

        Anything you can standardize will help you to plan and to organize with a pre-defined set of merchant resources (tour boat captains, lodgings, restaurants, etc.) and strengthen your relationships with those merchants.

        Since "free time" will be planned/managed by the guest themselves, it will immediately reduce the demands on your time.


        Originally Posted by andrealouisechang View Post

        Smartly managing these things cannot be outsourced, sad to say, as the finer points of it cannot be done by anyone but me.
        I know it feels that way, but you have created this monster yourself.

        Henry Ford didn't build each car himself. In fact... he didn't build any of the cars that came out of his factory.

        There is no such thing as a task that "cannot be done by anyone but me".
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    Smartly managing these things cannot be outsourced, sad to say, as the finer points of it cannot be done by anyone but me.
    If no one but you can handle the daily problems/tasks - I'd say you need to reorganize. Look at hotels, cruise lines, offline and online merchants, any business that deals with customers and customer complaints....they have employees or assistants that handle much of the 'detail and complaint business'.

    You might need to handle more complex issues (finer points) but chances are many of the contacts are routine questions/complaints. A database for search questions or an extensive FAQ section might help reduce some of the repetitive questions?

    Just saying - if you have a profitable business might be best to look for ways to automate and streamline rather than start over.
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    Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
    ***
    My ducks are absolutely not in a row. I don't even know where some of them are...
    ...and I'm pretty sure one of them is a pigeon.
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  • Profile picture of the author affmarketer101
    I lost myself too.
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  • Profile picture of the author cearionmarie
    There had definitely been a lot of changes in IM but the basic concepts remain the same. A little research on the current trend should get you back up in no time.
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  • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
    Seems like you are in a great place to take what you have learned with Facebook ad marketing and transition into a business that you have more interest/passion in - AND that, of course, you find a compelling commercial trigger.

    If you had an ideal business, what market would you be working with (acknowledging that in pretty much every online business as it grows there is a need to interact with your market in one way or another - customer support, offline marketing, events, etc...)

    Another direction you could go is hire someone to run the offline portion of the business and you do all of the marketing for a share in the business so you change your role to something that is less stressful but still maintain ownership in the company?

    Finally - a third option would be to take your FB ad knowledge and apply it to OTHER travel businesses (a social marketing agency of sorts with a focus on one core niche - travel - to start)
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Hodgins
    I've been out of the IM game for 7 years so I know what it feels like to get blasted with where it has gone in that time. I would say that the fundamentals always remain the same.

    I would look HARD and definitely long in order to take some of the stress of the business off of you.

    I get that it is insanely difficult to maintain service level in the hands of others but it can be done.

    Now, as for online, I'd say use that business experience and turn it into an online product or products. I'm nearly certain there are several spin offs of that niche you could succeed at. Travel is big bucks, but you know that lol.

    Packages, guides, discounts even a niche booking service.
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