Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Making Money Online - Without the Hype?

By Joe Carrey

Wouldn't it be interesting to know what content of a sales page is actually true, or could be true for the average person? What I've learned is that there is no quick fix or get-rich hype that is real. I bought all kinds of products, jumping from one hyped program to the next. I tried it all, but I lacked focus! The key is to focus in a particular area and stay with it. Whether PPC (pay per click) is your thing, selling you're own products, selling affiliate products or whatever ... it's important to take action and stay the course. But whatever it is, building your own list is a top priority in determining your ultimate success.

When I began my internet marketing online experience, I made the big mistake of starting with affiliate marketing building someone else's mailing list. The training material was fantastic, very detailed and comprehensive. I soon discovered that I was really building a list for someone else the was not in my control. I am quite sure I made a great positive impact on his affiliate marketing business. Wow, what a learning experience!

What I've learned is that there is no quick fix or get-rich hype that is real. I bought all kinds of products, jumping from one hyped program to the next. I tried it all, but I lacked focus! The key is to focus in a particular area and stay with it. Whether PPC (pay per click) is your thing, selling you're own products, selling affiliate products or whatever ... it's important to take action and stay the course. But whatever it is, building your own list is a top priority in determining your ultimate success.

Internet marketers are everywhere and the "gurus" have made a ton of money, I guess! Much of it from people who lacked focus, like me, and have hopped from one supposedly hot program to the next without having much follow through on any of them. It's easy to get caught up in all the hype and find yourself consistently spending money. The one thing that I eventually did to help me focus and stop believing every hyped up sales page is to identify the few genuine successful internet marketers and become a student. I was cautious though, as there are many claiming to mentor, but offer nothing more First Alert notifications so they can keep you program jumping exclusively through them.

If you are like me, and have been trying to make money on the internet, you may have a dream of quitting your day job to give you the freedom and independence to spend more time with your family. It is quite likely that the majority of those reading this (I guess they say 95%) have not been successful making money online and/or actually building a business.

You can find about any kind of product you're looking for online. If you have money available, you may find that paying for advertising for your product or service works for you. If so, by all means go for it. But if you don't have a lot of money to start with, and can't really afford to pay per click or expensive traffic strategies, then start building a mailing list. I have to admit I liked PPC advertising and kind of became addicted to it! But I was losing money by the truckloads, so I obviously did not have the skill or knowledge required to competently use it. You'll find all the "gurus" say the money is in the list and they're so right. In this competitive market, I truly believe that list building is critical, and the money really is in the list.

What do I mean by building a list? It's a process where you collect names and email addresses from people interested in how you can help them. Whether you have some great service, such as ways they can obtain free targeted traffic to their business, or other high value information or product to help them become successful, they will appreciate you and become loyal, if you are for real. Making money online is a business and should be treated like one. In other words, you need to provide something of value so you establish a long-term relationship with your customer.

It is my experience that list building and helping your customer's succeed is the key to succeeding and thriving online.

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