There has to be a Plan if you are to Succeed in Internet Marketing

I can still remember when I first encountered Internet Marketing. My initial reaction was one of excitement as the full potential of the business sank into my head. I could see how it could really change my life. When I began to explore this wonderful opportunity I became increasingly aware of all the things I didn’t know which I would need to know if I were to be successful. In a fairly short space of time, I went from bubbling with enthusiasm to feeling totally overwhelmed by the realisation of just what was required.

I’m sure that many people experience this sort of feeling at some stage in their lives. Just so many things to do; – where do I start? The simple answer, whatever the situation, is to take it one step at a time. Create a plan to get you through and follow it; – there has to be a plan!

From what I gather, all American Universities teach their students about “Goal Setting”. They seem to set great store by this and have all sorts of statistics about success in relation to Goal Setting. I can’t say that I have ever been drawn to what seems to me to be a somewhat obsessive focus on such a detailed concept. There is the parallel issue of “how do you define success?” Real success in life is measured in the head and in the heart, – not in the bank. There is no doubt whatsoever that in any business there has to be a plan, a blueprint for success. So, when you start your online business, rather than just feeling overwhelmed as I did, draw up a plan which will help you to organise and focus on all the new things you will need to do. Having a clear idea of what you want from the business is helpful too. Not just in general terms but in specific targets which the business can give you.

The first step in online marketing will be to identify your market or niche. This needs to be something where there is a lot of interest but not too much competition. They say that in any business, competition is a good thing; – but you can have too much of a good thing. Look at the marketing options and decide which one is for you. Once you have got the basics in place you can then itemise the steps you need to take to create the business. As I found some years ago, you also need to consider the new things you need to learn. There is plenty of help out there on the internet. If there is something that you really don’t feel you can do yourself, you will find someone out there who can do it for you at very little cost. However you decide to go about things, there has to be a plan!

As you work through the list of things you need to do to setup your business and develop a business strategy, you must have a plan to follow. Many people find it helps to actually chop up their plan into smaller bite-sized pieces. Some people draw up a timetable itemising exactly what they will do on any a particular day. Others prefer a less prescriptive plan with monthly targets. Some others prefer to set deadlines for particular projects. However you decide to go about things there has to be a plan!

One important factor in creating your plan is to assess how much time you can give to your business. For many, they will begin working on it whilst still in other employment. This obviously reduces the time and the energy available to apply to the new venture. Others will have plenty of time to give. Even if time is limited it is a bad idea to say to yourself, “I’ll do that sometime next week.” It’s a bad idea because you probably won’t do it sometime next week! There has to be a plan!

Despite what some of the more dubious ‘gurus’ try to tell us about online marketing, it is not a get rich quick scheme. It is a business and must be treated as such. It is a business with a huge potential for income and the life-style and the freedom which money can bring, but you will not succeed by just allowing your business to bumble along with no sense of direction. Like anything worthwhile in life it will take effort, focus and a significant commitment as well as persistence to see it through. Set your targets and stick to them. There has to be a plan!

Part of the process of developing your business will be to learn all the things you didn’t know at the start. Internet marketing requires a real mixture of skills and knowledge. Many of these can be outsourced to start with but you should be always looking to develop the ability to do them yourself. There are many who fall by the wayside in online business because they are simply not prepared to do what it takes. They have no boss to tell them what to do and where to go, – so they don’t do anything and don’t go anywhere. Their approach is listless and lacking in direction. It is all about mindset; you must want it and be prepared to commit to the process. If you are to succeed, I’m sorry to bore you, but there has to be a plan!