Silver Strike

Setting out to learn about internet marketing can be very overwhelming and frustrating because it tends to be a self-learning journey not often or easily shared with many others in the beginning. If you are unfamilar with how to sell online the techniques, terminology and all of the so-called 'experts' can be very confusing.

If you embark on the learning process without much of a time line, goal or means to measure your progress, the chances are pretty good that you will find yourself on one bunny trail after another. After you have spent your money, could will be left wondering what to do next. The terrain seems oddly unfamiliar and quite unlikely to get you to where you wanted to go. It will only add to your frustration and confusion. Many people give up on internet marketing at this point~Too many people get to this point and give up on internet marketing}.

So what can you do to prevent this from happening to you?

You should layout a plan, a goal, that you want to accomplish.  For example, do you want to learn to put up your own website and sell other people’s products as an affiliate marketer? Or do you want to sell a product of your own and eventually become an expert in order to sell your own expertise? You can prevent the likelihood of getting sidetracked, by setting a goal and developing a plan of how to get there.

One bunny trail could take you into pay per click too soon, another into learning outsourcing, all while you haven’t yet learned the beginning fundamentals to get you headed towards your own intended goal.

It is a good idea to have a budget in mind for the limit you will spend on training materials. Some internet marketers lure you with free gifts as added incentives to purchase their programs. If you happen to find one or two you think have information worth purchasing, you can do that as long as it isn’t breaking your bank.

In the early stages of learning internet marketing you will also be easily persuaded into wanting to purchase every product offered because the sales letters are so effective. They can make you feel as though you will miss out if you don't purchase immediately. You will be lost without self-discipline, and goals will help here.

Before you start out learning about internet marketing

If you have decided to learn about internet marketing in order to build your own stream of income online, then approach it like a business venture from the beginning. Have a target, know your budget, get a plan and measure your progress.

Keep track of your steps and use these as encouragement when you might feel like this is taking too long or you feel like it isn’t getting anywhere. Obviously you will be further along than when you started. Stay encouraged, keep your eye on the goal and don’t let too many things distract you.

Soon you’ll be the one teaching others who want to learn about internet marketing.

Most people with day jobs find it increasingly hard to keep up with their monthly bills but can’t afford to leave their jobs during the recession. While being employed is a good way of earning regular and decent income, you can increase your total income with other ways to make money.

The problem with a day job is that you may have to leave it someday, whether voluntarily through resignation or retirement or involuntarily through termination or business closure.  Your best financial plan is to find other income streams and start making money from them.Income streams such as these are also called 'passive income'.

Passive income allows you to make money every month without any active effort on your part.   Most people dismiss passive income as an ineffective way to become rich because the amounts that you may earn at the outset may seem insignificant. With regularity and discipline, passive income can eventually overtake your compensation income. Here are a number of ways you can make money with passive income:

Deposit account
Saving a portion of your monthly salary in a deposit account can earn passive income in the form of interest. The larger your deposit, the higher the interest you will earn. This requires self control and regularity as the only way to generate greater passive income from deposit accounts is to continue adding funds in it and rolling over the interest it earns along with the principal deposits. Ask your bank for deposit options such as time deposits and treasury bills.

Internet businesses
You can also make money when you decide to learn about internet marketing and sell your own or someone else’s products (affiliate marketing) and advertising in your own website. An affiliate marketing business in particular is really inexpensive to set up – you can start immediately with the registration of a domain name (around $10 per year) -  but it can earn continuously without additional effort, even while you sleep.But what is even better is that you don't even have to have a website!

Buy To Rent
Renting out a room, condominium unit, or house is a good way to make money on a monthly recurring basis in the form of rent. Naturally an inital investment in real estate is required, but if is within your means, you might borrow in order to earn.  It is rare that rental income will not exceed mortgage repayments – and you are able in most cases to offset a lot of costs associated with rental property ownership. The income amounts you can derive from rentals depend on the location, size and upkeep of the property.

Stock market
People who are masters in the art of buying low and selling high are most likely going to prosper in the stock market.  If you have extra funds lying around, now is a good time to buy stocks as the markets are down and stocks are under-priced.  Hold on to your stocks and sell them when the prices start to climb. 

To make money using passive income, most experts advise against putting all your eggs in one basket. Diversification assures you of constant income streams and prevents you from losing all your money in case an investment fails.

Perhaps of all of these, the one that costs the least amount to set up is the online option.  If you attend a quality internet marketing course, for instance Fast Web Formula run by an expert like James Schramko, you will be equipped with the skills needed to make money online.  However, whichever way you choose to earn money while still employed, the keys to success are getting the right mindset – the millionaire mindset – and taking advice and mentorship from proven experts.

An internet marketing mentor can provide insider information that is extremely difficult to find.  Now, with research, you will learn some very important things for building and maintaining a strong internet presence.  However, one of the disadvantages of depending solely on personal research is that many sites simply regurgitate information and much of that is outdated.  As a result, people that have become hyped about starting a business online eventually fail because they did not know about appropriate marketing strategies.

To find a mentor, you would still need to conduct research but this is a little easier than looking for actual information.  To begin, we suggest you use the larger search engines to include Google and Yahoo, and in the search field, type in “mentor for online marketing” or “professional network marketer”.  Once you receive pages of results, you would need to start by looking at those listed on the first page.  Write down the company or individual’s name and website so you can visit.

In your search for a mentor, listen to or read exactly what the offering is.  This would include topics that would be covered during training, the amount of time dedicated to the learning process, and associated costs.  Writing down information from five or six professionals, you could then make comparisons and weed out the least appealing individuals.

Another method for finding an internet marketing mentor is by visiting various forums and chat rooms that have focus on businesses established online.Members often talk freely, so log in and observe the conversations - learn names and listen to their suggestions.  If you hear a few names mentioned in a number of conversations and in a positive light, then you should feel confident this individual is likely a good option.

Benefits of Having An Internet Marketing Mentor

The top benefits of working with a mentor are:

* Avoiding costly and fatal mistakes
* Understanding common and uncommon pitfalls
* Making better business decisions
* Targeting the appropriate niche
* Having higher customer conversion rates
* Saving a significant amount of money

By working with a professional with years of experience and in-depth knowledge of online marketing specific to the types of products and/or services you promote would be highly advantageous.  Additionally, we suggest you consider a person that has traditional marketing and advertising experience as well as knowledge of online strategies.

Before deciding on just one person, it would be worth the investment of time to get in touch with the professionals that made your short list.  Having a conversation, preferably on the phone would give you the opportunity to ask questions and get a better feel for the person’s level of expertise.  At that point, you would be able to choose just one internet marketing mentor that you have confidence in so ultimately, your online business would outsell the competition.

It would be extremely surprising if James Schramko was not on the top of your list with his Fast Web Formula!