There are many different types of people involved in internet marketing, although the term is generally accepted as referring to selling something online. The term ‘marketing' as applied online is not exactly that as applied in offline business, which is more concerned with the use of the word in its promotional sense. There is too much semantics in offline business that does not apply on the internet, and internet marketing is generally defined as using the internet to make money! Simply and cheerfully!
However, the way that you might do it is neither simple nor, sometimes, cheerful, since internet marketing attempts have been the ruin of many people. Some have lost thousands of dollars in a very short period of time by making the wrong decisions. There are some basic rules of internet marketing that if you take the time to learn and understand, can save you a lot of money in mistakes.
You must have the right product to offer online, and must also have a customer base for it. If you are new to internet marketing, you will find it difficult to learn all that is involved in a short enough time so that you get neither broke nor frustrated. To avoid going broke, don't give up the day job on the basis of unrealistic projections of income made by people who are trying to get you to buy their product.
“We Make $5000 Daily With This Adsense Site Generation Software” – you can have it for $47. If they are still making $5000 a day with it why sell it for the paltry sum of $47? Because Google have banned the type of websites that software makes, most likely, so it is basically now useless.
Don't be misled. It is very easy for people who have been given a computer as a gift to switch it on, go to the internet and read all these promises of riches overnight. They believe them and pull out their wallets. That's what gives internet marketing a bad name. That's not for you. Listen up and get the real deal.
What you want are a few streams of income, so that you are earning money in several different ways. Success on the internet can be achieved if you are prepared to work for it, and listen to those who do proclaim to make you rich overnight. It doesn't happen. If you know little about internet marketing and are keen to get started, then try MLM network marketing.
You might have heard of MLM, both the bad and the good, with respect to its offline predecessors. One thing you have to keep in mind is that multi level marketing is not pyramid selling. The latter is illegal, while MLM is perfectly legal and is the way that many well known companies operate. It is a means of employing an almost unlimited number of salesmen for your business, and paying every one of them for the sales that they make.
However, it goes farther than that because it also pays you if you can introduce more people to the program. You not only get commission on what product you sell, but also on what your recruits sell. Each of your recruits also have the same incentive, and not only do they get a proportion of the sales of their recruits, but you do to. Hence the term ‘multi level marketing'. You get paid for sales at each level in your downline. The more people you recruit, the better for them and for you.
Another internet marketing technique that you can operate without getting your fingers burned is affiliate marketing. The idea here is that you promote a product for somebody, and they pay you around 50% of the sales price if you sell it. Let's say you are promoting an ebook on how to get traffic to your website at $50, and sell only ten. You get $250 for doing it. In fact, most people sell a whole load of affiliate products and can make a fortune online doing so.
That's the secret behind internet marketing: don't restrict yourself to one product or program. Get involved in two or three MLM networking programs, several affiliate programs and at least one or two other ways of making money online. That is what is termed ‘multiple streams of income' and is how people make really big money online.
Some people make around $100 monthly from each of their websites. It is not unusual for people to have upwards of 100 different websites! That's internet marketing at its best: repetition of average results.
To begin, you need to create a website for your business, not so much as a means of acquiring customers via cyberspace, but a customer service, education, and information center. For example, your website could offer answers to all the commonly asked questions, diagrams, etc. accessible free, 24 hours a day. You could even make a portion of your site "access restricted," for customers, clients, subscribers, or "members" only, adding mystique to your marketing, and adding perceived value for your clientele!
This technique would work whether you have a brick and mortar or internet based business. For example, a restaurant could do this with "secret recipes" and special VIP offers; a clothing retailer with etiquette and fashion tips and special offers, and so on. Of course, you'll also want a promotional area on your website designed for new customers and you'll then want to add your website address to video brochures, audio recordings and infomercials for your advertising and marketing materials.
Second, begin collecting and organizing the email addresses of your customers and collecting the email address of visitors to your site.
With the list, you can do virtually free, push button marketing anytime you like, as often as you like. You can send out an email newsletter to your customers, or other information like tip sheets.
Let's say you have a rather ordinary business; kitchen and bath business, for example. Here are a few of the things you might transmit by email to your customer list:
1. Resources to upgrade your countertops to granite or marble 2. Cabinet grade tips and suggestions 3. Special offers for new plumbing fixtures 4. Tips on determining the grade of cabinet materials 5. New product information
Keep in mind, regardless of your business or product you can use the above techniques for creating and marketing your website and business.
Third, in seeking publicity from the media, being able to fax, email or mail very brief, provocative news releases that refer the recipients to your website for more information is very useful.
Everybody in the media is online. And, some are lazy, so if they can research a story without leaving their chair, believe me, that's the way they're going to do it. Writing articles for publications in your industry is a great way to establish yourself as a leader and expert. Once published, you can post a collection of them on your site and invite people to download and use what they like.
In summary of my advice to most business owners about the internet: don't be seduced, don't believe the hype, don't expect miracles, don't invest crazy amounts of money or time. Do Not let the internet take away from your commitment to more reliable, predictable, results-measurable advertising and marketing media. But DO get involved. At whatever pace is comfortable for you, begin learning about the internet, getting your business on the Net, and experimenting with practical applications like those just described. Proceed calmly, deliberately, strategically.
Both Michael Littles & Jacob Sikais are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Michael Littles has sinced written about articles on various topics from Dogs, Internet Marketing and Gadgets. Mike Littles is an expert internet marketer who specializes in running a successful home business. You can view his personal website at