by: Sopan Greene
So you've been thinking of doing some internet marketing or you've done some and you're not making money yet. What does it really take? Even more importantly, how long does it take and how much does it cost? Isn't that what you really want to know?
The problem with this question is that there isn't a black and white answer. It's not like you can spend $500 and you will definitely get a specific result. For some reason though that's how people think it works.
A lot of folks buy this or that "how to" product and think it's going to magically make them money. The key ingredient to making money from these products you buy is to take action and do what they tell you to do.
Just like buying a piece of excercise equipment won't make you lose weight, buying the greatest "how to make money on the internet" product won't make you money if you don't use it.
But if you buy proven products and do what they tell you, then it's simple to build a great business. It can happen for you though it probably won't happen overnight.
We all know the internet is full of hype and also has a lot of genuine success stories. The biggest truth or lie, depending on how you see it, is that you can make good money fast. Whether this is true or false depends on what you're willing to do and what you think "fast" is.
Internet marketing is not a get rich quick scheme. It's a business which means there is time, money and work involved. If you think becoming rich in 3 to 5 years is quick then I guess this can be a get rich vehicle for you. If you don't think 5 or even 10 years is quick for getting rich, then think about how many people you know who have done it in 5 years. Or in 20? Or in their lifetimes?
The only people I know who have done this have done it through internet marketing, direct marketing, network marketing or through owning their own company. None of them are just employees. The cheapest and fastest way to get there is through internet marketing.
FACT: 74% of the wealthiest people in America own their own business. If there's one thing they have that maybe you don't, it's their own business.
Even the internet marketing gurus will tell you that it's never been easier to make good money online. If you listen to the folks who are the biggest successes today most of them started at least 3 years ago. Some of them started back before the internet was called the internet. It was a lot rougher then. Even 3 years ago they didn't have the advantages we have today.
You can buy subscribers to build your ezine lists. You can use pay-per-click search engines. You can read hundreds of e-zines for great free tips. You can make money through free affiliate programs. You can swap for free ads that reach over 10,000 people at a time. You can make a lot of money from e-bay and online auctions. You have a lot more potential partners for joint ventures than they ever had.
Most importantly, you can buy "how to" products from the people who are internet marketing millionaires. You can follow their directions to get where they are. They had to make it up from scratch when times were harder and now you can do it faster with fewer mistakes.
So if you really want to make good money online what do you do? Research the big dogs. Do what's been proven to work. And treat your business like a business or you'll end up with an expensive hobby. If you're just kicking the tires to see what'll happen, nothing will. This is true with anything you do in life, not just internet marketing.
Internet marketing is a tremendous vehicle for making great money. Like any vehicle, it won't go down the road if you don't gas it up, turn the key and push on the accelerator.
How long it takes to get to the top of the hill at the end of the road depends on how much gas you put in, how hard you press the accelerator, how well you steer and how good your map is.
The first year you drove a car did you drive as well as you do now? No. You've gotten better with experience. So don't expect money to fall out of the sky the first year you do internet marketing. Can you make good money the first year? Sure. But it depends on how much work you do to pay your dues and get some experience.
Like driving a car, the longer you do it the better you get (which means the more money you make).
If you're a tire kicker I suggest you put your money in your pocket, walk away now and spend your time on something you love to do. If you're driven to build your own business I suggest you invest your time, energy and money into internet marketing. The payoff can be priceless. See you at the top of the hill at the end of the road.