There are all kinds of great techniques that you could be using and applying. I'm sure that there are hundreds of fantastic products out there to teach you how to market better online. You should never stop learning. The instant you stop learning, you start stagnating.
You'll quickly see that many of techniques that the "gurus" teach may actually disagree with each other. This is simply because there is only one true judge and jury of what "works" in marketing... testing and results!
Without testing everything you put to use, you will never know what is or can work for you.
There is one "secret" of Internet marketing that you can get every single successful marketer to agree on.
If you sit back and do nothing, you will get nothing!
Successful Internet entrepreneurs are doing something. If you sit back on the sidelines and just watch what's going on, you will never win the game.
Start doing something - anything... even if it fails!
You have to "practice" Internet marketing - it doesn't come all at once.
Set up a tracking link and place a classified ad somewhere. If it doesn't work out the way you wanted, place a different ad. If it does work, then keep it running and add on more ads to your advertising campaign.
If you want to write better ads for your products, then find some of the best sales letters and start copying them by hand. Then, practice your own letters.
Nobody ever seems to mention that in regards to business is that the most successful companies expect that only one out of every seven products they produce will be a success worth continuing.
Claude Hopkins, considered by many to be one of the greatest marketing minds ever, recorded this in "Scientific Advertising:"
"There are many surprises in advertising. A project you will laugh at may make a great success. A project you are sure of may fall down. All because tastes differ so. None of us know enough peoples desires to get an average viewpoint."
The first site you create might not be a big money-maker. Be smart and stay in contact with the right people, attend the right training events, and you will learn and grow. Your next web-site may be the success you are looking for.
One reason you may not be profitable currently is that you have the wrong product or are targeting the wrong market. Can't explain in one paragraph exactly who your targeted market is, then you aren't ready for success on your site.
Test different products and services. Test different ways of advertising. Test some different ads, in different places. Testing can tell you what will or will not work online.
The key is to keep your testing small so that it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg. Test some of the PPC engines. Purchase a 10,000 banner ad campaign.
Set up a small budget of say $50 - $100 every month just for testing (more experienced marketers have a much higher budget for testing).
Never spend any money on advertising where it will put you out of business. It should be as small and risk-free as possible at all times.
If you can't afford to spend or lose any money in advertising, then start trying free traffic techinques.
There are skads of them that you can use as well. Still, never spend more time on any advertising technique than you can afford to lose.
Time is money and as you become more and more successful in this business, it is the time that you run out of first.
The Secret to Internet marketing is to "Do Something."
Even if it doesn't work out exactly as you planned, keep doing it or add in other elements and aspects to your business.
The second Internet marketing secret is much like the first one. It is "Don't give up!"