Mamas On The Web

Not Making Money Online: Read This Before You Give Up

December 5th, 2007

If you’re still plugging away at the internet marketing game, and you feel like you’re on the verge of giving up, let me ask you something.

Are you doing anything really well? Or are you doing a lot of things not so well?

I hear a lot of people talking about not making any money online and shutting down their website(s) after months or even years of struggling. One common thing I’ve noticed among these people is the fact that they’re all trying to cater to everyone and using a plethora of marketing methods. Instead, they should be focusing on a few key things that work for them - things that they’re good at.

Let’s say Julie has been running a gift basket website for a year. She’s also been writing articles, maintaining a related blog to direct traffic, submitting her site to hundreds of directories and traffic exchange programs, posting in forums, commenting on blogs, advertising in newsletters and other websites, and purchasing links from other relevant sites. At the same time, she’s dealing with customer orders via phone and email, and she’s also creating the baskets she sells on her site as each customer orders them.

You might not be surprised to know that she’s not selling very many gift baskets.

In my opinion, she’s spreading herself way too thin. She’s trying too many marketing methods but she’s not focusing on any one of them enough for them to be really successful.

If I were Julie, I’d start with article marketing and forum posting since those are the two things I enjoy doing the most. Instead of writing a few articles each month, I’d focus on writing at least 3 a day. I’d also find a few busy and related forums to post on with quality information. I’d establish myself as an expert through my articles and forum posts. Once I perfected those two methods (able to push out quality articles and posts in a short period of time) and once people recognized my name and product, then - and only then - would I start introducing other methods.

I’m not saying you should be using these two methods first, and I’m not saying it can only be two methods. You have to do what works for you. You should be focusing on the methods that you have strengths in. If you’re a good writer, then article marketing, forum posting, blog commenting, and any other kind of content creation would be a great start.

If you’re a people person, you might try going into some joint ventures with other people in your niche. Be careful to choose someone who’s product complements yours and not one that competes with it.

Everyone is different and each website or home business requires different things to make it successful. It’s your job to find out what those things are. Keep plugging away until you discover what works. Focus on that until you can’t make it any better, then branch out and try other methods as well, whether it’s by yourself or through outsourcing.

So, if you’re close to giving up, think about what you just read. Have you been focused enough or have you been just dipping your toes into each method instead of jumping into just a few?

Try it and see how it works. You just might have a renewed outlook about your business and a refreshed view on the future.

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Entry Filed under: General