In theory, internet marketing is easy: attract traffic, make sales.

In practice, making sense of it and finding out what works and what doesn’t is nowhere as  easy.

There are so many conflicting reports and things change over time – sometimes gradually, often crazily fast.

So how can you make sense of it all?

Start by fine tuning your own built-in radar that alerts you when something seems too good to be true.

All the headlines claiming that you can make $$$ in just 10 minutes or whatever else or that you can quit your day job and immediately be better off. That kind of thing.

In theory, the FTC stops false claims.

In practice, it’s difficult to police effectively and there’s almost always a “results not typical” get out phrase buried deep on the sales that makes the incredible claim legitimate enough.

I find that the best approach is almost always to let an offer rest overnight.

Even if it’s on a dime sale with the price rising every few sales or a countdown clock which implies that the world will end if you don’t buy now, this instant.

The next thing to do is take a step back.

In the same way as it seems patently obvious what a business needs to do on a reality television show and you’re almost screaming at the television wondering why the business owner can’t see the wood for the trees.

But the same is almost certainly happening in your business.

An outside person will often ask relatively simple – maybe even dumb – questions and you’ll have a light bulb going off in your head.

It is possible to brainstorm that kind of thing with yourself – it’s much like talking to yourself – but that’s not a skill that all of us have. Which is why business mentors and coaches exist – they’re the sounding board you may need.

And if you think that’s outside your price bracket at the moment, go back over your last month’s purchases of internet marketing “stuff” and have a rethink.

All those “just $7” purchases add up.

If you’re not someone who constantly devours internet marketing products then congratulations – you’re at the stage where you can move on.

There are certain basics you need for internet marketing – if there are any gaps in your knowledge, work out what they are and seek out the best way of filling the knowledge gaps.

That could be learn it yourself from a product or a forum.

Or it could be outsourcing it – something we do all the time in our regular life, even if we don’t call it that.

For instance, you almost certainly outsource growing your own food, manufacturing the electronics and machines you use, weaving your clothing, etc.

And there’s no harm in doing that for your internet marketing business.

Almost everyone outsources hosting and the intricacies of being a domain name registrar.

Most people outsource the handling of their email lists and where they place adverts or links to promote their website.

So you’re already outsourcing at least some of your internet marketing.

Then work your way through this list – plus any other items that are unique to the way you run your business – and start making sense of what you know. Then you can begin the process of glueing it all together.

• Your own website. Most internet marketers should have their own domain and website. But you may prefer to rely on sites like Facebook and HudPages and Twitter for your promotion. If you do that, remember that you’re permanently subject to their whims. And if you choose to go down the route of your own website, remember that until you build up alternative traffic sources you’re permanently subject to the whims of Google. Or use somewhere like Udemy to host a course like this one. Or publish a book on Kindle and then add it to CreateSpace.
• Content on your website. This should be written content first and foremost. If you can’t or won’t write, pay someone to do it for you. Supplement written content with videos as they’re what people expect. Again, outsource if you can’t or won’t do that yourself.
• Drive traffic. Without traffic, your effort is wasted. If the only person who gets to see your site is you, that’s useless. You don’t need much traffic – often it’s a case of less is more – so figure out where the buyers hang out and what they’re looking for. Whether that’s forums, YouTube, article sites, press releases, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere. And whether it’s best to splash out a few cents per click for an advert on Bing or a few dollars for one on Google. Or a Facebook campaign. Or a retargeting campaign once you get some glimmer of traffic.
• Make the most of the traffic you do get. Encourage people to share your content, comment on it and nose around the rest of your site. Maybe with a plugin like Yet Another Related Post or a service like Outbrain or similar. Encourage people to sign up to your list without being too brash and pushy.
• Analyse what’s working and what isn’t. And tweak accordingly.
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Google’s results change with the wind. So do their rules and they often apply them retrospectively so that something you did in the past that was fine is now not OK and you’re punished in the results or by being banished from their sites. The same happens with other big companies.
• Above all, seek help when you need it. Internet marketing can be a lonely business and working from home can be challenging. Help is available and doesn’t have to break the bank. Often it pays for itself many times over as it helps short cut things or helps eliminate costly but unprofitable paths.

I wish you every success with making sense of your internet marketing!

And if you’ve got any thoughts or comments, feel free to share them below.