I have been around long enough to see new Internet Marketing entrepreneurs making every possible mistake in the book. While some “Rookie” internet marketing mistakes cost them hundreds of dollars and disillusionment, others provide a huge learning curve. But you don’t necessarily have to learn from disastrous mistakes that leave you lacking in enthusiasm and hope; especially when there is so much potential for businesses online. There is no one answer to the question, “why am I failing?” I’m listing below the worst internet marketing mistakes that literally beg for disaster to strike. I’m not just going to leave you with the mistakes, I’m going to show you how to avoid making them or solve them if you’re already in the disaster zone.

Internet Marketing Mistake 1 – Lack Of Planning

“This is online marketing and not a brick-and-mortar or real business.” Many people come online with this attitude. These people just wake up one day and decide they want to make money online. I’ve had my share of internet marketing failures too, due to lack of proper planning. If you want to make a success of yourself online, a proper Business Plan is a must. It can be most simple, written on a notepad or even on a piece of paper – but it’s essential for your success. Your plan should answer these questions:

• What is your niche (target market) you’re targeting?
• What product or service are you offering?
• What is your marketing strategy?
• Do you have a USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
• In what way are you going to differentiate yourself from the competition?
• What is your income goal? Set realistic goals.
• What is your overall budget?

You should spend the maximum time researching and planning, before going ahead and marketing your wares. Read, read and read some more. Learn from the more experienced internet marketing experts and you will have all the answers. First, get your attitude right. Think of internet marketing as your regular business. Over a period of time you should also be looking at seeing how you can improve your plan. Correcting this one mistake can greatly increase your chances of internet marketing success.

Internet Marketing Mistake 2 – Lack Of Discipline

Even with the best plan and the greatest blueprint in hand…internet marketing success will still evade you … if you are not disciplined. Many marketers lack the discipline to run a business online. They get caught in all the distractions that are part of the online world. Here’s what happens:

• Turn on the computer and check email.
• Go to Facebook and read all the new posts on the wall.
• Go to Twitter and post some tweets.
• Go to a marketing forum and start reading all the new posts.
• Read that new internet marketing book you spent money on. (But take no action)
• Check out the hot niche someone was talking about on Google Trends
• Calculate the money you would be earning if you made just one sale per day. How about two sales? Your face gleams with happiness.
• Go to your blog and tweak the design a bit.
• Time for lunch.

Need I go on? I’m sure you can associate with at least some of these pretty useless activities. Did any of this add to your bottom line? Whilst some of these activities can be classed as passive marketing they are not really immediate money generating activities as such, Discipline is something that you have to consciously learn by forcing yourself to do things the way they are meant to be done. Write out your tasks or enter them in Excel the previous night or before going onto the computer. Prioritize the work based on urgency. Don’t divert. Don’t check your email. Don’t go on chat. Don’t open Facebook. Don’t click Youtube links as before you know it you will be watching eighteen videos of kittens doing cute stuff… These diversions may seem innocent enough but will cause you to lose focus and the cost you pay can be huge.

Internet Marketing Mistake 3 – No Market Research

You spend months and hundreds of dollars in the creation of a beautiful website and great content, and you even hire someone to promote your product. No sales! You then sadly realize that the demand for your product is almost non-existent online. Most internet marketing newbies feel that a great website and a wonderful product will bring in the sales. During the planning stage, the first thing to do is to research your target market. Find out if there is a demand or need. You can do this by checking Google Trends, Yahoo, Google Keyword tool (shows the number of searches for your niche specific keywords), Q&A sites, forums etc.

Internet Marketing Mistake 4 – Procrastination And Lack of Action

Too much of anything is bad. Some people procrastinate and put things off for later, and others analyze things to death before they actually do them. While planning is very important, overdoing it eats away your success. Once you have a plan, learn to implement it immediately. Unless you take action, you’re not going to make money. Some people procrastinate and take no action in order to ensure they give a better performance. This is self-defeating.

Avoid procrastination by setting reasonable goals and having a to-do list. Push yourself to complete the work quickly and efficiently. Don’t expect perfection. An imperfect job done today is always better than a perfect job delayed indefinitely. Finally, think of people you are working for: your family, children…. You need to make sure you do it for them. I read a quote from a friend on Facebook recently that I felt carried great power. It said “stop treating your life like a joke”. It could be said that if you are not reaching your maximum potential in life then the joke really is on you. Sometimes we all need these harsh words to wake us up.

Check out these great tips by Hopepreneurs.com on overcoming procrastination or subscribe for my “Overcoming Obstacles to Online Success Free Video as I cover this topic in detail

Internet Marketing Mistake 5 – Lack Of Targeted Focus

This one is a killer. A majority of internet marketing newbies fall prey to this. You may have several products or services to offer prospective customers, but initially it’s going to be difficult to promote everything at the same time. When you’re new online, you want to do it all. This is precisely the reason most marketers take years to achieve success online. They waste the initial years trying to do everything and failing in the process. Learn not to spread yourself too thin. Internet marketing needs a high level of focus. Set goals, both long-term and short-term. Work towards the goals for that niche/product/service and learn different strategies to dominate that area. Make it a success, before adding more. Take it as a challenge.

Internet Marketing Mistake 6 –  Buying Every New Product or Service

Joining all sorts of membership sites, buying all the “make money” eBooks and videos, and all automated software that promises to help you earn money. Don’t waste money on hyped products. Connect with people who are where you want to be and who are really available to answer your questions. It’s okay to buy a few good books or other resources related to your niche. Don’t believe in every claim that a product is going to change your life or that you don’t have to do anything to be making money. There is plenty of free information on the Internet and legitimate products but they are often hidden among the hype. Pay attention to what people are talking in the forums and you will get better ideas.

Another tip is that if you intend to join an online business opportunity don’t be afraid to ask your potential sponsor questions. Most importantly, you want to know that they are available and willing to help you if necessary. Its always tempting to join under the creator of the product, after all they created the product or business! But if you send emails or make contact with them and don’t get a reply (or replies from their assistant) then you have to question if you are really joining under somebody who will help you in your new business.

Internet Marketing Mistake 7 : Trying To Market

This is the biggest internet marketing mistake. Most people enter internet marketing with the hope of making money. They don’t stop to consider the value they should be providing. So, basically they’re looking for some way to fill their bank accounts. It is such people that worry about Google changing algorithms and it is they that end up making $100 in six months instead of $10,000 in a month. You can avoid getting trapped in this mind set by focusing on creating value in order to make a profit. Think of the end user and see where your internet marketing efforts fit in.

Internet Marketing Tips: Final Word….

To achieve success in Internet marketing, you need to go through the process of creating a business online, go through trial and error by yourself. If you fear to fall, you will never learn, you will never take action and you will never see results. The key is to minimize the financial outlay of this trial and error period and you can do this by connecting with experts who are where you want to be, and following their lead. Feel free to connect with me should you need any help with internet marketing or making money online.