In Episode 043, Mark returns from a business trip to Aguascalientes, Mexico to share his 2013 internet marketing goals and a conversation with listener Chase about keyword research fundamentals.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
- Mark's three main goals for Late Night Internet Marketing in 2013
- A structured approach to setting internet marketing goals
- Keyword research principles for affiliate and AdSense sites
- How to evaluate whether a keyword is worth targeting
Episode Show Notes
Mark opens with the highlight of his Mexico trip: grilled octopus in Aguascalientes. He then lays out three goals for the year.
Goal 1: Build the blog into a premier free resource. Mark wants LateNightIM.com to be a comprehensive, organized free resource for affiliate marketing that rivals paid courses. The plan is an inverted pyramid of content starting with five foundational articles that link down into deeper subtopics. Target: one substantial article per week.
Goal 2: Commit to weekly podcasting. Four episodes per month rotating between solo marketing content, interviews, solo content, and listener feedback. Stretch goal: reach Episode 100 by January 1, 2014.
Goal 3: Build affiliate sites and report on results. Mark plans to build sites following both Micro Site Profits and Andrew Hansen's Forever Affiliate methodologies, sharing what works and what does not with listeners.
The episode also features Mark's recap of a phone conversation with listener Chase about keyword research. Chase had good traffic but poor monetization. Mark recorded his analysis the next morning while driving to his day job, covering keyword volume evaluation, the competition metric misconception in Google's tools, and the three conversions every affiliate page must make. The full analysis is available in the episode transcript.
What's Changed Since This Episode
Mark recorded this in January 2013. The goal-setting framework of defining what you want to be, do, and have remains a solid approach for part-time entrepreneurs. The specific tools and courses mentioned have been replaced by modern equivalents, but the strategic thinking about building a content-driven business is timeless.
Listen and Subscribe
Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/.
Where’s the picture? You forgot to post it. What did you say it was – octopus? Blech!
Saw it on your Twitter feed. Seriously creepy! I remembered someone recently talking about how the suction cups stuck to you as you were trying to eat it. Did that happen to you?
Thanks for reminding me about the picture. Running behind on show notes.
Good stuff Mark. Ending audio was bearable so don’t worry. If the mood strikes, record. Don’t worry that audio may not be top notch (this is more for readers of the comments, not yourself).
I’m glad to see the non iTunes RSS up and running. Also, you’ve got some pretty ambitious goals. I hope you don’t get burnt out. But don’t worry. I like your stuff and I’ll keep prodding if I sense you’re slipping.
Once you get the ball rolling on some of your affiliate tutorial posts, you should consider setting up a little private mastermind group for some people to follow along. Holds them accountable and gives you some live feedback on the process when used by others.
Thanks for the encouragement.
I really like your idea of a private mastermind. Can you elaborate more. What would it look like? Are you thinking a forum, or meetings? Topics, etc? Love to hear your thoughts.