If you type the words “internet marketing” (without the quotes) into the Google search engine, you’ll get approximately 146,000,000 search results. So if you’re a beginner in the world of internet marketing, how do you know where to start with this huge pool of information?
While there’s something to be said for reading up on the subject matter, at some point you have to get started, so here are some ideas, and tips on internet marketing for rookies.
First of all, be aware that the internet is a very fluid medium, and your website is likely to undergo lots of changes, so it’s no good being married to one particular site design no matter what. With all the internet marketing information available to you, when you sift through it, you have to ask yourself some basic questions, like whether it fits your personality, addresses your goals, and fits in with your work ethic and budget.
When it comes to internet marketing for your website, or using your website to market your bricks-and-mortar business, you will be climbing a fairly steep learning curve as a beginner, so be prepared to make changes, but at the same time, realize that you don’t have to take every piece of internet marketing advice you come across in your first year.
One of the most common and least expensive internet marketing techniques for beginners includes using article marketing. This is the practice of writing articles and publishing them online at sites like EzineArticles, Squidoo, and eHow. Be sure you follow all the editorial guidelines, because some of the article sites are quite strict about them. While Squidoo is fairly laid back in terms of editorial requirements, EzineArticles is pretty strict, and now that eHow.com has been bought by Demand Media, it is very particular about which articles it will accept.
Many newbies at internet marketing start out with a blog, and this is another good option, particularly if you link to it in any articles you submit to article sites. Starting a Facebook page for your business is another savvy marketing move that doesn’t cost anything except your time. You do have to have a personal Facebook account before you can set up a business page. This is a great way to recruit real-world friends to bring others to your website or blog where you market your business. The same is true for Twitter, and you will attract and followers there and on Facebook as long as you publish real information rather than just one promotional link after another.
Another very important – perhaps the most important – concept for internet marketing rookies is to make sure that your marketing efforts reach their intended audience. Back in the old days of snail mail and buying ads in print magazines the saying was, “Don’t buy a ‘dog’ ad in a ‘cat’ magazine.” The modern equivalent is “don’t buy a dog ad on a cat website”. Fortunately, no matter how esoteric your product or service is, there are likely several highly trafficked websites that address your particular niche.
As soon as you begin buying ads, it is very important to track the results of your marketing. For internet marketing beginners, this is just as important as careful ad placement. You have to learn where your ads are performing well and where they’re not meeting expectations in order to make your ads more effective. Some ad programs, like Google AdWords, offer an extensive suite of monitoring tools so that you can easily find out what is working and what is not. There is a lot of “free” or low cost stuff out there but please be selective. The author prides himself on finding some of the best deals out there.
If you’re new to internet marketing, understand that every internet marketing success story started with a person who did their homework and at some point jumped into the game. It’s like double-dutch jump roping: you can watch the ropes go around forever, but unless at some point you jump in there, you won’t be part of the game. So don’t let fear hold you back. The most successful internet marketers were once newbies just like you.
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