Developing a Cult Like Following Online
There are many ways of doing this. One way is to make really wonderful posts on Internet forums. If people see that you’re helping people and have interesting things to say, they will want to read more of what you have to say and may click on a link in your signature file.
Another way to do this is to obviously have a blog. This is a great way to develop relationships and to gather a following. They can subscribe to your blog and get updates when you make a new post, so it is a great way to develop a following.
Another way is to come out with new products. People obviously won’t continue to buy them if they aren’t good, but that is another way to develop a following and make some good money, along the way, while building that following.
Another way is to create videos and maybe putting them up on youtube. People like video and if you give them good information on these videos, you can really develop a following.
Another way to do this is to set up a group on Myspace or Facebook and invite people to join. You can start a group and have some good content on that group. People like to join groups and interact with not only you, but also with other members.
Building a mailing list is also another good way to develop a following. You can really build that relationship with them, over time. If you give them good content, word of mouth advertising can also help build your list.
So, as you can see, there isn’t a shortage on the ways that you can develop that following. Go ahead and try them and see what works best for you, it is usually a combination of a few of these strategies. It is just up to you to go out and do it.
Internet Marketers Resist the Temptations
It’s tough for me because I have so many hobbies and interests. I love sports, film, music, video games etc. Well, all of those things are only a few clicks away.
I can go to ESPN and check sports scores and read dozens of articles. I can go download about any song that I want. I can go buy or download any game that I want.
That’s a lot of temptations and I know that I shouldn’t be doing those things when it isn’t my free time. A person needs to focus on their project and get it done.
I still find myself cheating a little and going to these websites when I should be working, but I’m getting a lot better. One thing that I do is not let my mind get restless.
Don’t give yourself time to think about the outside world. I just focus on my work and don’t think about anything else until it’s done for the day. I block everything else out.
The Internet is not the only temptation. Since we work at home we have the normal home life distractions. They are different for every person, but everyone has plenty of them.
What I do is get up in the morning and tell my girlfriend that I’m going down stairs to my office and no distractions unless it’s important. No phones calls or nothing unless it’s important.
I basically lock myself in my office and get to work. I come up and eat lunch and that is my break time. Then I go back down to my office until later on in the afternoon. If I have any errands to run, then I go ahead and get them done.
After that I eat and usually have the night to do what I want, relax etc. Unless I’m really busy and I have to keep updating something online. I find that by cutting out the distractions I not only get more work done, but I have more time to play and relax.
When I used to get distracted during work, I would go to a website. I would say to myself, oh just a few minutes. Well that few minutes would snowball into an hour. I started to lose a lot of time on just useless distractions. Keep focused people, it will really pay off in the long run.
Deciding on a Make Money Online Strategy
The first thing I think about is, is it feasible? What is the earnings potential? How long do I think it will take me to become profitable? How much time and effort is it going to take?
It depends on the person and their skills, it depends on the strategy and it depends on the market. Certain strategies don’t work very well in certain niche markets. The big thing is you should play to your strengths.
I can write very quickly, so any niche or any strategy where I can write and make money, are good situations to put myself in. I’m heavily involved in product creation, in a number of different niche markets because it is so easy for me to write and create products quickly.
I also enjoy writing, so it is an added bonus. I would hate to have to do things that I absolutely despise. Creating big websites from scratch is one of those things that drives me crazy. I’m not a big technical guy either.
I can do most of those technical online activities, but it drives me crazy. It takes me a long time and I find it to be so darn boring that I would never want to do very much of it.
A lot of people that get into Internet Marketing are people that don’t like their job and they want to like their job. If you quit your job and become an Internet Marketer and you don’t like the work you’re doing as an Internet Marketer, then you are kind of defeating the purpose of becoming an Internet Marketer.
Loving what you do is a big part of it. It is something that you really can’t put a price on. On the flip side of that coin, one of the great things about Internet Marketing is that you work your own hours.
You can put in that hard work early on to build your business and gradually scale back how much you have to work. I started out putting in probably ten to twelve hour days, on average. I’m now putting in about three hours a day, on average.
Focus on the Basics to Achieve Online Success
E=MC²
A very simple looking equation. That Alfred Einstein guy was on to something, haha. Yes I know his first name is Albert. It sounds so simple, but so many potential and present Internet Marketers search for the magical formula that is going to transform them into instant Millionaires.
No one has come up with the magical Internet Marketing equation that will make them millions. The closest thing to that equation is what I stated earlier.
A great product, with converting sales page and targeted traffic are the key. The great product means that there aren’t very many refund requests. The converting sales page means that you don’t need to have as many visitors to get sales. The targeted traffic ensures that you have a great conversion rate.
The key is to find this situation and to exploit it. Most markets don’t get this perfect equation very often. People simply can’t find the markets that have these perfect equations or they can’t create them, themselves.
Yes, these perfect equations can be produced by you. All you need is knowledge. There is nothing more important than knowledge. I will give you my favorite analogy when it comes to knowledge.
A brilliant business executive is driving his fancy car down the road. He is going to collide with a car at the next stop sign that car is going to run the stop sign. A window washer on a high floor can see the accident coming a mile away.
The window washer may not of even graduated high school, but he has found the knowledge of the situation. He can see it and the business executive can’t. Does that make the window washer smarter?
No, but it makes him more informed. Information is everything and it is something that can be attained by anyone. Since you’re reading this, you have an Internet connection, put it to use. There pretty much isn’t anything that you can’t find out online.
Your ability to attain knowledge can mean the difference between your success and your demise. It usually boils down to the time that you’re willing to spend and your willingness to do so.
Tips for being an Authority
The first is to always put your reputation ahead of everything else. You can’t be an effective authority without having a good reputation. Always be trying to improve your reputation in your niche market.
The second is to create assets and build them up. An authority can’t make money online without having some of their own assets. A blog or website, a mailing list, their own products etc. These are all good assets to have.
The third is to never be content. What I mean by that is never stop trying to acquire more knowledge about your niche. Always be trying to grow and promote your assets and your reputation.
The fourth is to monitor and learn from other authorities in your niche. Some people view them as competitors and don’t want to talk to them. I look at them as people that I can work with and learn from. I’m not going to let the whole competitor thing get in the way of my progress and the progress of my online business.
The fifth is to make sure to follow up with customers. There are a couple of good reasons for doing this. The first is to go that extra mile and show them how much you care. Repeat business is a very good thing because it is a lot easier to get someone to buy something from you that has bought from you in the past. The second is that you might want to tell them that if they liked that product, they might like this similar product and get that extra sale.
The sixth is to always be thinking long-term. You want long-term success so make sure to uphold your reputation. Always promote the best products and services. Don’t promote them solely based on the best payouts.
The seventh is to simply have fun. Running your own online business can be a lot of fun if you have a positive attitude. Remember that you’re helping people, by providing them with good information, that is a very good thing.
Approaching Internet Marketers the Right Way
I remember when I first became an Internet Marketer. Like most people new to the scene, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I didn’t really see the overall picture.
I thought that I was on my own and would just go on by myself and not really interact with Internet Marketers. I would just put up a website and put Google Adsense ads on it or affiliate products and send traffic to it and I wouldn’t really interact with anyone.
Even if you’re making good money online, on your own with little interaction with other Internet Marketers, I still feel like you’re making mistake. I learn from other Internet Marketers and get new ideas on how I can improve my online business, all of the time.
If you’re an Internet Marketer, you are certainly not alone, there are a lot of other people that do what you do. I don’t really look at Internet Marketers as competition. I look at them as people who can help me in many different ways.
I learn from them, but they also can do much more than that. I can do joint ventures with them, I can get testimonials from them, I can get their opinions and feedback on my work etc.
These are all ways that other Internet Marketers can help you and your online business. Where do you go to find other Internet Marketers?
The Warrior Forum: www.warriorforum.com
Just go to this forum and introduce yourself and start building relationships. The people there are very friendly and you can start building great relationships right out of the shoot.
I’ve learned so much from that forum, but I’ve also built a ton of great relationships with the members of that forum. There are plenty of people to meet there. Last time I checked there was about 50,000 members, so there are plenty of great people to meet there.
You will meet people that are passionate about making money online. Those are the types of people that you want to surround yourself with. Those are the types of people who you can learn from and draw motivation from.
When you meet people, just send them a private message and tell them how much you love their posts and how much they have helped you. Bang, you have started a great relationship with them.
The last thing that I will say is that it’s all about motivation. If you don’t have the a strong motivational factor behind making money online, your online business will never make it. Use your own motivational factors to drive you. Surround yourself with people who will motivate you. When you get down, talk to the people that you have online relationships with and they will cheer you up and get you motivated again.
It’s Time for You to Get Motivated to Take Action!
How bad do you want it? That’s the first question that I ask people who approach me and they want me to help them make money online.
Success is there for the taking, but how much are you willing to sacrifice for it? Are you willing to put in some long hours? Are you willing to put in the time and the effort of learning about making money online? Are you willing to INVEST some money in running your online business?
If you said no to any of those questions. I’m not going to lie to you, you probably don’t have a chance. Your competition is going to be willing to do all of those things.
The first thing you have to understand is your motivation. Do you want to make a full-time living online or do you just want to dabble and make some extra money? Do you want to make it big?
What is the main driving force behind you wanting to make money online? People have all kinds of different motivations, you have to find the single biggest for you.
Is it to pay off debt? John Reese said that he was once $100,000 in debt. If you don’t know who John Reese is, he’s a famous Internet Marketer and a millionaire.
He said that he used to not answer his phone when debt collectors called and won’t open his bills when they came in the mail. One day he woke up and said, this is the situation and I’m going to deal with it. He got all of his bills and added everything up and put them in front of him and that was his drive and motivation and the rest is history.
For some people it’s just the allure of the life style and they want that better life. Maybe they are doing it for their family. If you are, have pictures of your family at your computer screen as a constant reminder, tell your family to keep on you and keep you working hard.
Kevin Riley is a good friend of mine and a brilliant marketer. I was discussing with him how great the life-style is and that I loved not having a boss. He said that he had a boss and I was like what are you talking about? He joked that his wife was his boss.
That’s alright. She obviously has motivated him and he has worked extremely hard and he’s very success.
