Build Your Online Business Better and Faster
Below is a complete step-by-step guide for starting and profiting from an online business in any economy.
This is a comprehensive guide that will take you step-by-step through the process of starting an online business, building an audience, and making money, all from the comfort of your home or anywhere you might be in the world.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
- Reap maximum success and prep yourself for the journey ahead
- Get leads for your business, better and faster
- Grow your tribe, even as an introvert
- Begin to master organic and paid traffic
- And much more!
In short: if you’re stuck with what to do in your online business or how to get started, you’ll love this guide.
I have broken the whole guide into 8 Lessons:
- 1 – Why There's No Such Thing as an Overnight Success
- 2 – The Real Reason You Don’t Have Enough Leads
- 3 – How to unscramble your eggs
- 4 – How to avoid kicking yourself
- 5 – Grow a thriving tribe, even if you’re an introvert
- 6 – Getting your “ka-ching” on
- 7 – Mastering the art of eyeball collection
- 8 – How do you know things are working?
- The Grand Finale - You Made It!
Click on any of the links above to go directly to that Lesson. However, I highly recommend that you read this guide from the beginning.
Here we go!
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.
LESSON 1
Why There’s No Such Thing as an
“Overnight Success”
Why There’s No Such Thing as an “Overnight Success”
Congratulations and welcome! 🎉 🙌🏻
Thank you for being here.
You should know from the outset that I make 2 promises to you:
- If you get on my email list, I’ll always respect your inbox. When I send something, it will help you or your business.
- I’ll always keep it real and try to look out for you.
Even though I might not know you personally (yet!), I do know that you’ve taken another step towards making a greater impact with your online business – a step towards getting more results with the tools you use (or are about to discover), creating better content, capturing higher-quality leads, and converting more sales.
And for that, you should be commended.
Listen.. I know how hard it is sometimes to make headway in your online business.
There’s so much noise out there..
Sometimes I wanna scream! (but I guess that would only add to the noise, haha)
So many new and shiny objects calling for your attention: online courses, high-ticket coaching programs, software tools, new tactics…
Frankly, it’s overwhelming. 🤯
And believe me, I know. Some call me the Master of Tools.
And in addition to all that, you have your day to day life to keep up with: maybe you’re married and have kids, or maybe you still work at a “job”, all the while trying to make this online thing work.
I get it. I’ve been there. I really have.
For years I struggled (and not in the cliche way!), putting in hour after hour, learning skill after skill, taking course after course, buying tool after tool, trying this, and trying that.
But the dollars just wouldn’t flow in fast enough. 😱
In fact, they went out faster than they came in (partly because of all the new and shiny objects I was buying!).
That is, until I discovered a secret.
Well, it’s not really a secret as much as it’s an untapped treasure, which I’ll tell you about in a second.
Not only will this email course help you to uncover that untapped treasure, it will provide you with actionable tips and helpful tools (not “shiny new objects”) to truly bring you profit (that’s what Profit Falcon promises you!).
So what’s this treasure I referred to?
Simply put, it’s…
Your Mind and Your Focus
#1 - Your Mind
Your mind is a precious gift. The thoughts we think, the words we speak (to others and to ourselves), and the information we expose ourselves to, all have an impact on our minds.
…especially the subconscious mind, that deeper level which lies beneath the surface, which, in reality, dictates everything that we do and become on the outside.
As all the great thought leaders have said time and time again:
A negative mental attitude is one of the primary causes of failure.
Read that again..
Do you believe that?
I do.
I also firmly believe that “what the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”
You see, it’s like this:
Thought + Habit = Reality
It’s a simple equation.
And this isn’t just some “self-help” mumbo jumbo.
No, these are solid, scientifically-backed and time-tested principles.
#2 - Your Focus
The second area of success revolves around your focus.
One simple statement that has helped me throughout the years is:
Put First Things First.
Everyone talks about priorities, but seldom do we follow through on our own rhetoric.
If you want to go deeper into this topic, I highly recommend checking out The One Thing.
But more on this in Lesson 3.
To sum everything up here, I have one simple message:
There’s no such thing as an overnight success.
Mastering all of the above takes time. It takes a solid mindset and focus, it takes showing up, sitting down, and “doing the work”.
But let it be a labor of love, one that you find pleasure in, and you’ll be filled with both excitement and fulfillment on the journey.
—
In the next lesson, we’ll look at the real reason you don’t have enough leads in your online business.
P.S. If you’re serious about online business and you’re not using Kajabi yet, please do yourself a favor and check it out! Use my link here to get a special free trial: https://clkthis.co/kajabi
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.
LESSON 2
The Real Reason You Don’t Have Enough Leads
In the previous lesson we talked about mindset – the importance of our subconscious minds and our focus – and that there’s no such thing as an overnight success.
I hope it helped you to reframe a bit..
This truly is the area of my business that led to my biggest breakthroughs, and I know it can do the same for you, if you respect the lesson and give it time.
Now onto Lesson 2…
“Leads, leads, I want more leads!” he said.
“Whoa, settle down there bruh.. Do you even have a proper landing page?”
Some people put the cart before the horse when it comes to their online business.
We’ve all been guilty of it at some point. But let’s change that today.
Here’s your action plan to address your “need for leads” in 5 straightforward (but not always simple) steps:
1.) Ask Yourself a Direct and Honest Question
What do your visitors (potential customers) really want?
Not what you think they want, but what do they really want?
You might think they need A, B, and C, but what they really want is X, Y, and Z.
Once you’re able to answer that question, and then connect relevant messaging to a high-converting landing page, you’ll consistently generate leads.
(Read that again!)
2.) Create a Compelling Lead Magnet
Also called a “Freebie”, your Lead Magnet should cater to your audience’s deepest desires and directly address their pains.
Once again, it’s not about you, it’s about them.
This will be a recurring theme. 🙂
The focus here should be on things that resonate with your target market.
Depending on your niche and audience, this could be a:
- Short cheatsheet (as a PDF download)
- White paper or report
- Audio or video interview series
- Email course (like this one!)
- Free consultation (keep them short!)
- Relevant mind map or flowchart
- Free members area / mini-course
- And so on…
Any of these can be a great way to connect with your website visitor on the journey towards becoming a warm(er) lead, and eventually a paying customer.
3.) Build That Landing Page
Do yourself a huge favor here and get a free Kajabi account.
It’s way beyond the scope of this email course to go into the details, but if you’re not using Kajabi, you’re missing out.
Don’t waste your time trying to figure out WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or any of the rest.
You’ll thank me later. 🙂
Next, create a landing page and follow this handy Checklist:
- Be crystal clear about why you’re creating this landing page
- Begin with a compelling headline
- Create a strong and captivating opening
- Keep the page short, with a maximum of 3 main sections
- Avoid being too flashy in the design (or using too many colors, fonts, and font sizes)
- Use 3 clear bullet points that convey the benefits of your offering
- Sprinkle in some social proof, like testimonials of real people (with their name and picture) and screenshots of praise on Facebook
- Have a clear call to action (which can be repeated a few times, but there should only be ONE primary goal on the page). One page, one goal.
If you need help with this process, don’t hesitate to reach out (just hit reply to this email) or check out our landing page services by clicking here.
4.) Get Eyes on It
There are a ton of ways to get good traffic, from social media, to Facebook advertising, to SEO, and much more. We’ll cover traffic in greater detail in Lesson 7. So let’s leave that for then.
5.) Nurture Your Leads Through Follow-Up Emails
Once again, if you don’t have a Kajabi account, get one today. It’s free to get started.
However, if you’ve already got a platform but you’re looking for a better email marketing solution, then you can’t go wrong with:
Don’t sleep on that last one. Great platform!
As one great email marketer said:
“The biggest mistake that you can make with your autoresponder series is not having one at all.”
Wise words…
So, to that end, here’s what you have to do:
- Create a series of follow-up emails. Keep things simple if you’re just starting out. Write 3 emails.
- Educate your subscribers on the usefulness of what you’ve sent them.
- Ask them how they liked your offering and solicit feedback (listen carefully to what they say, and make things better).
- Begin to plant the seeds of your other (paid) offerings.
We’ll cover this whole process in more detail in Lesson 4 of this series, where we get deeper into the power of email marketing automation (it’s cool and fun stuff!).
So there you have it…
The real reason you don’t have enough leads is because you don’t have a relevant and optimized lead capture funnel.
So make one! (possibly with Kajabi)
In the next lesson, we’ll look at how to unscramble your eggs. 🙂
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.
LESSON 3
How to Unscramble Your Eggs
Hey there!
In the lesson above we covered how to get up and running with your lead magnet and landing page.
Although it looks deceptively simple on paper (well, in this case, on a website), it’s actually the key to your success online.
Make sure to go back to Lesson 2 and take action, today, if you haven’t already.
One of the best pieces of “simple wisdom” I’ve ever internalized is this:
If you don’t build it – and have a clear and compelling
offer – they will never come. They can’t.
So take action today, it’s the only way forward.
—
Now onto Lesson 3!
How to unscramble your eggs…
Every day, people with passion and a dream wake up, roll up their sleeves (sometimes after a nice cup of coffee, like the one I’m having right now), and make things happen.
The world of entrepreneurship and business is a whirlwind of activity, and oftentimes a firestorm of chaos, setbacks, and frustration (not to mention stress).
But it doesn’t have to be so bad..
Oftentimes, we make things worse for ourselves, by our own doing, or even our non-doing.
Yes, there will always be multiple plates spinning at once.
Yes, there will be times that you feel overwhelmed, or you just don’t want to “do the work” that day.
But with the advice in this email lesson, you’ll find greater satisfaction on your entrepreneurial journey and more success, faster.
So……
When we sit down to “do the work”, what is it that we should do?
There’s just soooooo much to do!
And the answer is surprisingly simple.
One Thing.
If you haven’t read the book The One Thing yet, make it a point to get it today.
It’s one of those books that just make it all click for you (at least it did for me). It hits you so hard you wonder why you suffered for so long without knowing this “secret”.
Here’s the biggest takeaway from that book, and the clear answer to the question above.
It all comes together with a simple question that you should ask yourself every morning, and any and every time you lose your focus or feel overwhelmed:
“What’s the ONE THING I can do right now / today / this week such
that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
..and then do that ONE THING.
And so on.
If you don’t do the work for your online business then you’ll never get anything off the ground.
Practice delayed gratification. Don’t make justifications, rationalizations, or excuses.
Just sit down and do the work.
It’s a simple equation, with massive results –> utter bliss at the end of the day, because you know you did good.
You did the work.
You made it happen.
So now you can smile.
😊
—
In the next lesson, we’ll look at how to avoid kicking yourself. 🙂
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.
LESSON 4
How to Avoid Kicking Yourself
Hey again!
By this point in your journey, you should have your lead magnet and landing page coming together.
If you don’t, what’s stopping you? What’s holding you back?
If you’re not using Kajabi, have you given it a look yet? It’s incredible, and will make this whole process easier for you.
You can get a free trial by clicking here.
Either way, if you’re stuck, get on my email list right now and hit reply to any of my emails. I’m sure I can point you in the right direction.
Just reach out.
—
Now, onto today’s lesson…
How to avoid kicking yourself (over missed opportunities).
Once you have your lead magnet and landing page in place and you’re almost ready to launch it, there’s still an extremely important step left.
One of the biggest mistakes that new online business owners make is not having a robust followup sequence.
If you don’t stay in touch with your email list, why do you even have it? Vanity metrics don’t make money. Relationships do.
Admittedly, I’ve been pretty bad with emailing my list weekly, but I’m trying to change that. Unfortunately, it’s gonna be a “do what I say, not what I do” kinda thing for this. 🙂
Your email list is one of the primary means you have to create a relationship with your audience (yes, there’s social media, YouTube, and the like, but email still has its place, you’re reading this right now, aren’t you?).
One of the best ways to build that relationship with your list is to have a series of emails that keep your subscribers engaged with you and remembering you.
There are many types of followup sequences, including the “Soap Opera Sequence” (which is very powerful and worth your time to learn and use – feel free to ask me about it), but I’m going to keep things simple here.
Remember, one of the primary reasons entrepreneurs fail is because they overthink and overcomplicate things to the point of doing nothing (or the wrong things).
Paralysis by analysis is very real my friends (don’t ask me how I know so well).
Here’s a quotable, one that will help you to get past these mental blocks:
The worst mistake you can make with your autoresponder series is to simply not have one.
In other words, you really can’t go wrong here. Just have one.
Now, of course we want this series to be as best as we can possibly make it, but not having one at all is far worse than having a “could be better” one. At least you have one!
Again, don’t overthink it. Just take action.
Here’s what you can do today to get started:
- Begin to map out a 5-part email autoresponder series.
- Come up with general topic areas for each of these 5 emails.
- Make sure these emails are relevant to the lead magnet you just offered.
- Begin to write email #1.
Remember, don’t overthink all this. Just get things started. One Thing at a time.
Now, to actually put this email series into action, you’ll obviously need an email autoresponder service.
Without getting into too much detail right now, I highly recommend the following 4 tools:
Here’s the full list of online business tools that I recommend: https://profitfalcon.com/recommended-tools/
Here are 6 tips for how to engage with your email list:
Don’t send too many emails to your subscribers. It’s one of my pet peeves to receive multiple emails a day from the same person. One email a day I can manage, if they’re valuable and helpful. But more than that and I get antsy. 🙂 When there’s a promotion going on, I expect a few more emails on the final 2 days, that’s fine. But other than that, just stop it people! LOL
Only send high-quality information, and not every single day, but once in a while (unless you have a series like this one, where subscribers will expect an email a day for a short period of time and then less frequently after that).
Communicate at least once a week (mark your calendar). This is the bare minimum. Otherwise your list will forget you, and if you try to message them again, they will probably not know who you are anymore and unsubscribe. So keep your list fresh with new and valuable content.
Don’t worry too much about this yet, but once you get good at all this, learn how to segment your subscribers. That’s why I like the solutions I mentioned above, they all have something known as “tagging”. And Kajabi takes it to the next level because you also have product access and purchases as a filter. More about that later though. 🙂
Test the perfect timing for sending out your emails. If your audience is all over North America, start experimenting with 8:30am EST and 4:30pm EST and see how it goes.
Improve your email series as feedback comes in, and as you learn more.
And that’s how you avoid kicking yourself over missed opportunities.
💥
—
In the next lesson, we’ll look at how to grow a thriving tribe, even if you’re an introvert.
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.
LESSON 5
Grow a Thriving Tribe, Even If You’re an Introvert
In the previous lesson, we looked at getting your email follow-up sequence started.
So here’s the big question..
How’s that coming along? Did you get it started?
If not, remember, think big, start small.
- Map out your first 5 emails by coming up with some initial subject lines and topic areas.
- Commit to writing that FIRST email.
That’s all you have to do.
Then commit to writing the second email. And so on.
Before you know it, you’re done, exactly like I finished this email series that you’re reading right now. It didn’t happen overnight, but I finished it.
And trust me when I tell you.. you’ll feel soooooo good when you make that accomplishment.
Now onto Lesson 5..
Today, we’re going to map out a path to grow your tribe.
And as the subject line of this email promised – even if you’re an introvert! (like me, well, kinda… long story)
As you know, there are a million and one things to do when you have an online business. And if you don’t know that, you’re soon to find out. 🙂
We’ve already covered some of the biggest and most important things that you need to do to get started:
- Create a compelling lead magnet.
- Put up a simple (but powerful) landing page.
- Write your essential follow-up sequence.
- Begin your list building efforts.
Once you have that, you’ll need a clear path to grow your tribe.
And that’s what we’re going to talk about in this email.
First of all, don’t think you’re not worthy of having a “tribe”. That’s the first limiting belief we have to shatter.
And here’s why.
A tribe is simply…
A group of people connected to one another through an idea.
That’s it.
As humans, we have a desire to belong. This reality is as old as human history itself.
The Internet and social media obliterate geography. So you’re an idea away from building your tribe.
If you have an idea that you already champion and believe in, then you can have a tribe.
If you don’t have such an idea, spend some time alone and find one.
Read. Think. Reflect. Ask.
You’ll find it.
Once you have your “big idea” epiphany, here are the 5 main things that will help you grow your tribe.
BUT before you dive into this…
Please note that I’m NOT saying you have to do ALL these things. It’s okay to only do a few.
Point is, these are great ways to rally a tribe around you and explode your business A LOT faster.
Do what you can.
Here are the 5 ways…
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Posting
- Good Samaritan Helping
- Community Building
- YouTube Videos and/or Podcast Interviews
Let’s take a look at each of these one by one…
1.) Content Marketing
Don’t get distracted by the buzzword status of this phrase.
It really is the bee’s knees (don’t you just love that phrase?).
Here’s the bottom line…
In order for people to know, like, and trust you, you have to have noteworthy content out there.
No content (free or paid)? No business. Remember that.
The fastest way to get people to know, like, and trust you, is to help make their lives better. Plain and simple.
Now, I understand that sounds like a tall order, and that you already have a million other things to do.. but again:
Think big, start small.
2.) Social Media Posting
Think of this as content marketing’s little brother or sister.
What I mean by social media posting is the little things:
- Sharing an inspirational quote
- Posting your take on a good article you found
- Asking your friends and followers engaging questions
- Fill-in-the-blank posts (like, “If I had a million dollars I would _____”)
- Something humorous (cute cat gifs anyone?)
- Cool tips and tricks that you learned
- A fascinating thing you discovered
And so on…
Doing this on a consistent basis will build interest and a following, all by itself.
Even if you’re an introvert, you can do this. Make an effort, and it will pay off over time.
Consistency is king.
3.) Adding Value through Good Samaritan Helping
Everyone loves a good samaritan. So the moral of the story here is this: do good things, good things will happen to you.
But do it selflessly.
Here’s how..
Make a commitment to help 5 people online every single day.
It could be in a Facebook group, on Twitter, in a Forum you’re a member of, or in any other online medium.
They don’t have to be strangers, but they should be people in your niche, your target market, your tribe.
Leave a comment of value. Share a helpful tip or trick. Ease their pain or trauma by lending a helping hand.
But remember, 5 people, every day.
Have a notepad on your desk and make a mark for every person that you help.
Rinse and repeat the next day.
Be present and give value.
Not only will you feel good after helping those people, you’ll also be building your tribe, little by little.
And by the way, I’m not making random stuff up here (lol)..
This is the exact method that I myself use on a daily basis. If you know me at all, you’ve already seen it.
It’s done wonders for my business.
Try it. It’s amazing.
4.) Community Building
Well, duh!
If you wanna build a tribe, of course starting a community would be a quick way of going about things.
I could do a whole writeup on this topic (actually, I will!), but for now, please do yourself a favor and check out these tools. They’re incredible!
Whatever you do, make sure you check out Mighty Networks and Kajabi (linked above). Either one will be a godsend for your online business.
My latest tool recommendations are all here: https://profitfalcon.com/recommended-tools/
5.) YouTube Videos and/or Podcast Interviews
Don’t worry, there are many options here. Some are more suitable for certain personality types than others. But there’s something here for everyone.
Here are a few ideas:
(1) Approach a popular blog that you know accepts guest posts. Come armed with some solid ideas on what you could write about and offer to write a post for free.
For more details on this topic, check out these 2 articles:
(2) Interview a successful blogger or entrepreneur about their top 5 secrets for success.
This approach allows you to take more of a backseat. You’re asking the questions. You’re not the center of attention. (But it’s building your audience!).
If you’ve never done this before, please give this a read:
https://copyblogger.com/better-podcast-interviews/
You could also turn your interview into a written blog post, instead of an audio/video interview.
—
The point of all this is to get your name out there.
Break the ice and pay your dues.
Fall down and get back up.
Yes, you will fail. Yes, you will sometimes feel embarrassed.
I know, it’s happened to me too.
But who cares!
You’re not the first to do that. And you’re not the last.
It’s all a part of the journey to greater success.
Embrace it.
—
In tomorrow’s email, we’ll ready the ground to get your ka-ching on.
💰💰💰
Don’t miss it!
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.
LESSON 6
Getting Your “Ka-Ching” On 💰
Alright, here’s where the fun begins. 🙂
Lesson 6 in this series is where the rubber meets the road.
Everything that came before this was a way to prepare the soil, a way to bring you to this glorious point…
MAKING SOME MOOLAH! 💰💰💰
Now, why do things in this order?
Why do we have to put in all this work and give so much value upfront?
Why can’t we make a product and sell it right away?
Well, you can… but people have a greater propensity to buy from those they know, like, and trust.
I’m a big believer in the “Help. Give. Share. Then ask.” method of marketing.
But first, let’s recap how far we’ve come in this series..
If you’ve been following along in earnest (and if not, it’s never too late!):
- We’ve created our value-based lead magnet (not some piece of fluff).
- We’ve built our landing page.
- We’ve created a nurturing and enlightening email follow-up series.
- We’ve spent some time getting to know our tribe and sharing with them, and beginning to “lead” them.
…so it’s definitely time to start making some money, don’t ya think?
I thought so. 🙂
So how do you do that?
One of the fastest and easiest ways that I’ve found to make quick money is to promote products as an affiliate.
But not any products. Only ones that are relevant (to your niche) and reliable (because you’ve tested them).
Now, let’s put a question on the table here:
“Chris, this all sounds great, but does it actually work?”
YES. It does. Big time!
I’ve personally made 10s of thousands of dollars as an affiliate, and some of my friends and mentors have made millions!
Believe it or not, up until the point of this writing I’ve only done affiliate marketing on the side. I haven’t even taken it that seriously.
And yet, I’ve made 10s of thousands of dollars!
Sure, affiliate marketing isn’t as glamorous as being the star behind your own product(s), but here’s a short list of the rock solid benefits of giving this a shot…
1.) You Get a Real-Life Education and a Front Row Seat
Being an affiliate of an already successful product will give you deep insight into what it takes to put together, market, and sell a product online.
Think about it..
If you can’t sell an already proven and successful product, how will you be able to sell your own?
It takes practice, trial and error, and personal growth. There’s no way around that.
And the process is awesome (especially if you love to learn).
Having a front row seat to business success shows you the clear path for what you yourself need to do, and how to do it.
Model what works. Reap the benefits.
Here’s some of the products that I promote. I would check out a few, sign up for a few free trials, and get started down this path yourself!
2.) You Get Direct Exposure to the Tricks of the Trade
Being an affiliate for a successful product in your niche will expose you to:
- good copywriting
- smart layout and design
- conversion-centric funnel architecture
- email follow-up and copy
- expert positioning
- product delivery
All. Super. Important.
Before you promote someone’s product(s), you must first become a consumer of that product.
Don’t blindly promote. It’s bad form, and it will end up biting you in the you-know-where down the line.
Open your wallet, go through the sales funnel, make the purchase, and see what’s what at every step of the way.
Take screenshots (I use Droplr), record screencasts (Loom is a great option), pay attention, and read EVERY word of the copy on EVERY single page of the process.
Make it a study.
Why do all this?
Well, your reputation is on the line here, and it’s a great learning experience.
People will forever remember you if things go wrong. But on the glamorous flip-side, they’ll praise you if things go right.
So do your due diligence and only promote products that you feel proud of and can stake your reputation on.
3.) You Earn Niche Recognition and Good-Vibe Reciprocation
[ Try to say that 3 times fast! Haha ]
Once you gain momentum as a successful affiliate, you’ll start to get noticed in the niche you operate in.
And when it comes time to finally promote your own products (or services), guess who’ll be there to promote for you?
You guessed it! All the people that you supported beforehand with your various affiliate promotions.
It’s the simple (but beautiful) law of reciprocity at play. No magic. It’s human psychology.
I could go on and on.. But suffice it to say, being an affiliate has taught me A LOT about what it takes to create, market, and sell products online.
So don’t miss out.. You’ll get paid for it, too! 🙂
After all this you’ll be that much more qualified to create and release your own products into the world.
Don’t put the cart before the horse though.
Make sure to give yourself at least a little time to get this real world education under your belt first.
Trust me. Get out there and do it!
—
In the next lesson, we’ll look at how to get attention in a distracted world, gain traction, and make more sales.
P.S. Here’s a list of the products that I myself promote. Giving some of them a spin is a great place to start on the path I described in this lesson:
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.
LESSON 7
Mastering the Art of Eyeball Collection
Hey again!
You still here? Good.
And yes, you read that lesson title above correctly.
At first I was like, “Should I really say that!?” but then I read it again and cracked up laughing.
And so it was decided. 🙂
Alright, let’s dive into Lesson 7 (of 8).
Write this down on a piece of paper, sticky note, or index card (remember those?)..
Where the eyes go, money can be made.
If you can capture people’s attention, and hold it, you’ll be able to make a profit, somehow, somewhere, someday.
If you can’t, you’ll make nothing. Literally.
Again, write this down (or better yet, commit to memory):
No eyes = No money.
Enough eyes = the potential for money.
Please note that I said potential there.. That was intentional.
You can of course screw this up, turn people away, or lose them.
It’s never enough to simply have eyes, you also have to learn the art of captivation and attention retention.
There are a number of classic books on this subject, some of which are out of print. So I’ll leave you with these 2 gold mines, which you can still find:
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini
- How to Write a Good Advertisement: A Short Course in Copywriting, by Victor Schwab
Stop right now, click on the links above, and GET THOSE TWO BOOKS.. Trust me.
Since I can’t pause this series until you get, read, and absorb those two great classics, I’ll move on to the next topic.
So you have a product of your own now, or you’re an affiliate for a product that you want to promote on behalf of someone else.
Here’s the big question:
How do I collect eyeballs?
Excellent (albeit eerie) question!
But before we answer that, let’s take a step back and talk about one of the biggest mistakes that would-be entrepreneurs and online business owners make…
Namely, spending all the time in the world on their product or service (or researching it, if they’re an affiliate), but very little time marketing it.
Big mistake..
Don’t let your marketing be an afterthought.
With that backdrop in mind, now let’s answer the question of how to get eyes on your offer.
There are two main sources of traffic for your business: organic and paid.
There are many ways to further subdivide these two branches. But if there’s one thing I want you to get from this email course is that we often overthink and overanalyze things.
K.I.S.S. >>> Keep It Simple, Silly!
There’s nothing worse than analysis paralysis.
Sometimes it’s better to let go and take action. In fact, it’s always better than doing nothing.
Remember, take massive IMPERFECT action. Let go, and go!
So with all that in mind, here’s how to start getting eyes on your product or service, without paying a dollar:
- Share daily, value-based content on your own Facebook wall, as well as your business page.
- Use services like Buffer to queue up relevant and interesting content for your social media channels.
- Activate the content marketing strategy that we discussed in Lesson 5 by writing a few blog posts or getting on a few podcasts or conducting some interviews.
- Continue your “Good Samaritan” practice of commenting on at least 5 social media posts, niche forum posts, or blog posts, every day. Remember, these comments must contain value and actually be of help to others. Merely “saying something” is not enough. Don’t amplify to the noise.
And then there’s paid traffic.
I never understood the concept of paying for traffic until I came across this amazing analogy one day…
What if there was a vending machine that if you put in $1 it would give you back $2, every time?
How long would you keep putting in dollar bills?
All day long, FOREVER!
That’s the best way to look at paid advertising.
If you have a good offer, and you learn the art and science of “eyeball collection”, and then deploy a solid ad campaign, you’ll most definitely make a return on investment (ROI).
And if you don’t, then back to the drawing board… Either something is wrong with your offer, headline, body copy, or sales page, or something is wrong with your ads.
So, when you’re ready (i.e., you have basic foundational knowledge about what you’re doing) and you feel comfortable spending at least $250 – $500 to get started, there’s no better, faster, and more direct way to scale your business than through paid advertising.
And that will continue to be the case as your business grows.
Paid advertising takes on many forms, but the easiest way to get started (at least in 2020), and to see results almost immediately, is with Facebook.
To get things moving for you I would like to share with you a few free training resources that I highly recommend.
Here is my current recommendation on how to get up and running with Facebook ads:
- Facebook’s Blueprint program
- Dr. Ben Adkins’ Foolproof Facebook Ads Course
Facebook’s Blueprint program has a lot of training options, and it’s free!
Search through things and see what suits you for where you’re at on your journey.
And Dr. Ben’s course is just awesome (he’s a great guy, and smart too!).
If you have any questions, guess what? Get on my email list and you can always just hit reply to any of my emails.
And with that, we conclude Lesson 7. 🙂
—
In the next lesson, we’ll examine how to know if things are working, as well as how to track and measure your efforts (all this means more money in the bank!).
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.
LESSON 8
How Do You Know Things Are Working?
If you’ve been following this series and doing the work, you now have eyeballs on your offer. (If not, search for my other emails and let’s get cracking!)
People are visiting your website and going through your funnel.
You’re getting some leads and (hopefully) making some sales.
You may have even spent some money on ads.
But there’s a problem…
Things are unpredictable and random.
“How in the world do I know if what I’m doing will work for the long term and not go to crap tomorrow?” you ask yourself.
And that’s a great question!
While you’re at it, ask yourself this too:
“Is this a fly-by-night operation? Am I just getting lucky? Will this work next month? How will I continue to grow?”
These are the kinds of questions that struggling business owners ask themselves.
You know why?
Because they’re not mathematical marketers.
Simply put, they don’t know their numbers.
And if you don’t know your numbers, or where the drop-offs in your funnels are, there’s no way for you to improve.
And if there’s no clear path to improvement, you have no way to ensure you’ll be in business tomorrow.
Here’s another important question…
Is this a hobby, or is this a business?
If it’s a business, then we need to take a step back for a moment and look at this situation through the lens of a metaphor.
Imagine you’re a stock broker for several high-paying clients.
You get a call one day from one of them. A very concerned Mr. Jacobs is on the other end of the phone.
He sounds worried…
He wants to know how his investments are performing.
You fumble a bit, clear your throat, wish you never got the call, and then proceed to tell him that you think things are going well.
But then he asks for details.
“How well exactly? What do you mean by ‘going well’? How do you know?”
There’s that messy problem again…
You don’t have the exact numbers, so all you can do is repeat that you think things are fine.
He’s not reassured, to say the least…
Now, how long do you think Mr. Jacobs is going to continue to invest through you and with your firm?
Not long… at least if he’s smart.
And so it is with your business, your website, and your funnels.
Don’t be a “hope marketer”. Be a mathematical marketer.
You have to know your numbers!
The Part Where We Explore How to Do This
The good news is it doesn’t take an advanced degree in statistics, or months of learning and complicated coding, to get a handle on all this.
It just takes a few software tools, a little training, and a pinch of discipline, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a mathematical marketer.
Check out the tracking tools here: https://profitfalcon.com/recommended-tools/#tracking
With a little training you’ll be better off than the majority of the online entrepreneurs out there today.
The sad truth is most of them won’t be in business in a few years.
Their sloppiness will catch up with them as their profit margins sink in the abyss of failing ads and squandered budgets.
The Enlightened Way Forward
You have to track and know 3 fundamental metrics to make meaningful and reliable decisions in your business.
These 3 fundamental metrics are:
- Your optin rate, which is your visitor traffic divided by the number of subscribers you get from that campaign.
- Your sales conversion rate, which is the number of sales you make from those that landed on your sales page.
- Your order form completion rate, which is the number of people who made it to your order form page and actually completed the order.
These 3 metrics are the absolute bare minimum.
The bottom line is this:
If you don’t know your numbers, additional philosophies and strategies won’t help you.
However, once you know and understand these essential metrics, you’ll be able to precisely identify your “funnel constraint”, or your weakest link.
Once you know that, you’ll know what needs to be fixed, tweaked, or tested further.
And knowing that is the key to growth and an increase in your ROI.
Know those 3 numbers!
Where the How-To is Revealed
So this all brings us back to the question:
How do you do all this?
How do you track and gain insight into these essential numbers?
First of all, anytime you create a website, a funnel, or landing page, make sure you place the standard Google Analytics tracking code on every page you create.
This isn’t as hard as it sounds.
In fact, most platforms allow you to place a code snippet in one place and you’re done, but some do make it a little more tricky.
If you’re using Kajabi (you are, right?), this is super simple.
All you need to do is copy/paste your Google Analytics ID into a special place, turn on ecommerce tracking (in Google Analytics), and you’re done.
I’ll be recording a few videos on this topic on the Profit Falcon blog soon, but if this is something that really interests you, get on my email list and hit reply to let me know!
Once you have Google Analytics for your website or funnels, now we can talk about one of the most powerful tracking tricks that almost everyone is sleeping on these days. (Don’t be one of them!)
Tracking Traffic Sources with UTM Parameters
I know, I know, “What the heck is that?” LOL
I hear ya… But don’t worry, I have a great resource for you that’s going to put all this confusion to rest (well, at least hopefully). 🙂
Once you have Google Analytics installed on your website and all your funnel pages, the next step is to start using a special link builder to add what are called “UTM parameters” to the ends of ALL the links that you share online and in your emails
Doing this will allow you to track your campaigns back to their source.
Here are two resources for building links in this way:
In a nutshell, these two tools allow you to configure 3 essential parameters (ignore the other ones for now, they aren’t as essential as these 3).
The 3 essential ones are:
- utm_source
- utm_medium
- utm_campaign
And here are what these obscure things stand for:
utm_source = The Source is the place users were before seeing your content, like a search engine or another website, for example: facebook, twitter, or google.
utm_medium = The Medium describes how users arrived at your content, for example: email, banner, or ppc (pay per click ad).
utm_campaign = The Campaign is the name of the campaign or promotion that you’re running, for example: june-2020-newsletter or june-2020-fb-ads
One of the best resources that I’ve found online that explains this all very well is this blog post by Buffer: The Complete Guide to UTM Codes.
Come back to that article after you finish this email, and trust me, you’ll understand all this much better.
Don’t worry if you have to go through it twice. It’ll be worth it.
Once you get all this, start tracking your links with these UTM parameters and check your Google Analytics dashboard under Acquisition > All Traffic > Source/Medium.
You’ll be blown away by what you see!
Going to the Next Level (and making things easier!)
Wow… Wasn’t the above a little overwhelming?
I feel you…
But it is what it is.
If you wanna be a mathematical marketer and make certain that your marketing efforts are paying off, there’s no other way.
But how do you make sense of all this data?
What will help you read it and interpret it all?
Say hello to:
I wish I could go into more detail, but this lesson is already super long at this point.
Just know that I myself use a combination of Google Analytics and SegMetrics or Wicked Reports, and that’s it. It’s all you really need.
And with that, we come to the end of Lesson 8!
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.
THE GRAND FINALE - YOU MADE IT!
What’d You Think? Seriously..
I want to keep this closing message short and sweet, because I have a small request for you.
But first…
THANK YOU for checking out these lessons. Congratulations on making it this far!
If for some reason you didn’t have the time to go over every single detail, no worries, I get it.
But I sincerely urge you to get the email version (opt-in on this page) and go through it again, this time taking some implementation notes.
I promise you, if you take the lessons seriously, you’ll see a marked improvement in your business, and even in your personal life.
As for my request…
Would you be so kind as to answer a couple questions for me?
Please go here >> https://profitfalcon.com/email-course-feedback/
Don’t Have Time or Prefer This as an Email Series?
No Problem! Just enter your name and email address and we’ll send you the series via email.