Getting started is the hardest part. At least it was for me.
Making the decision to actually do it, to devote the time and resources needed to do it right, was the hardest part. Once I had decided I was actually going to do it, and this time on a large scale, the rest was easy. Well, not actually easy, but easier than a lot of other things people do to make a living.
Creating the DNN Professor website started as more of a need than a vision. While overseeing our web design and video production company, Jive Media Group, I was overwhelmed with our web clients questions on how to use the various DotNetnuke modules and more importantly, how to use them successfully to advance their business.
I soon discovered that creating a web site where people could watch training screencasts, read articles, and learn from others that share the same interests and desire to learn, needed to be developed.
Before We Get Started:
Before we get started there are a few things I need to cover.
First, I am often referred to as a DotNetNuke and marketing guru. Believe me when I tell you I am not. I'm just someone who works full time at achieving success in this business. And because I am able to devote my full attention to this goal, I am quite often successful. But that doesn't make me a marketing guru. Just someone who works hard at achieving success.
There are plenty of web sites that will teach you the intricacy of developing DotNetnuke modules. Although I spent 12 years as a 'code-cutter', I will not be covering this area. I believe in following your passion. I no longer spend my days going through a thousand lines of .Net code.
My passion, and used often times successfully, is in creating projects, finding creative ways to implement DotNetnuke into my projects, using proven unconventional methods to market my projects, and sharing this information with the DotNetnuke community.
As time goes on, I will invite the top DotNetNuke developers, in the industry, to create module development articles for this site and share their knowledge with you.
Also, don't get the idea that creating DotNetNuke web sites, video production, creating How-to DVDs, and promoting products is a get rich scheme. It is not. It is however, a business ripe with opportunity, easy to get into, and relatively easy to generate a good income from.
On the DNN Professor web site, I will be giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the projects we are working on at Jive Media. You'll see how we do research, create products, develop and roll out marketing, and tally up the end results. I'll show you what works, and what doesn't. As a subscriber, you will have my permission to freely use any resources or techniques I reveal. You can even use what you learn here to create the same kind of products we do. All I ask is that you not violate copyright laws by duplicating our products exactly.
With that said, lets take a look at what you will learn at DNN Professor.
Marketing and Creating a Successful Internet Business
Did you realize that most people create a web site project backwards? It usually begins with 'I have an idea', 'it is easy to build a web site with DotNetNuke', and they start to build their web site.
The day arrives to launch this web site and then they ask the question – How do I market this? This is usually a red flag for failure.
In the upcoming issues of DNN Professor you will learn:
- How to choose the right type of web site and the right topic for your web site
- Six Reasons Why Websites Fail and Understanding How Web Visitors Think
- How to discover a niche market and define your target audience
- Domain names, finding a hosting service for your web site, and setting up email accounts
- Creating a marketing plan and how to create a bullet point list that will define this marketing plan
- How to set up with the major credit card processing services (at no cost to you)
- How to develop a DotNetNuke web site and the tools that we use
- Which tools and strategies are effective in generating repeat visitation to your site
- How to create lead generation
- How to generate Ad revenue from your site
- How to roll out a successful marketing campaign
- Leaving Footprints
- Using YouTube for Promotion
- Finding Additional Revenue Streams
- Using Google AdWords
- and much, much more...
Marketing and Creating Your Own Products
In upcoming issues, I will offer a step-by-step guide to successfully market How-To DVDs and videos on the Internet. I will offer from start to finish, in easy to understand steps, how to create video projects and how creating How-To DVDs can be very profitable.
In this section you will learn:
- How to choose the right topic
- Six Reasons Why Websites Fail and Understanding How Web Visitors Think
- Why choosing a great title is so important
- Think marketing before you begin scripting
- On-demand DVD and CD duplication
- Creating a sales page
- How to drive traffic to your sales page
- How to use Google AdWords
- Leaving Footprints
- Using YouTube and Google Video for promotion (create videos without a camcorder)
- Getting others to sell for you
- and much, much, more...
Upcoming articles, tutorials, videos, and downloads
Articles and tutorials:
- Creating Retail Ready DVD and CD Case covers - includes ready to use template
- Setting up for a video shoot - this tutorial shows the lighting and camera placement in our video studio
- 12 Mistakes that can kill your search engine rankings
- 12 Steps to Highest Ranking on Search Engines
- How to Search Engine Optimize DotNetNuke - Video Tutorial
- How to Install and use FileZilla - the FREE FTP client
- How to install and configure the Ventrian Simple Gallery module.
- How to use the new features in DotNetnuke® Text/HTML module
- Series Begins: How to Build a Successful Subscription Web Site with DotNetNuke®
- Subscription Gorilla Marketing Secrets - Six Tips For Converting Visitors Into Subscribers
- Video Tip of the Week - creating 3D Box Shots of DVD and CD cases
- Using YouTube and Google Video for promotion (create videos without a camcorder)
- Finding Public Domain Video - use this secret search to find thousands of public domain video clips you can immediately download
- and much, much, more...
Playing for Keeps
Sometimes we all have to play these mental games with ourselves to get what we want in life. In my case, I needed a good reason not to retire, a reason more important than mere money. Committing myself to doing DNN professor and creating the Buck Anderson Letter gives me that reason. (Plus, this particular newsletter will require me to report to you my progress. That means I'll have a lot of incentive to launch new projects, and get things done.)
So, that's why I'm doing a subscription website. To lock me into the path of success. (And show you how to get on the same path.)
Maybe you too should consider doing a subscription web site. Doing your own subscription web site just might allow you to become successful. But, starting your own subscription site is not a decision to make lightly. Because once you start a site and sign up a few paying subscribers, you're committed. Every month you have to bare your soul and share your thoughts with hundreds or thousands of people. And some of them may not like what you have to say.
It's so much easier to do nothing (and that's what most people will do . . . nothing!).
Of course, doing nothing doesn't pay nearly as well. A subscription web site, with as little as 1,000 subscribers, can easily earn you $100,000 a year. And the work, well it's easier than most real jobs. Assuming you like spending your time doing research, writing articles, producing video screencasts, interviewing people, and trying out new products, then it's not bad work at all.
But whether you are planning to do a subscription web site, book, report, video, How-To DVD, or CD ROM . . . the process of getting the product on the market is virtually the same. And on DNN Professor, I'm going to show you how we do it (and how we always stack the deck in our favor in the process).
Buck Anderson