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7 Lessons I Learnt Whilst Losing Thousands Internet Marketing
his is the story of a products and services to this
novice internet marketer world-wide market. Like many of
who has spent a miserable, my colleagues, I had previously
frustrating and expensive twelve heard bits and pieces about
months learning the lessons of internet marketing and I was
selling on the internet - the hungry to learn more. It is true
hard way! However, he believes to say that I was captivated by
that he has turned the corner and his story and, especially, by the
is now looking forward to, at rich pickings that he said were
least modest, future profits. out there on the net, for
That person is me, and I would relatively little time and
like to share my experiences with expense. ‘Make money in your
you in the hope that your journey sleep' was a phrase he used. I
will be less painful than mine. I was inspired - well, who wouldn't
am certainly not suggesting that be by the prospect of working at
the lessons I learnt are home for a few hours a day whilst
definitive, nor will they apply watching the money flow in 24/7!
to every one else who embarks on I bought his pack of tutorials,
a campaign of internet marketing. ebooks, CDs etc for $500 - my
I am merely recounting what first investment in this Brave
happened to me and the problems I New World.
encountered.
Interestingly, I write this
My journey started in November article the day after attending
2004 when I attended a conference another meeting that had a
with a speaker who was, by his speaker again telling us how easy
own admission, an internet it is to make serious money on
millionaire. He, like me, was a the internet. Whilst I do not
professional speaker but he had doubt that such people indeed do
diversified into selling his make a very good living for
relatively little effort, believe products they championed, for
me, it is not easy! Making money example a programme for making
selling products or information attractive website banners, and
on the net is not a quick fix! another that promised to produce
Like any new business (for that amazingly effective sales pages
is what it is), it takes time and for the website that I was to
effort to learn all its produce. However, the banners I
intricacies. Unless you have a made were far from attractive and
product that people want to buy; when I sought advice from the
a web site that sells it company I bought the software
effectively; and a means of from, they failed to reply. As
driving lots of people to it, you for the sales page generator, it
will end up throwing good money did teach me some good lessons
after bad. Hence my first lesson but was far too inflexible and
restrictive so I soon reverted to
Lesson No 1. Do not believe all writing my own copy.
you hear from internet experts
who tell you how easy it is to What I did not realise at the
make your fortune. It isn't! time was that the internet
marketers who were recommending
Let me continue my story. So, off these products were affiliates:
I went on my new venture. I they received a commission from
eagerly read the information that every sale resulting from their
I had just bought, along with recommendation. I now know that
lots of other advice and guidance affiliate marketing is big
from internet marketers. Many business and can produce
recommended additional software significant income flows. In
that would make selling on the fact, let me put my cards on the
web more effective. I took their table: I am going to recommend
advice and bought some of the two products to you later in this
article and I will gain a famous, the infamous and the
commission if you take my advice. downright dastardly!'
However, these are products that
I truly believe in and have been Imagine my excitement when I
extremely helpful to me. I researched how many people were
believe that they are worth every looking for quotes on the
cent to someone serious about internet. Google estimated that
making money. You can, of course, over 5,000 people every day
take my word for that, or not. At searched for an appropriate
least I have been up-front about quote. I estimated that if I sold
it! my book for $25 and one in a
hundred people who clicked on my
Lesson No 2. Beware of advice website bought my book, I would
from ‘experts' who may be more make $369,014 profit a year. Wow!
interested in making money as an Even if only a modest one in
affiliate than in helping you. three hundred bought it I would
still make $61,684. Wouldn't you
Of course, to make money in any be excited by that income earning
business you have to have a potential?
product that people want to buy.
What was I going to sell? Well, I To cut a long story short, whilst
have always been fascinated by lots of people do regularly seek
quotes - words of wisdom from out appropriate quotes, I now
those who can add so much meaning know that very few are prepared
in so few words. Indeed, my first to pay for them! Why should they,
book is entitled ‘Leadership when they can get them for free
Quote Unquote' and contains a on other websites? I am now just
host of quotes from, as my about breaking even with this
publisher added to the book particular campaign - a situation
cover, ‘world figures - the I am prepared to accept for the
time being as the website does writing etc. That said if I have
provide me with other spin-off whetted your appetite and you do
benefits. However, I have want to learn more, email me at
subsequently diversified and am alan@leadershiptalks.com and I
now selling a number of other will send you a free ebook all
information products, using a about creating successful sales
different website for each - some websites, entitled ‘The Three
more successful than others. Page Site Builders Manual' ( I
Inevitably, not all sales make no money by doing so!).
campaigns will be initially Also, if you are really serious
successful, hence you have to about creating a profitable
continually fine-tune several internet marketing campaign
aspects of the marketing process consider checking out the
to gradually improve their specialist guidance of Perry
effectiveness. Marshal, especially his ebook
entitled ‘The Definitive Guide
Lesson No 3. It might sound to Google Adwords'. This is one
obvious - but make sure that you of the two products that I really
sell something that people want believe in and that I mentioned
to buy. previously. A link for you to
learn more about him is provided
Note: The purpose of this article at the end of this article.
is for me to share my experiences
with you. It is not designed to The next step on my journey,
be an internet marketing having deciding that selling
tutorial. I am not, therefore, quotes was to provide the basis
going to go into detail about of my pension fund (!), was to
technicalities such as website design a website to sell my
design, Google AdWords, Google ebook. The most well-known
AdSense, market testing, copy website design software, and the
one that was recommended to me, professional-looking websites in
was Microsoft FrontPage so that less than half a day - and they
is what I bought. Unfortunately, work. In fact, having not sold
I found it to be extremely one of my ebooks for weeks
confusing, frustrating - not at beforehand on my FrontPage site,
all user-friendly. I did make a I launched my new site, using
website but it was far from XSitePro, and sold one within
professional. In fact, a friend half an hour. I could hardly
of mine who is a successful believe it!
internet marketer politely
commented that he would certainly Hence, my fourth piece of advice.
not buy anything from a site like I make no apologies for being so
mine! direct - if you want to produce
easy websites that sell, click on
He went on to tell me that he had the link at the end of this
recently discovered a new website article and check out XSitePro.
design programme called XSitePro The link takes you to a web site
that is two thirds the price of that I have made to tell the
Front Page and infinitely easier world about, what I believe to
to use. In fact, he was in the be, the best web site design
process of redesigning all his software available today.
many sites using it. Having faith
in his advice, I shelled out Lesson No 4. Don't waste you time
$197, bought the software and was with other website design
absolutely blown away by it! software, buy XSitePro.
XsitePro is designed specifically So, once you have designed your
for people who sell on the website, you will need to ensure
internet. It is so easy to use that your potential customers can
that I am now churning out find it. Essentially, you have
two choices: work hard at driving its content network as well as
it up the search engine rankings its search network. Perry
or pay for the privilege by using Marshall's ebook explains all
Google Adwords. Perry Marshall's these settings in fine detail. I
ebook ‘The Definitive Guide to only wish I had bought it in the
Google Adwords' goes into great early stages because I ended
depth about making the most of paying much more than I needed
Adwords but, essentially, you bid to.
to have an advert promoting your
website featured on the So, I had set up my Google
right-hand side of a Google AdWords campaign and was up and
search page as a ‘sponsored running - but was not selling any
link'. However, you only pay when products. I was, however, getting
people click on your ad. hundreds of clicks a day, so was
ever hopeful. My wife and I then
Most experts will argue that went away on holiday and I put my
using Pay Per Click (Google internet marketing campaign out
Adwords) is the best way to of my mind, in the confident
promote websites of limited size knowledge that when I returned my
like the ones internet marketers In Box would be full of orders.
use to promote their products.
And that is what I did. Imagine my horror when I returned
to find no product orders but a
Unfortunately, though, I did not $700 Google AdWords bill. It
pay sufficient attention to doesn't take much time to
setting up my sites. I accepted accumulate those costs when you
Google's recommended daily are getting hundreds of clicks a
budget; set my pay-per-click day; you are selling no products;
rates too high; advertised in too and your daily Google budget is
many countries and advertised in set at $50!
maximising your sales potential.
The lesson here is crucial. In
the early stages at least, you This is a very detailed process
MUST keep a close, daily eye on where specific changes, for
your Google Adwords account. As example trying out different ad
time goes on and you have formats or even using capital
fine-tuned your account you can letters in certain areas of your
leave it for a day, or two, but ad, can make a real difference to
initially you must not let it get your CTR. Perry Marshall is an
out of control. accomplished expert on using
Google Adwords and I have,
Lesson No 5. Keep very close personally, learnt a great deal
control of your Google AdWords from his ebook.
account in its early stages
Lesson No 6. Work hard at
I mentioned previously that you fine-tuning your Google Adwords
must fine-tune your ad campaign campaigns to maximise their CTR
if you want to maximise its sales and, if your website and your
potential. The critical factor product are attractive, your
here is the Click Through Rate revenue will gradually increase
(CTR) - how often people click on
your ad when it is displayed on a And so to the last lesson that I
page of Google search results. If have learnt. Going back to where
your ad features 100 times when I started, I have realised that
people enter, for example, making money on the internet is
‘inspirational quote' as a not, as I told my wife, ‘the
Google search term and two of pot of gold at the end of the
them actually click on your ad rainbow'. However, I do believe
the CTR would be 2%. Improving that there is serious money to be
the CTR is important to made by people like me who are
prepared to work hard at ensuring I have been told that my
the three essential elements are experiences are not unusual.
in place, namely: Surprise, surprise: contrary to
what some internet experts tell
• A product that people are us, very few people strike gold
looking for and are prepared to immediately. It takes time and a
buy lot of hard work and
• A website that is effective determination. It does not
in selling that product surprise me, therefore, that many
• A sales campaign that directs people who embark on the journey
people towards your website as I did, fell at the early
hurdles. My final lesson, and
Personally, over the last twelve piece of advice, is therefore to
months, I have struggled on all ensure that your internet
three counts, and have thus paid strategy is sound and then work
the price. However, I have learnt hard at making it successful.
my lessons and am confident that
I will now begin to reap at least Lesson No 8. Don't give up - make
some of the riches that it work.
definitely are out there on the
World Wide Web. Copyright Alan Cutler 2005
About the Author:
This article is by Alan Cutler, writer and motivational speaker, who commenced an internet marketing campaign and learnt the hard way that making money on the internet is not the ‘pot of gold at the end of the rainbow' as he had been led to believe!! Here are the links for the two products that I am happy to recommend. To see the website I made to promote XSitePro, please go to www.diy-websitedesign.org. To check out what Perry Marshall can teach you, please see http://perrymarshall.com/cmd.php?pg=305720 .
Read more articles by: Alan Cutler
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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