Hello fellow online citizens!

I am just now learning about Internet Marketing (IM) and am finding it a double edge sword. One one side, it's great that there is a lot of material out there on being a successful IMer, but a lot of the times it's IM Incest!

What I mean is that a newbie signs up or opts in to get the 'free' report and then find out that you just need to give away this report yourself to build a list. You then use this list to up-sell them on something else. Well, you didn't learn how to market anything in reality. It's disheartening.

I was wondering if I could get some answers to these introductory questions from a novice.

1. How long have you been in IM?
2. How much time did you spend on learning the business?
3. About how much did you spend on ebooks on the subject?
4. Were they "Pure Gold" as I've heard?
5. Did you purchase any time saving IM tools?
6. How many things did you try before you found a winning techinque?
7. Did you lose any money in your first month?
8. Did you have to create content? Or did you scrape?
9. Do you recommend anything for newbies to read first?
10. Can Affiliate Marketing be differentiated from Internet Marketing?

Thanks for your time.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

I am just now learning about Internet Marketing (IM) and am finding it a double edge sword. One one side, it's great that there is a lot of material out there on being a successful IMer, but a lot of the times it's IM Incest!

What I mean is that a newbie signs up or opts in to get the 'free' report and then find out that you just need to give away this report yourself to build a list. You then use this list to up-sell them on something else. Well, you didn't learn how to market anything in reality. It's disheartening.

It's a problem, but one that you can easily solve by opting out of a lot of the e-mail lists you're likely on right now. Find a few good sources of advice that you find reliable and ignore the "noise."

I would also suggest looking for markets outside of Internet marketing. Too often new Internet marketers automatically try to market IM related products. Pursue other niches, especially ones in which you have a particular interst.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

I was wondering if I could get some answers to these introductory questions from a novice.
[*]How long have you been in IM?

About three years.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

[*]How much time did you spend on learning the business?

About three years, and counting...

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

[*]About how much did you spend on ebooks on the subject?

Oh. A bit. I'd guess that I have spent several hundred on e-books. Several thousand on products and other related expenses.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

[*]Were they "Pure Gold" as I've heard?

What? The e-books? I've read some very good ones, but I don't know that I would call them "pure gold." The ideas that you pick up can often be useful and I have made thousands of dollars by implementing one or two along the way.

There is a lot of crap out there right now, so sifting through what's worth reading and what's not takes a bit of savvy and experience.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

[*]Did you purchase any time saving IM tools?

Sure. As you get into this, or any business, time is money. Once you can afford to cost of automating some aspect of your business you'll want to do it.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

[*]How many things did you try before you found a winning techinque?

I made money early. Not a lot, but enough that I was hooked on the concept. This business is a process of trial and error. You just keep plugging away, trying new things, tracking results, etc.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

[*]Did you lose any money in your first month?

No. I wouldn't let it discourage you if it did, however. Just don't go crazy signing up for expensive programs or services. Start small, stay small, and only grow as your cash flow permits.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

[*]Did you have to create content? Or did you scrape?

I created content. Scraping content from another site and placing it on your site without permission is a violation of copyright law.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

[*]Do you recommend anything for newbies to read first?

There is so much free information on this and other forums, web sites, etc. I suggest you start there and start forming a game plan. Once you have some direction you can then pick up a few educational products to help you achieve the goals you've laid out for yourself.

Originally Posted by RedMatrix

[*]Can Affiliate Marketing be differentiated from Internet Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a subset of Internet marketing. In other words, all affiliate marketers are Internet marketers. Not all Internet markters are affiliate marketers, however.

An Internet marketer is simply someone who markets something on the Internet. An affiliate marketer is part of an affiliate program. I suppose it is possible to be an affiliate marketer in an offline setting, but the most common venue is the Internet.

Good luck!

Great post,

Internet Marketing can attract more people to your website, increase customers for your business and enhance branding of your company and products. The idea of making money online is attractive to many, primarily because of the benefits it offers. :2guns:

I prefer free online marketing because they work and wont bankrupt
you like google adwords. Adwords is NOT for budget sensitive people although
it may be the quickest way to suck in loads of traffic.

Some free marketing ways really work well for me. First, being actively
involved in forums. Contribute to forums instead of marketing, then people
will click your signature get to know you and your business.

Creating squidoo pages. squidoo.com is now a great way to attract great
traffic for free. I've created a squidoo page promoting a weight loss product
for clickbank. and 2 weeks later, this page was ranked 11th on Google (now 10th).
Isnt that amazing. And i had 7 sales in the first month which made me $197. :2guns:

Blogging and writing articles (ezinearticle.com and goarticles.com), then put
links to your business or website on them. You'll probably come to the first
2 pages on google soon too.

lei

[*]How long have you been in IM?
10+ Years (part-timer)

[*]How much time did you spend on learning the business?
When I first started IM was really new. It was trial and error, but easier than it is today.

[*]About how much did you spend on ebooks on the subject?
Nothing at first. As mentioned earlier, I was in at the beginning. But then other marketers starting publishing ebooks that I thought would provide me with tips I wasn't aware of. They didn't.

[*]Were they "Pure Gold" as I've heard?
If you are brand new, most ebooks will provide you with useful insite. I've sworn to NEVER buy another one myself, because marketers have learned over time how to really hype up their products that provide information that's available for free.

[*]Did you purchase any time saving IM tools?
My major purchase was an autoresponder script to install on my server. Not only does it save me time, it saves me money.

[*]How many things did you try before you found a winning techinque?
Too many to count! I'm waiting to see if my latest venture will be the one.

[*]Did you lose any money in your first month?
Yes, but not scammed.

[*]Did you have to create content? Or did you scrape?
Depending on what your site is about, content is NOT always king.

[*]Do you recommend anything for newbies to read first?
Yes, "SEO Made Easy" and "How to Build a Website - A Beginner's Crash Course"

[*]Can Affiliate Marketing be differentiated from Internet Marketing?
In a nutshell, affiliate marketers sell other people's products. Internet Marketers typically sell their own. There really is no difference in the promotion aspect of it.

Cheers
Ed

Originally Posted by EdGause

[*]Did you have to create content? Or did you scrape?
Depending on what your site is about, content is NOT always king.



Ed

totally agree.....its your marketing process....the one that works for me is opt >> autoresp > salespage > backend.....im not saying this is the only one...but it will work if you do it properly.

Ever since the development of the internet, the internet marketing has continuously grown and it is today one of the most profitable businesses. It has many shapes and sizes, from people who make a small revenue to real giants who make millions and billions of dollars. If you want to get your hands on a piece of the big pie, you have to know that competition is fierce, but with a little bit of luck and a lot of commitment, it can be done.

I think Im ion internet marketing field from 5 to 6 years. It was just so easy... I know a website which jelped me out in each and every point from that time to this............ I am earning loads of money but still i will work on my free times...
They helped me in starting my Online business for free......... Hope the website blpurl.com/ax75 will evern help you..............

How long have you been in IM?
10+ years
How much time did you spend on learning the business?
Its contstant learning and testing of different methods. When something works for one product/site, it may not work to other.
About how much did you spend on ebooks on the subject?
Met Corey Rudey in 1998 and took his Internet Marketing Course
Were they "Pure Gold" as I've heard?
This one was useful as site sales technics how to increase visitor/sales conversion ratio for me. Its all about what kind of problem you want to solve. If you have no idea how to do SEO, then I will recommend you to buy SEO book.
Did you purchase any time saving IM tools?
Nope. Search Engine and catalog submissions should be done manually.
How many things did you try before you found a winning techinque?
It all depends, now Im more mature and can suggest the best technique immediately.
Did you lose any money in your first month?
Nope, I always start free of charge.
Did you have to create content? Or did you scrape?
Yes, I always create my own content to get visitors and when enough traffic, then will choose appropriate product/service to sell.
Do you recommend anything for newbies to read first?
Try Internet Marketing Course.
Can Affiliate Marketing be differentiated from Internet Marketing?
Affliate marketing is Internet Marketing for Affiliate product or service. Internet marketing is PPC, SEO, Banner Ads, Social Media, etc.

Hi RedMatrix.


Here's what you should do...


You should start shifting your focus from asking too many
questions in the beginning because all the different answers
are going to confuse you and paralize you. You will not get
ahead like this.

So instead of waiting for all your answers from your questions
to come in and getting confused with all the different approaches,
opportunities, and ways, etc. because there are litterally unlimited
ways to do things on the internet just follow one direction.


Only, follow one direction and that is it. Not two, not three, etc.

Follow one direction and that is take a step by step affiliate business
blueprint that you are going to follow like a paint by the numers daily task
project. Follow each taks every day and you are set.


Think about it and take the little effort in the beginning but just follow one step
by step blueprint and once you have followed through (that is the only effor it'll take)
you have built a real affiliate business for yourself and that is going to work for you
no matter if you are there or on vacation!

Shift your focus from asking too many questions to actually taking the time to
follow a blueprint and you are done! The answers to all your questions will then
automatically be answered during this process and they will be answered in a
natural way.

Do not worry about the questions in the beginning just start!


If you have any other questions, post them here.

Cay Candies.

1. How long have you been in IM?
   • About 6 years
2. How much time did you spend on learning the business?
   • You're always learning
3. About how much did you spend on ebooks on the subject?
   • Quite a bit. Early on I bought more... but you get to be more discerning after a while. Just because a technique earned someone a million bucks in 5 seconds doesn't mean it will earn you a dime. Buying eBooks and courses is part of the learning process though, I think.
4. Were they "Pure Gold" as I've heard?
   • Meh. Some, like "Google Cash", more than justified their cost, but I wouldn't characterize anything as "pure gold".
5. Did you purchase any time saving IM tools?
   • A Mac . Honestly, if you are a marketer and not using a Mac... you're nuts. With the industry going audio/video at the rate it is, you NEED one just to keep up. I'm a Windows veteran but I had no idea how much of a productivity boost a Mac could be. I'm sooo not hyping, it makes a BIG difference. Other than that, I'm part of a paid-membership only IM group that is quite good and gives me some great tools... nothing that would blow your mind though.
6. How many things did you try before you found a winning techinque?
   • That would be a fairly large number... I still have not found a winning technique. CPA ads and Clickbank products defiantly make me the most right now though. You'll find plenty of info on them in this forum.
7. Did you lose any money in your first month?
   • If I had any, I'm sure I lost it .
8. Did you have to create content? Or did you scrape?
   • Always create your own content (if you are running a content site!) as a matter of effectiveness and lasting power. If you establish yourself as a good content provider, you will have a much easier time.
9. Do you recommend anything for newbies to read first?
   • Goodness, there's a lot.
     • Read this forum!
     • Go through the thirtydaychallenge(dot)com , it's a fabulous primer (I made a couple hundred doing it with no expenses)
     • Yaro Starak's Blog report is excellent
     • The last few StomperNet(dot)com videos have been nothing short of astounding
     • Frank Kern's MassControl site has some very good videos, just don't get sucked into his sales funnel
     • Search for Ed Dales Underachiever Method. Still a fabulous resource!
10. Can Affiliate Marketing be differentiated from Internet Marketing?
    • Pretty much the same thing. Affiliate marketing (like clickbank) is just a tool... one of many.

I make a small but growing income from affiliate programs. The advice I'd give to any affiliate newbie is: don't ever pay to become an affiliate. Also, don't go for ones that pay a pittance. Go for ones that will give you a big chunky payout.

A big commission is good because you get more money, obviously. But also it usually means that the program owners have a lot of confidence in the product and its ability to sell. (That is, if they are happy to pay, say, 40% commissions it means that they are still making a good profit from the other 60%. So, it stands to reason that the product itself is popular.)

Do you keep your income options open...in other words...would you be interested in another source of income by helping others do better in their business?

Hi RedMatrix,

Interesting thread you started here - love your choice of visual words .

Regarding affiliate networks, I suggest that you not only look into ones offering the highest payouts but also networks that have quality traffic.

Quality is what will lead to quantity and eventually more money for you.

So, in my advice, find a network that offers quality, exclusive offers in top verticals (with a wide array of markets to choose from). Start small by testing out the different markets to find which convert best for you.

Hope this helps some. Good luck!

Best,

Clickbooth B

I have been in the IM world for a couple years now and at first it can be overwhelming on which way to go. There are many strategies you can take but all take up time and, there are only so many hours in the day.

I like to break it down to these steps:

1. Research and find out what is selling in markets you want to promote

2. Model those who are successful in your market by watching what they do and promoting they're product as an affiliate.

3. Make a even better product and promote that as your main effort.

of course these 3 steps are very broad but that's about it in a nutshell, you should be focused on a single niche, a single market and the end result should be the product that you create for yourself to promote in your market.

I am coming out with a new product that will show you how to get started using the same tools that I have used in affiliate marketing, it will be nothing but pure content.

Oh another thing, don't buy into every sales promo that comes your way, save your $$$, there are only so many ways to make $$$ at a single time on the internet, if you look at the top guru's they all are doing the same thing, it's just the copy is different, of course this is just my opinion.