Friday, January 15, 2010

Beware of the Online Marketing Minefield

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Paul Marshall



"Thar's gold in them thar hills," was proclaimed around the world in 1849, when gold was discovered in the hills of northern California.

More than 100,000 people descended upon California to find their own wealth in the hills and the streams of California. Fast-forward 150 years, and people are saying the same thing about the Internet today.

"Thar is gold in them thar Web pages," for the person who doesn't get their clock cleaned by the snake oil salesmen of the Internet.

By hiring a qualified online marketing consultant or successfully completing a reputable Internet marketing training course, you can succeed online.

Early Victors In The Online Business Success Story

In 1994, Stanford students Jerry Yang and David Filo created the Yahoo Web directory. One year later, they co-founded Yahoo, Inc.

In 1998, Stanford students Larry Page and Sergey Brin created and launched the Google search engine, the largest and most popular search company on the Internet today.

In 2005, three former PayPal employees joined forces to create YouTube. The three founders of YouTube were Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. Only 21 months after the launch of YouTube, Google purchased the website for $1.65 billion in Google stock.

One Does Not Have To Be "On Leave From The Stanford Ph.D. Program"

It's amazing when you look at the biographies of the Who's Who in Internet business startup success. Most everyone on the list has as part of his or her biography, "currently on a leave of absence from Stanford's ... Ph.D. program."

This reference is actually an inside joke, pointing to the fact that nearly all of these people dropped out of college to start their Internet businesses.

The founders of Yahoo, Google and Apple were all college dropouts. The founders of YouTube were simply paid staff of PayPal before striking out on their own with YouTube.

The point is that if college dropouts can make it online, then we can too, if we choose to learn from those who came before us.

But even if these people didn't have a college degree, do you believe they created these tremendous accomplishments without education?

They became educated and performed marketing research to help insure their success. They surrounded themselves with people who had knowledge in areas where they weren't as strong needed some help.

Creating Online Business Marketing Success Today

There are many companies online offering business-building services to others. Some are good, some are bad, and others may be good, but they may not be the right service providers for your company.

Take for example the Google AdWords pay-per-click advertising system. Millionaires have been made through the Google AdWords system.

Just to put this into perspective, through June of 2007, eBay had been spending $25 million every quarter with Google AdWords.

When major businesses spend $100 million per year in advertising with one advertiser, you can believe that the company is making that amount back and much more from the advertising provider.

For Every Online Marketing Success, There Are Dozens Of Failures

Not all of us will create the next Yahoo, Google, eBay or Amazon. But good money can be made online if you don't fall into the traps where many before you have fallen.

AdWords is a powerful advertising model. It can make millionaires and it does every year.

But the thing is that AdWords may not be the right advertising model for you to follow now and it may not be right for you ever.

If you understand that, you're less likely to fall into the poor house using any online advertising method.

Unfortunately, too many people have mortgaged their homes and driven themselves into bankruptcy using online marketing companies to promote their online businesses.

Deep Pockets Are Not The Solution, But Wise Internet Marketing Choices Are

First and foremost, a business must design itself to make a profit on its' activities.

I know people who have developed businesses online that did well in the sales column, but the business owner failed in his quest to turn those sales into a profit.

Imagine being the website owner who generated his first $120,000 year and then nearly went under because his prices were too low for the kind of service being offered.

After having been a successful sole proprietor online for five years, my friend said that his first six-figure year nearly put him out of business. He is just now beginning to recover financially from his mistakes, 18 months later.

We Can't Know Everything About Running Our Online Businesses, Especially In Today's Complicated World

When starting an online business, there are people who have been down the road you are getting ready to travel. They know where the potholes are in the road and they know where the landmines are buried.

To add an online marketing consulting coach of this caliber to your contact list could mean the difference between success and failure online.

It's a real added benefit for online business people to have someone to turn to for advice, regarding how to overcome the hurdles they will face in their Internet business.

We might have the basics covered, but there's always going to be times when the experiences of others can help light the path in front of us.

Online Marketing Consultants Can Help You Avoid The Landmines

A qualified online marketing consultant is an invaluable asset for many online businesses today.

There are affordable business mentors and Internet marketing coaches, specializing in helping small business start-ups and solo professionals.

What if you could benefit from their past experiences -- both good and bad -- without having to waste the money and the time they did?

Think of their services as being like an insurance policy, helping ensure your success.

Over my many years online, I have learned a lot both from Internet marketing training and from the school of hard knocks.

The 2 main mistakes I see new online business people making are:

1. Not being realistic about the money and time required to make an online business succeed, with the competition that exists today.

2. Not obtaining enough marketing education to succeed online.

Wrapping It Up

I encourage you to pursue your dreams and your online business.

Make sure you have the proper training to help guarantee your success. Strongly consider Internet marketing training through a qualified, reputable source...either through personal online marketing consultants or through online training courses.


About the Author:
Marketing online since 2004, Paul Marshall can help you market on a realistic budget. He's an Online Marketing Consulting expert offering professional marketing services (and d-i-y Coaching). He also offers Affordable SEO services. Get to know Paul, just visit Strategic Web Marketing.net today!


Read more Articles written by Paul Marshall.

No comments: