What Is Internet Marketing – A Newbie’s Guide

September 5th, 2013

Published by: SandyLeveque

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What Is Internet Marketing – A Newbie’s Guide Type ‘online marketing’ or ‘internet marketing’ into google and you’ll be blasted with millions and millions of pages, information and products. This article walks you through exactly what it is – in English!

Whilst internet marketing can seem really complicated, and people sometimes assume you have to be a Mark Zuckerberg to make it work…. ….the truth is that if learnt correctly – and applied sensibly – internet marketing is a skillset that can – and does change people’s lives. Technology is the single domain in which more wealth is being created than in any other.

Think about the companies that dominate business pages because of their success and it’s hard not to think about companies like Youtube, Google, Facebook and Twitter.

Youtube went from 0 to $1.65 billion in just 18 months and Mark Zuckerberg became the world’s youngest billionaire at the ripe old age of 23! And there are HUNDREDS of other sites people don’t hear about that are creating billions of dollars quicker than virtually any other companies have been able to before.

But…what many people don’t know is that it’s not just the household names that are doing well. Did you know that last year over 5000 brand new millionaires were created on the internet? Over 5000! Whether you’re interested in millions, billions or just having extra money each month to play with, the possibilities are pretty BIG.

And I am myself, an internet marketer with the blogging platform you are reading this, Empower Network.

Since becoming a part-time internet marketer I’ve met people of all ages (literally – from 12 to 65 !) having success in the industry – and I truly believe it has the potential to help people transform their annual salary into a monthly salary – in two years or less (I’ve watched personal friends of mine achieve this).

However, perhaps like you reading this, I am also highly AWARE and intuitive, and I know that like many others, the industry is not a bed of roses ! Whilst being a fan, I am still willing to look at what the reality is – and to recognise where things just arnen’t working.

I believe this is an approach we should have with everything in life ! Awareness and trusting our awareness, not blind faith.

On the flip side I see many people who are so blinded by what they don’t like in the industry – that they can’t see or receive anything else. ie: They can’t receive the gift it could actually be to them – if learned correctly, and applied sensibly Please consider this a no-nonsense guide, by someone who is a big fan – and able to see both sides of the spectrum.

Equipping yourself with this information will make all the difference as you become familiar with the niche of internet marketing and decide whether it is for you, or not for you.

What is Internet Marketing and Why does it Exist ?

The answer to this is pretty simple. Remember (or imagine) when the internet wasn’t as popular as it is now? Anytime you wanted to buy something, you either had to physically leave your house and go to a shop, or order it by mail-order.

So if you wanted to sell something, you either needed a shop or a mail-order catalogue that people could buy from. Or in the case of direct sales and network marketing, you had to let people know – either by telephone or meetings – that they could buy that product from you.

For that reason, it’s equally important to be as aware as you can of where the industry can trip people up.

This article demystifies some of the popular misconceptions people have about internet marketing AND lays bare some of the dubious practices that have, at times, given it a bad name.

But before we go any further, I have to let you know that I’m not unbiased here. I am hugely inspired by internet marketing and what it can do for people (including myself) – if learned correctly and applied sensibly (as I said earlier).

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September 5th, 2013

Published by: SandyLeveque

If you wish to change the way people think or live, you need to, in essence, sell them YOUR alternative. There may not be any ‘product’ involved but it takes the same skills.

Watch any skilled politician and you’ll see what I mean The skill of being able to market yourself online is therefore necessary for anyone hoping to shape or form opinions as well as sell things.

So whether you’re pushing political ideals or inspiring people to a different way of living in the world – you need to understand how the internet works to do that successfully and have the kind of impact you’re seeking.

The New Gold Rush

As the internet exploded people began to see that instead of going through all of that – they could just go online and do it all there !

In just a few clicks (admittedly in the beginning it was pretty slow with dial-up internet!) they could find what they were looking for.

This meant that retailers could have ‘online shops’ instead of physical shops and – get ready for what must have been a huge Eureka moment – instead of having to be at the shop everyday – they could create the shop ‘once’ and sell things at any time of day A win win situation.

You’re probably thinking ‘Ok but what’s the catch?’.

Well yes there is one.

Build it, TELL people and they will come Out of the ability to sell anything to anyone at anytime came the need to do it well!

Anyone can put up a product on the internet but just like in a city or town, that doesn’t guarantee customers!

The saying ‘Build it and they will come’ should be changed to ‘Build it, TELL people and they will come’!

The art of being easy to find online is literally that – an art! Just like it was and is for physical shops.

This is where the ‘internet marketing’ industry stepped in.

Internet marketing is essentially the art of selling things – successfully – on the internet.

It’s the art of making it easy for people to find and buy your product and creating a steady flow of such people.

AND the products don’t have to be physical products. They can be information products, e-books, audios and ideas!

Of course – like with any emerging genius invention that simplifies people’s lives, people saw an opportunity to make big bucks!

In fact, you could compare the internet revolution to the ‘Gold Rush’ of the 19th Century.

In 1848 James W. Marshall discovered the first grains of of gold in California and people – the ’49ers‘ – began rushing to the state to get their share. In their thousands and thousands!

Can you imagine if your neighbour found gold in his backyard?

Actual gold that he could have melted into anything he liked, or exchange for money ?

Would you want to do ? You’d comb your OWN backyard to see if the Universe had favoured you too !

Well as the potential impact of the internet dawned on people, these kinds of thoughts began to cross many minds.

Never before had people been able to reach so many people, so quickly and so ‘easily’ (more on why I say ‘easily’ later).

If they could develop the skill of selling things online – they could help other people to do it – and- given the potential profits at stake – make ALOT of money.

If you look at any major corporation – they will (especially in the beginning of the internet becoming popular) have outsourced the online marketing of their products to experts in this new art.

Even small businesses also needed these services – unless they wanted to master it alone or take the ‘Build it and they will come’ approach (aka the -usually- very…slow approach !)

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September 5th, 2013

Published by: SandyLeveque

So if you were good at this new ‘art’ – you could either make money by selling your services OR by training others to develop the skillset too.

‘Do You Like My Flashy Car and Check Out This Hot Girl!’

This is where the internet marketing ‘niche’ comes in to play.

That potential gave rise to a whole of industry of people skilled in this art, or skilled in the art of training others to have it.

A Lucrative Niche A niche is a a specialized area of knowledge or skill. As Napoleon Hill wisely stated in ‘Think and Grow Rich’: The accumulation of great fortunes calls for POWER, and power is acquired through highly organized and intelligently directed specialized knowledge.

And that industry…for whatever reason – has tended to be male dominated. Google ‘internet marketing’ and look at the pages that pop up and you’ll see what I mean .

Many pages are clearly targeted towards other men – pictures of flashy cars and girls in bikinis are pretty common place.

By developing the skillset and specialized knowledge of internet marketing people could and can become active partners in the ‘Gold Rush’ of the 21st Century.

In the same way that a mortar and bricks shop won’t do any business unless it has actual people coming to buy its services – a website won’t go very far without people visiting it.

The art of bringing people to websites is called the art of driving traffic.

Think of it like a city. In a busy shopping district there are dozens of people moving through. Each shop needs a certain number of people – traffic – coming to it.

The internet is exactly the same. It’s like a big market place.

So the art of driving traffic – and then showing people that you can help them – and them agreeing to you telling them about their services and eventually….selling something to them, is what the skill of internet marketing is all about.

I’m sure that made perfect sense. Ha !

Most ‘experts ‘ (definitely not all) are male, and even in businesses where a couple is involved it’s often assumed that they guy is doing the real work.

Saying this may make me a few enemies but oh well, I don’t really care! I’d rather be honest than pretend things aren’t so.

Now there ARE exceptions, and I have to say that whilst it sometimes DOES fall into this category, Empower Network – the business I work with, is on the whole – NOT like this, which is partly what attracted me to it in the first place. But more on that later.

Unethical Practices As the opportunity to make ‘big bucks’ took on epic proportions unethical practices started emerging.

Think about it like this. Do you know the big anti-poverty charity Oxfam? I used to be a volunteer for them in Central London.

When you visit their website, their aim is that by the time you leave, you have agreed to receive further information from them in the future –in other words that you join their newsletter.

They want you on their newsletter because there’s a higher chance you’ll eventually take part in action they’re doing and that you’ll donate or support them in some way.

Everybody on the internet is doing the same thing! There are lots of technical terms used to describe this process but this is what it boils down to – whether you’re selling sofas, political action or ebooks.

If you can master this art, you have the skillset to make anything happen on a virtually unlimited scale – because of the sheer scope of the internet to reach so many people at one time.

If you could make alot of money online by selling things to anyone, anytime, anywhere then surely you could make alot of money by helping people to sell things, or by creating things for people to sell, and telling them it would be easy to sell those things?

You bet this went through people’s minds!

And the fact is I said ‘easily’ earlier because the art of internet marketing is not ‘easy’.

It makes things very simple – compared to selling things the traditional way via shops or mail order – but if someone tells you it is easy – they are NOT telling you the truth !

Like with ANY skillset – there is a level of knowledge and practice that’s required. You wouldn’t decide to become a professional dancer and expect to have professional status and skills overnight! You’d have to learn certain things and practice.

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September 5th, 2013

So the simple truth is that whilst it can be simple (and certain products and services do genuinely make it as simple as possible) it is not easy.

People promising that selling things on the internet is the easiest way to get rich quick – are not giving you the whole picture.

I HAVE met alot of people who have got rich online! – BUT they’ve put in alot of work – initially- to do that.

They’ve developed a skillset. AND they’ve had the right vehicle or systems in place to do that.

So What IS Possible With Internet Marketing ?

There are ways to learn the skillset of internet marketing – and to apply it – that have the potential to change a person’s life – and can allow them to transform their annual salary into a monthly salary within 2 years or less.

This sometimes seems unreal to people and I think that’s pretty understandable. Most industries and jobs do not create huge salaries. A survey released in April 2013 showed highest starting salary for young people in the US is for Petroleum Engineering ($93,500).

Published by: SandyLeveque

If we go back to the time of the Gold Rush, the profits that gold rush merchants made would also have seemed unreal.

But it didn’t stop thousands of people from making money and many of the wealthiest families in the US today are the same families that profited from the Gold Rush.

What does that tell us ? That for people willing to open their mind to unlimited possibilities, unlimited possibilities can be created.

But just as gold rush entrepreneurs had to actually go and get gold, and mine it etc etc , it doesn’t happen online by pushing a magic button!

The key is to develop the skillset and to apply it – consistently.

It actually boils down to something very simple.

What do people need and how can you solve it for them ?

And then, learn how to find people you can solve it for, show them you can solve it and follow up with them until they purchase it!

And then continue to follow up, to make sure they get the solution they were looking for.

How To Solve Problems Online

Other

People’s

The most effective way to use the skillset you have learned or are learning is to identify what it is you know about and can help others with.

You may read that and think – I don’t know enough about anything to do that !

But I challenge you to think again.

No matter where you’re at there are always people with less knowledge than you.

What do you know about that you could share with others ?

For example a successful photographer can create products that help other photographers up level their business from mediocre to successful.

Many successful blogs have become successful because they have provided information for a niche of people who were looking for that information. There is something that YOU know about that you can share with others.

If you still don’t know what that is – you can ask friends and family to tell you what they believe your greatest strengths are.

For myself I identified a specific niche of fellow Zumba® instructors were starting out and didn’t know all the ins and outs of running a successful Zumba business and also, more experienced instructors, who like myself, had got sick and tired of always trading their time (and physical effort!) for money.

I knew that part-time interent marketing could provide a reliable source of supplementary income that is passive (after the initial setting up phase) and could create more freedom in their lives.

Successful internet marketers have identified a ‘pain point’ and successfully solved it for enough people that they are now successful ! It’s a virtuous cycle Created using Zinepal. Go online to create your own eBooks in PDF, ePub, Kindle and Mobipocket formats.

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September 5th, 2013

And on the flip side, short term success or people who have not stood the test of time, have NOT done this.

That’s a major reason why unethical practices always have a limited short-term gain – because customers or followers have no desire to stick around.

The Nitty Gritty So as you may have guessed – if you’re solving a problem for people you need to create an actual product to sell! Preferably one that doesn’t involve you providing a service – if you wish to take advantage of the internet’s ability to create income for you at any time.

Published by: SandyLeveque

I’ve seen many friends and colleagues create beautiful looking products, which haven’t sold very well – simply because they don’t have the following or skills required to have the impact they’d like to have.

This was actually the pain point that led me into internet marketing.

I’d created a beautiful website, amazing services I thought people would need – and found, to my disappointment, that my French audience just wasn’t ready for it !

So that means you need to create some kind of electronic product that can be bought at any moment and that solves the problem you wish to solve.

There are several ways of doing this : • You can create an information product – such as a course, a programme or tutorials – or even an e-book (again with a course the ideal scenario is to create something that can be bought over and over, not that you have to teach over and over !)

• If you know how to code you can develop an App and submit it to iTunes for anyone to buy.

• If you don’t know how to code, but you have a great idea for software or a programme that would solve a problem for a specific group of people, have it developed (read this case study on the Fourhourworkweek.com) You can also read ‘The Four Hour WorkWeek’ book by Tim Ferriss for ideas on how to create a (successful) business that runs itself and doesn’t require huge chunks of time (and your life!) – in the chapter on Muses.

Network Marketing meets Internet Marketing You may have noticed that all of the above require you to create something – and depending on your level of experitse in the required areas – that could take time.

It also doesn’t guarantee that once you’ve created a product – people will buy.

You still need to develop the skillset of internet marketing to make your product widely known and to create a steady flow of people who are interested in buying it, or could be interested in the future.

I found myself watching a webinar about marketing late one night that led me into the arena of ‘network marketing meets online marketing’.

What’s that ?

Simply put, it’s selling someone else’s product online.

Preferably someone with the skillset and the kind of authority in their niche of expertise that will make it easy to sell.

Think of it as modern day Avon!

You sell someone else’s product, and receive a commission for every sale you make.

It is actually a HUGE area of growth because as the internet becomes widespread, and job security becomes increasingly volatile, many people are looking to become entrepreneurs working on their own terms.

The key thing with this is to be clever with where you put your time, energy and money.

If you’re promoting someone else ‘s product and you receive a partial commission – say 1-50% of the product – you’re going to have to make ALOT of sales to make substantial money – especially if you’re part-time.

Look for something where you retain a high proportion of the sale – if not all of it.

This is where network marketing steps in.

What are the advantages to this, besides not having to create your own product ?

Before you go further, yes please know that I am involved in a ‘network marketing meets internet marketing’ business.

Well many people are put off this kind of route because they’d like to create their ‘own thing’ and develop their own brand.

So this information is obviously not impartial!

The thing is that in reality, that can often take a long time and alot of struggle on the way. Not in every case – but in many!

That said! There is good reason for me having chosen the route of network marketing meets internet marketing.

As I just said, creating your own product takes time and effort – particularly if you are part-time AND don’t already have a big following online.

If you are willing to sell someone else’s product, and to do it very well, you will create enough of a reputation about yourself that creating your own brand or product will be far far easier!

Because you’ll not only have the money to do it, you’ll have the recognition and following that can make it happen.

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September 5th, 2013

I’m not saying this is the only route. But when I first heard this, it lightened up my world so much and made so much sense that I knew it was something I wished to do.

The business model of network marketing has the potential to leverage other people’s products, reputation and experience.

There is usually a small start up cost – and an initial period of work and from there you can create income streams that continue over time (passive income).

T Herv Eker, author of ‘The Secrets of The Millionaire Mind’ describes it like this : Network marketing… is an amazing concept. First, it doesn’t usually require you to put up a lot of up-front capital.

Second, once you’ve done the initial work, it allows you to enjoy ongoing residual income (another form of income without you working), year after year after year.

Try creating that from a regular nine-to-five job! I can’t overemphasize the importance of creating passive income structures.

It’s simple. Without passive income you can never be free.

There is one drawback however. In many traditional network marketing businesses, you have to build up a huge team in the thousands and thousands to make good money.

For me, this is where the beauty of internet marketing comes in.

With the internet you can create ways of marketing your business that run on autopilot (eg. Videos, podcasts, webinars) as opposed to hotel meetings and telephone calls that require you to be physically there.

And with the new generation of companies that are now here, you can actually create similar results with far smaller teams – because of the 100% commission model that is now becoming quite common.

Published by: SandyLeveque

You may be thinking ‘Why on earth would a company do that ?’ or ‘How on earth can they make any money ?

Well the situation I described earlier – of ‘Check out my flashy car and Hot Chick’ was something that had frustrated the creators of Empower Network.

They’d achieved success online with other network marketing companies, but their teams were usually unable to create their own teams and therefore their own success.

The level of knowledge and skill it took to do that was so advanced that many people – especially part-time – just didn’t have it, unless they’d spent a crazy amount of time learning and applying it.

I’ll be totally honest and tell you that when I heard this for the first time, I didn’t totally belive it.

I knew how successful the company is and thought ‘that sounds like something they made up!’.

It took me going to an actual physical event to get a better understanding and to see for myself that it WAS true!

I watched as people after person that had been in their teams for years before, got up on stage and proudly told us all how much money they were now making.

The pride and happiness this gave the creators of Empower – Dave Wood and Dave Sharpe was so obvious.

Seek Out Leaders Who Inspire You! This brings me to my final point.

There ARE people in the online marketing niche who are ethical, who do care about people and who FEMALE !

Check out this picture of my (largely female) team!

Empower Network At this point I will tell you more about the company that I chose to partner with.

I actually ‘stumbled’ into it after a late-night webinar, because I wanted to learn how to better market my blogs online.

Ha – if you read the ‘hot chick’ section above properly you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Empower Network sells information products that teach people how to market online, and in so doing, you can actually re-sell the products that you used, and keep the commissions.

As a newbie to the industry it is important that you seek out colleagues / experts / leaders in the field who are like what you would like more people in the world to be like!

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September 5th, 2013

Many of my personal ‘favourites’ are female – but not all ! – and crucially I look to what energy they have – not just what they say.

If you are truly following your awareness, and not allowing it to be clouded by judgement – whether positive or negative – you’ll know if an idea or business ‘feels good’ to you – or if the person who introduced you to it does.

(It’s for this exact reason that having ethical practices is so crucial – because if you don’t at some level, people will sense that in your energy.)

As a former newbie online marketer I know that the niche can appear confusing and overwhelming at times.

However, I am beyond inspired by what I’ve seen it do for people – many of them close friends – around me, and for myself.

Despite being part-time I was able to build up the online marketing skillset, and to combine it with the leverage of network marketing – via Empower Network – to create more freedom in my life than I thought possible.

When I began I was becoming sick and tired of always having to teach my classes in the same place, week after week, year after year- regardless of whether my body wanted to teach Zumba®.

As I write this, I’m sitting in a beautiful garden, with my beloved dog at my feet (literally sitting on them) and I have no sense of ‘dread’ in my world about class tomorrow.

I’ll probably teach again, because I love the buzz of teaching Zumba. But I know that I love change, travel and variety TOO and have been able to create a lifestyle now where I can do this wherever I desire

Published by: SandyLeveque

making videos – and along the way has made over $14,500 in just under three months from her blogging.

Income Disclaimer! As I’ve said above – starting an Empower Network business does NOT guarantee that kind of income.

Read Empower Network’s average income disclosure here – it is updated every 24 hours and shows average earnings.

The important thing is to not shoot for ‘average’ results – and to aim to be non-average!

Learn the Skillset

Internet

Marketing

Now that you know more about the ‘Gold Rush’ skillset that is internet marketing you may be thinking…this is something I’d like to learn!

If it is… I urge you to make an informed choice! – watch this video about Empower Network.

This page tells you more about the company: More About Empower Read this FAQ And…if it is for you.

Join my team – Team Have it ALL! Here or by clicking on the photo below. It’s a brilliantly inspiring team full of weird and wonderful people (ha!).

This is what you’ll receive upon joining.

Ok? You may also be interested in the following articles: To your internet success and remember, have FUN!

That’s possible for you too – even if you are part-time. I know that from first hand experience because I didn’t stop my Zumba classes until I was already 8 months into the business.

I won’t promise that it’s going to be mega-mega easy and that simply by joining my team at Empower Network all your problems and frustrations will disappear over night.

Or that your business will be making you money within a day.

What I will promise is that if you are serious about learning a skillset that has the potential to utterly change your life – and you are willing to be consistent, and coachable…anything is possible.

I’ve seen that for my own eyes and recently spent a week being personally mentored by friends and mentors whom within just ten months of joining Empower Network, created $44K in July.

Yes they had a following already, and experience in social media – but they were also willing to do all of the above and to open their minds to what’s truly possible.

And that, is something every person with the entrepreneurial spirit has somewhere inside them!

One of my team-mates, Mariann, had no internet marketing experience and hadn’t ever even made videos! But she was willing to learn new skills and crucially, to get over a phobia of Created using Zinepal. Go online to create your own eBooks in PDF, ePub, Kindle and Mobipocket formats.

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