There seemed to be so many myths about internet marketing around, which new people to the web always bump into (and can be taken in by), that I thought it worth trying to list some of these.
I’ve given my point of view after each one. I’m not pretending it’s some kind of “answer”: things change and people have different experiences. There are also headings as a rough guide. I’ve tried to put what I think are the most obvious or most significant myths.
Of course, I couldn’t cover everything. For example, there could be a separate list on article marketing. So, it so happens I ended up with 51!
WEBSITE
1 Begin with a website – People think this is the most important thing to start with because it’s what others see, it’s the shop window of a business. They don’t realise the real business is in the back office stuff.
2 You need an expensive flashy site – To begin with this is bad for those with slow connections, so you could actually lose customers, not attract them.. Also, you don’t even need a website to be in business: see here.
3 Meta keywords & descriptions will get your site high in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) – Not really. These have lost their significance. Backlinks are the key now.
4 Search Engine auto-submissions are the way to go - These services are just spamming Search Engines with repeated submissions, so you might actually get banned for spamming.
5 Being indexed and being found in SERPs means more money – Not automatically because your site still needs to convert the visitor to a buyer.
6 Getting indexed on as many Search Engines as possible means success – Not so, as most searches are on the 3 or 4 most popular Search Engines.
7 You have to be at the top of Google to be successful – Partly true but not the be all and end all as some would have you believe. Best policy is to use a variety of marketing methods and Search Engines.
8 If you’re not in Google, you’re dead – See 7. Get search traffic from a variety of Search Engines, and traffic from a variety of sources.
9 A small site means no traffic – Size, in this case, does not matter. Traffic depends on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and marketing of the site.
TRAFFIC
10 More traffic means more sales – It depends on what traffic. First, is it targeted to those who are interested? Second, are they buyers? More untargeted, non-buyers is almost worthless.
11 Search Engine traffic is not the best for getting buyers – In fact, they buy up to 30% more than from other types of marketing.
12 Once I’m on the first page of Google I can stop marketing – Well, you have to work at keeping the position, and you still have to market your product to get the most people to see it, and then convert them to buyers.
13 Web 2.0 is a waste of time – Usually more of a long-term method, with bursts of traffic. The important thing is it’s permanent and lasts a long time: links remain live and connections between links and sites are around for a long time compared to, for example, a Pay Per Click campaign.
14 Hits are the important thing – Not unless you convert visitors to subscribers or buyers.
LIST
15 A big list means (automatic) big profits – People who want to buy are best, in total contrast to those who joined simply out of curiousity. So, a small list of buyers is better than a big list of non-buyers. Of course, you may still have to do conversions.
COPY
16 It all comes down to the sales letter to convert – This could be quite a desperate strategy, a one-off opportunity. People usually buy out of trust from knowing you for a while, or from being recommended. So the sales letter is better as part of a longer communication with the visitor and/or the end of a launch/ad campaign.
17 It’s all hype - Well, it can look that way at times and there is definitely plenty of it around. The trouble is that those with genuinely useful products, whatever that usefulness is, also have to sound hypish to get attention. It’s up to the visitor to discriminate between real hype and genuine benefits as stated on the letter. It all comes down to Myth 16 again.
GET RICH QUICK
18 There’s a winning formula (or 2 or 3…) – This sounds similar to Lottery and other gambling formulas. Or the magic lamp that when rubbed always provides the answer to a problem. If there was such an obvious formula, everybody would be using it.
19 You really can get rich quick – Not overnight as this suggests, nor by next week or month. However, with the right product and marketing, millions can be made. Time-wise, the problem is it probably takes years to get there.
PRODUCT/SERVICE
20 Having a great product means automatic success – This is an old one: build a better mousetrap and people will come and buy. But you also need to let peope know you exist in the first place. Then there’s price, marketing etc.
21 Sell high ticket items to make more – Another one solution to everything. Obviously it’s true you’ll make more money if you sell more high priced products. But you still have to ensure quality for the price and that it’s better than your competition’s.
22 Always sell cheap so as not to frighten off buyers – If you sell only cheap products, the danger is you’re business will just be seen as “cheap” in every sense?
23 Giving lots of choice will improve sales – An easy mistake to make. Too much choice (any choice?) means prospects get confused and don’t do or buy anything.
24 My product/service is needed by everybody – It’s the other way round. You still have to market it, then you find out if it’s really needed by everybody.
25 Sell what’s hot – The problem here is that interest quickly fades away and you have to test if there are any real buyers. Plus you have to be very quick to market.
26 Sell what’s your passion – Only if you can monetize it.
27 If someone doesn’t buy my product, they just want things for free – Not necessarily. This is a common comment in the make money niche. Maybe they just don’t trust you, or haven’t got the money.
GENERAL
28 It’s easy – Maybe to think, dream, or even plan. To put into practice, make decisions, keep going long-term are different matters.
29 Anyone can do it – See above. It seems to me the biggest problems someone can have are to do with language use, technical skills and information/learning overload.
30 It’s all free – Nothing is free, really. For giver and receiver there could be cost of time, money and energy.
31 IM is too expensive – It depends on your perception and/or the reality for you of “expensive”. Relative to other business ventures, it’s cheap. Also, it is possible to start selling stuff literally with no money – as long as you have computer and internet access. I’ve written about this on the blog here.
32 It’s too late to begin – It may seem that way in Western/developed countries but even there not everyone is yet online or on fast access. Also, think about China, India, and Africa. There’s a massive development still to come.
33 IM businesses are unreliable, who do you trust? – I can identify with this! However, you can do some research on a site or marketer. Also, test the waters where you can, like joining their ezine or read their blog. Of course, you have to avoid simply signing up and paying up for whatever looks good, otherwise you’ll be paying out for one product or another every day:) A dose of scepticism is useful to find genuine long-term products, services, and offers worth your money – so that you yourself can make some money.
34 You get immediate results – You can get very fast results e.g. traffic with PPC or if you have a responsive list already built or can tap into someone else’s responsive list but generally it’s a longer term venture to get to these points. Google, for example, likes older/aged sites as well as new blogs.
35 There’s one and one only solution e.g.selling traffic solutions – A business needs strategies, systems and processes in place, not a one-off sell. What seems like a one-off sell, like a big launch, has planning and systems behind it.
36 Follow a “guru” – Only you can test in your own business; a mentor would help to speed things up, smooth the process but in the end it’s your decision about what sort of business you have and in what direction you take it. Also, “gurus” can have massive resources, including experience, behind them.
37 There’s one missing key to find – If there was, it would have leaked out by now and everybody would be using it. Your business must be unique, not a clone of lots of others.
38 Only fear is stopping me (some copy might say) – Maybe, but getting another product won’t help that.
39 By definition it’s all down to the marketing – Actually it’s about you, and the other components of the business working properly. Your marketing reflects you and your goals.
40 I’ve got the talent so I can fly by my pants! – You need online business knowledge and experience. That is, you have to have successes and failures before you can “appear” to be flying by your pants and succeeding.
41 Because you’re on the internet, you don’t have to sell – Trying to make money? Then you have to sell, internet or not.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
42 Affiliate marketing is a dead cert for making money – There are so many problems with this idea. You’re best off with your own product. I think even “superaffiliates” will have their own products. At the time of writing there’s a launch of a product, where you have your own product first, and then backend with affiliate products, usually continuity programs.
EMAIL MARKETING
43 Email marketing is dead and a waste of time - In fact,it generated more per dollars spent compared to other direct marketing, over the last 3 years.
44 Email is spoiled by SPAM – Use a reputable autoresponder business, so your emails get through.
ARTICLE MARKETING
45 You have to have very good writing skills for article marketing – Most people follow a formula and there is masses of free information on this.
46 You need very good subject knowledge for article writing – Just research: it’s an article not a book, so write on one keyword.
47 You have to be unique or original every time in your articles – Look at article directories, and you’ll see lots of repetition of the same ideas but presented in different ways.
48 I was no good at writing in school – School writing is not relevant in writing internet marketing articles.
49 I can’t write articles at length or I don’t want to – You don’t have to. 300-400 words will do it. Look in the directories.
LOCAL BUSINESS
50 Local businesses don’t need a website – If you have a product that can be transported to your customer, you can vastly increase your market. In any case, if you have a quality product or service well marketed, some people will travel a long way to buy that quality.
51 The internet is unproven – Do some research and you’ll see the vast variety and number of products and services sold online. Large reputable businesses are also moving (or trying to move) onto the web to expand their market. Also, the internet is fast growing and has vast potential to develop.