Can I really make money online? Yes of course you can, but it is not as simple and easy as most things out there on the internet would lead you to believe.
Here is a little of my personal journey thus far in internet marketing.
I have been interested in making money online for a couple of years now, but hadn't really started seriously pursuing it except for the last eight months. Why you may ask, well simply put, information overload! I found there is endless information on the internet on the subject, but I couldn't figure out where to start. Trying to navigate through the tons of ways to go about making money online is extremely confusing and time consuming. I found that a lot of the information available was based on already knowing the basic information and then expanding from there. The problem is I didn't have the basic knowledge.
I knew how to search the internet, send emails, and put updates on my Facebook page, but that was pretty much it. I kept researching and searching online for a system that would work to train me how to do this "make money online thing", but I was afraid because there are thousands of options to choose from, and so many of them are scams, it is scary.
Finally after a ton a research I decided to bite the bullet and try one. Actually, not one, but four different programs over the course of time, and the first three were a complete and utter waste of my time and money.
My first two failed attempts involved trying to use two separate programs that were "supposed" to teach me to make money online. Well simply put, they didn't. I then realized I needed to do more in depth research online. This time I decided to look into the basics of what each of the many possibilities to make real money online was about, and narrow it down to one thing and start from there. This was the best choice I had made to date concerning online marketing. I learned that trying to learn everything at once was impossible and I wasn't getting anywhere. I just kept spinning my wheels and I never actually got started with any of the options because I didn't learn anything that I could really understand cause it was all just too much. I decided to focus on one thing and when I was comfortable with that, I moved onto the next. One thing at a time was a very critical and important lesson learned for me.
There are so many options to consider for making money online, and if you are a "newbie" all that information is confusing. For example, there is Affiliate Marketing, Email Marketing, Marketing on Social Media like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, there is Pay Per Click Advertising, Banner Advertising, Adsense Advertising, there is Classified Ad Marketing like on Craigslist, Making money on Ebay, MLM businesses, etc. This is just to name a few.
I personally decided to start with Affiliate Marketing. What is affiliate marketing? It is a revenue sharing between a merchant and an affiliate who gets paid for referring or promoting the merchants' products and services. Broken down in layman's terms, you are a "Salesperson" for a company, and when you make a sale for them they pay you a commission. However, instead of cold calling, or telemarketing, etc. to make sales, you generate traffic using the internet to the company's website, and if a sale is made then you get paid. Make sense? Just about any company or product you can think of you can be an affiliate for. Some examples are Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Target, Barnes and Noble, etc. The possibilities are endless.
After personally deciding that I wanted to pursue affiliate marketing, I had to start my research all over AGAIN, but this time I went to "warrior forums" on the internet and found what people are really saying about the different programs available "to make money online." Oh I wish I had found these sites two years ago, it would have saved me so much time and money. These warrior forums are people giving their honest feedback on the thousands of products or topics about anything you could possibly want to know about anything. I went to the forums about internet marketing that teach you how to make money online. The feedback on these forums are brutal. People ask questions about a program or "scam" as most of them are, and people who have purchased and tried the programs give their real feedback. I followed all the comments threads, and I found one program that kept popping up as a topic on these sites that had consistent and positive feedback. This is where I found the fourth program I mentioned above, and this one changed everything for me.
I have found that most people think that the internet is set up to push a few buttons and you will make hundreds of thousands of dollars every month. I know that was the impression that I had been given from all the research I had done prior to this point. Let me state plainly that this is not true. Realistically only about 3% - 5% of people using the internet to earn a living fall into "making millions annually" category. Sorry, if that's not what you wanted to hear, but sometimes the truth hurts. Everyone's goals are different. Would I love to make millions of dollars every year online? Well of course, duh! However, I now know that was unrealistic.
Having brought you back to reality now, I want to be clear "YES YOU CAN MAKE MONEY ONLINE." However, it is hard, but not difficult. What I mean by this is, there is a basic formula and if you follow it you can create a successful online business. BUT, there is a lot to learn. I'm not kidding; it is like going to college all over again. Most people fail to make money online because once they see all they have to learn and do to run a successful online business they are simply not willing to put in the effort to work that hard. As long as you are willing to learn, then you can learn it. As long as you are persistent and work hard you will be successful. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it, just like everything else in life. Then comes the most important step...YOU MUST TAKE ACTION. You will not be successful if you learn and learn and learn, but don't implement what you've learned. I was guilty of this crucial step for a long time.
However, don't quit your day job. Start working part time and slowly grow your business, and when you are consistently out earning your current job, then leave and work for yourself full time, if that is your personal goal. If you are currently unemployed then you have no reason not to dedicate yourself full time while you are still looking for another full time job that will pay the bills in the meantime.
Let me state plainly, not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, or business owner. Many people think an online or work from home business, is easy and not a lot of work. This is not true. Any business regardless of what it is will take a lot of work on your part. Having a business for yourself takes hard work, dedication, persistence, endless amounts patience, the ability to adjust to change, and the understanding that you will regularly continue to educate yourself and evolve as time and technology changes. I know that sounds like a lot, and quite honestly it is, but you must be honest with yourself. Only you know if you are truly willing to do those things.
I know I have given you a ton to think about here, and that was my goal. If you were searching the internet for more information on "how to make money online" or anything similar to that, I hope I have cleared a few things up for you.
Please be aware that this is a very condensed version of my personal story, and if you want more detailed information on what systems I tried in the past, or a little more about information about me, then I recommend you click on the link below to my website.
To your online success.
Sincerely,
Rachel
Here is a little of my personal journey thus far in internet marketing.
I have been interested in making money online for a couple of years now, but hadn't really started seriously pursuing it except for the last eight months. Why you may ask, well simply put, information overload! I found there is endless information on the internet on the subject, but I couldn't figure out where to start. Trying to navigate through the tons of ways to go about making money online is extremely confusing and time consuming. I found that a lot of the information available was based on already knowing the basic information and then expanding from there. The problem is I didn't have the basic knowledge.
I knew how to search the internet, send emails, and put updates on my Facebook page, but that was pretty much it. I kept researching and searching online for a system that would work to train me how to do this "make money online thing", but I was afraid because there are thousands of options to choose from, and so many of them are scams, it is scary.
Finally after a ton a research I decided to bite the bullet and try one. Actually, not one, but four different programs over the course of time, and the first three were a complete and utter waste of my time and money.
My first two failed attempts involved trying to use two separate programs that were "supposed" to teach me to make money online. Well simply put, they didn't. I then realized I needed to do more in depth research online. This time I decided to look into the basics of what each of the many possibilities to make real money online was about, and narrow it down to one thing and start from there. This was the best choice I had made to date concerning online marketing. I learned that trying to learn everything at once was impossible and I wasn't getting anywhere. I just kept spinning my wheels and I never actually got started with any of the options because I didn't learn anything that I could really understand cause it was all just too much. I decided to focus on one thing and when I was comfortable with that, I moved onto the next. One thing at a time was a very critical and important lesson learned for me.
There are so many options to consider for making money online, and if you are a "newbie" all that information is confusing. For example, there is Affiliate Marketing, Email Marketing, Marketing on Social Media like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, there is Pay Per Click Advertising, Banner Advertising, Adsense Advertising, there is Classified Ad Marketing like on Craigslist, Making money on Ebay, MLM businesses, etc. This is just to name a few.
I personally decided to start with Affiliate Marketing. What is affiliate marketing? It is a revenue sharing between a merchant and an affiliate who gets paid for referring or promoting the merchants' products and services. Broken down in layman's terms, you are a "Salesperson" for a company, and when you make a sale for them they pay you a commission. However, instead of cold calling, or telemarketing, etc. to make sales, you generate traffic using the internet to the company's website, and if a sale is made then you get paid. Make sense? Just about any company or product you can think of you can be an affiliate for. Some examples are Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Target, Barnes and Noble, etc. The possibilities are endless.
After personally deciding that I wanted to pursue affiliate marketing, I had to start my research all over AGAIN, but this time I went to "warrior forums" on the internet and found what people are really saying about the different programs available "to make money online." Oh I wish I had found these sites two years ago, it would have saved me so much time and money. These warrior forums are people giving their honest feedback on the thousands of products or topics about anything you could possibly want to know about anything. I went to the forums about internet marketing that teach you how to make money online. The feedback on these forums are brutal. People ask questions about a program or "scam" as most of them are, and people who have purchased and tried the programs give their real feedback. I followed all the comments threads, and I found one program that kept popping up as a topic on these sites that had consistent and positive feedback. This is where I found the fourth program I mentioned above, and this one changed everything for me.
I have found that most people think that the internet is set up to push a few buttons and you will make hundreds of thousands of dollars every month. I know that was the impression that I had been given from all the research I had done prior to this point. Let me state plainly that this is not true. Realistically only about 3% - 5% of people using the internet to earn a living fall into "making millions annually" category. Sorry, if that's not what you wanted to hear, but sometimes the truth hurts. Everyone's goals are different. Would I love to make millions of dollars every year online? Well of course, duh! However, I now know that was unrealistic.
Having brought you back to reality now, I want to be clear "YES YOU CAN MAKE MONEY ONLINE." However, it is hard, but not difficult. What I mean by this is, there is a basic formula and if you follow it you can create a successful online business. BUT, there is a lot to learn. I'm not kidding; it is like going to college all over again. Most people fail to make money online because once they see all they have to learn and do to run a successful online business they are simply not willing to put in the effort to work that hard. As long as you are willing to learn, then you can learn it. As long as you are persistent and work hard you will be successful. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it, just like everything else in life. Then comes the most important step...YOU MUST TAKE ACTION. You will not be successful if you learn and learn and learn, but don't implement what you've learned. I was guilty of this crucial step for a long time.
However, don't quit your day job. Start working part time and slowly grow your business, and when you are consistently out earning your current job, then leave and work for yourself full time, if that is your personal goal. If you are currently unemployed then you have no reason not to dedicate yourself full time while you are still looking for another full time job that will pay the bills in the meantime.
Let me state plainly, not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, or business owner. Many people think an online or work from home business, is easy and not a lot of work. This is not true. Any business regardless of what it is will take a lot of work on your part. Having a business for yourself takes hard work, dedication, persistence, endless amounts patience, the ability to adjust to change, and the understanding that you will regularly continue to educate yourself and evolve as time and technology changes. I know that sounds like a lot, and quite honestly it is, but you must be honest with yourself. Only you know if you are truly willing to do those things.
I know I have given you a ton to think about here, and that was my goal. If you were searching the internet for more information on "how to make money online" or anything similar to that, I hope I have cleared a few things up for you.
Please be aware that this is a very condensed version of my personal story, and if you want more detailed information on what systems I tried in the past, or a little more about information about me, then I recommend you click on the link below to my website.
To your online success.
Sincerely,
Rachel