Internet Marketing 101 Part 1: The Brutal Truth
There is no denying that internet marketing is a very lucrative business model. There are many, many millionaires that have found their fortunes online. But there are also a much higher number of people who fail miserably…
But WHY?
The main reason why people fail at internet marketing is because they fail to treat their online business like a business. They believe that, since it is “an internet business”, it’s not subject to the normal rules of business…
Sorry. Fail.
All of the people who made it big online treated their online businesses like a business. Some of them did it right from the start, and others had to make the transition in order to grow beyond mediocrity.
The fact that starting a business online costs next to nothing, doesn’t mean it’s not a business. It’s just one of those business models where the initial capital outlay is less, but it takes more work to make it grow. Unless of course, you have a couple of thousand dollars you want to throw at advertising – in which case you can make money faster, but it’s no longer cheap.
The brutal truth about internet marketing is this:
If you don’t treat your online business like a business, you will never have a business. You may have a hobby which will make you a couple of bucks, but nothing more.
So – what do I mean by that?
- Consistency: The success of your business will be directly related to the consistent effort you put into it. Fair enough, for many people it simply isn’t possible to work on their projects every day – but then you set weekly targets for yourself. Think of it as building a house all by yourself – after hours. If you don’t do at least SOME work every day, it will take forever to finish.
Note: Why do people buy from established brands? Because they have proven themselves through consistency. When you build an online business, a part of what you do will revolve around “building a name for yourself” – which is a process of branding yourself as a credible, trustworthy person. Consistency breeds trust.
- Time management: regardless of how much time you have available to work on your blog or website or social media marketing, make the most of it. The less time you have available to do it in, the more effective and productive you have to be. Do make sure you have the necessary time available (wherever possible), but then prioritize your tasks in the order of which will have the most impact on the desired outcome (money in your pocket).
In short – if it doesn’t bring you any closer to your goal, don’t do it. SO don’t check your email every ten minutes. It’s not helping.
- Focus: Don’t try to do too many things at once. Don’t try to “be everywhere” and accomplish everything simultaneously. Unless you have help, you don’t have enough hours in the day for that. Focus on as few things as possible at a time. For instance – when you start out you will focus on creating content and driving traffic. This will build you an audience – but when it comes to traffic, don’t spread yourself too thin across too many sources. Pick two or three, and get them up to speed first.
- Minimize distractions: Whether you are doing this part time or full time, treat it like you would have treated working for a boss. Discuss the time requirements of what you are taking on – with family and friends – so they know when not to disturb you. And while you work, try to limit interruptions and distractions as far as possible – especially if you only have a limited amount of time available every day.
- Get organized: They say that a cluttered desk is the mark of a genius – but how many geniuses do you know of that became millionaires? Their scatter-brain approach often means that they do a lot – without getting much done.
Business is not about how much you do – it’s about how much you GET DONE. There’s a big difference. Clear the clutter from your working area and your desktop. Make a list of what you want to do – in detail. Then prioritize those tasks. And every day when you sit down to work, pick the combination of tasks that will – for that day – do the most in bringing your closer to your goal.
Lastly:
Be sure to balance your lifestyle. Many, many people have given up on their internet businesses because they started off with an unsustainable schedule.
Your brain needs time off, and your family may need you as well. And always remember this:
It’s better to make a little bit of progress every day, than to burn yourself out and take a long break.
Remember the story of the turtle and the rabbit…
Slow. Persistent. Consistent.
It works.
