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It’s not easy getting started with internet marketing. There are a lot a lot of things to learn and a lot of things that can go wrong. Below I’ve listed some of the common problems people often face when starting out in internet marketing and how you can overcome them.
Difficulties in finding your niche 
When you’re looking for ideas it can be challenging so try and focus on future trends, aim to be ahead of the times and out-think the competition. Find a clear gap in the market that builds upon your skills and experience. Don’t take on more than you can handle – you can expand later when you have more resources.
Lack of clear direction
Think in the long-term (i.e. what do you ultimately want to achieve?) and short term (i.e. what do you want to achieve this year?). Set both long-term and short term objectives, and consider how your short-term objectives feed into your long-term goals. Establish clear, specific and achievable objectives; once you start to achieve them it will keep you be much more motivated. You can then have a clear strategy and plan for implementing them. It’s also important to regularly review your goals.
Lack of consistency
It’s very easy to “butterfly” – I have been guilty of this in the past myself! So make sure you focus your efforts on one business model.
Difficulties driving traffic to your site
Everyone needs and wants more traffic. There are so many different traffic generation methods both free and paid (but remember that free methods often include your time).
My particular favourites include:
- article marketing
- creating good content,
- SEO,
- guest blogging
- and of course Social Media.
Never rely on one source of traffic to your site. Maximise your chances by having a number of traffic-driving strategies. But focus on creating high-quality content (rather than high quantity). Also, don’t expect immediate results; it can take time.
Failure to target the best keywords
Utilise keyword tools like Google Ad Words, Google Insights and Google Keyword Tool. Make sure you take the time to do your research so that you find the best keywords for your niche.
Lack of time/resources
Many people undermine the amount of (financial and time) resources necessary to succeed online. The fact is, there are no quick-fix solutions, shortcuts or freebees. Ultimately, producing results requires both time and money investment, in addition to patience and perseverance. By planning your time effectively and budgeting carefully and ensuring you don’t get distracted from your plan.
Cash flow problems
Growing your business requires financial resources, which is commonly constrained by cash flow problems. You need to stay on top of your budget and always remember that turnover is vanity – profit is king! Try and create multiple income streams too so that you’re not reliant on certain things.
Not having an autoresponder (or using free auto responders)
There is a reason why people say that “the money is in the list” I highly recommend you use a paid autoresponder like Aweber. Not only will it help grow your list but it’s a great way to keep in touch with your customers and potential clients/buyers. I couldn’t grow my business without one and the free versions just don’t stack up in my experience.
Creating duplicate content
Whilst you can use other sites for inspiration, always create your own original content. If you don’t feel confident with writing your own then you could try PLR but be prepared to make tweaks and make it as much your own voice as possible.
An ineffective team and/or ineffective leadership
Does your team have the knowledge and skills required? Are they adding value to your business? If not, a reassessment may be in order e.g. reallocation of roles, skills training, etc. You also need to consider your key strengths and ensure you are putting them to maximum use. For instance, do you have the necessary leadership skills to inspire, motivate and direct your team?
Lack of leads
Leads feed your business. So no leads = no business. Not building a professional network or customer network is often another problem. Focus on building both these networks through developing personal and direct connections. Work on building up your reputation from the ground up. This leads to positive testimonials which are a great way to show off your expertise and a key driver for further business. Always try and provide more value than your clients expect by under-promising and over-delivering.
Receiving the wrong advice
Unfortunately we live in an online world where everyone claims to be an expert. Internet Marketing is rife with people trying to sell products that under-deliver and don’t work. Make sure you do your homework, check out people’s credentials and make sure that they’re practising what they preach.
Being scared of making mistakes
Business is a risk, it always has been and always will be. You will make mistakes, after all you’re only human and we humans from time to time do! Don’t be afraid to experiment, learn from trial and error to find out what works for you. More importantly learn from your mistakes!
Demotivation
The most important determiner of success is your attitude and your determination – so persevere and keep positive. Surround yourself with like-minded people who have positive “energy”.
Internet marketing is a powerful tool and it means serious business. So treat it as such. It is not a game or a leisure activity. Though, of course, you can still have fun. Just stay focused.
What problems have you face in your online business? How do you overcome them? Please do leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Lilach
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13 Responses to 14 problems faced by internet marketers (and how you can overcome them )
Hi Lilach, just saw this on Facebook and wanted to say hello. You really covered some key area’s when it comes to online marketing and even blogging in general. Having a clear path or idea of here we are going is so important, if not we find ourselves running around in circles always wondering if we met our goal or not. Lack of leads is also another great one, the beginning of the month was a little slow for blog engage but I ended up having the biggest month for income ever since I’ve started online.
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Along with that it is recommended to layout REASONABLE cash flow projections, overall and for each “campaign”.
Amazing how a WRITTEN plans become accurate predictors after time
Chuck Bartok recently posted..Mindset and Business…Applying Action!
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I wish I could come across this earlier but thanks anyway for sharing the solutions over these problems.
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Hey there…GREAT article. I have to say that finding my niche was the single most difficult thing for me to do. I absolutely could NOT figure out what made me different from everyone else. To be fair, I still don’t see that I am different or that there is a “special” reason why someone should come into business with me over anyone else…but I DO know how I enjoy helping people. I kind of accidentally turned that into a niche. LOL!!
Being scared of making mistakes is the second area where I struggle. I wish I had found this article when I first started out in business. It would have saved me almost a YEAR in lost time.
Christi Johnson recently posted..When Your Public Person Doesn’t Match Your Private One – What Then?
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You certainly covered it all Lilach! These problems are certainly ones that can be overcome and allow any business owner to accomplish their goals and become very successful. This can be a wonderful checklist and a handy reminder for starting, building and growing your business for success. Great job, and I look forward to sharing your information to my community.
Lynn Brown recently posted..How Systems Can Streamline Your Online Business
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loved this post and so many key points
i had the problem of being scared of making mistakes but thave now learnt that you will make mistakes but that will make you grow in business its all a learning curve it takes time but when it comes together it is awesome
great post and keep up the great work
Twitter: lewys_sfm
You’ve given a pretty concise outline of how to overcome problems that threaten your online business, Lilach.
Each and every one of them is so important, and each one demands considerable research and effort.
As you summarize, an online business can be plenty enjoyable and fun, but in the final analysis, it is still a business. If you don’t deal head on with the problems you mention, then you’re really indulging in an elaborate hobby, not building an online business.
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Hi Lilach,
I think the most important ones are the first 3 since lack of direction, consistency and focus on a niche are the reasons for all the other problems. Most new bloggers try to have a wide range of topics on their blog which make it difficult to make loyal followers so their blog ends up being too general without a clear goal and without actually traffic…
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thank you for sharing this very interesting post with us, and thank you for the tips, i am sure it is going to help a lot of people.
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Hi Lilach,
This is a very complete list of problems faced by internet marketers! I see a lot of problems that I have had and some that I am still working on. Consistency is one thing that I am still working on. I think that is mostly due to the fact that I am often trying new things to see if they will bring better results. I am starting to narrow my niche and I am already seeing positive results. Thanks for sharing!
Stacy
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I think the biggest problem I have and that I relate to most is the lack of consistency. I really need to set up what I want done and how I need to get there. I need to be working towards it everyday.
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Great post, Lilach! I would also add a couple of things that I learned the hard way: make sure you always have a few ideas in the chamber so you can always keep new content, and make sure to have someone who knows what works look at your site. Often, the thing that hurts us the most isn’t what we know isn’t working, but what we don’t know isn’t working.
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