Birth Of An Internet Marketer
It was a few years ago that I first ventured into Internet marketing. It was not intentional.
I had founded a local users group, which met once per month for a few hours at a time. We all agreed that our meeting were too infrequent, but no one could commit themselves to more frequent gatherings.
The answer was a web site that allowed us to share information, file downloads, etc. I registered a domain name, bought hosting, and set up a very basic web site. At our next meeting, I heard from several people about how impressed and thankful they were. When the meeting ended, one of my members echoed the positive sentiments and then suggested that I place Google Adsense on the site to create a little revenue.
I did not know what Adsense was, but if I could cover the out-of-pocket expense for the site I was all for it. She sat down with me, explained that she earned her living marketing on the Internet, what Adsense was and how it worked, and helped me register for an account.
I received the approval from Google, got my account set up, and inartfully placed ads on the site. My goal was to make about $10 per month, which would cover my out-of-pocket expenses related to the web site. During the first month I earned more than $100 and found myself a bit nervous that I had somehow done something wrong. The next month produced a bit more money and the revenue continued month, after month, after month…
I was hooked.
Amazon was the next program with which I became involved. I learned how to place the code on my site, wrote product reviews, and was quickly seeing commissions accrue in my account.
Those two revenue streams were my primary source of income, earning a few hundred buck each month. I was happy with my success.
I still had the bug, however. I bought e-books, researched, joined discussion groups. Looking to expand beyond my one web site, I signed up for a Plug-In-Profit-Site and began a journey into the heart of Internet marketing.
What I have found was that my initial success was unusual. I also found that with most new Internet marketers they struggle to earn their first buck and struggle even more to earn their second buck.
As I learned more, I came to believe that the reason so many struggle and fail is a result of two factors. The first is the reality that a majority of those struggling are approaching Internet marketing as a hobby. The second reason is that there are a group of Internet marketing “gurus” that sell a lot of crap.
So what’s this blog about?
There are two things I hope to do here. One is to share with you the insight and knowledge I have in the field of Internet marketing. The second is that I would like to help you avoid some of the ethical and legal pitfalls that are involved.
I hope you find value here. Your suggestions are always welcome and your willingness to spend time here is appreciated.
To your success!
Christopher Smith, B.B.A., J.D.
