Succeeding at Associated Content is like Growing a Business

I joined Associated Content on August 25th, 2008, and at the time of this article, I have been a Content Producer for about two months. Part of the reason I'm writing this article is so I have something to look back on and say "Wow, I was right on the money" or "Wow, I had no idea what was going on."

It isn't easy to quickly succeed at Associated Content, or most other online writing ventures, not because of bad writing, but because it's difficult to get a lot of page views just starting out. In this business, getting page views equates to success, because that's where the ad money comes from. It's not just about writing a lot, or even writing well, but about writing keyword-dense and SEO-friendly articles. However, in my opinion, networking is even more important.

Associated Content has a business model that rewards a lot of page views, because traffic means ad money. Most successful small businesses succeed by building up relationships and attaining a loyal base of customers or clients. There is a local electronics shop where I live that specializes in high-quality televisions and sound systems. The reason they succeed as a small business is because of repeat customers, first and foremost. Without developing and cultivating strong relationships with customers, and offering high quality products and services, they would probably go under in an economy like this.

But back to Associated Content: much of the rules about growing a small business apply at Associated Content as well. If you use manipulative tactics to get people to read your articles, you might get a spike in page views in the short term, but it will hurt your reputation and ultimately your success on Associated Content in the long run. Instead, be respectful of people and work hard to write high-quality content. Don't ever stop learning; there's always something else to know, and what better place to find out than the People's Media Company, Associated Content?

If you were starting a small business, you would make sure to treat customers well. The people who read your articles and subscribe to you are much like customers; you want repeat "business" from them, as they are a consistent source of page views. The other side of this business equation is once you've broken through to the other side. As many top Content Producers can attest, once you are beyond a certain point, the page views come easily and the upfront offers are high. This is just like a business that has established good relationships with a large customer base, and now it is able to relax a little bit when it comes to advertising, or "promoting," because of the hard work put in at the beginning. You put in more work for less pay at the beginning, and less work for more money later.

I'm at the beginning of my Associated Content journey, but I see a big payoff for my hard work as I go. I want to reach Clout Level 10. I want this small business venture to succeed. With all of your help, I will realize this goal. Thank you to everyone who has helped me so far, and to everyone who reads my articles!