The Classic Online Marketing Mistake

By Guest Account
The Classic Online Marketing Mistake

 

The following blog post is a guest post by internet marketing expert Matt Carter.

Hey everybody, in this post I am going to reveal what I have learned to be one of the biggest success killers of any new online business. You may well have done this, or are doing it right now, so I encourage you to read this post carefully.

There is an old saying that goes something like this:"A Jack of all trades but a master of none".

Most of you will know what that means, but for those of you who may not, it refers to someone who tries a lot of different things and reaches a level of mediocracy at them all, but never really becomes an expert at any of them.

The reason for this is because their efforts are divided, so the time needed to master one skill is never allocated to it, due to competing demands.

So what's this got to do with your online business? Actually the saying couldn't be more true for a lot of people online. I am referrring to people who hop from one opportunity to the next, almost as often as the wind changes.

What I encourage people to do when they are building an online business, is to pick one main avenue of making money, and dedicate yourself to that, and fight the urge to jump onto the next new thing that comes out.

For some people, like it was for me, it will be to focus on getting good at search engine optimization, to such a level that you know what keywords you can get to the top of Google with, actually get them there and turn that free traffic into cash!

I'm not against purchasing new tools and products to help you become a master in this 'trade' you choose, as there are plenty of great software tools, products, coaches etc...that are vital to help you get there.

What I am saying, is if you choose to dedicate yourself to SEO, then resist the urge to start getting caught up in PPC Marketing, Video Marketing, Offline Media, etc...and focus your time and money only on things that will help you master SEO.

To take this one step further, I also think it is a good idea to choose one monetization method, such as Affiliate Marketing, CPA, E-Commerce etc...and get a system down that works, before taking on a whole plethora of different approaches.

I have personally found that by doing this you will reach success online much faster, and avoid becoming a 'Jack of All Trades'. There is ofcourse nothing wrong with branching out and taking on new ventures once you have reached a level where you're making good money from your initial approach.

In addition to this, I have also found that the people that accelerate the fastest in their online careers, are the ones that have the most initiative.

These people come across something that they don't know and find challenging, and instead of complaining about it, or demanding their nearest Internet Marketing Guru answers it for them, they go off and do some research and stop at nothing until they have found they solution.

The better you get at solving problems by using your initiative, the faster you will progress and the more you will attract people who are willing to come along side you and help you get there. Seems ironic, but I know I much prefer to help people who show initiative and genuinely give it their best, than people who want it all done for them.

So remember to avoid becoming a 'Jack of All Trades' and instead become a 'Master of One'.

About the author:

Matthew Carter is the founder of MattsMarketingBlog.com, an internet marketing training portal that offers free video training, education, and tools to both beginning and advanced internet marketers.

Note: The views and opinions of the author of this guest post may not represent the views and opinions of Affilorama.

26 Comments
Felicisimo Silabay 14 years ago
This is exactly the same principle I am following right now. It's never a good thing if you take on so many ventures especially if you're a neophyte. You will only get confuse by taking in so many information all at the same time.
Promotional Products 14 years ago
Great guest post. Totally agree, focus in one area and excel above the rest. That is the secret to going somewhere with your business.
marco harkema 14 years ago
Very good post! IT gives me more motivation to stick with one thing
Steve Smith 14 years ago
Matt, you are so right! From my experience, I think there is a tendency to be especially vulnerable to the "jack-of-trades" syndrome when you are a new Marketer. There is so much information coming at you and you are trying to take it all in and learn as much as you can as fast as you can....and then you start to realize you are practically going in circles by trying to do to much.

I have definitely learned the most from you and Mark Ling. I am impressed by the way you both approach teaching others. You don't use hype and you provide ground level fundamentals to build on.

My goal is one day to be able to provide valuable information, like you do, to help others. In the meantime I am having a blast learning all I can about affiliate marketing. Thanks for the post Matt, I always enjoy your ideas.
Brett Howard | Inbound Promotions 14 years ago
Well put. The online marketing arena is so broad based it can be very time consuming and overwhelming at times due to the vast array of options to market your business or self. You make a good recommendation to take a specific area, such as SEO, and learn everything you can about it. If it's social media, you'll want to learn all about Facebook and Twitter and the other tools that can help create additional exposure to your business or website. The key is to sticking with the plan and not trying to take on too much at once.
Steve Madaffari 14 years ago
Matt, how right you are about the `Jack of All Trades` approach. With so much information available, it can take some effort to stop one`s self from being drawn in too many directions. I appreciate your insights and guidence regarding affilate marking. Your post reminds me of an old saying, " To know ten thousand things, know one well".
Margene Smith 14 years ago
I agree totally with the articles premise. In the past I have allowed my focus and attention to become divided among several areas at the same time. In the long term it has been quite costly.

I enjoy Affilorama has it has provided an information source and rock solid grounding while I work to attain my goals.

Thank you Mark and the entire Affilorama staff.
14 years ago
This reinforces what we have been stressing all along, i.e., focus, focus, and more focus.
Shalisha Alston 14 years ago
Hi Matt. Thank you for your words of wisdom. I'm excellent at article writing and my method is SEO, but then I started to get impatient and wanted money fast so I tried to learn PPC and really it was a waste of time because why learn something from scratch when you are already good at doing one thing and you can just improve on it. At some point in the future, when I have mastered SEO and article marketing, I'll change but for now I'm going to follow your advice.
Jorge Delgado 14 years ago
Great information from Matt

Thanks,
Jorge
Sylvan Newby 14 years ago
It doesn't make it easier that every internet marketing guru is cranking out products as fast as they can and hawking them a the next best thing that you can't afford to miss out on... and if they are not doing that, hey are slinging some other guru's product to get the affiliate commision.... Even Mark Ling..... but hey I do like to learn everything I can about internet marketing, the problem is that my brain is not quite big enough......
online marketer 14 years ago
ooh yes i totally agreed with you. Many people even expert made this.
Dean Peterson 14 years ago
I like what Mark says - do one thing a time - how many courses do we all have and have never completed - I have at least 4! The courses only work if you do them!
william eckard 14 years ago
Hi Matt, like all your articles, even on your blog, some very healthy advice.

Being a "jack of all trades" is also a consequence of fear and impatience. Fear of failure which then causes the impatience, jumping from one thing to the next, hoping it will show results with sale or two. I think we all battle with this disease (dis ease).

dean graziosi 14 years ago
I have just read this post and I find that people often do these online marketing mistakes.I think that they should really consider it seriously for online marketing.I must say that you have given some nice suggestions regarding it.
Jennifer Lynn 14 years ago
Thank you for your wonderful post. Very informative and I enjoyed reading it along with your other articles. Thanks for sharing and continue the great work.
Ray Gollis 14 years ago
Great Post, Mark, Makes Sense. If you are not focused you won't master any trade proficiently!!
Vernon Christopher 14 years ago
I think this has been one of my problems! Too much information to learn it all well!
Now, I am trying to be an expert at one thing!

One of the things I learned is that often "smart" people don't do as well as those not so smart. Why? The "not so smart people", follow instructions; the "smart" people do not follow instructions well! In the past, I did not follow instructions well! Now, I am starting as a newbie and I have learned more from you and your guest than I have learned on my own!

Thank you!
Jay Datu 14 years ago
As a new entry to the affiliate marketing business, this is one of my dilemma. Im still stuck with tweaking my first website for SEO and at the same time learning the ins and outs of html. But sometimes when I get stuck, i go to the web for answers and more im confused.
Patrick Barnaby 14 years ago
The Classic Online Marketing Mistake to me is all about focus; "choose one monetization method, such as Affiliate Marketing, CPA, E-Commerce etc."
You're right Matt when you said "The better you get at solving problems by using your initiative, the faster you will progress.."
This is the way Bob Parson thinks as he always says "solve your own problems." You need a mentor but at the same time use your own initiative.

Thank you Matt
Niche Websites 14 years ago
Yes it is a good article but I think you have to master a few more skills - for example SEO does require knowledge of video marketing and a good website could and maybe should have multiple ways of monitization, so there is a little bit more to it than most people realise.
online marketing tanfolyam 14 years ago
Online marketing has been growing at a tremendous speed within the field of marketing. The economic crises has shown that when traditional methods fall, new internet marketing tools arise.
Chris 14 years ago
Awesome post. I couldn't agree more. This is the best advice for any newbie marketer. With so many big marketers on the playing field who keep trying to sell you every new shiny technique, it's so easy to get distracted. It's hard to say no, when you see the value in what others are selling. That is the biggest problem I think with learning affiliate marketing, because it's hard to know who to listen to these days. It's best if you pick one or two people to listen to and follow what they teach. It's okay to learn a few things along the way, as you say, it's better to put all your focus on learning one method before jumping to every monetization method.
Nandhini 14 years ago
Hi Matt,

Thanks for your article, it actually reinforces my decision. I do have other business which are not online, but however from my school days internet has always been my attraction. I used to do a lot of browsing on various topics, it led me nowhere and recently I decided to take a call and channelize my time on internet to have some gains. Thanks it does help a lot of people to realize their interest and be more focused.
Nida Sea 13 years ago
Wow, this article is awesome. I have to admit I was a "Jack of All Trades" when I first started online, but now I'm learning to stay committed to one thing first. Eventually I will grow more and try other things, but for now, one thing at a time. ;-)
Internet Advertising 13 years ago
Online marketing is one of the popular and easy way to promote your products and services online on the internet. Well its true that these things demand time and patience, if you have both the things then you can easily achieve your goal and can attract large number of customers.