The Long Slow Road

03 Jul 2009

Image by Edward Dullard

When I first entered the realm of internet marketing, I bought into the hype and figured it would only take me a few months of studying, minimal work, and a bit of patience before I was making 10-50k per month. I figured I was smart enough to make more than everyone else and that I wouldn’t have to do a lot to make it happen. Boy was I wrong!

Internet marketing is certainly a legitimate way to make a living, but it can take years of studying, years of practical application, and a lot of patience before it pays off. This is the part that most people dont’ want to hear, but wouldn’t you rather know the truth so you don’t give up before your efforts pay off?

I almost quit after a few months of work because I wasn’t seeing any return, but I decided to stick it out and keep trying. As it turns out, I made the right move…I also learned a lot along the way.

Internet Marketing is NOT a Game of Short-Term Profit

Regardless of what the “Gurus” tell you, IM is not a quick and easy to make a load of cash. Sure, there are exceptions to this, but for most of us the road is long and difficult. I don’t tell you this to dissuade you from trying, rather I tell you so that you know what to expect.

Regardless of how you want to make a living online:

Writing poetry
Publishing novels
Blogging
Ebooks
Membership sites
etc

It will take a lot of planning to get you on the right path. You’ll need to define yourself, create an elevator pitch, and keep pounding away with your brand until you get a breakthrough. It could take weeks, months, or years, but if you find the right angle and keep pouring effort in, you will crack the wall. Once you see that first crack and smell blood, you can start the onslaught and break the shit out of that wall.

Your Brand Might Change

Mine has…it changes all the time. My readers and customers see different things in me than I saw, so I respond with new insights and strategies to help them achieve their goals. If you meet them halfway, you’ll find that the difficulty of the process is drastically reduced. You’ll start gaining traction in your niche and people will start talking about you. The buzz will turn into momentum, which will turn into a steamroller ready to take the world by storm.

Just keep at it and don’t give up. You can make it happen if you just keep chipping away at your long term goal, one small step at a time. It worked for me…I’m sure it can for you.