Most of us create sites with a pretty stable plan in mind for how we’re going to make money from that site. Generally that includes putting ads on the site, selling products from the site, putting up banners that people will click to buy something from the site… it usually means making money ON the site in some form or fashion. Often we get very STUCK in this is exactly how I’m going to monetize the site.
What happens when you realize the topic you’ve decided on for your site just doesn’t really respond to that type of monetization?
Maybe you chose a topic that is early in the buying cycle, and people aren’t looking to buy something, or they’re just looking for information.
What do you do?
Do you just quit the site and let it lay around doing nothing?
Well that’s one option for sure ~ but it’s not the most profitable option I’m certain.
Let’s look at an example from my website portfolio.
A couple years ago when I went through Amy’s Niche Blogger program I built a blog featuring Easy Chicken Recipes. It met all the guidelines she talked about. I built it as she suggested and it gets traffic. I haven’t really touched the site (until just recently) in a year or so ~ and it still gets a couple thousand page views a month. The keywords aren’t the problem ~ they are getting me traffic, problem is no one’s buying.
When I stop to think about it, it makes perfect sense. I go online all the time looking for recipes. I’m looking for recipes, not to buy something. Because I realized the error I made I just left this site laying around ~ I added a cool plugin that makes it look like the site is updating regularly ~ but it’s really just rotating older posts through to the front page ~ so I just left it.
I recently read a free report from a big guru launch about email marketing. As I read it some big time lights went off in my head. The first light was about my internet marketing blog ~ but then other lights began going off ~ I realized I could look at the recipes site in a totally different way and make it work.
Here’s the new plan.
1. Add clickable advertising (adsense/chitika) Which I hadn’t been using because the amount I make per click is so minimal it didn’t seem worth it ~ but it is getting good traffic and will be getting even more traffic now.
2. Create an out of this world freebie (It’s going to be a cookbook of my favorite chicken recipes ~ I’ll also be getting a quality ebook cover done for this)
3. Add the PopUp Domination plugin to start collecting names.
4. Create an autoresponder series that once finished will create a hands off passive income stream.
How’s that going to work?
These people are looking for information ~ we know that. I’m going to offer them a free cookbook of recipes they were searching for to get them on my list.
Once on my list I’m going to keep sending them even more fantastic chicken recipes. (Is this going to be hard ~ NO because I love cooking, and I love to cook chicken, and I make chicken a LOT, and have a lot of chicken recipes)
Here’s where the money comes in:
While they are looking for recipes ~ people looking for easy chicken recipes are probably also in need of other things that make life a little easier. I bet they are probably moms ~ busy moms!
In each email I will let them know about something that can make life a little easier ~ whether it’s a way to organize their recipes, a great cookbook or whatever. This is known as soft sell ~ just adding a little note at the top and/or bottom of the email.
Then every 2 or 3 emails I’ll send them an entire email focused on something. Something they can buy. It may be a cookbook (via Amazon or Clickbank), it may be a way to get their printed recipes organized, or a great workout program (you think busy moms are looking for a quick way to work out?), or a service that will create an entire week’s menu for them and send them the grocery list along with the recipes.
The key to this working though, is I’m not going to just shoot them recipes every week. I’m going to let them get to know me. I’ll tell some stories ~ add our family’s thoughts on the recipes. I’ll let them know I am like them ~ a busy mom who wants life to be easier. By allowing them to get to know, like and trust me it will be much easier for them to accept my recommendation when it comes to something to buy.
This plan will work in just about any relatively specific niche (I’m not talking about micro niches here though). It will work especially well if you find you’ve gotten yourself in a niche where people are looking for information instead of to buy. By getting people on your list you’re giving yourself the opportunity to be in front of them more than once. I’d say 99% of my traffic is new people on that site. Yeah, they come by looking for a recipe, and even if they might have needed something I was advertising on the site, they aren’t in the mindset to buy right now. I can keep talking over time until I hit the moment they ARE ready ~ then they buy.
What do you think? Are there niches you’ve chosen where this strategy might work for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!
Other Posts That Might Help:
Hi Jackie,
I love to cook too. I have a question for you about your easy chicken recipes blog. Do you create all the recipes you post there yourself? Or do you know of a recipe source where you can use the recipes for free content? I've wanted to start my own cooking website, but do not have enough recipes of my own to post.
Kind Regards,
Carol
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