Do's and Don'ts for the Internet Marketing Newbie

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I, myself, being an internet marketing "newbie" (endearing term used to refer to people who have just started their own internet business and don' t know what the ---- they are doing) have learned a few things and would like to share my observations, tribulations, and triumphs with my fellow "newbies". In sharing my experiences I hope I can help you avoid some of the pitfalls and obstacles you will face. Let's try to avoid some of those "Information Overload" headaches as well. I don't want you to walk through the same mud puddle if I can point it out and help you avoid it.

First I will list some important "DO's"

1. Do take your time, one step at a time. Do understand that building your business is not something than can be done in a matter of days, not even months in most cases. It's going to take time, lots of time.

2. Do practice Patience! I know it's not one of my virtues either and it's really hard to put into practice, but to save your sanity, try to be patient!

3. Do understand in the beginning you will be suffocated with so much information and resources your head will hurt (that's where the Information Overload headache comes from) and you will not know which direction to take first. You'll just be spinning your wheels if you try to go off into 20 different directions at once. Remember, concentrate on one thing at a time!

4. Do use your best judgment when weeding through all of the information. Throw away the obvious hype and keep what you feel is resourceful and useful.

5. Do make it a goal to accomplish one task each day. Later when you can handle it add one or two more tasks. Progress slowly.

6. Do look for free resources, there's plenty out there on the internet to help you build and promote your business. There's also a lot of hype and misinformation and just plain bad information, so definitely use number 4.

7. Do join some good internet marketing forums. You will find a lot of advice and tips on how to promote your business. Many people there are also "newbies" and you can bounce ideas off of each other. Many will post what has worked or hasn't worked for them. Learn from the internet marketing experts, they were in your shoes at one time, benefit from their experiences.

8. Do file and organize the information you receive for retrieval later on. Organize your email by creating folders to keep information categorized and easy to find. Keep a log in Microsoft Excel with all of your affiliate ID's, affiliate URL's, and memberships.

9. Do learn some basic HTML code. This will make it easier for you to change, delete, and make any additions to your website. If you don't know how to add a link to your website then how will you exchange links with other websites to increase your search engine rankings. Go to http://www.htmlgoodies.com and take their basic HTML tutorial. Read my article titled "Why You Should Learn HTML" on my Articles and News page at http://www.profitfromhomebiz.com

10. Do realize that it's going to take a lot of work and time to establish your business. Especially, a business on the internet. It's not an auto-pilot business. You will probably spend more hours working at this business than you would a regular 9 to 5 job.

11. Chances are you are new to internet marketing, so study and learn as much as you can before you just jump in. Know what to expect and be prepared.

12. Do realize that having an internet business is just like having a business in the "real" world. You need to have a plan, you need to advertise, and you must have a budget.

13. Do download the "30 Days to Success" E-book written by Stone Evans. You can find a free copy on my website at http://www.profitfromhomebiz.com. You will need to provide your name and email address which will subscribe you to my Home Business Tips Newsletter (which is full of internet marketing tips and articles), and then you can download the E-book. It gives you a day by day guide on how to promote your business online. It's an invaluable tool! 14. Do believe in yourself and your abilities. Believe in your success!

Now that we have covered some DO's, let's look at the DONT's.

1. Don't throw your money away! Unless you have lots to throw away and can afford to buy whatever gets thrown at you. Budget yourself and keep within your budget. Only spend when you need to. You will come across plenty of sites that want you to spend your hard earned money for an internet marketing course, E-book, or piece of software guaranteed to make you money. Don't fall into the trap. First investigate, ask questions from other marketers to see if they are familiar with the product and recommend it. That's where the forums come in handy and are beneficial.

2. Don't believe all of the hype you will encounter. Example. BUY THIS SOFTWARE NOW! YOU ONLY HAVE TILL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT OR THE PRICE IS GOING TO DOUBLE OR EVEN TRIPLE. YOU'LL SAVE $200.00 IF YOU BUY RIGHT NOW! Don't believe it, the price will be the same tomorrow and the next. Or here's another good one. I'm only selling this to the first 50 people who visit my website. Yeah, right. I really believe that one.

3. Don't forget you are a potential customer to every marketer out there, so they will try to sell you their service or product to make money. Remember you are now a marketer and your purpose is to sell your service or product to others, not for you to buy theirs.

4. Don't get me wrong, some services or products are worth buying. You just have to figure out which are the right ones for you and your business. Remember you're not trying to line someone else's pockets. You' re trying to line your own.

5. Don't get frustrated and give up because things don't happen right away. You have to have the mindset that you can do it and succeed. Granted you will have good days and bad days. Every accomplishment is a victory. Every defeat is a learning experience. No business is an overnight success.

6. Don't limit yourself and your thinking. Be willing to try different things and when you find the one thing that seems to work, build on it, but keep trying other things as well.

7. You've had your business up and running for a couple of months and you' ve only made one sale. Don't quit because you think it's not working. Think in these terms instead. If you've made one sale, then you can make 2 sales, and if you can make 2 sales, you can make 3 sales and so on. Many of the top marketers on the internet today took years to find the formula that led to their success.

8. Don't believe that there is such a thing as an "auto-pilot" business. Like Ron Popeil's rotisserie oven, SET IT AND GO. Just doesn't work that way. I don't care what you have heard or have read. You have to promote your business. You have to get your name out there and become visible so people can find you and what you're offering. Just because you now have a website does not mean the masses will come in droves. There are millions upon millions of websites and probably at least a quarter of a million of them are selling the same service or product as you. The question is how are you going to get people to visit your website instead of someone else' s? Once they are there, what's going to get them to buy from you or join your affiliation? So understand you are going to have to learn how to promote and sell your business and that involves work and time.

9. Don't upgrade your affiliation accounts until you can afford to do so. Many affiliate programs will try to pressure you into upgrading to a "Pro" account. Wait until you start making some money from your business first, then upgrade.

10. Don't rely solely on emailing to promote your business. Due to major Spam filters your message may not get through. Find all of the different ways to advertise on the internet like writing articles, exchanging links, click/surf exchanges, and Pay Per Click search engines. Use offline ways to advertise your business like newspaper ads, mailings, telemarketing, faxes and flyers. Put your website on a t-shirt and wear it!

11. Don't give up, persistence will pay off eventually.

Okay, I'll stop there. I probably could go on and on and even write an E-book about this subject (that's a thought). I think you get the idea about how to avoid the "Information Overload" headache and hopefully I have given you some substance for thought. The most important point is take one step at a time. Don't rush it! And remember once a "newbie" always a "newbie" because you will be learning all of the time.

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