Copyright © N.E. Wigal

In October 2004, I launched my first web site. I was a complete rookie at building, maintaining, and understanding web sites, but I didn't let that stop me.

My grand plan was to have a little money-making website that would augment my income. I thought I could do it, given enough time. I figured I would learn marketing on the fly.

I decided I was going to make this small amount by being an affiliate marketer. I'd read one or two books, and it didn't sound too hard. I thought I was smart enough to succeed on the little bit of information I'd accumulated.

I shut down that web site in September 2005. There were some life circumstances that dictated I wouldn't be able to find an internet connection, let alone run a website. I learned a few things in those 11 months, and I'd like to share my lessons learned.

Selling Easy-to-Obtain Items

I figured that once people got to my web site, they would be lazy and buy common products they could easily pick up at a local retail store. Wrong!! I had dozens of items. Not a single one of them sold. I was puzzled and confused until it occurred to me that people usually save money, and they sure as hell save time by hauling themselves off their chairs, getting into the car, and battling traffic to get what they saw on my web site!

Lesson learned: Show case items that aren't easily found in your town, city, or county. Otherwise, it's too darn easy for folks to run out and get them.

Inadequate Pre-Selling:

Now, I'd never heard this term before, but once I heard it, and understood what it meant, I was in love with it! Too bad I couldn't translate this affinity to the web page! I didn't understand for a very long time that benefits are the only thing people want to read about. They don't give a shiny rat's patootie about features. Will my featured item solve their pain, fix their problem, make them feel better again, help them make more money? If it won't, can't, doesn't, and won't...forget about it!

Lesson learned: Good copywriting skills can be used anywhere, anytime - especially on the internet!

Not Knowing What People Are Looking For:

You would have thought that once the first lesson sunk in, I'd automatically be on easy street! Not so - again for the longest time I featured products that were hard to get locally...but nobody really wanted them online either!

And the few items I sold repeatedly surprised the hell out of me. I kept thinking, "I would have never thought this would be a winner. Why is it this wacky widget sells, but the wonder widget doesn't?"

Lesson learned: Get a grip on what people really want and need to buy, but can't get locally. Get it?

When It Cost as Much to Ship As the Cost Itself:

I was totally, totally convinced this one product that worked so well for me would be a real moneymaker! Well, surprise! The damn thing weighs 40 lbs. all by its' lonesome, and shipping costs were as much as the product cost! Hello- that's not helpful!

Lesson learned: Even if it's the best widget in the world, if you can't pre-sell it, and if it costs too much to ship, it's going to get passed over!

No Follow-up to My Mailing List

My list was small. Every single subscriber was a cause for celebration. When I closed down my web site, I had 163 subscribers.

In the 11 months my site was up, I only had one person unsubscribe, but the way I felt, you would have thought I lost everything!

Seriously, once I started getting the hang of things, I didn't do email follow up to those who stuck with me through my monthly newsletter. How many opportunities did I miss?

Lesson learned: Spring for that autoresponder service, develop follow up emails, and let 'em rip!

Final thoughts:

The thing is, I had a lot of fun most of the time. It was the Great Unknown, and I was just ignorant enough to enjoy the ride most of the time. It's ironic - by the time I shut down my web site, I was steadily selling one product (almost one order every day), my Google Adsense was starting to look healthy, and I was ready to expand.

But that old scene-stealer Life kind of got in the way. It's OK though, because I turned that web site into an ebook, I've taken three copywriting courses, I'm in a copywriting coaching program, and now I finally understand why web masters should never, never launch a web site without a good mini-course and robust autoresponder in each hand!

Nancy E. Wigal
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http://www.improveyourhomesvalue.com

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