There is no "overnight" get rich scheme!
The simple truth is 95 % (some say more) of people who start out to make money online FAIL!
That is not something I just made up, it is a widely recognized fact. If you know that going in then it may save you from being a statistic.
Many people, especially in these hard times see the internet as a possible way to make it when things are falling apart all around them. Unfortunatly they sign on and see the Ads of people in fancy cars and big beach houses and the automilot millionaire programs and the visions take over and reality falls aside. Most of these "GURU's" are not even real people but actors who play a part to sell the latest and greatest scam to just those people! Just like in the "REAL" world, you have to have a plan and work at it if you want to make it.
That is not to say that there are not people who make big money online, I assure you that there are many. However if you look at the people who are successful most have paid their dues along the way. The trick is to learn from your mistakes and follow a sound plan. Before you even sign on you should have at least a clue of how you want to get to your "goal". Making money online covers a great deal of territory and different ways to do it, so if you just go in blind you will soon be lost.
When I first started I had NO idea what I was going to do (and to some degree I still don't) so I started following one peice of advice after another until one day I checked my e-mail and had over 1000 entries in 2 days! (That was just 1 account, I have 8!) and I knew I was out of control. The main problem was even at that point I had no real clue what I wanted to do, and had not made a single dime! My saving grace to some point is I decided from day one I was not going to buy ANYTHING until I was sure where I was going. There are stories of people who have ran up thousands of dollars buying books and videos on programs that are either outdated or were never any good to begin with. Ideas that were big just a few years ago are now just a waste of money!
If you get a chance go back and read my first entries on here. That was around the point where I was just fed up with being jerked around, even by those who had good intentions. My suggestion (for what it is worth) is if you are serious about doing something online, do a little homework first. See if you can find people who are actually doing business and see just how successful they are...AND what they are doing. Most people who make money online have several income streams, but not so many that they lose control of any of them. You must be patient, but also flexible. Do not jump from idea to idea if you do not make money right away, but be smart enough to know when to give up on a bad idea. Find something that interests you and it will be much easier.
As I have said before, I am not a very good example unless you want to see what NOT to do. I am not the guy who is going to tell you about the next great idea, but I will be honest about what to avoid. I have made my share of mistakes so I know by looking back what not to do next time. If I can help just 1 person avoid just a little frustration then I feel better than if I made a bunch of money at someone elses expense. Take the time to make a plan, do some research, and do something you enjoy and then all of the frustration will be worth it in the end. Don't fall for every get rich sceme and treat it like any other job in the beginning, then when things come together you will appreciate it so much more.
Best of luck!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Technical Difficulties
Sorry! I have not forgotten you, but my computer decided to take a vacation :~( Hope to be back soon with a regular update!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Getting into marketing on the internet (and other deep, dark mysteries)
Hello, My name is Jeff, and I am probably the only person doing Internet marketing who is NOT looking for a 6 figure salary or a way to get rich overnight. That is probably the main reason I am not here to teach you some secret that took me from sleeping on the streets...you probably heard the stories. When I got the bright idea of working on the computer it was no real inspiration, it was a way to find something to do after I became disabled and was no longer able to work a regular job. I got involved in an MLM program and like most newbies I failed miserably, but since I was not expecting to do well it was no crisis. After that I had seen some of the ways you could use the computer to make a few bucks and I spent most of my time online reading e-mail and comparing things I read. That is when I decided to put some of that research to work, and make a blog to help even the newest Internet guru get a chance to find out what might work for them before they went through the learning curve of failing a few dozen times.
There are a few basic things you should know before you jump into the deep end. First is that it is a widely acknowledged fact that 97 % of people who start off in Internet marketing of any kind FAIL. That does not mean they do not pick up the pieces and start again, but there are very few people who have not experienced the heartbreak of defeat a few time. If anyone tells you otherwise...well the figures do not lie. The best way to make that first scraped knee easier to take is to have a clue about what you are getting into BEFORE you actually start (or before you give up). That is why my first step here , besides storytelling, is to provide you access to some tools that might help. Once you decide what you want to try then you will at least know where you can go to find a few things. Most of what I found out was by trial (and mostly error). If you have any question then feel free to ask them, but do not expect me to know the answers. There is a chance that someone else reading along might though.
There are a few basic equations and an axiom that I feel like everyone should know from the git-go. In the next few paragraphs I will touch on them and that may give you something to use as a starter in your research. Other than that I do not claim to be any kind of Guru or expert on anything. If you do learn a few things as you go along I would encourage you to stop by and share with others. That is another big thing I found out in my stumbling studies...unless you want to pay up front for some secret advice no one is really willing to share a whole lot. That is not to say you cannot find some interesting things online and in your packed e-mail box...but in the end most of those pages have a shopping cart to reach the REAL answers.
#1) KNOWLEDGE = SUCCESS
That is why I decided to start here. If you have been at this for any amount of time you know how much e-mail you get every Day full of information, some better than others. In fact I was actually surprised at how much good information was available if you take the time to sort through it. First, if there is money involved...ANY money, move on. At some point you may decide that it is something you might like, but it isn't going anywhere. The biggest scam I have seen is where you are directed to a page and shown a product that if you leave...you will NEVER see it again! Go to Clickbank and I can almost guarantee you can find it there, or wait a few weeks and it will show up in your e-mail box again. The ones that make me laugh are the ones with the same graphics, but another man who was living on the street and found the same miracle plan! Have a good printer and a supply of paper, or at least save files that you find informative on your computer and then study it at your own pace. NEVER rush into anything, nothing is that important!
#2) Product + Traffic = Sales
This is a key principle of marketing. This is not new as marketing and sales have been around a long time before the computer, the Internet is just a newer tool. Your first decision is what product you want to represent. Over time as you learn more you may want to add additional products, but make sure you have one program up and running before you try more. Patience is the key at this point, many people try to rush and get so confused that nothing works It is at this stage you may want to consider some of the programs available to affiliates online, but not in e-mail! Go to a site like clickbank or even a brick and block store and make informed decisions before you buy. Building traffic is another story...there are claims of FREE traffic building plans that are just flat out scams. First you have to know your customer base, who is going to be interested in the product you have chosen, study niche marketing ideas at this point. If you just send out e-mail to an audience that is not screened and targeted you are wasting your money. Even a good list will only give you a return of between 1 and 3 percent so imagine the reaction to an open list! I have not found the magic way to build a list, so a good learning program is your best bet.
#3) Opinions are like A**holes: Everybody has one and many of them stink !
Look online and you will find pages of programs and books that profess to reveal why so many fail but you can succeed. I wish I had a dollar for every time I read an e-mail that promised instant success while I was asleep. If it was really that easy don't you think the word would finally get around? There are dozens of programs from affiliate to associate programs to move your business forward. Once again I suggest you go to Clickbank or a similar site and look at the programs available. Only you know what you can do and what program will fit into your lifestyle. The "Guru's" on the web will try to convince you that the program(s) they have developed will work, and since there are so many gullible people who are looking for instant cash they dish out the big bucks and then complain, making up the 97% of failures that make up the online marketing life.
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a big fan of MLM and do not spend a lot of my time even discussing that type of program. That is not to say that there are not a lot of people who swear you can make big money doing them, but if I were to develop the desire to explore the mysteries of a pyramid, I would go to Egypt. Just thought in the name of fairness I should mention that. Jeff
Take a pencil and mark off the things in the following list you feel you have a good working understanding of as it applies to marketing. This is by no means a complete list, just some off the top of my head, but you get the idea...
SEO Adsense URL aAdwords RSS HHP www. labels monitize dashboard autoresponder wordpress plug-in affiliate associate Guru JV niche contextual domain hosting cPanel Link banner network clickbank paypal MLM viral traffic opt-in landing page squeeze page backlink feedburner keyword ranktracker zipfile alexa adobe PPC webinar FTP PPA proxy server APT social marketing cash pulling site CDP PDF V-mail e-book opt-out plug-in push button software IMC TPB sitemap Blackhat scraper orphan white hat spillover template browser
I think you get the idea, I recently received a book of webmasters tools that took up 82 pages just of the tools and a 1 line explanation, and this was just 1 book! Since I am disabled and have more time than the average bear I have spent up to 10 hours a day for days on end just trying to figure out the basics of writing a Blog, posting it, and getting it read! When I first started I filled up 2 legal size note pads with information including setting up a dozen web domains and pages on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, MYSPACE, STREAMLINE and half dozen other social sites where I did research on how they worked and building up hundreds of "FRIENDS" on each before I set up my first affiliate program and started posting. I never got a single positive response for 2 months despite all my hard work and was quite a ways from writing the first word in a blog. Just imagine if I had taken this on expecting to get rich overnight! OK, in the interest of truth I am not real money motivated and could have jumped on a few of the plans I came across, but my condition does not always allow for long stretches that it takes to set up a dozen Cash pulling pages and several websites and follow them up properly, or what I considered properly. Even a respected website making program suggested in their training that this type of program would take 2 years or more to make real good money.
Can you make money fast online...yes. If you have a good working knowledge of the Internet and are a webmaster with some experience I think it is possible. If you are the average person who is looking for a way to quit the 9 to 5 or even an unemployed person with free time, then my suggestion is to be realistic before you jump off into the deep end. Only you know what you are capable of, and what your learning curve is, so I have no idea on a case by case basis. If I were more motivated I think I could have started off with some small cash earning basis and built on it, but I was more interested in doing it right and at a pace I was comfortable with. If you have read this far, I hope you have taken something useful from my blathering, I said at jump street I was no Guru and had no secrets to share, except maybe a little taste of reality.
When I started this blog I intended to post some widgets and banners to help bring in a little spending money, then I realized that my intent was not to earn money but to share some of my experiences. On later pages I may post a few I have found useful over time, but one night after I had posted a dozen ADs on the page I sat back down and took them off. Selling books on "how to" in a blog that warns you about buying advice seemed wrong. If you found this interesting please share it with friends and leave comments, as time goes on and I am inspired I will make more posts on the pages to follow...
Jeff Morris
Stay tuned for more insites from the worlds first proclaimed Urug !
** Do not forget to check out page 2 (under construction) by clicking on post under HOME ------>
There are a few basic things you should know before you jump into the deep end. First is that it is a widely acknowledged fact that 97 % of people who start off in Internet marketing of any kind FAIL. That does not mean they do not pick up the pieces and start again, but there are very few people who have not experienced the heartbreak of defeat a few time. If anyone tells you otherwise...well the figures do not lie. The best way to make that first scraped knee easier to take is to have a clue about what you are getting into BEFORE you actually start (or before you give up). That is why my first step here , besides storytelling, is to provide you access to some tools that might help. Once you decide what you want to try then you will at least know where you can go to find a few things. Most of what I found out was by trial (and mostly error). If you have any question then feel free to ask them, but do not expect me to know the answers. There is a chance that someone else reading along might though.
There are a few basic equations and an axiom that I feel like everyone should know from the git-go. In the next few paragraphs I will touch on them and that may give you something to use as a starter in your research. Other than that I do not claim to be any kind of Guru or expert on anything. If you do learn a few things as you go along I would encourage you to stop by and share with others. That is another big thing I found out in my stumbling studies...unless you want to pay up front for some secret advice no one is really willing to share a whole lot. That is not to say you cannot find some interesting things online and in your packed e-mail box...but in the end most of those pages have a shopping cart to reach the REAL answers.
#1) KNOWLEDGE = SUCCESS
That is why I decided to start here. If you have been at this for any amount of time you know how much e-mail you get every Day full of information, some better than others. In fact I was actually surprised at how much good information was available if you take the time to sort through it. First, if there is money involved...ANY money, move on. At some point you may decide that it is something you might like, but it isn't going anywhere. The biggest scam I have seen is where you are directed to a page and shown a product that if you leave...you will NEVER see it again! Go to Clickbank and I can almost guarantee you can find it there, or wait a few weeks and it will show up in your e-mail box again. The ones that make me laugh are the ones with the same graphics, but another man who was living on the street and found the same miracle plan! Have a good printer and a supply of paper, or at least save files that you find informative on your computer and then study it at your own pace. NEVER rush into anything, nothing is that important!
#2) Product + Traffic = Sales
This is a key principle of marketing. This is not new as marketing and sales have been around a long time before the computer, the Internet is just a newer tool. Your first decision is what product you want to represent. Over time as you learn more you may want to add additional products, but make sure you have one program up and running before you try more. Patience is the key at this point, many people try to rush and get so confused that nothing works It is at this stage you may want to consider some of the programs available to affiliates online, but not in e-mail! Go to a site like clickbank or even a brick and block store and make informed decisions before you buy. Building traffic is another story...there are claims of FREE traffic building plans that are just flat out scams. First you have to know your customer base, who is going to be interested in the product you have chosen, study niche marketing ideas at this point. If you just send out e-mail to an audience that is not screened and targeted you are wasting your money. Even a good list will only give you a return of between 1 and 3 percent so imagine the reaction to an open list! I have not found the magic way to build a list, so a good learning program is your best bet.
#3) Opinions are like A**holes: Everybody has one and many of them stink !
Look online and you will find pages of programs and books that profess to reveal why so many fail but you can succeed. I wish I had a dollar for every time I read an e-mail that promised instant success while I was asleep. If it was really that easy don't you think the word would finally get around? There are dozens of programs from affiliate to associate programs to move your business forward. Once again I suggest you go to Clickbank or a similar site and look at the programs available. Only you know what you can do and what program will fit into your lifestyle. The "Guru's" on the web will try to convince you that the program(s) they have developed will work, and since there are so many gullible people who are looking for instant cash they dish out the big bucks and then complain, making up the 97% of failures that make up the online marketing life.
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a big fan of MLM and do not spend a lot of my time even discussing that type of program. That is not to say that there are not a lot of people who swear you can make big money doing them, but if I were to develop the desire to explore the mysteries of a pyramid, I would go to Egypt. Just thought in the name of fairness I should mention that. Jeff
Take a pencil and mark off the things in the following list you feel you have a good working understanding of as it applies to marketing. This is by no means a complete list, just some off the top of my head, but you get the idea...
SEO Adsense URL aAdwords RSS HHP www. labels monitize dashboard autoresponder wordpress plug-in affiliate associate Guru JV niche contextual domain hosting cPanel Link banner network clickbank paypal MLM viral traffic opt-in landing page squeeze page backlink feedburner keyword ranktracker zipfile alexa adobe PPC webinar FTP PPA proxy server APT social marketing cash pulling site CDP PDF V-mail e-book opt-out plug-in push button software IMC TPB sitemap Blackhat scraper orphan white hat spillover template browser
I think you get the idea, I recently received a book of webmasters tools that took up 82 pages just of the tools and a 1 line explanation, and this was just 1 book! Since I am disabled and have more time than the average bear I have spent up to 10 hours a day for days on end just trying to figure out the basics of writing a Blog, posting it, and getting it read! When I first started I filled up 2 legal size note pads with information including setting up a dozen web domains and pages on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, MYSPACE, STREAMLINE and half dozen other social sites where I did research on how they worked and building up hundreds of "FRIENDS" on each before I set up my first affiliate program and started posting. I never got a single positive response for 2 months despite all my hard work and was quite a ways from writing the first word in a blog. Just imagine if I had taken this on expecting to get rich overnight! OK, in the interest of truth I am not real money motivated and could have jumped on a few of the plans I came across, but my condition does not always allow for long stretches that it takes to set up a dozen Cash pulling pages and several websites and follow them up properly, or what I considered properly. Even a respected website making program suggested in their training that this type of program would take 2 years or more to make real good money.
Can you make money fast online...yes. If you have a good working knowledge of the Internet and are a webmaster with some experience I think it is possible. If you are the average person who is looking for a way to quit the 9 to 5 or even an unemployed person with free time, then my suggestion is to be realistic before you jump off into the deep end. Only you know what you are capable of, and what your learning curve is, so I have no idea on a case by case basis. If I were more motivated I think I could have started off with some small cash earning basis and built on it, but I was more interested in doing it right and at a pace I was comfortable with. If you have read this far, I hope you have taken something useful from my blathering, I said at jump street I was no Guru and had no secrets to share, except maybe a little taste of reality.
When I started this blog I intended to post some widgets and banners to help bring in a little spending money, then I realized that my intent was not to earn money but to share some of my experiences. On later pages I may post a few I have found useful over time, but one night after I had posted a dozen ADs on the page I sat back down and took them off. Selling books on "how to" in a blog that warns you about buying advice seemed wrong. If you found this interesting please share it with friends and leave comments, as time goes on and I am inspired I will make more posts on the pages to follow...
Jeff Morris
Stay tuned for more insites from the worlds first proclaimed Urug !
** Do not forget to check out page 2 (under construction) by clicking on post under HOME ------>
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