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Is learning how to program worth it for an internet marketer?

by NateJasper
27 replies
I know HTML and CSS and I'm wondering if it is worth it to learn php and MYSQL to be able to work under the hood of wordpress. Or would I just be better off taking that time and devoting it to product creation, copywriting, and marketing?

I'm posting this here instead of the design and programming forums because I want to get the advice of marketers, not web developers.
#internet #learning #marketer #program #worth
  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Villanueva
    The latter would be my advise. Create your own product and market it! You can create some good profit by doing that which can buy you time to learn the php.

    Plus learning marketing skills and focusing on copyrighting is a skill that can make you money effortlessly after having a system setup.

    Once you create brand loyalty you can create any product you feel marketer will need as time and technology evolves.
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  • Profile picture of the author onSubie
    It depends on how much you want to work under the hood.

    If you know HTML and CSS then hacking some PHP code is not difficult and you can pick it up as you need to.

    But you don't really need to learn PHP extensively unless you plan on doing a lot of coding.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      Learning how to program won't help you to be a better Internet marketer. It won't help you to learn how to sell more. It won't help you to learn how to pick a niche, put up a web site, present an offer, do the copywriting for a sales letter, or drive non-stop traffic to your sales page. It won't help you nurture your customers or create a new product.

      If you want to learn how to program out of a special interest or passion you have for the field then I say "go for it!" Otherwise, programming is one of those skills that can easily be outsourced or purchased online. If you want to make money online, focus on selling and leave programming to the professionals.

      Good luck to you,

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author LegendaryGuy1
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    To be honest, I wouldn't waste my time learning coding. It is good if you want to get in the coding business i.e. web developing software developing etc. However as an internet marketer, it is better to focus on product design, marketing and copy writing etc. The reason being is that you could outsource the coding work to freelancers for an affordable wage.

    As an internet marketer, the key to success is marketing, not coding.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by LegendaryGuy1 View Post

      To be honest, I wouldn't waste my time learning coding. It is good if you want to get in the coding business i.e. web developing software developing etc. However as an internet marketer, it is better to focus on product design, marketing and copy writing etc. The reason being is that you could outsource the coding work to freelancers for an affordable wage.

      As an internet marketer, the key to success is marketing, not coding.
      The problem with outsourcing everything is that you are then on the freelancer's schedule rather than your own.

      Over the years, I've found it very practical to know just enough to do a little hacking so that I could test things and make changes on my schedule.

      I wouldn't think of writing my own plugins or starting from scratch on a theme, but creating child themes or adding functionality without having to rely on yet another plugin has served me well.

      For example, you have a download link that doesn't work. You contact your hired programmer, and he tells you he'll get to it in a couple of days. Contrast that with knowing where to look for the download link and spending two minutes correcting it.

      That said, I also picked up what I know when I needed to know it, rather than trying to learn everything ahead of time.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ord Allenbea
        As an internet marketer and website developer with more than 15 years online I must agree. I learned many parts of the business so I would not need to rely on someone else that says they will get to it in a few days. Not to mention the fact that I know it is done properly if I do it myself and I can save that money to put into marketing.

        To answer the OP - It is very beneficial and yes it will help you make more money.

        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        The problem with outsourcing everything is that you are then on the freelancer's schedule rather than your own.

        Over the years, I've found it very practical to know just enough to do a little hacking so that I could test things and make changes on my schedule.

        I wouldn't think of writing my own plugins or starting from scratch on a theme, but creating child themes or adding functionality without having to rely on yet another plugin has served me well.

        For example, you have a download link that doesn't work. You contact your hired programmer, and he tells you he'll get to it in a couple of days. Contrast that with knowing where to look for the download link and spending two minutes correcting it.

        That said, I also picked up what I know when I needed to know it, rather than trying to learn everything ahead of time.
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      • Profile picture of the author Alast
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        The problem with outsourcing everything is that you are then on the freelancer's schedule rather than your own.

        Over the years, I've found it very practical to know just enough to do a little hacking so that I could test things and make changes on my schedule.

        I wouldn't think of writing my own plugins or starting from scratch on a theme, but creating child themes or adding functionality without having to rely on yet another plugin has served me well.

        For example, you have a download link that doesn't work. You contact your hired programmer, and he tells you he'll get to it in a couple of days. Contrast that with knowing where to look for the download link and spending two minutes correcting it.

        That said, I also picked up what I know when I needed to know it, rather than trying to learn everything ahead of time.
        Honestly - I wouldn't even hire anyone for such job. I would simply Google similar issues and copy a working solution. This essentially requires no 'knowledge' and will still save you time.
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by Alast View Post

          Honestly - I wouldn't even hire anyone for such job. I would simply Google similar issues and copy a working solution. This essentially requires no 'knowledge' and will still save you time.
          I agree, IF you can find that working solution that exactly matches what you are trying to do and the example is presented accurately.

          But if all you can find is something close, or the solution you copy has a small bug (like a missing ";" or something), knowing the rudiments will help you get what you want.
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          • Profile picture of the author Alast
            Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

            I agree, IF you can find that working solution that exactly matches what you are trying to do and the example is presented accurately.

            But if all you can find is something close, or the solution you copy has a small bug (like a missing ";" or something), knowing the rudiments will help you get what you want.
            That is true. In addition, there are many forums (including the Warrior Forum) who offer help for free if stuck.
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  • Profile picture of the author brettb
    It's definitely worthwhile - then you can have absolute control over your own sites.

    And if you get good you can then get a job programming for a living.
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  • Profile picture of the author ErinWalsh
    Starting product creation is a good idea rather than coding and trying to learn a new language. however it depends on your skills.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Keith
    much like Mr. McCabe, i am a self tough hack of a programmer. i wouldn't have a clue how to start even a simple project from scratch, but i do find it very helpful to mostly understand the logic of how php,mysql, javascript work...for the most part.

    Much like john, i like the ability to play with things on a slow day and just mess around. And yes, even my crapy coding skills are enough to solve many simple issues or tweak things.

    I also find it very helpful that i can talk their language to a degree. I mostly know what is possible, what isn't, and i have a good idea of how much work something will take. That allows me not to get taken to the cleaners so to speak when i do hire programmers.

    btw. i still never learned the new fangled css crap very well. I still hard code in 1996 html...lol

    but even that little html coding allows me to make "demos" or non functioning templates of what i need programmed. makes communication and expectations much more clear when hiring people to do work.
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  • Profile picture of the author ron200
    It is always nice to know how to make adjustments to certain things that are not easily done in the wordpress dashboard.
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  • Profile picture of the author guitarizma
    Banned
    Originally Posted by NateJasper View Post

    I know HTML and CSS and I'm wondering if it is worth it to learn php and MYSQL to be able to work under the hood of wordpress. Or would I just be better off taking that time and devoting it to product creation, copywriting, and marketing?

    I'm posting this here instead of the design and programming forums because I want to get the advice of marketers, not web developers.
    As an IMer you probably have to do a lot of odd jobs every now and them You are on your own and it pays if you know a bit of everything. Of course you can outsource stuff for cheap nowadays, but if you have the opportunity pick up a new skill go for it.

    It's going to be an asset for you and maybe even an extra income stream to bail you out if one money stream falls apart.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chett
    This conversation seems to come up on a number of forums and i think the answer depends on what you plan to do. I also notice when this conversation comes up there are often people talking about the topic from 2 different sides - there is a difference between learning enough code to get by if you are setting up a site in order to sell an ebook, while it's a whole different thing if you plan to try and create and sell a complex saas, plugin etc.

    I think learning as you go or learning just enough to outsource effectively is the best way to go, unless a complex software solution is at the heart of what you plan to do, then it may be different.

    Another thought that comes to mind is won't it depend on the person to some extent. Some people take to certain things better than others. I guess though whatever you decide to do you always have to sell.
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  • Profile picture of the author davidaclark
    Originally Posted by NateJasper View Post

    I know HTML and CSS and I'm wondering if it is worth it to learn php and MYSQL to be able to work under the hood of wordpress. Or would I just be better off taking that time and devoting it to product creation, copywriting, and marketing?

    I'm posting this here instead of the design and programming forums because I want to get the advice of marketers, not web developers.
    I learn to do what I need to.
    I can sort out most problems, I can design websites that work and I can do minor PHP work. The more you do, the more you will learn.
    If you have a specific programming problem then use Google to find a solution.
    Do not bother to learn enough to write a php website, life is to short.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nail Yener
    It depends on what you want to do and what you enjoy to do. For example I see myself as a marketer-developer hybrid. I started IM with affiliate marketing then continued with building websites, offering services, then added product development and launches to my portfolio. I do enjoy finding product ideas and building/developing things, so even if I ever become a top marketer, I will still continue developing things because that's what I enjoy the most.

    If you don't want to get involved with the development side of things, focus on marketing side of things and you can always find people to develop your product ideas for yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author Humbee360
    Learning more about the mechanics of programming is never a bad thing.

    One of the biggest hurdles in outsourcing is communication, programmers tend to understand things from a different perspective than the buyer of freelance services.

    The more you understand about programming and how it works the better your projects and products will be.

    Even if it turns out that you're not the next programming genius, everything you learn about code will improve your ability to succeed.

    I can tell you from experience that "knowing" more can save you tons of headaches in just about everything you do online. ;
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  • Profile picture of the author datingworld
    Learning MySQL and PHP will certainly help to take more control of your sites.
    You will feel more relaxed when you would be controlling your own sites rather than relying on other people.
    For being a better marketer / seller, I think it is essential one has at least basic knowledge of whatever comes in their way whether its skills of marketing or skills of codings etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author KattyHowells
    IM is a constant challenge, no one knows everything and you should focus on the one thing you know better and delegate for all the others. Would you consider writing your own texts, perfectly mastering paid advertising methods and doing your own SEO?
    The more areas you are trying to cover at the same time, the more failure changes you have.
    So it's like you said, focus on your marketing strategy and choose the right persons to work by your side.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Stewart
      Originally Posted by KattyHowells View Post

      IM is a constant challenge, no one knows everything and you should focus on the one thing you know better and delegate for all the others. Would you consider writing your own texts, perfectly mastering paid advertising methods and doing your own SEO?
      The more areas you are trying to cover at the same time, the more failure changes you have.
      So it's like you said, focus on your marketing strategy and choose the right persons to work by your side.
      I agree. Focus is key. If you don't focus on one thing at a time, and master that, you will not make money.

      I'm a programmer. I've been doing it since I was 13, as a hobby, and now professionally. It requires a HUGE investment in time learning and relearning as new technologies emerge. Programming will take up a lot of your focus if you choose to go that route. On the plus side, you make great money at it.
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  • Profile picture of the author NateJasper
    I'm planning on creating a blog and selling two courses that I will create that expand on the subjects I cover on my blog. I would like to also have a forum for people who buy my advanced course.

    How much programming would be useful for a project like that? Right now I'm thinking of spending a hour learning to program per day. I was thinking I would start off with javascript and jquery and then move on to php and mysql. Code academy suggest learning javascript before PHP.

    What do you guys think of that idea? Should I devote time upfront to learn programming or wait and just focus on creating my products and learn it as I launch the blog and products?
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  • Profile picture of the author pdrs
    When I first started, I didn't even understand basic CSS. It was frustrating and I could never get my sites to look how I wanted. I tried hiring people, but I even lacked the basic understanding to effectively communicate what I wanted and it just ended up costing me a TON of money.

    Finally a couple years ago I just put my head down and got really into front-end development and I don't regret it in the least.

    You don't need to be an expert, but learning how Wordpress functions which obviously includes some basic PHP, as well as JS/Jquery and some basic responsive design principals will never do you wrong.

    Even if you end up outsourcing it, you'll have a MUCH better grasp on how to communicate and manage your outsourcers which is always a good thing!
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  • Profile picture of the author dejaone
    The programming skills could really help you test your online marketing ideas quickly.
    You could pick up both php and MySQL in a few day to do some simple programming.
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  • Profile picture of the author NK
    If you can afford to maintain outsourcing then there really isn't a need to pick up a new skill. It may be good to have a basic understanding of it, but otherwise you should be spending your time and effort improving your marketing strategies.

    On the other hand, if you don't have that much funds for outsourcing, learning it yourself is a good way to keep costs low. Do the simpler things yourself and outsource the more complex parts of the project.
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  • Profile picture of the author magiclouie
    Originally Posted by NateJasper View Post

    I know HTML and CSS and I'm wondering if it is worth it to learn php and MYSQL to be able to work under the hood of wordpress. Or would I just be better off taking that time and devoting it to product creation, copywriting, and marketing?

    I'm posting this here instead of the design and programming forums because I want to get the advice of marketers, not web developers.
    If you really have that great passion and interest in learning php and mysql, go for it in your free time. Just take it one step at a time. My point here is that at least you know how php and MYSQL work so if there will be some wp php errors, you can just go ahead and fix them or find a solution to fix them.

    You need to consider your time as well. If you think you have the "time" then go for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author pawandave
    Banned
    Programming and internet marketing is totally different thing...Wherever marketing word comes ..it incorporate selling thing not manufacturing...manufacturing is different department..Programmer creates product & tools for marketing product like website , software , squeeze page etc.
    If you wanted to be top internet marketer don't need to learn programmer as you can outsource this thing , as IM you just need to concentrate on art or selling thing . Be creative discover different way to get traffic to your or else product you're promoting. However if you learn something like creating squeeze page etc then it would be handy for you but surely not necessary at all ....
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