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The security of internet marketing as a primary income source.

by XX
10 replies
My question is this?

How comfortable do you/would you feel about having internet marketing as your sole income source?


Me? Not so much. Even with the modern sophistication of the internet and it still all seems very fragile and dangerously intangible.


Link shorteners, google results, affiliate programs, etc. So many factors outside your control that can have such a great impact on your income.


The possibility exists of things just going wrong or not getting paid the money you should and you may never know the truth (affiliate scrubbing, etc.)

Even though I am beginning to make a substantial and possible livable income off of my IM activities I don't know if I would be comfortable quitting my day job.



What is the community thoughts on this issue?
#income #internet #marketing #primary #security #source
  • Profile picture of the author Site87
    I have always treated my online marketing as a business. Meaning, building direct relationships with my customers and offering goods and services of quality.

    I believe that anyone can be successful online and achieve great financial success on the internet as long as they treat their online marketing as they would any other business.
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  • Profile picture of the author BacklinkExcellence
    I agree that in internet marketing you're dependable on a lot of factors (traffic sources, networks, product vendors should you be an affiliate, hosting, various scripts etc.) which is why it's important to not have all of your eggs in one basket.

    Get good at one thing, then automate it and let it take up as minimal time as possible of your day (preferably outsource it) then move onto new ventures and repeat. That way you'll be able to gradually move from your day job to fully IM.

    On the other hand, one could argue that in light of the recent economic developments many day jobs are just as fragile as if you were working IM fulltime. You could have a really unlucky day, muck up too many things for your boss to ignore and bam, you're getting the letter. I think people feel "secure" in their day jobs but in my opinion, that security is a farce.
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  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    Don't think of having an online business. Instead, focusing on developing your general marketing and business skills. Then, if the internet should just disappear tomorrow, you have the skills and knowledge you need to keep making money.

    In other words, don't focus on being an "online marketer." Instead, focus on becoming an entrepreneur, a business builder.

    Cheers,
    Becky

    P.S. Makes me think of Jim Straw. He's been in business for 50 years -- through recessions and economic booms, through changing advertising venues, opportunities and even regulations. And he always kept making money.
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  • Profile picture of the author donhx
    Well, we are all dependent on infrastructure. If the electricity goes down, all business will end, online and offline. You can't worry about that too much, except be sure you save your money. But keep it under your mattress because the ATMs won't be working without electricity.

    If you are not comfortable with your IM income, don't give up your day job. It's an individual decision.
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  • Profile picture of the author stevmark008
    I am not really dependent on internet marketing as my source of income. I have also my traditional business. But internet marketing is really a good business.
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  • Profile picture of the author RemingtonSteele
    Originally Posted by XX View Post

    How comfortable do you/would you feel about having internet marketing as your sole income source?
    Very comfortable, but only because I focus on building multiple businesses and building relationships with the customers of each business. If I weren't building databases of customers and subscribers, then I'd be on shaky ground for sure.

    Originally Posted by XX View Post

    Link shorteners, google results, affiliate programs, etc. So many factors outside your control that can have such a great impact on your income.


    The possibility exists of things just going wrong or not getting paid the money you should and you may never know the truth (affiliate scrubbing, etc.)
    That's why it might be better for you to create your own product(s). Affiliate marketing is good for helping you learn how Internet marketing works, but once you get good at it, you'll probably discover that there's a lot more money to be made selling your own products or services, and you don't have to worry about not getting credited for all of the sales that you make.

    Originally Posted by XX View Post

    Even though I am beginning to make a substantial and possible livable income off of my IM activities I don't know if I would be comfortable quitting my day job.
    If you're not comfortable quitting your day job, then don't. If/when you are finally ready, you'll know it, and there will be no question as to whether or not it's the right decision.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
      Have you ever had a job burn down on you?

      I have.

      I was walking to work one day. I had about a mile walk to a waitress job I had at the time.

      I was in a mood that day - I really didn't want to go.

      Well, I stepped out the door, walked up my driveway, and up the hill on my way I saw smoke in the distance - right around where my job was at the time. I thought about running back into my house to grab my camera for the walk, but I was already running late.

      I thought to myself, "wow, wouldn't that be great if my job was burning down right now and I didn't have to work tonight?"

      I got a bit further on my walk, and because of the windy post road on route 1 it now looked like the hospital was on fire.

      I thought to myself again, " oh, how terrible if the Hospital was on fire"

      I kept going and as I got to the top of the hill closer to my job I thought "oh crap, maybe I should have run back in for my camera before I was too far from my house as my job might really be on fire" - but I was still in disbelief and it was not until I got there that I saw the crowd of people and one of my bosses holding his head and walking through the parking lot, shaking his head in disbelief.

      I was in a strip of businesses, and just at the point where I reached my destination the business I had been working in was just starting to burn.

      It was dead next to a video store, which had cause a hell of a lot of smoke from burning tapes.


      This is not different really.

      You would apply what you know somewhere else. Really no different.

      My job disappeared in a day.

      I grieved, drank a lot, even got some pity drinks bought for me , and realized after a few days I needed to get back on the horse again and find a job.

      The internet could blow up, your job could burn down.

      You want to waste time with all this?



      Just go make some money.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nicola Lane
    How comfortable do you/would you feel about having internet marketing as your sole income source?
    It isn't a sole income source for me - I have multiple streams of internet based income.

    Me? Not so much. Even with the modern sophistication of the internet and it still all seems very fragile and dangerously intangible.
    How is that different to the offline world?

    Link shorteners, google results, affiliate programs, etc. So many factors outside your control that can have such a great impact on your income.
    Once again, how is that different to the offline world? I control as much as I can - but we are all at the mercy of acts of god (or her opposite number politicians LOL )

    The possibility exists of things just going wrong or not getting paid the money you should and you may never know the truth (affiliate scrubbing, etc.)
    And again, how is that different to the offline world?

    Even though I am beginning to make a substantial and possible livable income off of my IM activities I don't know if I would be comfortable quitting my day job.
    A day job??

    That sounds to me to be the most "fragile and intangible" way to make a living!
    • Just one source of income
    • Just as dependent on infrastructure and acts of God as anyone else
    • subject to losing your job at the whim of a boss.
    • if you lose one job it might take months or years to get another.
    • also dependent on everyone else in the company to be doing their job properly.

    Being self-employed would be better, but there is still the difficulty of building and maintaining multiple streams of income.

    I think I'll stick with IM!
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    • Profile picture of the author craig j
      There have been times when my internet income was my sole income source and that felt okay at the time but it probably wasn't the wisest choice...I pretty much had all my eggs in one basket and when that's the case it's easy for your income to just plummet or even dry up literally overnight - which happened...

      I think it comes down to making smart choices - treating it like a business as Site87 mentioned and diversifying etc. Also if you're making good money then invest in other offline assets so you're not just diversifying online. That's one way to build financial security.

      After losing two consecutive day jobs because the business owners had cashflow issues I'm under no illusions that a day job is anymore secure than my internet business.
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