For those just starting their internet marketing adventure there are literally millions of articles, books, and websites providing advice on how to get started and realize success. Of course, the individuals providing these words of wisdom vary widely in their own experience, success, and motivation. It can be really difficult at times to separate the good advice from the bad when you're just starting out. Some advice may not be bad in and of itself, but it may not work for you, for your products, or in the specific manner in which you implement that strategy. With this in mind, it might be useful to consider what should be avoided versus what specifically will bring you the success you're seeking.
Here's a list of "don'ts" to consider:
-- Just get started, you can plan later.
Any successful business has a plan. Before you put weeks into building a website or months into promoting a product or service be sure it's the right one for you. Are you either interested and knowledgeable about the topic or capable of learning quickly? You'll need to be able to talk about this product or niche on an ongoing basis in order to promote it.
Research the market before you start to assure there are customers out there and that competition isn't too overwhelming. Google offers a number of research tools that can help complete the necessary research about the online market. Again, you don't want to waste months promoting something no one wants to buy or read about or for which you have no hope of competing within the existing market.
-- Join as many online marketing/affiliate programs as possible.
It's wise to start out with a single program or handful of closely related products. Once these are selected it's time to "work it". Learn the ropes and how to promote a website, webpage, or product before getting in over your head. Once you begin to see good progress, it's common to then branch out and build your empire. When it comes to programs, it's also important to give it a bit of time to work. Many marketers fail due to impatience and a lack of understanding of what it takes to succeed. Program hopping assures failure.
In addition, if you're really new to the internet marketing arena it's important not to invest a lot of capital until you know what you're doing. There are free blogs, website templates, and marketing programs that can get you going quickly without risking your money.
-- Develop your website without investigating numerous options or considering your needs.
There are a number of free and paid services that can help develop your website. Be sure you know how much support will be available and how "professional" the service will be. Some free services may be fine for casual users but don't offer the tools, features, stability, or level of support needed for those developing a home business. Beware services that appear to cater to kids.
If you're running a business you need your website to be up and running 24/7. You're primary needs won't be the availability of glitter text, emoticons, and games in most instances. You need to have someone available to work through glitches that could discourage repeat customers.
-- Build your webpage or website, then sit back and relax.
First your website or page should not be static. Keeping fresh content on it will help it rank higher in searches and will keep your visitors interested in coming back. Of course, this content also needs to be unique. If the information on your site is repeated elsewhere on the web, your site will be ignored by search engines as it adds nothing new and useful.
Secondly, people will not come simply because you build a site. You'll have to promote it. This will involve writing articles, press releases, blogs, discussing your topic in forums, and much more. It often does not include merely submitting your site to directories or participating in traffic exchanges. Traffic exchanges may work well if you're selling information and products to other marketers but not very well for other products and services.
-- Assume that SEO is for the experts and ignore it or pay someone to optimize your site and submit it to search engines.
Search Engine Optimization is imporant and everyone should know and employ the basics. You need to become knowlegable about onpage SEO; at a minimum you must understand keywords. You must select good keywords and phrases, use them appropriately on your pages, and incorporate them into your writing to link back to those pages. If you write blogs or articles to promote your site and don't make use of text links that utilize your keywords you're missing out on the real power behind your marketing efforts.
In many instances, when you pay a service to optimize your site and submit it to the search engines, it's a one time deal. Your site may show up briefly in searches but the effect won't last, you won't have learned anything, and you'll have wasted your money. Later, once you have some income you can investigate paid services that provide ongoing assistance if you wish.
-- Read up, buckle down, and go it alone
Studying the material that's out there regarding running your online business is critical but trying to go it alone can be disastrous for 90% of new marketers. Finding a supportive community is important for the purpose of learning as well as support.
In addition, social media and networking through blogs can do a great deal to power your business. Making "friends" and driving each other's success can be key.
The list of things to avoid could of course be quite long, but these are the basics. If you use your time to plan and to understand basic SEO and online marketing techniques, much of the rest of your success will simply rely on persistence and hard work.
