The Lessons a WAHM learned from the “Internet Marketing Gurus” Part One

April 29, 2008 | By Kristen | In Small Business Blogging, Work at Home MOM 

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It seemed simple, have a product, make a web page, throw a few banners up, and sit back to collect the money while the orders roll in. Well, okay, that is oversimplified but generally speaking when I started on my mompreneur journey a few years ago I thought that the production of a website was my biggest challenge.

Then the reality hits, you have your website just where you want it, you have the product stocked & ready, you put up your banners and….

wait…for that little web stat to blip and a customer to hit that “BUY NOW” button. Back to the books and forums you go.

You review your checklist again:

  • Business & Marketing Plan- Done
  • Sales Forcast- done “enough”
  • Web Navigation easy- check
  • Link exchanges - check check
  • SEO & Keywords- check
  • blog- check
  • Paid advertising - check with a grunt

While I learned a lot over the last few years, my lessons have mostly originated in the school of hard knocks by losing alot of time & money. I found that I became so absorbed with my own daily tasks I was missing something. It wasn’t until I read this little quote somewhere that it made be step back and re-evaluate.

I wish I could find the exact quote again, but the jist of it was - “There are no new ideas”. That’s it. Simple.

You can argue that this methodolgy kills creativity, however, I prefer to look at this way - don’t re-invent the wheel. Re-use the methods and strategies that you know will work and it leaves you more time to be creative in other projects. The downfall of a home based business is you are constantly strapped for money, time and resources so we need all the help we can get.

The suggestion is then to keep a box and any direct mailer or sales letter you found that catches your attention, or anything that spurred you into action, put it in the box. If you spend just three days and look at everything you come in contact with you will be amazed at what you find.

Then simply copy it. I’m not saying copy it exact, but mold to fit your business and then copy it. If it worked to get your interest, then it will most likely work to get the next persons interest.

This brings me to the world of Internet Marketing. Until I really started researching internet marketing, I thought my idea of link exchanges, and blog comments, and SEO were internet marketing.

Then I started researching and learned so much more from an area of marketing that it is flooded with experts or “gurus” as they are often referred to as. Some are actually successful some just think they are.

But none the less, they have some great techniques and tactics that I studied, stole, used and had success with and helped me realize why I wasn’t earning the money I knew I could. The best part is they can be used in any niche or business, it’s not only for the internet marketers.

Depending on your experience as a Wahm or home based business some techniques may be common sense,
and of course, this is just a high level review. Each one can be drilled down further and further into actual details which I will continue to offer my newsletter subscribers.

Part Two arriving soon…..

While you wait, take the opportunity to start your box.

Steel the Wheel and Make It Happen.

Sign up for my newsletter at http://www.tubbybundle.com/blog and I will share with you more details on how to make the most of free resources and techniques that will increase your business.

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One Response to “The Lessons a WAHM learned from the “Internet Marketing Gurus” Part One”

  1. Kimberly Rosenberg on April 30th, 2008 3:31 pm

    Kristen,
    You made a great point in your blog. Methodology doesn’t hinder creativity, and in the tough road of entrepreneurship, you simply must be as prepared as possible! Once all the initial obstacles are taken care of, then creativity can begin. It seems to be like you’re a very organized person, you know how to prioritize. I’ve been using Microsoft’s new Office Live Small Business to set up my home business, and it’s just wonderful! It has a fantastic e-mail beta for newsletters, storing invoices, and an easy-to-use webpage designer, no HTML experience necessary! You even get your own “.com” URL with this thing, all for free!

    There’s more information at http://smallbusiness.officelive.com

    In the world of female entrepreneurship, there are plenty of obstacles and challenges to overcome, but there are also plenty of opportunities, one of the greatest being the vast potential market of the internet. I really recommend OLSB to any entrepreneur looking to bring their business online; it’s an incredibly useful tool. I work with Microsoft, so if you or any of your readers have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at k-rosenberg@live.com. It’s been a pleasure reading, and I hope to be in touch!

    Take care,
    Kimberly

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