What is the main reason for the 95% failure rate in internet marketing?

Thats definitely a factor

I totally agree with your points here, well said.

Yes absolutely, process of working or working style matters.

So I'm almost a newbie to all of this. I've developed web sites, was a successful entrepreneur for 15 years, know technology and business. We want to get into making and monetizing YouTube videos. I have the technical and business acumen, my partner has the outrageous and loud personality that many successful YouTube personalities have.

My first impression of all of the internet monetizing opportunities is that diversification of efforts and building an "ecosystem" of sites, links, content, sponsors, etc is key. It's not about any single effort being a wild success (though it's nice to hope for), but of having multiple prongs or efforts that feed each other and provide multiple paths for visitors to reach content, which should not be restricted to a single site like YouTube.

Leveraging twitter, Facebook, and multiple other social media in affiliate and video marketing also seems necessary for success.

I'm just spitballing right now, but those are my first impressions. Any feedback will be appreciated; I'm pretty much starting literally today on this so factor that in, as I have no concrete strategy mapped out yet at all. I know it's going to be an ongoing learning process. I'm just wondering if I'm even in the ballpark, or I'm misunderstanding the very basics.

But it seems at first glance that tapping into or developing that ecosystem of mutually supporting and cross feeding initiatives to promote and attract the audience is critical. As in it's not enough for just a YouTube or twitter or Facebook successfull effort, but a blend of platforms and strategies and monetizing infrastructure. Including multiple venues for hosting video content.

Sorry if this is too wordy or otherwise clumsy, but this is literally my first post here. I've utilized this forums knowledge in the past, by purely lurking, for SEO and audience building for a small personal computer business and a nonprofit that ultimately had a loyal following of about 4,000 email users.

Yes I agree. Procrastination is something I personally struggle with.

simple and valuable explain mate , congratz steve

Yes a lot of upfront work. Takes awhile till you start making passive income.

Thats so true, thank you tony I have really been searching for a system but I think I commit the error of just trying everything and seeing what works best.

Thanks for that one needs to master the art of affiliate marketing before they jump into another object where I am from they say a rolling stone does not gather any mass

I wish marketers would tell the truth. I just started online marketing and realized boy is it hard and there is so much info out there some is good, some is ok and some is just plain garbage. Thanks Michael for what you wrote.

Definitely. My journey has been filled with zigs and zags. Took me about 5.5 years doing it full time to really figure it out. I'm still a work in progress but do quite well now.

Fail. Fail. Fail. Learn. Fail. Learn. Fail. Fail. Fail. Learn. Succeed.

That's what my journey has been like.

very true I figure this one out really quick but I havent gave up yet.

Yes, unrealistic expectations plagues the blogging, make money online and network marketing industry.

The system is the solution. The system runs the business and the people run the system. Most people expect results way too quickly and try to do things their own way, rather than follow someone else who knows what they are doing.

All great points, Steve. I think mindset is the biggest thing that holds most people back.

Fear or failure. Fear of success. Fear of rejection. Fear of the unknown.

Patience is a virtue. When combined with a good plan and hard work done persistently and consistently, almost anything is possible.

Definitely. You heed to have a big, crystal clear vision and WHY. You need to do know why you are doing what you are doing. This will help keep you in the game as you learn the ropes and pay your dues.

Michael Gerber talks about that in his book "The E-Myth Revisited". He says that most people who start businesses are not entrepreneurs at all. Instead, they are employees who had an entrepreneurial seizure. Because they are good at the technical work of a business, they think they can build a business in that niche. Big mistake. Building and growing a business require different skill-sets then the technical work of a business.

Good points. It's important to step back and look at things from the 30,000 foot view, and not get overwhelmed with the minutia. Yes, the tactical work needs to be done, but we don't need to be the one to do everything ourselves. It wasn't until I started outsourcing things that my business started to grow. Bottom line is don't confuse busy work with income producing activities.

Easy come, easy go. That's one of the problems I have with finding quality reps in the MLM industry. When you only have a few hundred bucks invested in a business, it's easy to put it on the back-burner, and let life get in the way. On the other hand, if you act like you have one million dollars invested in your business, you will do things much differently.

Good points, Rose. Find people who are successful and do what they do. Model their behavior. That's a much better strategy than following everyone else off the cliff.

Good points. I think having a written business plan is a good starting point. Have clear goals and an action plan you can follow. Spend some time working on your business, not just in it.

People will say they want it, but they're also quick to make an excuse when things don't go exactly as planned. You have to want success as much as you want the air you breathe.

All great points, Rory.

you are right

Great advice. I make most of my income from email marketing, even though I have two large blogs, each with thousands of pages.

Best response in this thread. Great job!

The short term view is a big issue. Focus, discipline, consistency is huge. Combine that with a good game-plan.

I believe in the 10,000 hour rule. That's how long it really takes to master a skill. That's about how long it took me, five years doing it full time.

Definitely. There are many ways to make money online, without doing everything online. One thing I've done with a lot of success is doing direct mail with postcards, to send people to online offers. Sometimes, you just have to think outside the box.

Definitely. Rome wasn't built in a day. Most businesses in the real world take 1-2 years just to make a profit. Why expect something different in the online world?

Good point. You definitely need a clear game-plan and strategy to follow.

Good point. Once you learn how to make money online in one niche or business model, it's pretty easy to do it again and again and again. You have to get the experience and learn the ropes.

I'm with you. It took me almost a year to make my first sale online. That day was life changing, even though I only made like $6.

Nothing is easy at the beginning. So true. Things get easier with time, as we get in the trenches, roll up our sleeves, and learn through on the job training.

Mindset and skill-set make all the difference.

Not working hard enough, no focus.

Definitely. I see this in network marketing, make money online and blogging. People are excited for a month or two and if they aren't making money yet, they jump ship and head off for the next shiny object. Truth is, most businesses of any kind take at least a year or two to start making money.

Yes, tons of people quit at the first sign of defeat. It is frustrating. It's just human nature to quit when things get tough. What's funny is if you talk with successful entrepreneurs, you will often find that many of them struggled for years before they had their breakthrough. They had a vision and saw it through. They were finishers, not starters.

Yes, you fail your way to success, not succeed your way to success. Don't be scared to fail. Learn from each mistake, make the necessary adjustments and press on. It would also help if you can find a mentor to follow rather than try to reinvent the wheel.

You hit the nail on the head. Finish what you start. Stick with the business even after the initial excitement is gone.

Without a big why, you won't stay in any business long enough to overcome the obstacles, pay your dues and learn the ropes. Instead, you will throw in the towel at the first sign of defeat. I always tell people "have a why that makes you cry!"

Traffic is huge. It took me a long time how to figure out how to get qualified traffic to my blog, capture pages and affiliate offers. Most people fall in love with a product or service, but they don't realize that marketing that product or service is their real business. Once you learn how to get traffic, you can promote just about anything online and do it profitably.

A lot of people take their employee mindset and apply it in their new business. This instant gratification, trade time for money, is a key reason so many people fair. There are not shortcuts. I've looked! Like anything, you have to take the time to develop your skill-set and mind-set if you want to succeed in a new business.

Good point. You never see ads online that say:

You will have to invest hundreds of hours, thousands of dollars, and most likely fail for a year or two before you have a breakthrough and start making money with our business model!

Most people are looking for something for nothing. That's why you see so many ads like that. It appeals to people's short term thinking and instant gratification mentality.

Good point. The internet itself is not a business. It's simply a marketing method.

Great response. I spent years trying to sell stuff there was no demand for and wondered why no one would buy. You need a hungry audience and something they absolutely want to buy if you want to succeed.

I was a jumper for a long time. I can relate. At the end of the day, you have to commit to one thing. Be persistent, consistent and focused.

I use Aweber, Fiverr, and Upwork, but have never tried any of the tools you suggested. I will do that.

Yes, picking the wrong niche can create a ton of problems, especially if it isn't a hungry audience.

Agreed. And, there's nothing wrong with that. To each their own!

Mine took about 5 years to build up steam and about 7 to get established. I figure by the ten year mark they will provide the income I have always desired.

Great post!

I remember the day I jumped in 12 programs at once, and each time you try to do one, you had another problem or traffic needed for the other 11. LOL.

What a waist of life that was.

once I learnt to FOCUS, and build up leads, and make $10,000 a month in one niche, then its time to move over to another one.

I can tell you, take it from someone who failed hard in 2008 and now I do very well, xxx, xxx a year.

Unless you are making sales daily and do not have a list of 10,000 highly targeted leads for a list. Do not move, do not do anything, you need to make this your goal first.

Once you can do this, and are making $10,000 a month in your preferred niche, and FOCUSED and have it on autopilot, then do nothing.

its about FOCUS< FOCUS, FOCUS first...... without focus on one thing, you will be going and doing 5% of a job in 10 other things.

What you want to do is 100% in one thing, instead of spreading yourself to thin. I see peopel do this all the time, and its a very BIG PART of why people fail online. they never sit down and do something till the end. They never FOCUS!!!! You might be reading this now and thinking....."ahh yes this is where I am going wrong, I keep jumping from new shiney ball, to new shiney ball without working it for weeks, and months!!"

Its one of my biggest secrets I share to my clients.

Once you sit down and work this out, not only do you get more done, you make more money in the end.

Hope this helps.

Pretty much all businesses are a long term project. Very few make money right away. Most people have the employee mindset, and don't have the mental toughness to see it through.

Maybe. But, we are all responsible for our own success. Blaming our failure or lack of results on a teacher, or someone else, is the easy way out. We have to take 100% responsibility for our own results, or lack of results.

That is a big factor. Business knowledge can be learned though, even if you have no formal education. I learned from my mentors, books and by watching YouTube videos. Few people are ever taught how to be an entrepreneur. We definitely don't learn it in college or school.

I always tell people there is a story behind the story. What you see or read about is a finished product. What you don't see is the years of hard work, money invested, and temporary failure they went through to become the success they are today.

You nailed it man. Most people don't have what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur. It requires mental toughness. If you have the security and steady paycheck mindset, you will never make it.

Definitely. A lot of people want something for nothing. They just don't have the drive to hang in there for a couple years before they see any type of positive results. Most people are way too shortsighted.

Yes, you definitely want a system. And you need the daily discipline to do the work every single day. Fail, learn, fail, learn, fail, learn. Repeat until successful.

Some popular success recipes:

(1) Constantly search for answers
(2) Be hungry for guidance
(3) Fish around for books and blogs
(4) Find constant motivation to get up off your butts and get going.
(5) Grow your social-media presence
(6) Fail enough times and fake it long enough
(7) Follow the rich and famous
(8) Stay positive.

That's what passes for common wisdom these days. Simply put, you're in the wrong line of work.

If online success is your goal, the extact opposite is what you should be doing. You need to raise the bar, not just a little, but a lot. You can do that by following these:

(1) Have faith in yourself, face your fears, overcome your obstacles, and stick with it.
(2) Don't push yourself to do something you were never meant to do, instead fine the work you love doing.
(3) Focus on being the best
(4) If you lack in expertise, you may need to go back to school and work at it for quite a few years (I'm not kidding)
(5) Get better at your craft
(6) If you're smart and savvy, you'll rise above the pack and untimately beat the competition.

Good luck!

Yes, analysis by paralysis is the kiss of death. It's much better to dive in and learn as you go than wait until you know everything to get started. Just my two cents.

It can be tempting when you see all the crazy ads online about people making millions. What most of these people don't say is they've been doing it for years and then spend six figures plus per month in advertising to make that kind of money.

I would partially blame the people who keep buying the "strategy makers' " programs over and over again thinking there is some magic button to push to make money, imho

Shirlyn,

With all due respect, I find this reasoning total nonsense.

You are suggesting that a person's failure at IM has nothing to do with the entrepreneur. That he/she has no control over his own success - the high failure rate is completely the fault of others that are teaching IM.

If that is true, I suggest we close this forum down right now and we all go home because regardless of how hard we work at it, being profitable online only happens randomly to 5% of those who try.

This is the victim mentality . . . the near opposite of the entrepreneur mentality that goes something like "I am totally responsible for my own business success and failure." And while I don't believe in absolutes, I would say the truth lies much closer to the latter than the former.

Steve

Getting ready to get ready. The kiss of death in most businesses. Or, busy spending all of your time on anything and everything except making sales and making the cash register ring. That is the only real job of any entrepreneur.

Well said !

I agree with you especially about failing that is where people quit or even when they fail twice they quit.

I personally know this because I have been 1 of them but came back after a while and am learning from my mistakes now instead of giving up now.

So 1 of the main reasons is people not learning or being patient.

Mr S.Ahmed.

Probably the best response on this thread. Thanks.

I'll just chime in and say that I've never met ONE successful person in any endeavor that didn't have many years of frustration, struggle and failure BEFORE achieving success. I call it the story behind the story. Very few talk about it, but you need to understand it. Success is never a straight line. There will be zigs and zags. You will go two steps forward, five steps back. Learn from each mistake, make the necessary adjustments and realize that highest paid players in baseball fail 7 out of 10 times. If you can bat .300 as an entrepreneur, you'll be rich one day! Food for thought.