(Written by guest contributor Dan Nickerson)
In preparation for writing this article I thought I would look for a great quote about learning from your mistakes. You know what…that was a mistake, because honestly there are a ton of them online. They all boil down to one basic principle: You can learn far more from your mistakes than from your successes.
Unfortunately, in the Internet marketing world, new marketers make the same mistakes over and over again. They get caught up and consumed with finding an \”easy way\” to make \”fast money\” online and end up trying every technique under the sun until they finally realize they need to focus on the basics and start from scratch.
I think all of us are guilty of this in one way or another. I certainly am. For years I would jump at every opportunity, gimmick, and trick that came into my inbox and it didn\’t get me anywhere. If you find yourself stuck in this cycle, I\’m going to try and help you break free of it with some cold facts about Internet marketing. Don\’t make these same mistakes over and over again like so many others do.
1. Using a cheap webhost. Just because it costs less doesn\’t mean it\’s better. We recommend Hostgator – Save $9.94 with coupon code: joelcomm
2. Thinking your site design is awesome. Not everyone is born a designer and just because you own Photoshop doesn\’t mean you should use it. Take note of successes on other sites, outsource to a pro, or invest in a good template for your site.
3. Getting sucked into traffic schemes. The only real ways to generate quality long term traffic are through building quality backlinks, quality advertising, and solid pay-per-click campaigns. Spending time working traffic exchanges, buying bulk traffic packages, or trying traffic gimmicks is just a waste of time. You need to focus on building long-term passive traffic.
4. Joining opportunity after opportunity. So many new marketers jump into Multi-Level Marketing programs. They are for the most part a waste of time, and significant money. I\’ll be honest, I\’m a fan of some MLM programs, but only if their product is so good that they don\’t need the MLM structure to support it. I can guarantee you that 1 in 100 of those reading this are saying, \”No way, MLM\’s great.\” And that\’s my point; 1 in 1000 turn a profit with their MLM business and they do it off the wallets of the remaining 999.
5. Overcomplicating your email life. Allow yourself only two email accounts (we suggest Gmail for its versatility). Segment your mail into two accounts; one for newsletters and opt-in forms, and one for your important email. Don\’t forget to utilize filters and rules to help manage the flow of email coming in.
6. Underestimating what your time is worth. All too often we hear of the new online entrepreneur struggling through hours and hours to post a simple WordPress blog or change a theme. Just because you could possibly do it yourself, doesn\’t mean you should. Sure, doing it yourself is technically free, but what is your time worth?
7. Failing to search for similar instances of mistakes, errors, or tasks. Want to know how to do something? Google it. I\’ve probably received 1000 emails in the last 10 years with questions that could be answered in five seconds on Google. Got an error code? Google it.
8. Trying to sell something to someone without providing value first. You need to establish a relationship with your visitors and list members before trying to sell to them.
9. Jumping into a competitive niche. So many new marketers want to create a credit repair site, dog training site, or mesothelioma site because they heard about people making a lot of money with those niches.
10. Failing to take action. Don\’t think about building that next website, joining an affiliate program, or building backlinks. Just do it. Making money online is work. Here\’s a simple trick to be more productive. Pretend someone\’s paying you $50 per hour to write articles, build backlinks, and grow your online business. By the way, do a good job and that someone is you.
Now get to work.