There is no exact formula for internet marketing success, but there are some general guidelines that virtually all successful people follow.
Here are the 7 habits of highly effective internet marketers:
Habit 1: Doing something every day
Let's start off our list with the one thing that will positively make or break an internet marketer: keeping your butt in the chair! It is so easy to keep working hard day after day when the results are flowing, but often in this industry, they take time to show up. It is not hard to get discouraged and take weeks off, but that will destroy your business and any chances you had for success.
You do not need to kill yourself every day, but just do a little bit. Lay one brick of your wall and in a few years you will have your own mini Great Wall of China.
Habit 2: Setting the right goals
As the old adage goes: failing to plan is planning to fail. You must, must, must set the right goals. What constitutes a "right" goal? Anything that:
1) is reasonable for you to achieve in the near future
2) is focused in the right direction, something that will lead to even greater things
and 3) is something you desire and is worth your effort to achieve. Follow those steps and set your goals.
Habit 3: Doing in-depth research
There is a time and place for gut feelings, but this business is very logical. Of course you need to do what your are interested in doing, and you need to have fun. But it is also important to do research on any new idea or technique that you have in mind.
9 times out of 10 you will fail if you just "see what happens." Chances are, someone else has already done it and written about the results. You will save yourself a great deal of effort (and heartache) if you simply research any new thing you plan on doing, whether this is a new site idea, a new niche, a marketing technique, etc. Research before acting.
Habit 4: Networking with others
There are thousands of VERY skilled internet marketers that have much more experience than the both of us combined, and make far more money than us, too.
Why not find these people and ride their coattails? Go to forums or blogs and start interacting with others. At worst you find like-minded people that will encourage you, at best you will find an awesome mentor that can show you exactly what you need to learn.
Habit 5: Outsourcing
If you have been in this business for any length of time, you know that it is impossible to do everything yourself. The world is now far too specialized and there is simply not enough time to learn and keep up with it all yourself.
Find a pro. In fact, always have a team of pros just one email or IM away. A web designer, xhtml coder, php developer, content writer, and whatever else you might need. Build a good team and keep them happy, because they will keep you happy (and sane).
Habit 6: Building upon success
Many times in this business we get bored with success. Then, what happens is you start looking for new avenues to conquer. Don't do this. Instead, if you have one success repeat that again and again. Use your momentum to propel you even farther.
Take one victory and turn it into 10 victories. Maybe you built one successful content site, now do the same thing 10 more times. Or if you have a successful local site, expand nationally. This is how you build an empire that is incredibly valuable.
Habit 7: Keeping Focus!
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, keep your focus!
There seems to be a virus that infects internet marketers. As soon as we get knee-deep into one awesome idea, something shiny in the distance catches our attention. We are then tempted to give up all our progress and start chasing this new object. Or worse, we think we can do both at once, but that just ends up in failure on all levels.
When you make a decision to start something new, refuse any other ideas, no matter how awesome they seem. Create a folder with good ideas for later, but for now you are committed.
Following the above tips will not guarantee you everlasting success online, but breaking them will most certainly lead to failure. Begin to implement these ideas and you will be preparing the way for internet marketing success!
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Sources: Entireweb Newsletter ( Andrew Olson - ZZZ Profits)
