There was a thread on my forum this week in which a few members were discussing how many hours they spent working on their online businesses.
A handful of members admitted to putting in over 40 hours per week working online and I have to say, this is not uncommon. When I first started my Internet businesses, it was normal for me to work into the early hours and then grab a couple of hours sleep before getting up to squeeze another hour in before I went to my real job. When I left my job and went full-time, my hours online increased dramatically.
Even today (when so many of my day to day tasks are automated) I still work a minimum of 35 hours a week and this can rise to over 100 hours if I have a specific project on the go. It's not just me - you will find that most successful online marketers work some serious hours, probably many more than they ever did in any 'proper' job.
So is this online business thing just a big con? By setting up a successful Internet business are you merely committing yourself to a different type of job? Possibly yes but at least you get to do things on your own terms :-)
By pure coincidence, I noticed another thread in a completely different forum this week in which someone was asking a very similar question but in a slightly different way. The lady in question had given herself a target of earning (from memory) $2000 a month from her online business efforts. The last couple of months she had hit this target one or two days before the end of the month. This month however, she had already made the $2000 by the 18th. Her question was simply this, 'What do I do now? Do I continue working/promoting in order to earn more money or do I take the rest of the month off?' It's a fair question - whenever anyone talks about working online, they nearly always state that they can take as much time off as they want and the 'Internet lifestyle' dictates that once you have earned your salary for the month, you should spend the rest of the month lying on a beach somewhere!
Of course, it doesn't happen like this and although it would be nice to stop working on the 18th each month, it makes more sense to 'make hay while the sun shines' and continue pulling in the money. At the end of the day, every penny that you earn today puts you closer to complete retirement (as long as you are doing sensible things with some of your money such as saving and investing!)
One of the responses to the above post was a great little story which I have heard before and I thought I would share with you. It will give you something to think about and will help focus your mind as you set goals and targets in respect of your business and your life in general.....
One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.
About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family.
"You aren't going to catch many fish that way" said the businessman to the fisherman, "you should be working rather than lying on the beach!"
The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, "And what will my reward be?"
"Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!" was the businessman's answer.
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling.
The businessman replied, "You will make money and you'll be able to buy a boat which will then result in larger catches of fish!"
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman again.
The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman's questions. "You can buy a bigger boat and hire some people to work for you!" he said.
"And then what will my reward be?" repeated the fisherman.
The businessman was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!"
Once again the fisherman asked, "And then what will my reward be?"
The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, "Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach looking at the sunset. You won't have a care in the world!"
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said...
"And what do you think I'm doing right now ??"
Strategic Internet marketing is about designing a selling process included in your Internet presence that can track and measure your marketing campaign results. The results are more leads and more quality leads and being able to design measuring tools to hone your marketing plan.
A marketing strategy specifies a target market and a related marketing plan. The marketing strategy is the big picture of what a company will be doing in a market. There are two components to a marketing strategy; the target market, which is mostly a homogenous group of customers to whom you wish to appeal; and, the marketing mix, which are the variables (advertising methods, email etc.) under your control designed to satisfy the target market. For more details go to www.podcastings-teleprompter.com. The Internet is only one medium that can be used in strategic Internet marketing. The real world can be a great source of business and part of your strategic Internet marketing too. A typical marketing mix should also include product offered at a price discount, along with promotion to tell customers about the product. Before you venture into the Internet marketplace with a product or service, you should ask yourself these basic questions as part of your strategic Internet marketing plan:
Should you be online? You should have an online presence if you know that fifty percent of your target market is Internet capable. Or, if your only presence is online, theoretically you should be able to reach 50% (maximum) of your target market. Remember not everyone is online. Products that require personal inspection or testing are much harder to sell online.
What approach is most appropriate for your strategic Internet marketing? Should you open an online storefront or be part of an online mall? Maybe you should limit the use of the Internet to just advertising and not online purchasing. Maybe you only need an online catalog your consumers can browse through. Those marketing packaged goods may only need to invest in web advertising, unless the product must be demonstrated to be understood by potential customers.
Is your business purely an online one?
Does your strategic Internet marketing need to include the entire globe? If your target market is global, then you will want to use the Internet to reach overseas customers. Translation issues, foreign regulations, copyright and tax laws and foreign currency exchanges must be addressed and answered. For more information login to www.perpetual-traffic-generator.com. What is the level of competition online? Some markets are going to be more competitive than others. Determine if your budget is going to allow you to run with the competition, or leave you at the bottom of the list.
Is your strategic Internet marketing effort synchronized? Ensure your Internet marketing plan is in sync with the rest of your traditional marketing plan (if you have one).
What resources are you going to dedicate to your strategic Internet marketing? Don't make the mistake that many have by offering a feature on their website and then not fully supporting it. And don't' make the mistake of thinking it doesn't take any money to have an online business, because it does!
The answers to these questions will provide you with an understanding of whether or not online marketing is a viable option. Proper research will also help identify the risk factors in your strategic Internet marketing.
The marketing job does not end with planning. A good strategic Internet marketing plan by itself does not guarantee success. The plan must be carried out and implemented effectively.
Both Richard Grady & Dev Baloria 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.
Richard Grady has sinced written about articles on various topics from Affiliate Programs, How to Sell on Ebay and Internet Marketing. Richard Grady has been helping ordinary people earn online since 1998. He writes a free newsletter which is published every two weeks. To subscribe (and claim your free gifts), visit:. Richard Grady's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.