So you want to be an internet marketer?



Then read this public health and safety announcement of do's and don'ts.

General Advice

DO: Believe the hype.

There are 1000's who make a very comfortable living from internet marketing, it's not all scams and fraudsters.

DON'T: Expect it to be easy.

Making money online is just like any other business; if you are going to progress then expect to work long and hard.

DO: Join a forum.

The first port of call for any novice marketer should be joining a forum; there are tonnes of excellent ones brimming with experts willing to give you free advice.

DON'T: Believe everything you read.

Not everyone is an expert although they'll have you believe otherwise with apparently vast quantities of knowledge. Proceed with caution!

DO: Your research.

Nothing but nothing equates to your own hands on experience, take time to try things out for yourself and learn from your successes and failures.

DON'T: Be easily parted from your cash.

Common sense is not that common anymore; if it's too good to be true then it normally is. Use your forum to find out if anyone else has tried before you buy.

Linking & SEO

DO: Link exchange.

If you've got the resources on your website then share and share a like. You can build strong business relationships with those you swap links with. Be sure you choose linking partners sensibly.

DON'T: Automate link exchange.

The links are crap and irrelevant; you know it, I know it and the search engines know it!

DO: Aim high!

A number 1 in Google is the holy grail of the website owner, research your keywords in-depth and remember it takes time.

DON'T: Spend a tonne on advertising.

Unless you really know what you are doing you could be pouring money down the drain. Invest a little here and there and find out what works best. Someone may make a killing with Adwords – that doesn't mean YOU will.

Making Money

DO: Get an Adsense account.

Although It may take a while before you start making decent money --> Sit at home in front of your computer / working in the coal mines; hmmm… It's NOT DEAD!

DON'T: Make promises you can't keep.

If you're selling something online then an unhappy customer will tell more people than a happy one. Make sure the customer knows EXACTLY what they are getting and don't make outrageous claims unless they are 100% TRUE!

DO: Join eBay

It's still the quickest and easiest way to get money into your Paypal account. It can be used as an effective marketing tool as well!

DON'T: Multi-Level Market

Unless you know exactly what it is and how to work it; many pyramid schemes front as not so illegal MLM schemes. As the two trades are fairly similar anyway, it's always the top man the makes the money.

Traffic and list building

DO: Start list building immediately.

Give away a free eBook or start a newsletter; again this takes time but wouldn't you like to have the e-mail addresses of a thousand or so potential customers?

DON'T: Buy a list.

It's moronic!

DO: Research targeted traffic.

Spend time finding out how to get good targeted traffic to your website, remember it's quality and not quantity. And so we're clear; quality traffic is traffic with the intention to buy.

DON'T: Buy traffic.

This is also moronic. I have yet to hear anyone say otherwise, bar those that sell traffic – coincidental!

Final Thought

DO: Make lemon cider.

When life gives you lemons; there's a far greater profit margin.

DON'T: Be afraid to be different.

Drinking your lemon cider may give your some “insightful” views on innovating tried and true techniques. It's your duty to STAND OUT!

T's & C's

DO: post this on your website or blog, e-mail it to a list or add it to an e-book. Use it to list build, save it to your desktop and get it tattooed to your eyelids.

DON'T: Modify the content in anyway. Feel free to give it away to as many people as you like but be sure to keep the whole article including the terms, links and authors bio intact.

© 2006 Colm O'Dwyer at http://www.colmodwyer.com