Internet Marketing Basics – An Introduction To Internet Marketing
Internet marketing, as an industry, is rapidly becoming a major part of many household’s income. While a number of Internet marketing professionals are earning 6, 7 and 8-figure incomes online, society as a whole may well be impacted to a far greater extent by thousands of people using Internet marketing to keep their families out of harm’s way as the economies of the developed countries continue to deteriorate over the next few years.
Most of the press surrounding this new industry focuses on a few success stories of well-heeled ‘Gurus’ or the inevitable cheats who foster SPAM by the boatload, but the truth, and the importance, of Internet marketing is that it can allow everyday people, grasping at straws to try and maintain their lifestyle, to protect their assets and maintain their standard of living during the current downturn.
Far from the perceived ‘Get Rich Quick’ panacea that some purport Internet marketing to be, the truth is that it’s a business, like any other in that it either takes money or time investments to launch, must be nurtured heavily like any newborn, and that there really are NO guarantees as to how any one individual will do, nor even how any one venture will do, even for the most experienced Internet marketers.
There are a few major differences from traditional ‘brick & mortar’ businesses, however. First, and perhaps most importantly, it IS possible to launch a successful Internet marketing business with no major financial investment, provided you already have a computer and an Internet connection. The launch process can be strengthened and the income horizon shortened with deeper pockets, to be sure, but they aren’t the prerequisite in Internet marketing that they are in the offline world. This becomes a major factor for those trying to dig their way out of financial distress, avoid further declines in family finances or achieve a better-funded lifestyle for their families.
The second major difference is the amount of valuable information on starting and running an Internet business that is available for free online. A search at Google for ‘making money online’, ‘Internet marketing’ or ‘Affiliate marketing’ will return about an equal amount of resources that are for sale and that are available for free. Almost every Internet marketer, operating in any niche you can name, offers a free newsletter or ‘e-zine’ that dispenses a great deal of free information as well. Try to imagine an automobile manufacturer or pharmaceutical company sending you regular information on how to compete with them, how to recreate their products, etc.!
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Twitter: mikepaetzold
on May 4th, 2009
Great article as always and you make a couple really good points. Although it doesn’t take as much money as offline business does it still takes a significant investment.
The nice part is that it can be paid in time instaed of cash for those that lack the cash. It will however still need to be paid.
You have given some great advice about getting started with Internet Marketing. This is not a brick and mortar operation, you don’t need lots of money but you do need passion, the desire to proceed and determination to carry you through. Thanks for and excellent post.
Twitter: JoelOsborne
on May 4th, 2009
Nice break-down and explanation. I think many beginners get overwhelmed when starting Internet marketing, and might think that they can not do it, but it becomes pretty simple with some time put into it, and the benefits can be huge.
And it does take time. Time to learn and then time to share, and time to build. But step by step it can be done. The biggest problem is the tendency to get distracted and to go in dozens of different directions.
Some great points on how you can start and maintain your IM biz with very little out of pocket expense.
Keep up the good work.
Twitter: bmcellhiney
on May 6th, 2009
Yes, that was one of the things that got me started in internet marketing was the fact that I didn’t need a huge sum of money just to get started.
It has taken time and a lot of hard work (and still does), but I am finally able to bring in a halfway decent amount of money (on top of my full time job) which does help with the bills and gives us a little extra to play with.
Twitter: AffiliateBus
on May 7th, 2009
Doug, this is a great article. Internet marketing is a good way to make extra or full time income. But it is not easy and can be very overwhelming. It takes time, work, and money. Time and effort can be used instead of much money, but that delays the income while the time is being put forth. And there must be hundreds of distractions that will take your time away from your effort to build your business. Beginners especially, but also every internet marketer, must learn to focus.
I really like and agree with you statement:
Far from the perceived ‘Get Rich Quick’ panacea that some purport Internet marketing to be, the truth is that it’s a business, like any other in that it either takes money or time investments to launch, must be nurtured heavily like any newborn, and that there really are NO guarantees as to how any one individual will do, nor even how any one venture will do, even for the most experienced Internet marketers.