Gary Chappelle here.
In 2 1/2 years I was able to completely replace my income from my JOB (Just Over Broke) with my own business working from home. In fact, I now make MORE than I did previously!
How?
I worked hard and stayed the course. But really it all boils down to 5 principles that I've developed over the years that I call the 5 Rules of Internet Marketing.
I believe if you follow these then you can be successful with your business.
Rules of Internet Marketing #1:
Learning to earn a living online is not as easy as some of those so-called "gurus" make it out to be. If it were, then everyone who ever started a business online would be wealthy and working from home.
The truth is it took me about 18 months to finally realize I could make enough online to be successful.
But if you want to keep on believing in those "pie-in-the-sky" promises that roll into your inbox frequently then be my guest. All you're going to do is waste your time and empty your bank account.
I know people who purchase one program, try it for a few days or weeks, and then quit after they don't see any results.
Then the amazing thing is they start the process all over again with the next enticing email they receive.
Sound familiar?
Rules of Internet Marketing #2:
Find a system that works.
There is a lot of garbage out there. These "gurus" show you the amount of money they make by either doctoring the results (lying) or showing you how much they make from selling their system, not by using their system.
So the important thing is to find a business owner who truly uses their own system to generate revenue. If they aren't doing that then why do you think you can be successful using the system?
How do you find such a system?
Do some research. If you're going to spend your hard-earned money isn't it worth a little effort on your part to make sure you're spending it wisely?
Check out some forums and see what others are saying about the owner and his business. They can be a great resource.
Rules of Internet Marketing #3:
Learn the skills necessary to be successful.
If you have truly found a business or businesses that work, then you have won half the battle. The other half is learning how to drive targeted traffic to your business.
And this is where most people fail!
Just as with any business there are certain skills one has to learn to be good at what they do. Why would being an internet marketer be any different? You need to educate yourself.
There are multiple resources on how to develop these skills both free and paid. Simply do a search engine search for the skill you want to learn and you will find much material.
Rules of Internet Marketing #4:
Test, test, test!
When you learn a new skill it takes time to develop it. Whether you're using Pay-Per-Click, Traffic Exchanges, Emailing, Article marketing, Blogging, SEO, etc., you have to continually test to see what works and what doesn't. More than likely YOU WILL FAIL in the beginning. Most people do including successful internet marketers.
In fact, even today, when I start some new marketing strategy, it usually takes me multiple times before i get it right. That's just part of learning how to market.
Rules of Internet Marketing #5:
Work the business and stay with it.
Rome wasn't built-in a day, as the old saying goes.
People fail for a variety of reasons but a major one is that they do not give themselves enough time to learn the skills necessary to be successful (see Rule #3) and then apply what they have learned (see Rule #4).
In this "got to have it now" society in which we live, it's tough to develop patience and perseverance. But it's absolutely critical in becoming successful as an internet marketer.
Talk to ANY successful internet marketer and they will tell you similar stories of how they failed miserably in the beginning. These aren't just fancy stories to promote a "rags-to-riches" marketing campaign. These are true life experiences of those who made it by staying the course.
But from their failures came learning lessons of what not to do next time. And as they pressed forward to succeed they found themselves moving in the right direction until that breakthrough moment came for them.
We all have it.
It's called the "Aha" moment!
It's at that critical moment when we know we can succeed. As I stated earlier, my "Aha" moment came about 18 months after I began my business.
Did you read that?
18 months!
Are you a person willing to devote that much time (maybe more or less) to achieve your "Aha" moment?
If not, then internet marketing is NOT for you and you need to either stick with your J.O.B. or go find one.
But if you are willing to apply these 5 Rules of Internet Marketing then you can be a success.
I hope you choose the latter.
Gary Chappelle is an internet marketer and trainer. He is a well-known SEO expert who runs his own marketing company, Comsult Corporation that has been in business since 1995 in the Atlanta, GA. area. He is also the Affiliate Manager for ACME People Search and ACME Phone Leads, both owned by Tissa Godavitarne.