| 5 Reasons Why Most Internet Marketers Fail |
[May. 18th, 2009|08:30 am] |
When it comes to starting any endeavor, whether it be
learning a new hobby or starting an online business,
we all have to start at ground zero. We all have to start
at the very beginning from the very same place. Granted,
we each bring different skills and backgrounds into the mix,
but for the most part we are all on equal footing at the
starting line.
If this is the case, then we really have to ponder why is it
only a choice few go on to succeed, while most people don't.
Just what are the reasons why most online marketers fail?
This is the core question that has to be answered if you
want to fully understand Internet marketing and how it works.
What are these basic reasons?
What are the causes or stumbling blocks that hold many marketers
and webmasters from reaching their full online potential? If we
know these factors, we can learn how to avoid them and even
overcome them in our own online marketing. These reasons can be
a solid reference point or even a source of inspiration for any
online marketer just starting out.
Speaking from the viewpoint of someone who has started from the
very beginning with little to no knowledge of computers or even
marketing for that matter, I can honestly relate to the beginning
marketer. I even had to learn HTML from scratch in order to construct
my own webpages. Probably my only advantage, I did have a background
in art but designing webpages was completely different from anything
I had done previously to starting in online marketing.
Nor did I have any formal training in business or marketing,
just an art teaching background which really doesn't help
with the day to day running of an online business. I had to
learn as I went; struggling with hundreds of marketing
decisions before my sites became profitable. Don't get the
wrong impression, I have probably made hundreds of mistakes
along the way and I am still making them!
But from my own experiences I have drawn some general conclusions
about Internet marketing and why some people succeed while most
people fail. So here in my honest opinion, are some of the
main reasons why many online marketers fail:
1. Overwhelmed With Information
Perhaps, one of the biggest obstacles I faced when I first
started my website - I was bombarded with so much information
on how to proceed I didn't have a clue which direction to take
or who to believe. Thousands of different info products telling
you to do this, not to do that... so much marketing information
to absorb that you end up scratching your head and looking like
someone auditioning for a zombie movie.
Completely overwhelmed with so much information, many marketers
or webmasters enter a state of paralysis where nothing gets done.
You go from one course to another or from one method to another,
without any real understanding of how to proceed or how to get a
detailed blueprint to follow.
Been there, done that!
Information overflow can effectively crush all that novice
enthusiasm and literally kill even the most eager of entrepreneurs.
Anyone starting out must be aware of this obvious but insidious
pitfall you have to avoid at all costs. One of the best remedies,
simply try concentrating on just one or two marketing plans/marketers
for all your information. Try to eliminate the clutter by just working
on one marketing system. Just have a few key marketing resources
you go to for information, not a hundred! And do your homework,
only pick marketers who can back up their claims with observable results
on the web. One obvious checkmark - just see if those marketers have top
rankings for their sites for popular profitable keywords associated
with their sites or products.
2. Lack Of Key Marketing Basics
There are some key marketing basics or fundamentals you must
learn about marketing online. Internet marketing has some key
elements you must get right or you will have a difficult task
in succeeding on the web. Just simple factors you must get right
or it's game over before you even get started.
Most marketers fail to realize the web is "information driven"
and you must supply quality information or content in order to
truly succeed. You must provide a valuable service or function
to your visitors. You must help solve their problem. You must
give them a solid reason to use your site or product. Quality
content is and always will be King on the web.
You must also understand much of the web is "keyword driven" and you
must construct your webpages to take full advantage of these keywords.
You must have at least a rudimentary understanding of SEO (Search
Engine Optimization) and how you can use it to get top rankings
for your keyword phrases.
3. Lack Of Time And Resources
Another major reason why many marketers fail is because they
simply can't afford the time to learn and build their online
business. Most people just can't stop everything and work full
time online because they have bills to pay and families to
support. It may take months, probably years, before you can
build up a successful online business that gives you a comfortable
living. The average person just doesn't have the time or the resources
to spend months learning how all this works.
Keep in mind, getting a business or website going is probably the most
inexpensive way to start your own business. Domains are cheap.
Web hosting is cheap. Web design is cheap if you can do it yourself...
compared to starting a business in the "real" world, creating an online
business will only cost a faction of the normal expenses connected with
starting a business. But the main problem is having the resources to pay
your living expenses until your online business is profitable. Many beginning
online marketers don't have these resources and the main complaint from
these marketers: "I Simply can't afford the time to work at this online
stuff."
One solution is to work at your online marketing in your spare time and
gradually build up your business until you can afford to do it full time.
It will obviously take longer but you can still get to the same end goal.
4. Lack Of Necessary Skills
Actually, you don't need many skills to succeed online. However,
one of the major skills you must have or you must learn is communication.
You must learn how to communicate. The web is all about communicating
your points to your visitors or viewers so you must acquire good
communication skills.
It really helps your marketing if you are a good writer because you can easily
get your points across with written text or copy on your site. Writing
skills can be learned but many beginning marketers don't fully understand
how important their writing skills will be to their success. You must
be able to communicate on your site, in your newsletters, with your
customers... might sound a bit obvious but you would be surprised at
how many marketers lack this simple, yet necessary skill.
But don't fret, because once upon a time, the written word was king
online - but not any more. Videos are rapidly taking the place of the printed
word so anyone with a camera can now be a success online. Of course,
you still need good communication skills even using videos, but many
marketers have found this is a much easier way to communicate information
about their site or product.
5. Lack Of Persistence
For me, one the most significant reasons most online marketers/webmasters
fail, is because of a lack of persistence. They simply give up too soon.
They try something for a few weeks, even for a few months and then they
conclude this is not working and they give up.
Building a solid online business or viable website takes time, a
lot of time. Just because your business is online, doesn't mean
everything will fall into place overnight, it takes time to establish
a customer base. It takes time to build your business relationships
and partnerships with others in your field.
Sometimes, it may take years before you see some solid returns. It was
three years before I saw any significant revenue coming from my online
ventures, and another year before I could summon enough courage to do
this online marketing full time. If I had given up and not persisted
at this web stuff, I would not be writing this article right now.
Building top rankings for your keywords in the search engines
(especially Google) can take months, even years before you see any
results. The real key is to be persistent and keep at it, day after
day, until you get those top rankings. You simply must be persistent
or you will fail.
In conclusion, having said all that, you must also realize there are
plenty of exceptions to all of the above. There have been countless
success stories on the web where someone has come up with a novel
idea or product and become successful overnight. The web can offer
immediate success for some but for most of us, it will take some
time and hard effort on our part to build a successful online business.
Just try to avoid many of the pitfalls or reasons listed above and you
will have a better chance of placing yourself in the success column.
...
The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous
niche sites. He contributes much of his online success to
following the teachings of some early online marketing
pioneers, mainly: Marlon Sanders
And Ken Evoy: Free Marketing Courses
Copyright © 2009 Titus Hoskins. This article may be
freely distributed if this resource box stays attached. |
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| Internet Marketing Tactics For These Tough Times (From Google and Me!) |
[Jan. 8th, 2009|03:40 pm] |
Teaser:
Google and Me! Sounds like something Micheal Moore
would say, but as we enter into some dire economic times,
online marketers need all the help they get - regardless
of the source. Some of these tips are directly from Google
& some of them are from a seasoned, full-time online affiliate
marketer - that would be me!
Internet Marketing Tactics For These Tough Times (From Google and Me!)
Copyright © 2008 Titus Hoskins
As we enter into what many enlightened souls are calling
the most dire economic times since the Great Depression,
online marketers need all the help they can get - regardless
of the source. You have probably heard of Google; but chances
are almost 100% certain, you have never heard of me. Lucky you!
Actually, the only thing you need to know about me is
that I am a full-time online affiliate marketer and I
make a very comfortable living from the web. Last year
(2008), was my best year online so far, which left me
scratching my head and saying what recession?
But that may be something of a false positive, as I will
never know how much I could have made if the economic
times had been good instead of bad. Plus, judging from
my own limited experience, selling and marketing online
may not have been hit as hard as those businesses in the
real world in 2008, since consumers are doing everything
to save a penny and shopping online has become a much cheaper
alternative for many.
As we enter into these uncertain times, online marketers
and webmasters need all the help they can get. Recently,
Google mailed a small booklet to its Adsense users;
in it Google gives "6 Top Tactics For Tough Times."
It is obviously referring to its Adwords PPC (Pay Per
Click) program and clients but Google's advice can be
applied to your own general online marketing.
These tactics include: (quoting directly from the
Google mail-out)
1. Focus your ads on low prices and savings.
2. Use Value-related keywords.
3. Ensure your ad groups are targeted and relevant.
4. Don't waste money on irrelevant clicks.
5. Make it easy for customers to buy.
6. Focus your money on your high-performers.
(End Quote)
Sound advice and I especially like the idea of focusing
your marketing on low prices and savings mainly because
people want bargains in tight economic times. I also like
the fact that you must make it easy for your customers to
buy... something as simple as putting your "order/buy link"
above the fold can increase your conversions.
Also, targeting value-related keywords, is a very effective
marketing tactic. Relating your keywords to "discounts,
bargains, cheap, inexpensive, lowest prices..." will help
increase your sales. So too, is catering to phrases that
suggest the searcher is in a buying mind-set: gifts, presents,
gift ideas, wedding gifts... shoppers searching those words
are ready to buy.
Plus, focusing your time and money on your high-performers
is solid advice. Sometimes succeeding online is simply
finding a market niche that works/performs - then running
with it. Once you have found the keywords and products
that perform well with your site or sites - focus the
majority of your time and energy developing those niche
markets.
Now here are some of my most effective marketing
tactics that have worked for me and tactics I will
be relying on in the coming years - even in these
hard times.
o Make Keywords Your #1 Goal
This is the single most important factor for my own
online success. You have to make keywords and ranking
high for them in all the search engines your main
objective if you're marketing online. Might sound
obvious, but many beginning marketers don't truly
understand how important getting top rankings for
your chosen keywords will be in your online success.
Target less competitive long tail (multi-worded)
keywords to get started and slowly work your
way up to more popular keywords. Center your
marketing around getting those first page listings
(Top Five) for your keywords. Achieve this goal,
(especially in Google) and it will be almost
impossible for you not to succeed and make
a profit with your online marketing even in
bad times.
o Autoresponders, List Building & Online Relationships
Keeping in contact with potential buyers is mission
critical. You must use autoresponders to send follow-up
messages to build trustful relationships with your
potential customers. Establishing this personal contact
or trust is very important because the Internet is
still a cold distrustful environment for most people.
So building a large contact list is essential. That's
why the social networks such as Twitter, Facebook,
MySpace can be very effective marketing tools for
building this online contact and trust. Truth be told,
all these social networks are, more or less, just
glorified autoresponders and list builders!
o Your Unique Selling Position
You must give potential customers some very good
reasons for them to buy from you or your links.
Offering special bonuses and discounts works
wonders for your sales. Some of my most successful
pages simply consists of coupons and discounts
offered by different companies. If buyers can
save $100's OFF by buying thru your links, they
will.
Always remember, besides looking for the best
deal or bargain, consumers are also looking for a
quality product. If you're into affiliate marketing,
only pick top quality products to promote. Picking
top brand names also makes it easier to make sales.
So too is only promoting popular online merchants
like Amazon, can be an effective marketing strategy.
Most importantly, always remember consumers are also
looking for INFORMATION on the products they are
considering buying, give them helpful information
and you will succeed.
o Find A Niche You Enjoy
There are millions of profitable niche markets you can
choose from - pick one that truly interests you and run
with it. Your favorite hobby or something you enjoy
doing in your spare-time. Picking a niche market that
you like is a key factor, you won't mind spending your
time exploring and exploiting it. Just won't seem like
work because you will be having fun while you do your
marketing.
o Go With The Flow
If you're marketing online, you have to follow what's
working for you. Most times you will try countless
ideas or tactics - once you have found a process or
system that works, really work it or scale it up.
Making your first dollar is the hardest, but once
you do something that earns you that dollar,
just repeat that "something" a thousand times.
Tracking what works is very important so keep a
close eye on your site's traffic logs to find where
your customers are coming from. Something like
Google Analytics is simply priceless for "fine-tuning"
your site and your online marketing. It will tell
you what's working and what's not.
o Target Recurring or Residual Income
One of my most effective marketing strategies is to
promote and sell products and services that give you
a recurring or residual income. Make one sale and get
paid for years or for the life of that referred client.
Concentrate on services like web-hosting, telephone,
marketing programs... once customers sign up to these
services, they will likely keep them for years. I am
still earning income from sales I made five years ago.
Building a large residual income could be the key to
surviving in tough economic times. This will be income
which will carry you or your business over the rough
patches since it is based upon past performance and not
on your current selling situation.
o Target the Right Customers And Markets
The biggest advantage of marketing online is you
can precisely target your customers and your markets.
One tactic I use is to target customers who are likely
to buy more than one unit of what you're selling. For example,
if you target Corporate Business Gifts, a boss or employer
will not be buying just one coffee mug but ten or even
hundreds of mugs.
Even in tough times, seasonal markets will still
perform... back to school, mother's day, Halloween,
Christmas market... things might slow down but these
markets will still perform even in tough times.
</b>
o Automate Everything</b>
The real beauty of marketing online and using computers...
you can automate just about every process in your marketing
system. Make it a point of automating everything you do...
use autoresponders to follow-up with potential buyers, use
automatic check-outs, automatic reporting... just set-up your
whole online marketing system that runs itself with little
or no supervision from you. This will free up your time to
concentrate all your efforts on marketing/promoting your
site or product. Besides, nothing beats coming back from
a vacation and finding out you have earned the cost of
your vacation and then some - all the while you were lying
in the sun and miles away from any computer.
o Find The Top Online Marketers
If you're just starting with online marketing, you
need to find the top successful marketers and "model"
what they're doing. This is relatively a new industry
and you have to seek out the experts and pioneers who
have set the groundwork. When I first started marketing
online, I was quite fortunate to come into contact with
some web marketing heavy-weights such as Marlon Sanders,
Ken Evoy, Neil Shearing... and SEO experts like Brad Callen
and Aaron Wall.
Often it is just a matter of finding the right "mentor"
to follow. You need to study their techniques to improve
your own marketing. Perhaps my best advice would be this:
find the top online marketers and stick to them like glue!
o Make Google Your Friend
Whether you love or hate Google doesn't matter, you
just have to make it your number one ally in your
online marketing. Google has just about conquered
the world-wide search market, Yahoo and MSN are
still important, but Google is the deal-breaker
when you're selling stuff online. Consumers have
enormous respect for Google, a number one listing
for a lucrative keyword simply means money in
the bank. Marketers must realize Google will
play a significant role in their online success
and may play an ever increasing role in these
tough economic times.
I have found using Google Search, Google Adwords,
and Google Adsense have played a more than significant
role in the success of my own online sites and marketing.
Google tools such as Google Analytics, Google Alerts,
Webmaster Tools... all have been invaluable and an
enormous help in achieving my "web-based" lifestyle
and livelihood. Of course, Google has also driven me
around the bend more times than I can count, but no
one is perfect.
Besides, when it's all said and done, anyone marketing
on the web must truly embrace Google if they want to
reach their highest level possible. In good times and
especially in these bad times, you must make Google your
friend. Your best friend. Even your BFF. When all else
fails, trust in Google, forget that other guy. Then again,
you better not; for you're going to need all the help you
can get in these coming tough times, regardless of the source.
...
Everyone has a story. Mine is called: "In Search Of The $100 Click
or How I Found A Full-Time Online Income And Came To Love The Internet"
It's located here: Online Income
Everyone is profiting from the web, find out how
you can too! Click here: Best Internet Marketing Training
Copyright © 2009 Titus Hoskins. |
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