ABCIncome.Com :: Computers & Internet Marketing For Beginners
Computers & Internet Marketing For Beginners
Written by Phil Covington
Founder, ABCIncome.com
(c) copyright 2004 GRPMAX, L.L.C. & Phil Covington
Original URL: http://www.abcincome.com/articles/
Two of the subjects that come up most often when I’m helping people with their home and MLM businesses are, “how to use their computer,” and, “how to market on the Internet.”
As always, my goal here is to keep with my theme of trying to provide mainly original thought and content on ABCIncome.com, and to not duplicate or overlap too much with information that is already readily available elsewhere.
There are already so many Internet marketing “gurus,” courses, materials, coaching programs, classes, and programs, that at times it can be pretty difficult to keep track.
Fortunately, if you’re looking to get started in Internet marketing (or to hone your skills and become more profitable) it’s easy to steer people who are looking for the best place to start, to the place that is truly the best place to start! And that is with Ken Evoy’s SiteSell.
(By the way, if you're tempted to click on the above link before you've finished reading this article, you might want to keep reading before you do. SiteSell is THE best at what it does, but it still may not be the best choice for you...)
As explained at the above page on my Website, for what they do, NO ONE is more credible or has a better track record than anyone on the Internet than Ken Evoy’s SiteSell, period. It’s interesting because when people talk with me on the phone they’ll tell me how they just spent $198 to buy an Internet marketing course from Guru B, because the course they bought from Guru A for $79 didn’t help them make any money. And it’s obvious that they aren’t satisfied with the results of their last purchase, or they wouldn’t be talking to me to try to figure out where to go next…
Yes, I know about the Gurus. I know about all of the people you can find out there on the Internet who “struck it rich” after writing their first eBook when they had never written anything before, or by selling things on eBay, or whatever. And, yes, I know that some of them even post what they claim are photos of their bank statements on the Internet. Some will tell you how much money they made last week, or last month, or last year.
However, as I stress elsewhere on ABCIncome.com, which is really more important to you: how much money they make, or how much money YOU make? What many people don’t stop to think about is that the results often touted aren’t readily duplicated by the average person. Just because someone claims they wrote their first eBook in only a matter of hours or days, with no prior writing experience, and then struck it rich, doesn’t mean that you will. In fact, the odds aren’t very good if you stop to think about it.
And just because someone claims to make tons of money, doesn’t mean that, “if you follow exactly the steps they tell you,” that you will be able to do the same. Here’s something to think about. Do you think that most of the Gurus are making more money from actually doing what they say got them where they are, or from selling books, tapes, eBook, courses, coaching clubs, seminars, etc., to you? Interesting, huh?
In contrast, Ken Evoy’s SiteSell is so superior not because he boasts about how much money is in his bank account, but because he has a better track record than anyone else at being able to help people just like you learn how to effectively market on the Internet.
The Internet marketing materials and services offered by SiteSell are unbelievably inexpensive. If you choose to spend money elsewhere first, or perhaps you already have, you are very unlikely to get the same results for the amount of money spent. If you are determined to try Internet marketing on your own (that is by your own efforts), my advice is to start with SiteSell, learn and implement what it has to offer, and then you’ll be in a much better position to evaluate what other Internet marketing resources might be helpful to you.
And -- even though one of my aunts, a retirement age grandmother who with no prior computer experience started with SiteSell from scratch and built a top Website within two years, proves it can be done -- my advice would be that, if you are just thinking about it, dabbling with the idea, or really don’t have much experience, that you might want to consider holding off just yet even on SiteSell.
So, why should you listen to me? Well, do I make a lot of money? Of course, “a lot,” is relative, but I guess you could say that I do, though you’re unlikely to see me plastering copies of my bank statements on my Website. I will tell you that before the year is out I will be semi retired, a position that I’ve actually enjoyed previously. And that I expect soon afterward for my situation to be such that I work because I enjoy it, and not because I have to. A position that I’ve not been in before, but am very much looking forward to :)
However, as I stressed earlier, this really shouldn’t be about me, or an Internet marketing Guru, or even Ken Evoy’s SiteSell. Really, this should be all about YOU. What’s really important is how much money you are making (or not making), and what can help you get from where you are to where you want to go.
Why else should you listen to me? Well, I have been in business longer than most of the Gurus. And, though I can’t claim like some of them do to have gotten rich overnight by writing an eBook on a napkin, I did (many years ago) do quite well after authoring the best selling introductory level computer book prior to the Dummies series. It sold Worldwide, was carried by most major bookstores and distributors, used by all of the Armed Services and numerous government offices, and used by many colleges and universities to teach computer classes. I’ve also been involved with computers since 1969 and owned a business and worked professionally in that field for most of my career, including providing services to Fortune 500 clients. If you want to learn more you can visit my computer business Website: http://www.grpmax.com/
Anyway, now that you know a little bit more about me, let me explain why earlier I emphasized the point that you might want to hold off on SiteSell, and certainly why you would want to hold off on spending money on one of the any number of less credible Internet marketing programs that you can find out there.
In order to make Internet marketing work for you, you are going to need a number of things:
1. You will need to know something about computers and the Internet, or be able to learn (or teach yourself) fast.
2. You will need time.
3. You will need enough money to get your new Internet marketing efforts safely off the ground without getting hurt or going broke (the latter two of which are easy to do).
4. You will need a viable product and/or service to sell.
COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE
The first one is probably the easiest and least expensive to do something about. You can just muddle around on your computer or the Internet until you learn. Or, you can invest in one of the many excellent computer courses or tutorials on CD or DVD (a self-study course). Or, you can find out what courses are available in your area, perhaps offered by a local college or computer store.
If you don’t know your way around computers and the Internet then not only are you likely to deal with more than you share of frustration, but you are going to spend much, much more money in the process. If you are in a position to do that, great. Go for it. But if you are not in a position to do what needs to be done yourself, and you can’t afford to pay someone else, then you might want to at least know what all of your options are before you venture out.
The reason that I say you will spend a lot more money is because, obviously, if you don’t know what you need to know, then you’ll have to hire someone who does, and that gets expensive. For example, one client who enrolled in a training program that used to be offered by ABCIncome.com decided to build a SiteSell site. However, he recognized that he did not have the time, interest, or expertise to do so. So, he sought out qualified consultants to build his Internet marketing Website for him. He paid thousands of dollars to do so, but then he was already running a successful home business, so he could afford that option.
TIME
Even if you have the necessary computer and Internet skills, next you will need the time to develop your Internet marketing business. Only you can decide whether you have the time or not. I can tell you, however, that, kind of like used exercise equipment, I know of far more people who have started Internet marketing projects than who have successfully finished or profited from them. Usually what happens is that a person starts with the best of intentions, but then life’s inevitable demands and interruptions keep the best laid plans from ever materializing.
MONEY
Not only in order to develop your Website, but to market whatever product or service you intend to offer, you will need money. No one is going to come to your Website unless you advertise it somehow.
Now, granted, you can make use of what are popularly called, “Joint Ventures (JVs),” to generate traffic and sales without paying up-front. However, not only is that a technique that you will have to learn and master, but it takes time too. It also may take some effort for you to get anyone to take an interest in your product or service. The bottom line is that, as much as Joint Ventures are touted as being a great way to advertise without paying for it, you’ll face the same Catch-22 as many new job seekers fresh out of college. You aren’t very marketable until you have experience, and you can’t get experience until someone hires you. Likewise, your products and/or services may not be very marketable until they have a proven track record of sales, and you may find it difficult to get someone to take you on as a Joint Venture partner until you have a track record!
And, despite what you might hear otherwise, you would be wise to avoid FFA (Free-For-All) advertising sites, as well as offers claiming to “blast” your emails to millions upon millions of people (prospects) for little or no money. That’s a great way to end up with low quality prospects, Spam complaints, to have your email address and/or server (Website) shutdown, and possibly even get into trouble with the law.
BUDGET
Establish a budget that you can afford. Like almost all forms of advertising, Internet advertising should be consistent. Better to spend an amount that you can afford for the long haul than to spend all of your money up front in one big bang and then have nothing left to stay the course.
It’s emphasized all throughout ABCIncome.com that you should always grow your business out of profit to avoid getting hurt, going into debt, or getting into trouble.
SEARCH ENGINES
Search engines and PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising make Internet advertising accessible and affordable (in most cases) to the average person or small business. Google is almost universally considered by most to be the place to start to learn, hone your skills, and, even for experts, a place to refine your advertising campaigns.
Again, I don’t want to duplicate. There are already a multitude of eBooks and resources about search engine advertising, and even using Google specifically. However, I will throw in these words of advice:
A. Especially when you are first starting -- whether you are first learning or you have been at it for a while and are merely starting a new campaign -- monitor your campaign frequently. That’s because, especially on Google, you need to watch for keywords that get, “disapproved.” If certain keywords (the phrases that people are searching for) in you’re your campaign don’t perform well, or don’t meet the guidelines, they will be flagged so that you will have the opportunity to correct the situation. If you don’t do so promptly those keywords, and maybe your ads using those keywords, will slow down and/or stop running.
B. Again, especially when you are first starting, don’t leave your campaign running unattended for any length of time! Until you become accustomed to the various settings and configurations you will want to be especially careful to make sure that you have correct set the limits on how much will be spent for each click, and the maximum allowed to be spent in one day (or whatever period). A common mistake is for someone to let a campaign run unmonitored for too long, only to find out that the spending limits were set much higher than he or she thought. People have been hit with advertising bills for hundreds or even thousands of dollars more than what they were expecting to pay because of this. And, you ARE responsible for paying that bill, even if was an accident or inadvertent mistake.
A VIABLE PRODUCT OR SERVICE TO MARKET
Often people get really excited about Internet marketing without really having something viable to sell, and maybe they even run out and sign up for a service like SiteSell. However, excellent as it is, even SiteSell cannot magically create a viable product or service for you to sell, though you will get some of the best advice anywhere on how to actually market whatever it is you do intend to sell.
As mentioned above, people often hear some Internet marketing Guru say that anybody can make money by writing eBooks, or creating some other kind of product. However, that’s simply not realistic for the average person, unless, of course, they have prior experience, or at least very strong knowledge in the particular field in which they wish to market.
There are yet others who will tell you that you can get rich marketing eBooks and other products that have already been written or created by others. At least this is closer to the truth, but most such offers are trying to sell you a grab bag of low quality eBooks (or whatever) that probably don’t have much appeal anyway. What good is it if you buy a package of eBooks and other goodies to which you have the marketing rights (probably for some ridiculously low price), if they are so low in quality (cheap) that many people wouldn’t buy them anyway?
You can get rich selling other peoples’ products and services, but you’ll have to pick the right ones. And, you will still have to market those products successfully in order to make money.
Unless you realistically have reason to believe that you have a truly marketable product or service, or that you can create one (and unless you’ve done it before don’t go by just your own opinion), this latter option is indeed the one that I recommend that most people use to get started. Find a quality product or service that already exists and that already has a track record of making money for other people who are new to Internet marketing just like you.
There is a reason why you hardly ever see a McDonald’s restaurant go out of business. It’s because they’ve built one of the most successful business and marketing models in the World. In contrast, people who try to open their own restaurants fail at a MUCH higher rate. And, you’ll notice that those people who do eventually open their own successful restaurant probably had quite a bit of related experience first, before they ventured out on their on. Take a similar approach as you venture into Internet marketing.
There is simply no way to cover everything that needs to be covered about Internet marketing in a “short” article like this one. And, as I’ve pointed out, though I’m trying to provide a few quick tips for you here, there are numerous excellent resources available to you if you are really serious about getting started or increasing your profits in Internet marketing.
I’ll end by quickly summarizing the key points that I’ve tried to emphasize here:
1. Don’t jump into Internet marketing if you don’t have the computer knowledge, time, or money that it will take to be successful. If you are missing one or more of these, wait until you have all three before getting started in earnest.
2. If you feel that you meet the above requirements, save yourself a lot of time, money, and disappointment by starting with Ken Evoy’s SiteSell.
Consider this: Every week people all around the country travel to an in-person conference room facility and sit through a one, two, or three day seminar on how to market on the Internet, for which they often pay as much as $5,000 to $7,500. Sadly, what they don’t realize until after they have walked out when the seminar is over is that rarely is the average person able to even absorb adequate information during that brief time, let alone turn it into dollars. In contrast SiteSell is a bargain at $299 PER YEAR. BUT, it does not hold your hand or offer any one-on-one personal interaction and guidance.
Whatever path you choose, just remember the “Golden Rule” that is continually stressed throughout ABCIncome.com, and that is to grow your business out of profit. It’s true that you will almost always have some startup costs. There will be a cost to get started in any new venture or endeavor. However, except for charity, the whole idea of being in business is to make money. So, if whatever you do is continually costing you more money than it is making you, don’t continue down that path! Plan wisely in choosing how to get started, and plan to make money and be profitable. If whatever you do is soon making you more money than you are spending then you’ll know that you are on the right track!
