Making Money Online In The Internet Marketing Gold Rush
My favourite analogy for making money online compares internet marketing to a gold rush.
During a gold rush, thousands of people would venture into the unknown, in search of hidden treasure, often risking everything they had.
Unfortunately, only a handful of these gold seekers found their fortune.
But there was a group who prospered whether the elusive gold was found or not.
Who were they?
The suppliers to the prospectors.
The individuals who provided the required tools for the prospectors.
The obvious inference here for internet marketing is this: as more people come online looking to make money, the marketers who will consistently make money are those who provide the tools (information products, software, etc.) to help them.
However, this analogy only refers to the "make money online" niche.
Not everyone comes online to make money. Shocking, but true.
Most people use the internet to find and/or share information. The explosion in popularity of social sites like Facebook reveal the trend to use the internet as a way to interact with others.
So where is the gold on the internet?
- providing useful, relevant content that people are searching for
- developing tools such as software applications that solve problems, save time, or provide entertainment
Of course this list is brief and very broad, but still extremely applicable to the current online environment.
There is gold in the hills and valleys of the internet, but it is not a get-rich-quick scheme.
The way to make money is by helping others get what they want.
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September 19th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Hi Mark,
I always love this analogy. It's my favorite as well. It's great food for thought as we consider all the needs of business builders. I'm proud to be a merchant coach providing services for the inner needs of online marketers.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:06 am
@ Tom - I'm glad that you're proud of the fact that you are providing a valuable service.
October 27th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Hey Mark:
I like what you are teaching. I would like to add that if we can provide people with a dublicatable online system, they are all the more assured of success.
I won't pitch any here; I think you represent some you can offer to your readers.
Thanks,
Henri