I came across a headline today on the internet which made me both giggle and cringe. It said: “An Online Millionaire Plan: Basics of Earning Millions Online Through Internet Marketing” My immediate response was that here was yet another shyster promoting a get-rich-quick scheme. I read on, expecting the worst, but what I found was a very fair and informed assessment of the internet marketing business. In particular, there was some excellent advice for newcomers to the business. They always say that you need a headline which stops people in their tracks and makes them want to read your copy. On this occasion, the OTT (over the top) headline went too far, at least, for my taste.
The problem I see immediately with such a headline is that many people who use the internet a lot will, as I did, immediately fear the worst. The headline may catch their eye but drive them away rather than draw them in. They say that if it seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is, and that, I fear, would be many people’s reaction on reading that headline.
In this case the writer goes on to say that the potential to generate a massive income from internet marketing is possible but it will require time and effort. The early steps are basic ones but must be taken methodically and fully if you are to ultimately succeed in the business; the money has to be earned. It won’t materialise as if by magic. After the OTT headline it was both a surprise and a relief to encounter such honest and accurate copy.
The writer goes on to talk about the value of money and the basis of all business. We barter money in exchange for products or services. The point is made that people buy things that will improve their lives and give them some benefit that they feel they need. Good business, therefore, is not first-and-foremost about money, but about providing the best possible service to help people improve their lives. That is the basis of the business. The customer has money they wish to spend on something to improve their life; – the marketer has the products or services to enable them to do just that.
So money is a means to an end and not an end in itself. The better we are at meeting the needs of our potential customers the better our income will be. Money is merely an indicator of how well we are doing our job.
There is some excellent advice for newcomers to the business. He warns of the danger of quitting the day job immediately, advice, sadly, not given in many of the more suspect courses and systems floating around the internet. He quotes the frequently used proverb: “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. The advice given is to treat the internet marketing as a second job. Find a few hours a week to put in the work and the research you need and treat it as work not just as a hobby. Establish a workstation and fixed times of work when you can do your work without distraction.
Only when all the above has been setup and the reasons for it fully understood can you actually start to develop the business itself. This was an excellent article written by someone who obviously knows what they are talking about. However, the OTT headline would probably have driven away many who would have benefitted from the article itself. There is obviously a lesson to learn here.