Posts Tagged Failure

<p>The internet marketing lifestyle is one that millions of people would kill for, yet very few actually achieve. Working from home, creating your own schedule, pouring out creative energy to build your empire, and doing things as a renegade who sticks it to conventional society… these are ideals that create a romanticized notion of how online marketers do business and live.

The truth of the matter is that:

* After about 3 months, most people quit
* while the potential of financial freedom is always alluring, most entrepreneurs will actually spend more money than they make on their home business (investing in programs, trainings, coaching, and various opportunities)
* most people give up because they are totally shocked and confused by how vast internet marketing actually is and how much there is to absorb

I hear the following question all of the time, ‘What is the best way to grow my online business?’ A lot of online marketers get that feeling like they are drinking out of a firehose; there is too much information to absorb, too many details to implement, too many viewpoints to assimilate.

The most important point when you are starting out is to dig one hole deeply. It is so easy to try and master it all: copywriting, landing pages, opt in forms, twitter, facebook, squidoo, article marketing, PPC, video marketing, autoresponders, affiliate marketing, social bookmarking, blogging, ebooks, membership programs, hub pages, SEO… oh, and don’t forget split testing, analytics, list building, ezines, link building, sales funnels, keyword research.. and on and on and on.

Which strategy do you start with? The one that puts you in total control of your content: Blogging.

Blogging is, in my opinion, the most important online marketing strategy that you can master because you are 100% in control of every word you write. As you set up your blog, I highly recommend that you brand yourself (You, Inc.), especially if you are into network marketing, coaching, or social media marketing. Your prospects want to build a relationship with you before they pull out their wallet. Don’t worry about copyrwriting or Google Adwords yet. Just start creating content for your blog based on your passions, interests, and gifts.

That alone will give you a strong marketing foundation. A lot of bloggers create online success just by being themselves and offering good value. If you are brand new to online marketing, begin by setting up a wordpress blog and post some content there every day for 60 days. Don’t worry about anything else. Be tenacious about this and don’t give up.

The key point here is to just be yourself. Market yourself first… build skills later. If you do this, you’ll enjoy the ride so much more and there’s a much better chance I’ll see you a year from now still loving what you are doing.

What comes next? That depends on your interests and goals. If you want to start generating traffic and leads to your blog or website as fast as possible and you have a marketing budget, take the time to learn Google Adwords.

If you don’t have any money to put into marketing, I recommend one of two choices:

1. Article marketing–Take your blog posts and submit them to multiple article directories (this is if you like to write–introverts tend to connect with this strategy)

2. Social media– Get yourself on Twitter and build a following of 5,000 within the next 2 months.

Of course, it’s also extremely helpful to be crystal clear about your monetization model: How do you plan on making money? I suggest that you really dive deeply into one income generating model first, whether it’s network or affiliate marketing or product creation. If you want to build a network marketing company, just start with this and learn how to make money by combining internet and network marketing.

You can do affiliate marketing, product creation, or membership programs. You can offer coaching. There are countless ways to make money online. You just need to clarify what your passion is and then commit to it without distraction until you have mastered it!

I hope this helps you get some clarity around how you are going to succeed through online marketing. Trust me, the online marketing lifestyle is as awesome as it is cracked up to be… and it is very possible to have this for yourself. It is critical,though, that you have the correct foundation, and that you get the right mentoring and guidance.

To your success!