subject: Internet Marketing Pitfalls by:Derek Armson [print this page] "Internet Marketing" is a hot topic these days, and no wonder. Everyone is trying to scramble on board the Internet Marketing bandwagon and it's not really surprising, with the potential of huge wealth and the playboy lifestyle that everyone seems to be promising.
But how many people really go on to achieve that Holy Grail? How many in all honesty manage to build that automated, autopilot structure that actually earns 24 hours a day? How many so-called "gurus" in point of fact exist?
And, more to the point, how many can openly exhibit that they do live the lifestyle that all the sales boast promise?
Nasty questions, eh?
It is definitely true that the globe is your marketplace on the World Wide Web - and, if you can get it right, there is no doubt that the lifestyle we're all striving for so hard is there to be had.
However, if this is the case, why is it so many people get it wrong? Why do so many people with heroic ideas and brilliant products end up on the Internet scrap heap?
It might be something to do with some "traps" or "pitfalls" that can certainly capture you if you're not wary. They're pitfalls that everybody has, to some lesser or greater degree, fallen in to at some stage! And they're traps you need to circumvent (or fight your way through) to succeed!
You Need To Have a Strategy.
I believe it was the Mad Hatter who asked Alice in Wonderland, as she waited at the crossroads:
"Where do you want to go today?"
She replied, "Oh, I don't much care".
The Mad Hatter's shrewd quip was as follows:"In that case it matters not which road you take!"
Does that sound familiar?
All and sundry knows that there are abundant riches to be earned by marketing online, but not many people have a true plan to make sure they get their slice of the action.
It's true, we've all been prepared (sold) to think that you put a product (any product) "up" on the Internet and then sit back and wait to get rich. You sit there scanning your email, second by second as one order after another comes gushing in. Oh, if only it were that stress-free!
Perhaps the copywriters have become too good? It does seem that every product promises "all you have to do is plug in, sit back and win the lotto". Do you know what the probability is of winning the lottery jackpot?
In the UK it's an eye-watering 14 million to 1.
This is about the same as the likelihood of you becoming wealthy without a strategic Internet marketing plan. I know this may seem harsh but it's the truth. One thing I never do is pull the wool over anyone's eyes. I tell it like it is.
You see, you have to have a strategy, a plan.
Failing to plan is planning to fail! O.K I know, but it illustrates the point.
Setting up an Internet business is the same as setting up a bricks and mortar organization. If you don't do it as it should be - intentionally plan every step and know exactly what all the steps are - you are doomed to fail.
Too many people just expect it to come to pass without any hard work on their part. An Internet business is not a get rich scheme. It needs in-depth planning. It has to be a coherent plan with rational steps and a workable implementation (that means taking action, between you and me). It takes control and the proper intelligence.
Yes, there are numerous steps!
Find (or build) a product
Build your web presence
Write your copy
Set upset up your PPCcampaign
Optimise the AdWords
Sort out your SEO
Set up your affiliate programs
Build your list
Configure an autoresponder
Keep in regular contact with your list
Plug in a steady stream of products
Develop your back-end - and so it goes
Miss any of these key steps out and you will fail. It's like trying to put up a building without any foundations - the building would simply fall down.
And, therein lies the following problem.
Information Overload
I mentioned previously that there are so many Internet Marketing products that all promise the earth. It's tough not to be seduced by some of the brilliant copy that is used. But how many of these products really deliver? Well, in actual fact, many do (although, agreed, many don't). So, what's the issue?
This is the conundrum and I'm sure you will relate to this.
You acquire Product 1 and it offers significant riches from, say, ClickBank using perhaps classified ads. You open up the product, have a look and start to put the practices into action.
Great, you place some classifieds and then sit back and wait for the ClickBank counter to start ticking over. You check after an hour, nothing. You go and have a coffee and come back, still nothing - ummm?
You place a few more ads - nothing.
"Oh, well, the commissions will start to roll soon, it obviously takes a bit of time for the ads to filter through and go live."
When tomorrow comes - nada. Three days time - still nothing. You make a nominal effort at a small number of further ads - nothing. You look at automated ad submission, but it costs. Still nothing. You lose heart.
In the interim, the latest fad product on AdWords has arrived and you start to build some PPC campaigns for your affiliate products. But you never get a decent click through rate and your CPC is rinsing...
..All of a sudden you get the much feared $10 minimum bid messages all over your campaigns! So, that clearly doesn't work either.
Next! What's next?
Oh, look, a web business in a box package with 73 eBooks to re-sell. Cool, errr, but I need to figure out some HTML and I don't know how to do that - it's too tricky. Oh well, I'll do that next week.
And, so it goes, and before you know it, Information Overload takes hold. And, yes, I do know all about it. My "Biz Opps" and "How To"cabinet is creaking under the weight (oh, and the loft is full too). I used to be a impulsive buyer of all the up-to-the-minute fads and systems.
So, you finish up with paralysis of analysis and what happens? You do NOTHING!
You wait for the next magic bullet solution to land and get stuck into that - for two days, a week, a month or whatever, until that doesn't work either.
So, if you connect these traps together, what happens? I'll tell you.
Without a strategic plan you can't possibly have any idea where you are taking your business and you spend all of your time flailing around, stumbling from one failed "project" to the next. Is this you? (You can be honest with me!)
So, each time one of the plethora of new products is launched, you get seduced by the copy and purchase. And, make no mistake, there are a massive number product launches each month in this broad niche of "Internet Marketing".
How many do you see them in your inbox day after day? And, with most "gurus" cross marketing each other's launches, you see the same product many times! So, is it any surprise that you get suckered?
However you don't have the time to fully integrate the information (assuming it is a helpful product) and you end up not "following through". The product then sits disused on the shelf along with the many other products and schemes you have bought over the years. Eventually it is outdated and ultimately useless.
It's time to wake up and smell the coffee (as they say). It takes time, effort and education to start and build an Internet business. It doesn't materialize overnight and it does take effort and learning on your behalf.
We have all become far too opportunistic in our buying of these "how to" products and all that they suggest. It's the ultimate manifestation of the "instant gratification" society!
We have to modify our thinking - there are many facets that you need to employ in building an online business. The process goes something like this...
1. Decide on the Niche you are preparing to sell in to.
2. Perform your Market Research.
3. Set a Strategic Plan in place that includes all the significant steps and actions.
4. Locate a Mentor who has completed what you want to do.
5. Understand what Tools you need to use, what you need to learn
6. Ascertain how to use those tools properly.
7. Take Massive Action and Implement.
8. Be Persistent! Persistence is the only thing failure can't live with!
O.K,yes, it is tacky, but you get the drift!
So, this is how you decide which "how to" product is right for you?
If it doesn't fit in with your immediate strategy, don't buy it - it's easy really!
If you want to launch an AdWords campaign and the product teaches everything you need to know about opening, running and optimising an AdWords campaign - splendid, buy it.
But if it is a product to do with Seathc Engine Optimisation - don't! Simple, eh?
Yes, the SEO productmay well be good for you in the future, so remember it, make a note of it for future reference, but, if it doesn't fit in with your immediate strategy - you simply have to be tough (with yourself) and pass.
Using this example, if you buy an SEO product now and you know you won't use it for 6-9 months, why bother? The rules for SEO will more than likely have moved in that time! A better product will probably be released in the interim.
So, once you have your strategy defined, it becomes much easier to stay focussed and learn all you need to know. It also becomes much easier to remain on your defined path.
It's like buying a map that shows you how to find you way to New York. Mid way across the Atlantic, you're sold by an alternative product that tells you all about the excitement of Sydney and how to get there.
Wow, that sounds really amazing - so you alter course. However, just as you go past Hong Kong you read about the amazing weather and the turquoise waters in the Caribbean. You discover a product that shows you how to get there, so...
..you change route once more.
Are you getting the point?
Where do you finish up? You got it - nowhere (apart from lost in the middle of the ocean). Sadly, this is what most budding Internet Marketers do!
Is this you?
Do one thing at a time and do it properly and make sure the one thing you are focussed on is an integral part of your long term strategic Internet Marketing plan.
I hope this has made you understand that you have to do a little in depth thinking and planning before you get started on your Internet business.
One final thing, it does have to be enjoyable for you.
Whatever you decide to sell or promote must really "get your juices flowing!" If the market or product you pick doesn't actually get you excited, it is very doubtful you'll generate the success you desire.
It has to be fun for you! The very last thing you need to do is trade one job for another - yuk!
Remember - a startegic Internet marketing plan that delivers a long term sustainable autopilot business - go for it!
About the author
In this article I look at some of the key issues that held me back when I first started marketing online some four years ago. From strategic planning, through information overload to breaking through the smoke and mirrors, I look at the causes and solutions for the aspiring Internet marketer
