Beyond Site Build It
Site Build It is a wonderful system for buidling an online business. The step-by-step instruction on online marketing fundamentals is truly special. It's like learning how to ride a bike with training wheels. Anyone can really build a site that succeeds.
But if you are serious about online marketing, at some point you want to take those training wheels off.
This is where SBI can get frustrating. There really is no easy way to get those training wheels off. Most everything is built for a beginner and there really isn't any "advanced" functionality where you can feel like someone is talking to you at a high level... and the tools are made to move at an advanced marketer's speed level.
In many ways this is understandable. It's difficult to be all things to all people. And SiteSell realizes it's bread and butter is the newbie so everything is geared for them.
Let's Take Blockbuilder
Blockbuilder is SiteSell's Content Management System. The idea is you build your site through easy-to-use online forms and then turn that form into a web page. This makes it very easy to use and means you can work on your site anywhere you can connect to the Internet.
Very cool... right?
But to use Blockbuilder you must use SBI's templates. These templates are over 6 years old and a lot has changed online in the last 6 years. These templates just don't cut it anymore.
Plus there's a lot of things you'd like to be able to add to your pages easily that just aren't so easy. Things like different fonts and image formating. Things like Facebook and Twitter buttons. And how about a 3rd column.
Some of these things are doable but you must learn some HTML coding to be able to do them. So to make Blockbuilder do the fancy stuff you end up having to become an HTML coder anyways. So much for newbies being able to use it.
So many SBIers are forced into uploading their own HTML to get the advantages that something like a true "What You See Is What You Get" editor offers. That's not what a good CMS is all about.
Uploading Your Own HTML
And learning HTML is not a bad idea. Most successful online marketers know a bit of HTML. It comes with the territory if you want to be successful.
But even this can be frustrating with SBI.
When you use Dreamweaver with a regular hosting service, you set up your connection to the host through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) settings. When you make changes to your site in Dreamweaver you click one button and all the changes to your site are uploaded automatically.
With Site Build It when you are uploading your own HTML you must manually connect to their servers and upload each new file or any changes separately. This can mean a simple change on your site takes 5-10 minutes when with a typical host it would take seconds. Not a big deal unless you have many changes or many sites like a lot of serious online marketers do. It's just not efficient if you have a large online business to manage.
Beyond C-T-P-M
The idea behind C-T-P-M is creating Content leads to Traffic and Preselling that Traffic lets you Monetize and make money. Truly C-T-P-M is a bedrock fundamental way to build an online business and it really does work.
But C-T-P-M is only one way to go.
Many successful online marketers do other variations like M-P-C-T where you choose a product to promote first and build your site around that product. If you do proper market research this a much faster way to make money online... and you don't need as many pages to do it.
Do You Really Need A Lot of Pages?
The SBI philosophy says the more pages you build the more successful you will be. I agree to a point with this. It's a fact that Google likes sites with a lot of pages so I don't disagree with that philosophy. But do you really need a 200 page website to make money? I say NO!
I have many sites that are fewer than 20 pages that make thousands of dollars per month. The point is... if you can solve a problem, then you can make money. And it doesn't take 200 pages to solve a problem.
Here's the system I use to make money without having to build hundreds of pages. Click Here!
Personally I think it's better to have ten 20-page sites rather than one 200 page site IF YOUR SITES ATTRACT VISITORS THAT HAVE PLENTY OF BUYING INTENTION. Why put all your eggs in one basket. OK with SBI those 20 sites would cost too much... but you see where I'm going with this. Here's the approach I use. It's a lot like SBI but without the long climb up the mountain.
It's Really About Visitor Value
If you can attract traffic with a clear "buying intention" then it doesn't take 1000's of visitors a day to make money. I say you can make more money with 100 visitors than you can with 1000 visitors if those 100 visitors really want to buy something.
I know SBIers who have hundreds of pages and get 1000's of visitors per day but don't make much money. The problem is they attract visitors that have no buying intention.
So it's really about finding a problem that people are willing to pay money to solve. And then building enough pages to move people through the sales cycle and then ask for the order. Again, it doesn't take 100's of pages to do that.
So there are many other strategies besides C-T-P-M that can be used to make money online.
Of course to do some of these other strategies you must know what you are doing. These other approaches are not for raw beginners and SiteSell is correct in not introducing newbies to advanced tactics. But it sure would be nice to be introduced to some other advanced ways to go when you are ready. And you can be ready after a few months if you are motivated to learn.
These advanced tactics include ideas like...
- Squeeze pages
- Sales Letters
- Pay Per Click
- Developing Your Own Products
- Upsells, sidesells and downsells
- Autoresponders
Of course some of these tactics are talked about in the Tips and Techniques HQ but most are framed in a beginner's context and are not very advanced.
And of course, because you can't do any Server Side Functionality, like PHP scripting, many of these tactics cannot even be done on Site Build It sites.
In fact, I'd say that much of the SiteSell training is a bit superficial. By that I mean the concepts are kept a bit vague and you never really get to a higher level understanding of them. Anyway...
Take The Concept of PREselling
Preselling is when you gently use your helpful content to create trust with your visitors. This of course works but...
Anyway, here's how SiteSell describes Preselling on their C-T-P-M page...
"Complete strangers develop trust and confidence in you. Why? You "PREsell" by OVERdelivering what they seek... relevant, original, information. Deliver it in your own voice, in your own way. Go beyond merely instilling confidence... your visitors will like you."
They go on to say...
"Immediate "selling" on Web sites is ineffective unless you have a brand like Amazon."
The problem is this assumes that everyone that comes to your site is at the same stage in the selling cycle for your "solution." They imply that everyone needs to be "Presold" before they are ready to buy.
The fact is, your visitors will by at all stages of the sales cycle.
Many will be at the beginning and you'll need lots of Preselling to create trust and credibility before they are ready.
Others will be in the middle and need a different type of "selling". They'll be searching for "product credibility" and need to know if your solution will really meet their needs.
But others will be ready to buy and have their credit cards out.
A good website realizes this and lets visitors identify where they are in the sales cycle and go to exactly what they need for the stage they are at.
That's just good marketing common sense! The last thing you want to do is send away a motivated buyer by telling them stuff they already know or making it harder for them to buy.
That's Just Online Marketing 101.
So What Do You Do When You Are Ready To Go Beyond Site Build It
Here's what I recommend as the system to use for an advanced SBIer. By that I mean you have 1 or 2 successful SBI sites and have learned the lessons of the Action Guide thoroughly. You sense there's faster and more effective ways to make money. You are ready for more! Plus you know some HTML and aren't afraid to learn some techy stuff.
1. Get A Good Hosting Account
A good hosting account will let you build unlimited sites for one monthly hosting fee (usually $6-$10 per month). You can test out a site concept, build a site for just the $10 domain registration fee.
Also good hosting companies have what's called a CPanel backend that let's you do some fancy site management stuff pretty easily.
I recommend BlueHost. I've been using them for over 4 years and I have 8 sites (so far) hosted there and I've had no problems.
2. Use WordPress To Build Your Site
WordPress is an "open source" Content Management System (CMS). It puts Blockbuilder to shame. It's free and most good hosts like Bluehost have a 1-click install. You can literally have a site up in 30 minutes.
WordPress is known as blogging software but it's a true CMS and you can build a complete site using it. There are no limitations.
You can then add additional functionality through "plugins" that make your site fully able to do some very powerful things. Adding shopping carts, and contact forms, and search boxes, and links to Social Media are a breeze. Of course you'll need to know where to look and what to add.
You can change the site's look and feel very quickly by changing what are called "Themes". You can buy advanced Themes that offer lots of control and functions for affiliate marketing and videos and other strategies.
I'll be adding content about WordPress to this site soon. So all will be explained.
Dreamweaver versus WordPress
Yes you can also choose to have total control using something like Dreamweaver. I have several sites I've built with Dreamweaver. If you like to code or can build your own design templates you might like it better than WordPress.
But I can do all that but I still like using WordPress. Why?
I can build a site much more quickly with WordPress. I can also work on my site anywhere because it's a true CMS and I work on my site through my browser. This is nice when you are on the road or just like to get out of the house sometimes.
And WordPress offers advanced functions through Plugins that I don't even know how to do with Dreamweaver. It's really quite brilliant.
The Market Samurai Connection
And if you don't know about Market Samurai you might want to check it out. It works extremely well with WordPress even to the point of being able to find and add content with Market Samurai and automatically uploading it to WordPress as a post. Pretty cool really.
3. Get Some Advanced Training
Once the training wheels are off you can do some powerful things with your site. Server side scripting and adding things like membership functions and forums are easy to do now.
And you can think about moving beyond C-T-P-M and trying some advanced approaches.
Here's where I would go to get some advanced training. Along with Ken Evoy, these are the "gurus" that are really worth following. And to be honest, they are a little more open-minded than Ken because they don't have a site-building system they are promoting. They can promote whatever they want.
Ed Dale
I found Ed Dale through something called the The 30 DAY Challenge. His free training focused on making your first $1 in 30 days. His idea is why spend hundreds of hours building out a site before you know if there is buying intention in the niche. He teaches "test your market" before you commit to all that time and effort. I totally agree.
He uses video a lot and he introduced me to my favorite Keyword Research tool Market Samurai. I really do love it... check it out here.
The beauty of his Challenge is he reinvents it every year and it starts in August. He adds everything he learned to "this year's model" so you always feel you are hearing the latest and the greatest tactics.
If Site Build It is an undergraduate education in online marketing, Ed Dale's teaching is like getting your Masters Degree. Check out his Challenge Plus membership site for some advanced training.
I'm a member of his Challenge Plus membership site. Each month he comes out with new training on all kinds of Online Marketing topics like the latest Facebook news, how to outsource some of your tasks, and the right equipment to make videos. I pay a monthly fee to be a member but it's worth it. Check it out here...
Adam Short
Adam uses a system very similar to SBI. He still believes in content but he doesn't believe it takes hundreds of pages to make sales. His system is more like M-P-T-C. Click Here!
Perry Marshall
Perry Marshall was known as the AdWords guy for a long time. His Ebook "The Definitive Guide To AdWords" was the first training on how to use Pay Per Click. He offers lots of other trainings but that book is still a classic and it's been updated.
Sign up for his emails and pay attention to what Perry Marshall has to say. He is a great online marketer.
Mike Filsaime
Mike Filsaime is probably best known for his Butterfly Marketing Manuscript. This is an advanced system for selling your own products online. He uses scripts to capture leads, and automate the upsell, downsell, and prospect management process. He is from the camp that "the money is in the list" and building a good list is central to his approach.
I would argue that he is right. The folks making big money online all have lists in the 100's of thousands and they can make 6-figures easily with one email to their lists. This is where my online marketing approach is heading.
Frank Kern
Another well-know list builder. Frank is a real character and his videos are very entertaining. I hear him talked about by other "gurus" probably more than any other. It's worth signing up for his emails just to watch how he does his promotions. He's a master at writing emails that sell.
Jeff Walker
Jeff is famous for his Product Launch Formula. Almost every guru uses his tactics these days when they have a new product they want to launch. Mike Filsaime uses many of his tactics. Who came up with them first? Well who really know.
Bob Bly
As far as marketing copywriting this is the guy. I get his emails and I learn a ton from every one I get. It took me a while to realize this guy is the real deal. Copywriting that sells is a critical skill to have in online marketing, and is not talked about enough. Maybe that's because the great ones can do it naturally and they forget everyone does not have the same skills.
This is the guy to learn those skills from.
