Why Internet Marketing IS The Hardest Thing I've EVER Done - An 18 Year Old Lads Perspective | Warrior Forum - The #1 Digital Marketing Forum & Marketplace

14 years ago

Judging by the way you write you could make yourself a lot more by offering writing services. Many people suggest elance or in the warriors for hire board.

Obviously it isn't the same as your websites doing it but you can take a few hours away from your own sites and provide the services, get paid and then focus on your sites with some money in your ahnd for the day.

It can be frustrating to go into services when you want to be the one outsourcing to service providers but it is a start and gives you some money in your pocket to get you started and help grow your confidence.

Also I have found by offering different services I am getting paid to perfect that service.

Keep at it though, you will sort it out and once you do your obvious passion and determination will drive you to succeed.

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EricShaun

14 years ago

It's a hard road and few suceed

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Marketing Merit 14 years ago

Originally Posted by EricShaun

It's a hard road and few suceed

I think it's a hard road and many give up before they succeed!!

IM seems to be a profession that many think is a sure fire way to make instant millions overnight on auto pilot. To be fair, this is in no small part due to the endless products on sale out there that imply such income is achievable by working only working a couple of hours a week.

If you enjoy IM then stick at it Tedwood until you find a formula that works for you. Most work part time until they have generated a sufficient income to give up their day jobs.

My advice would be to pick 2 or 3 methods and work on them.

Using Hub Pages, as an example, there are some people on there who are earning $500 to $1,500 monthly in Adsense income. However, for this level of income, most have circa 600+ hubs. These 600 hubs didn't just happen over night. The writers worked at it consistently over a period of time building up their empire.

Selling public domain ebooks or PLR can also be a nice little earner. You could get off to an easy start by listing these items on Tradebit/Payloadz and similar sites.

Just don't put all your eggs in one basket though. I was generating a tidy income from free eBay UK classified ads when, without warning, they just announced that they were stopping them!! Ouch...

The secret is to find something that works for you.

Best of luck!
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- ExRat 14 years ago
  
  Hi tedwood,
  
  Not so long ago, people could learn to put up websites, hop on the internet and make some money. It's not quite as easy now, but with all of the old ebooks and courses still going around and in such a fast-paced environment, it would probably appear to newer people that it's still the same.
  
  The market has matured. What this means to newer people is that the good opportunities are fewer (in general) for them. Plus, due to the cautious economic climate there is a contraction of the money being spent, but there are a whole bunch of people (EG IMers) who have set themselves up to earn online and they are still trying to make a living - therefore there are lots of sellers, but less buyers.
  
  Many of these people are in the IM industry, positioned to earn a living from all of the newer people coming online. Are they likely to sell products explaining just how difficult it is to make a living online? Of course not, in general they try to make it sound easy.
  
  The consequence of this market maturing is that those who's businesses require the efforts of others (EG vendors with affiliate programs) have become smarter. They know all of the tricks and they know that there are many things happening out there, completely independent of their own efforts, that affect the likelihood of their cookies remaining. When the affiliate cookies fail to work, the vendor still gets paid. Vendors don't talk about this.
  
  They still position their offers as highly attractive, while failing to mention any new changes that happen within the market that make it harder for affiliates.
  
  Another example - the search engines are 'at war' with the mass of small-time website creators and they continually work at keeping the least professional websites lower in the SERPs. Meanwhile, the IM marketplace invents more and more desperate tactics/shortcuts/products to sell to people trying to get rankings in order to fight back against this 'war'. But when they sell them they don't describe them as 'desperate measures' to 'fight a war' against a megacorp. They sell them as the 'latest greatest thing for earning push-button squillions easily.'
  
  With all of these difficulties related to the mature market and economic climate, masses of competition (some of it highly financed) and people desperately trying to sell last year's defunct techniques in their products - it's very difficult out there for many people, but particularly newcomers.
  
  These are some of the reasons why there is a continual procession of people coming along talking about reality not matching their expectations.
  
  There is at least one upside to this. If you cut your teeth in business by trying to make a living on the internet as your first venture, the earnings may be disappointing at first or for some time but you will most likely come out the other side of it with your eyes wide open and with an increased ability to recognise and avoid sharp practices and snake-oil salesmen in the future.
  
  If you're bloody-minded enough, you might even stay the course and earn a living (or much more) from this insane online world. Many of us who came into this with a sh*t or bust approach have paid our dues over and over and over - way more times than we ever thought we would, but we stick it out because semi-passive income, independence and time/boss/life-freedom are so damn addictive and pleasureable!
  
  The key is to recognise the difference between a treadmill/hamster-wheel/J.O.B., and a business that you can build and build and build at a much faster rate than any natural shrinkage that occurs. Those who don't learn to understand and recognise the difference will inevitably find a whole industry of hamster-wheels, treadmills and J.O.B.s just waiting for them, disguised as ready-made businesses.
  
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  Roger Davis
  
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EliteIM

14 years ago

IM looks very enticing and easy money but the truth is, there is as much hard work involved here as in a regular day job. Also, it seems you lacked a proven method to make money. Try to look at it as if it is a business and just not a money making bag of tricks, attitude does matters a lot.

But at least you worked hard as most guys don't even start taking action. Secondly, you are just 18, I suggest you resume the part time job of yours and work on making one method work first during the spare time. Or better, why not peruse a professional degree first? Get a solid foundation first and only then bother Internet Marketing.

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tedwood

14 years ago

Hi ExRat
I understand the angle that you've come from in your post. One type of person you may think I am is one of the other 90% that buy into snakes oil products and believe every word they say. In fact I've never done that and only bought products from trusted sources that I know I will get value from.

From this post I'm not saying I want to quit as I'm not that type of person. All I'm saying is this is the single most hardest thing I've ever had to do .. not because of all the e-books and false promises but compared to other things in my life.

I know over time I will get over this hump but it's hard when I spend a whole month on 2 websites and both of them FAIL. One of them has over 25 posts with as much as 25 articles pointing to it and it only gets 8 hits a day (That's not including all the thought that went into it). I mean for that amount of effort I DESERVE so much more.

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ForeignProfessor 14 years ago

Go write something.
For money.

When you get paid, it'll kick you over any hill you imagine is in front of you.
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- tedwood 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by ForeignProfessor
  
  Go write something.
  For money.
  
  When you get paid, it'll kick you over any hill you imagine is in front of you.
  
  Ah ForeignProfessor I was going to thank you for your private message for giving me that advice but as you can see my post count isn't at 50 yet. I think that using Fiverr for testimonials is a very good idea. Appreciate your input.
  
  Thanks
  
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  wanna-succeed 14 years ago
  
  Wow, I'm sorry to hear that man.
  I am no expert, but I do hear everyone around here saying that you should stick with 1 thing. What was your action plan during the past year?
  If you were sticking with one thing, maybe after 2-3 months, you should have changed. I don't really know, as I don't have that much experience.
  This makes me think of a question I would like to ask everyone.
  When is it ok to move on? How do I know I have tried everything, that it is time to try a new angle? Some people say not to hop form one thing to another, but then again, can't you spend a lot of time on something, only to see it flop?
  To the OP, keep your chin up bro, you have other things in your arsenal.
  I noticed you have a nice way of writing, it flows well.
  And don't beat yourself up if something doesn't work out. It isn't as easy as it is widely portrayed. It only looks easy because of the nature of the bussiness, marketing. Not everyone pulls it off, maybe you should rethink.
  I don't know. Take a few days to think about your situation, where you can go from here, if you want to continue\take a break, what you want to accomplish.
  Think long and hard about some of these decisions, as they may dictate how the things in your life pan out in the near futute.
  Best of luck to you!
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  No sig, good day m8...
  
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JackPowers

14 years ago

Originally Posted by tedwood

Hi ExRat
I know over time I will get over this hump but it's hard when I spend a whole month on 2 websites and both of them FAIL. One of them has over 25 posts with as much as 25 articles pointing to it and it only gets 8 hits a day (That's not including all the thought that went into it). I mean for that amount of effort I DESERVE so much more.

A website can only fail, when you have a clear set of goals and a method for achieving those goals?

Did you research keywords to rank for?
Did you determine if it is realistic to rank first page for those keywords within a given time?
Did you build enough backlinks to get there?
Did you test your website for conversion rates so you could run PPC?
If monetizing with Adsense, did you test the template?

Seriously though, 25 articles is nothing and will only help you rank for very low competition keywords.

So, we have already determined at least one mistake in your method and probably more.

1) Failing to do proper keyword research
2) Failure to build enough backlinks

If you're going to go the SEO/backlink route, then those two points are really all you need to focus on.

Why don't you set off a weekend to read everything on Warrior Forum about those two subjects, then make a new site based on keywords you researched.

I'll get you started:

- Find a 'buying' keyword with at least 3000 exact match searches
- If the competition on the first page all have less than PR4 then go for it.
- Find an exact match domain or a domain with keywords in it if the exact match domain is not available.
- Write 5 articles around the main keyword (the other 4 from Googles 'related searches')
- Link those 5 articles to each other using the correct anchor text.
- Build 10 backlinks a day anyway you can (articles, blog comments, forum profiles)
- Wait two months
- Profit

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Ken Leatherman

14 years ago

Originally Posted by tedwood

Hi ExRat
I understand the angle that you've come from in your post. One type of person you may think I am is one of the other 90% that buy into snakes oil products and believe every word they say. In fact I've never done that and only bought products from trusted sources that I know I will get value from.

From this post I'm not saying I want to quit as I'm not that type of person. All I'm saying is this is the single most hardest thing I've ever had to do .. not because of all the e-books and false promises but compared to other things in my life.

I know over time I will get over this hump but it's hard when I spend a whole month on 2 websites and both of them FAIL. One of them has over 25 posts with as much as 25 articles pointing to it and it only gets 8 hits a day (That's not including all the thought that went into it). I mean for that amount of effort I DESERVE so much more.

Tedwood,

I have to tell you 25 post and 25 articles pointing to a site are a long way from being through with your site. 25 backlinks from your articles is absolutely nothing. However, there is a bright spot that you have realized that many others hear never see and that is the 60 pounds you made. Congratulations for doing so.

You did something right to earn that money, now figure out how you did it, and do it again and again. Don't reinvent the wheel each time you start a marketing campaign.

As far as deserving so much more, sorry man but the world doesn't owe you a darn thing. Did you stop to think maybe you have gotten what you deserve; out of these 2 sites. Perhaps the keywords you selected have only 20 or 30 people searching for it a day. Or the affiliate product you selected does not have that much demand and of course the list goes on. I wish I could tell you how many times I failed before I made my first dollar online.

Think about how much you have learned creating these sites and then the satisfaction of having taken each one of them to completion. Next time it will be so much easier for you to launch another site. And I would be willing to bet you will see your success rate go up.

Yes its hard work and may be the hardest thing you have ever done in your young life up to this point, but trust me, it won't be the hardest thing as your life goes on.

Ken

The Old Geezer

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JackPowers

14 years ago

IM is hard and that's why you can make a lot of money. Things that are hard to learn and difficult are valuable, sometimes VERY valuable. This idea that IM is easy only comes from those in the IM niche preying on newbies.

I think it's obvious that if you've been in IM for a year and not made any money, then what you're doing isn't working for you. Maybe it's time to choose a totally different direction in IM? Or get really serious about what you're doing now.

I've been in IM for about 2 years. Made very little money in the first year and a half, then now very close to being able to quit my job if I wanted to - which I don't want to - and I have set some pretty high goals for myself for the next year.

"Most people quit when they're almost at their goal". I think that's very true.

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Lou Diamond

14 years ago

Hello,
the way that I have made internet marketing easy is to find a hungry audience, sell to people that have a genuine need and want for your product and you will have it much easier.

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Something new soon.

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E. Brian Rose

14 years ago

There are many paths to choose in life. Some paths are hard and some are easier. If Internet marketing has so far been the hardest thing that you've ever done in your life, then you may be choosing the wrong path.

I recommend that you make a list of goals that you are trying to accomplish and then put together a plan for each of those goals. If you don't know how to achieve a specific goal, then get some help. Ask specific questions to get you past what you are stuck on.

Once you have your goals and a plan on how to achieve those goals, then you have taken the necessary steps to finding an easier path.

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Benjamin Ehinger

14 years ago

Originally Posted by tedwood

Blood, Sweat and Tears ... and £60 in my commission junction account is all I have to show for it.

The first time I heard about Internet Marketing about a year ago my heart started racing. I've always loved money and in fact since a little kid used to do jobs for my dad such as add all his pennies up and put them into bags so they can be sold for pounds. I would love doing this and even try and negotiate a commission per bag. Cutting the grass was great as I could have that done in 30 mins and be paid £5. Now boy o boy did i think Internet Marketing was up my street, get paid to sell products online, what could be better!?

For about a year now I have been learning with passion, absolutely confident with my desire I can make things happen. Not the case, the fact is I've put soo much effort into IM, probably around 300/400 hours and some days when im not in University get 8 web pages done. £60 Commission/300 Hours= 20 Pence an hour rate! Now looking at that rate do you think its worth it? Would you work knowing that for every hour you worked you'd earn 20 pence!?
The thing that upsets so much is the fact I quit my part time job to do this and if I only would have worked 10 hours I could have been paid that, minus the expenses.

Now I'm going to compare Internet Marketing to something I have struggled with in the past ... Girls. I used to suck with girls, get friend zoned, get rejected, even had the worst rejection in college from the girl i had the biggest crush on. I wasn't bad looking, I knew that but it's how i handled the situations that made me bad. So not that long ago i decided to learn what to do and how to get girls to like me. I learnt and learnt and guess what ... It took me 4 months before I cracked it.

Another thing is my health and my body. Not long ago i had to undergo a large operation with which i lost more than a stone in muscle and fat. Within 3 months i was back, bigger and stronger after eating and using the gym.

I have followed Internet Marketing with more passion and desire than anything in my life, even those two examples above for over a year and a half and have more or less NOTHING to show for it. I question it sometimes, If i can make £5 cutting my dads grass as a 12 year old from 30 minutes work, why does it take me a week to earn that from one of my websites I've worked many hours on?
What does it take for a determined broke kid to make money these days!?

The passion is there, but you have to understand that this is a business. Most businesses do not even make a profit their first 2 years and 95% of them fail. This is the the cold hard facts and if you want to make it in internet marketing you need to continue to work hard. Figure out where that money came from and do more of what created it.

Another thing you could to is change your approach all together. Post what you are doing here in the forum and ask for advice on how to improve it.

Benjamin Ehinger

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NateRivers

14 years ago

Be glad it's tough though bro... if it wasn't everyone would be doing it and pretty soon no one could make enough for it to replace a job.

There aren't any formal barriers to entry, but there really are VERY tough barriers to entry.

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GeorgR.

14 years ago

You said you started about a year ago.

This is nothing..especially if you dont have a PROVEN plan to know what to do.

When i started it took me (at least!) 2 years until i saw my first checks..i was at a point where i believed that clickbank etc. is all just a scam and IM would never, ever work.

I learned a LOT in those 2+ years...and thinking back just makes me realize how incredible pathetic my first things were..things which simply COULD not work due to lack of experience which you can ONLY get in time.

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tedwood

14 years ago

Ken
My website with 25 pages and 25 articles pointing to it was done in a month. This specific website was not the main talking point, it was my other one which I have spent around 3 months on. All I'm saying is if I would have wrote those articles for other people I would have made a nice sum of money compared to just 8 unique visitors a day hardly clicking my links. It's just at the moment I'm not seeing any long or short term benefits to my campaign nor my morale

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TomBuck

14 years ago

Im 17 and feel you, I am not making much yet but got a bit and it is increasing

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iAmNameLess

14 years ago

So you have spent that much time and don't have much to show for it. That could be frustrating indeed. However, I don't think the problem is with internet marketing, I have a feeling that you read a lot on here and look for ways to succeed but not applying it to the fullest extent. Obviously if you have put that much time into it and don't have any money, then you're doing something wrong. Figure out different ways and formulate a plan. When that plan fails, see what part of that plan generated traffic, evaluate what worked about it and what didn't work. Find out why you failed, and then move forward!

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ExRat 14 years ago

Hi tedwood,

Thanks for the reply.

The greatest reward you can get from your hard work up until now is to analyse what didn't work and what did work and learn lessons from it and apply this knowledge on your next project.

Ask yourself if you should continue affiliate marketing and trying to gain traffic from search by using articles.

Ultimately you need to decide whether you just want 'some income' or whether you are willing to risk a similar outcome from your next project by trying to build a business. If it's the latter, ask yourself whether you were building a business with the last project or whether you were doing 'work for income', then adjust if necessary.

All I'm saying is this is the single most hardest thing I've ever had to do .. not because of all the e-books and false promises but compared to other things in my life.

It's difficult to answer this without sounding arrogant or something, because I'm more than twice your age and my younger years leading up to your age were full of challenges much harder than anything to be found in internet marketing and moreso afterwards. So forgive me for the unavoidable condescending tone of the following sentence - my only intention is to help.

Get used to it, the constant battles, lack of fairness and speeding up of time become a source of amusement eventually, once you get over the shock of real life belting you in the face when you weren't expecting it or deserving of it.

PS Chinese proverb - 'the journey is the reward.'

Good luck!
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Why Internet Marketing IS The Hardest Thing I've EVER Done - An 18 Year Old Lads Perspective

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