Or… the painful realities that most business owners don’t want to face about growing a business online.
By way of full disclosure, this article is the result of actually DOING internet marketing for my own business online as well as working with clients since 2008.
Most have contacted me after dealing with other companies and spending thousands of dollars.
And the vast majority were “frustrated.”
Now, you may be wondering what the point of this article is? And that’s a valid question.
It comes down to ONE THING — most people give up and throw in the towel just before success is coming there way. Or is able to come there way.
More often than not their internet marketing program turns into another abandoned marketing initiative.
And it doesn’t have to be this way.
In other words, the stages of “grief” listed below are entirely avoidable, provided you base your internet marketing program on clear objectives, a realistic timeline, and implement the plan on a consistent basis.
What about you?
Five stages of internet marketing grief
There are a few points you’ll need to keep in mind as you review the stages below. Though listed in a linear manner, people can sometimes jump from one state to another.
In other words, you may jump from frustration to enthusiasm once your site generates the first sale or lead.
And similarly, some people may jump from fatigue to blame.
The key is not so much how one progresses from one state to another. Rather, the point is to IDENTIFY what each stage means for you, and how it affects your marketing efforts with respect to growing your business.
Without further ado, here are the 5 stages of internet marketing “grief:”
- enthusiasm
- fatigue
- frustration
- blame
- denial
Enthusiasm
For most people this is the starting line.
Upon hearing or realizing that they can effectively and cost-efficiently grow their business through their own efforts – usually with a blog website – they get to work in a big way.
Typically they’ll jump in with both feet before working out a clear marketing strategy.
Go go go…
And that’s a good thing. To a point…
When I meet or talk to folks in this stage of the game I will caution that they need to “pace themselves.” After all, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And neither will your online empire, for that matter.
remember… the web is a MATURE market place.
For just about every imaginable niche there are hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of sites out there JUST LIKE YOURS.
Does that mean you can’t “catch up?”
Of course not.
However, winning online is more of a marathon than a sprint. So temper your enthusiasm and create a realistic work schedule for yourself, something that you can realistically keep at for months to come.
Fatigue
Fatigue tends to set in around the 3 month mark.
Maybe you’ve been adding a blog post a week for a few months — good for you if that’s the case.
Inevitably, however, the doubts start to creep in. Those inner voices start whispering in your ear how “this is a waste of your time” or “nothing will come from it” or “it’s too much work.”
One article a week becomes one article a month… maybe.
You start to make excuses why you’re not sticking to your work schedule…
- too busy
- too tired
- business is picking up
- the economy stinks and no one is buying anyway
- my niche doesn’t buy
- family issues
- nothing worth writing/talking about
- there’s nothing new/more to say
The list goes on.
Let me just say this… if making money online was easy, everyone would be an internet millionaire (or hundred thousandaire).
Frustration
At this point doubt gives way to the beginnings of anger.
Be careful if you’re here, because you’re on the slipper slope to disaster.
To be brutally honest, of all the stages this one is the most dangerous because it marks a turning point. And I know from experience, because I’ve been here with you as well. To borrow a line from the Shawshank Redemption…
you either get busy living, or get busy dying.
It really can take months to begin to see some light at the end of the tunnel. And if you happen to be in a very competitive niche, such as coaching, insurance, merchant accounts, jewelry, self help, weight loss, it can even longer than that.
Can you compete with the “big boys?”
Of course you can.
But not without a strategy.
The # 1 reason why people get no action from their site is because they don’t get enough of the RIGHT traffic. And they don’t get traffic because they target the wrong keywords.
Most people don’t have the slightest idea what a real keyword is…
- or how to find them
- or how to choose them
- or how to use them.
And I know, because of all the things I help clients with, this is the ONE area where they fight with me the most. This is the one area where they come back to me with a list of nonsense made up keywords that says NOTHING about their core business and the kind of clients/customers they need to survive.
What can bring you out of frustration?
A legitimate lead or sale from your site. Actually experiencing your site doing SOMETHING for you and your business.
Remember, if you’re not on page 1 of Google you’ve got nothing…
In fact, you’re just getting started.
Blame
At this point you’re looking to point fingers at everyone… except yourself:
- your web designer’s a jerk
- the SEO guy is a liar
- you can’t make money online
- it was all a waste of money
- you wasted your time
Now, in your defense I will warn you that you better be wary of who you listen to or take advice from.
Marketing online is the easiest thing in the world to TALK ABOUT, and the hardest to successfully pull off. And that’s because most people deal in theory. They talk about what they’ve heard about, or what they’ve read about.
When it comes to winning online only listen to people who are DOING THIS in the trenches, day in and day out.
And then listen to their advice and IMPLEMENT it to the letter.
Don’t get “creative.”
Don’t reinvent the wheel.
Don’t think you know better than the guy or gal who makes a living from DOING online marketing, rather than teaching online marketing.
If he or she maps out a strategy for you, follow it.
Or give up now…
Denial
This is the final stage — where people give up and throw in the towel.
You know you’re in this stage when you start saying (or thinking) “this will never work” or “my site will never generate any business.”
So what can you do should you find yourself in one of these stages of grief? And why does it do wrong for 99% of business owners?
Understand that it takes patience to win online.
- And persistence
- And having a plan
- And work/effort
- Focusing/fixing the RIGHT things (NOT your logo, colors, graphics, etc.)
And of course some clear goals, a plan of action, and realistic steps to implement day in and day out.
Does that make sense?
If you’re not sure what you’re doing online, or why, maybe it’s time for you to…
Schedule your website review today
Since early 2008 I have worked with dozens of clients and helped them get more than they thought possible from their websites. And I know I can do the same for you…
There are three ways to schedule your FREE website audit:
- call 888-542-2936 and leave a voice message, including your name and URL, or…
- send an email to: support@bestwebpresence.com,
- or click the link and complete a short webform.
Online success starts by taking the first step…
In working with clients I have been able to diagnose problems, road-blocks, issues and oversights that have prevented business owners like you from achieving their goals. To discover how I can improve your current web-marketing efforts to generate MEASURABLE results for you let me review your website, and then we can set up a time to discuss my analysis by phone.
