Almost everyone who gets into internet marketing wants only one thing -“Money!” Most people believe that “the quicker they get it, the better.” Most people fail to realize that internet marketing is like any other offline business: You need to have something to sell and to sell “that thing,” you need to market your business.
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You also need to have some form of payment processor to bill your customers for your service. People make money by working for a business or starting their own business. In the online world, you do the same thing. If you need to make money online, you must begin delivering products or services that add value to your customers. If you are not providing value, you will not make a living online (or in a business offline, either)!
There is no “get rich quick scheme.
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If you are new to Internet Marketing, you will see many “bright, shiny objects.” This is the name veteran marketers give to the latest fads that claim to help you make a lot of money very fast. These are scams run almost totally by fraudsters. They only intend to extort money from those who do not know better. Their target market is the new people venturing into Internet Marketing. Namely, you!
The e-books or the videos these guys supply are information available for free online. These books will do you no good, no matter how good they claim to be. Avoid purchasing e-books and guides without getting your feet wet in the Internet Marketing world. If you take some time to do your research, you will save a lot of money.
My adage that I continue to harp to my clients in my membership training classes is to “never purchase any product (other than the basics to get set up) until you make money through your business actually to purchase it.” In other words, get your website and business up and running BEFORE you buy any of the “latest gadgets and software” that claim you can make millions of dollars by this time next week!
The Good News:
Learning from people who make money online would help if you started learning what works and what does not. Search for Internet Marketing forums and blogs by other Internet Marketers. You can meet many professional marketers and like-minded amateur Internet Marketers in these forums. Go and read through the pages. Look for free resources and tools that can enable you to set up your website. Never stop searching and learning about something you do not know. You will be amazed at the information readily available online – for FREE!
The first website that I started was a ministry website. But I stumbled around and finally found someone who could answer my questions and help me with the setup. The only cost associated was the hosting fee and the domain name. I finally got the website to where I liked its ” feel ” and began to advertise it. I never went in for the “fads” of the time. I did it all myself. The results? I started to receive some orders for the products (books and CDs) offered for sale through the website. I could have wasted thousands of dollars using “the next best thing” when the old-fashioned way saved me money (and made some money).
About three years ago, I entered the Internet Marketing business for myself (separate from the ministry, which continues to operate – but is a “not for profit” ministry. This business venture was set up as if I had a traditional “business” with the intent to “make money in exchange for services or products”).
The most important lesson I learned quickly about online business was the need to reinvest your online money to make more money. There is risk involved. But it is a business, and Internet Marketing is a severe business. I spent thousands of dollars chasing “the latest fad” (the bright, shiny objects) before learning the main lesson I now live by and teach. “Start with the basics, and when the money comes in – then and only then – decide on what product will help your business grow.”
I purchased a “done for you” website from a “guru.” I did not know how to add to the content, change the content, or even operate it. I had to “go through them” for everything. After about two months of no sales at all – I canceled. Guess what? After I canceled, I had “zero” customer support! I dumped the website and started over. Once I learned how to set up a website, I discovered I had more control over it. I was able to get professional designs to suit my website and style.
Having your website, though, is just the beginning. There is a lot of work involved in making your website a success. My definition of a successful online business is “having a website that makes money for you by providing valuable service to the customers who use the website.” The website’s maintenance cost comes from its income.
Growing your online business:
Once I had found that I was achieving a small success, I stopped writing content for the website. I made money through “Ad Sense” advertisements (you can search for what it is and how it works on YouTube), and I became lazy and unmotivated. My income started dwindling because my regular readers left the blog due to the lack of fresh content. By the time I realized my mistake, I had not updated the site in almost three months! I added more advertisements on my website, trying to make more income from the traffic coming from the search engines. This was another big mistake (and I lost my search engine rankings in the process). In other words, I lost all the way around!
From studying my mistakes, I discovered that you must always keep growing your business. It is a never-ending process. So, I started writing regular content again. I slowly changed from strictly selling products to a membership program. I also introduced a newsletter for my free members. The newsletter enables me to send emails to my subscribers with ease. The membership program is designed to provide information on how to start and grow your business while avoiding the traps that I (and others) encountered.
Believe me when I say that making money online is possible – if you play the game right and put in a lot of hard work and creativity. Do what is necessary to grow your business instead of looking for an e-book or “latest and greatest” gadget that claims to provide you with an “overnight” success story.
Slow and steady will win just about every time! The membership program started small. It took a little while to catch on. But I continued to manage it as if it had 100 members. This “practice” identifies the bumps and things you must do to improve. Don’t try to get rich overnight – you will lose almost every time. Less than 1% make the overnight success story.
