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

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.

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.