subject: The Second Stage Of Internet Marketing - Approaching Orbit [print this page] The Second Stage Of Internet Marketing - Approaching Orbit
In my previous article I described the first stage of internet marketing. It's a really exciting moment when our blog or website goes live and we begin to add content. We check the analytics and, yes, people are visiting our site. How amazing!For the first few weeks we pump out the content, and we begin telling our friends about this wonderful thing called internet marketing.Then reality starts to set in, and we begin to realize that this internet marketing lark actually requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Welcome to the second stage of internet marketing!In his book 'Creating Wealth', Robert Allen refers to the second stage quite succinctly as the 'struggling stage'. It will be a struggle, and many will fall by the wayside. The real secret is to persist. The growth may be slow, but the goal is to be consistent. Some marketers may race through this stage, but for the majority of us the process is longer and more demanding.Consistency requires you to get in the habit of producing content. If you've got a blog then you should be adding posts at least three times a week. You should be submitting articles to directories at least once a week. How about producing a short video, or developing a newsletter? Consider sharing posts with other blogs. Investigate hub pages - what are they and how can you use them to your advantage?Stage two can be a real struggle, so look for small milestones. Celebrate when you submit your tenth article, or when you've posted fifty times to your blog, or someone actually leaves a comment - wow!This stage may last anything from three months to possibly two years, and is marked by traffic growth, list subscriber growth, and the start of some income generated by the blog. The emphasis throughout continues to be traffic growth which is created by regular quality content plus the addition of quality back links.Robust back links come in the form of guest posts on other peoples' blogs, and natural back links (someone links to your site because they like what you have to say). It is important to establish links with other content publishers and develop mutual back links with them.Back links may serve two purposes: (1) they drive traffic to your blog, and possibly increase your list, and (2) these back links help your search engine status, which is crucial.The second stage really does separate the serious internet marketers from the dreamers. Over 90% of wannabees will have dropped out by this stage, having realized that to be an internet marketer you must be dedicated and willing to commit hours and hours to your project.Forget the overnight success. In reality it just doesn't happen. Avoid jumping to the next bright shiny thing. If you continue to do this then I guarantee that you will continue to fail.On the other hand, I can't guarantee success if you continue to persist, but the odds will be seriously stacked in your favour. What would you prefer - a life of continuing failure and missed opportunities, or a life fulfilled through commitment and dedication?I know what kind of life I'd rather have!
