Monthly Archives: February 2010

Internet Marketing Myths Part 2

It’s that time, again… to dispel (or re-affirm) some more myths about making money online.  I believe that it’s important that you know what you are getting into before you dive in head first.  By knowing what you are getting into ahead of time, you are more likely to succeed, if you give internet marketing an honest go.  Let’s get started.

1) You have to spend money to make money.

When it comes to making money online, there are both free and paid methods to make money.  However, in order to learn the knowledge and skills you need to implement whatever method you choose will probably cost you so money.  It’s like paying for education.  You invest money in yourself, and the knowledge you acquire enables you to make more money down the road.  Courses that teach you how to make money with free methods, are relatively inexpensive and allow you to earn back your investment in a short time.

2) Paid methods are better than free methods.

This is perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions out there.  Just because you spend money doesn’t mean that you will make more money or make money faster than someone who uses free methods.  In fact, a lot of people say they lose money before they make any.  It’s not about the method you choose.  It’s about taking the time to learn the methods and how effectively you put them to use.

3) Is it really possible to “make money while you sleep”?

In short, the answer is yes.  Here’s why.  Internet marketing is a numbers game.  In order words, the more stuff you have out there, the more money you stand to make.  Since you are promoting things people are already looking for, the income will become “automated” — without you having to do anymore work ( as long as the traffic volume for whatever keywords you get ranked for stays the same).

Internet Marketing Myths Part 1

Now that you know what internet marketers do, I thought I would take the time to break (or re-affirm) some common myths about internet marketing.  Quite frankly, when you tell the average person what you do, they tend to look at you like you are crazy.  Most don’t have the slightest idea what goes on.  Let’s get started.

1) It’s possible to make money online without doing any work.

In short, this is the biggest lie ever told about making money online.  You do have to work.  No matter what methods you choose to make money online or the industry you are in, you not only take time to learn the strategies and techniques, but you have to put them into action!  Learning will only take you so far.  Action = results!  On the upside, it’s fun “work,” unlike a day job.

2) If you make money online, you must be selling porn!

Although it is true that you can make money online by selling porn, it is by no means the only way.  Porn is one industry among many.   Nowadays, you can promote just about anything imaginable.  There is a saying in the IM world: “Where there’s a magazine, there’s a niche.”  Examples include gardening, music, sports, fashion (clothing), dating, health and fitness, wealth building “make money,” computer/technology…

3) If you make money online, you must be a spammer!

As a legitimate internet marketer, your goal is to promote products to those who are looking for what you are selling.  These people, after all, are the ones most likely to buy what you are selling.  These people are known as “targeted.”  Sending stuff to people who aren’t specifically interested in what you are selling, is not going to make you any money and is a waste of time.

…To be continued (Stay tuned for Part 2).

What do Internet Marketers Do?

An internet marketer is someone who either sells his or her own product or someone else’s in exchange for a commission for every sale made (affiliate marketing).  Unlike in times past, there is no longer only one way to make money online.  There are a number of ways to accomplish this based on your personal preferences (i.e. search engines, social media) .

Those who don’t have money to invest might choose to use free methods that cost no money while those that do have money do invest might opt for paid methods.  Still, some might choose a happy medium using both free and paid methods.

The only thing that distinguishes internet marketers from the traditional marketer in a “brick and mortar” or offline business is the method by which we promote and sell products (via use of the internet).  All other basic business principles still apply.

We have to be able to conduct proper market research based on the available data to determine what products we should promote, how and where we should promote them, be able to understand and connect with our audience and so on.  With millions of people using the internet on a daily basis, It’s the natural evolution of marketing!  For more, check out affiliate marketing on Wikipedia.