My husband told me a funny story the other day. He said that a few weeks after we got married, we were both asleep in the middle of the night when he thought he heard someone in our house. He did not want to wake me up because he knew that I would be afraid, so he decided to handle it himself. We did not own any guns or even a baseball bat, so my husband began creeping around the house looking for whomever it was that was in the house. When he got to the kitchen, he decided to grab the largest weapon he could think of and reached for the meat cleaver. It turned out that there was no one in the house, but I am so glad I did not wake up and flip on the light to find him with a meat cleaver raised above his head. A few days after that happened, I found him searching online for montana home security and asked him why he was interested in a security system. He told me that he just wanted me to feel safe in our home. Now I know the true reason was to make him feel safer.
Building a brand? Even if all you do is maintain a blog, it pays to have the future in mind. When I started out blogging, it was just a hobby. I wrote about our family vacations and travels throughout New York State. The blog rapidly got attention from travel fans and advertisers, and my hobby developed into a really nice little sideline business. I’m not rich by any means, but the income I get helps to fund our travels. It’s been a really great experience, and has stretched out into other avenues of interest, such as home improvement and this tech blog and a few others.
There are things I should have done differently, of course. For one, I should have established my blogs on my own web space and domains. And I definitely should have created my “brand” early on. A brand is an image or logo or jingle that identifies you from all the others. For example, McDonald’s and Coca Cola and Apple all have their own brands. These companies have marketed their brands so well that they don’t even need to advertise– they have infiltrated the culture and are just “there.” Developing a brand for your hobby or business is what makes you stand OUT amongst all the others.
You do not necessarily need a brand for merely products, either. I have tried to develop a brand for my travel site. And I’ve come across numerous tourist venues and state tourism departments that have developed a brand for the entire industry. Think about the “I Love NY” brand, or even the brand for the West Palm Beach Travel Information. When you think of Florida, what do you think of? Relaxing by the sandy beaches, enjoying the shops and attractions…. the Florida Ad Agency has done well, developing a recognizable brand for numerous Florida businesses (and others), using creative and “gravity-less” thinking to rise above the status quo and get the brand noticed. That’s what matters.
While there are some folks who can develop their own brand for themselves, most of us need a helping hand from a creative agency. Whichever avenue you choose, whether it’s for a hobby or a serious business, GET A BRAND. It really does make a difference!
You know what we webmasters and bloggers are being told, constantly? Content, content, content. That we must have good content– consistently– and the masses will come. But I do not think this is true (and Perez Hilton’s blog knocks the “only content” theory out of the water, anyway). You may have the BEST website, the BEST blog, the BEST stuff for sale…. but if no one knows who you are and what you offer, what good is it? You need a good publisher network to get the word out, NOT just content galore.
Lots of businesses, large and small, have turned to venues such as Google Ad Words and other “pay per click” venues (Also called “cost per click” or CPC) to get the word out and get hits to their websites. I have heard mixed reviews about Google Ad Words, but the largest complaint is that they are so big and dominate the marketplace so much that they call the shots. Therefore, it’s good to see a new kid on the block ready to challenge the Google-dominant market: Clickbooth, a cpc network and more. They realize that to get your website and product visible to larger demographics out there, you need to connect with the big dogs: CNN, ESPN, MSNBC, and others. Maybe you’ve noticed some of the Clickbooth ads currently running. You can check out Clickbooth’s website to learn more.
I love the Internet. I don’t have any problem with advertising for people who want to earn income from the Internet (unless it’s with popups! ugh!). Google AdWords, Meet Your Competition: C!
Internet media marketing is HOT, ladies and gentlemen. Finally.
I tentatively entered the world of media marketing thanks to my New York Traveler.net travel blog, which got the attention of advertisers and marketers in the travel arena. I quickly realized the vast potential before businesses (very small and very large and everyone in between), where they can increase exposure for a business or website or online niche. The Internet today is not your father’s Internet— the Internet has matured into a totally new animal. In the past, getting the word out about a product meant paying for expensive newspaper or TV ads. Today, this is not so. Today, a business may choose to focus entirely on an Internet audience, or they may even choose a blend of viral marketing with traditional marketing outlets (such as magazines and other printed material). The sky is really the limit. But know that the Internet cannot be overlooked anymore.
Honestly, I think it’s difficult to straddle the traditional marketing strategies with the new online ones. In my experience with marketing my travel website, I found that many in the advertising field still cling to the traditional “brochure/magazine/glossy junk mail” routine, and old fogies in the tourism departments had no idea of the power of viral marketing. But people are going online for more and more information. Those old ways of brochures and mailers are fading away. Of course, with the rise of Internet marketing comes the need for Internet marketing experts. I saw this very entertaining video by That! Advertising Agency. In true Internet style, they blend the whimsy and energy of the Internet generation with the savvy determination of the marketing industry. I like how they try to blend in both the “old media” and the “new media” as part of their brand of mixed media marketing.
Internet marketing is a little baffling to me, honestly. All those graphs, stats, strategies… truly this is the lair of media experts! If you are tired of the poor results of the old media and want to spice things up a bit, check out That! Advertising Agency. They offer one hour of free consulting, so you can test the waters. I like their emphasis on creative advertising campaigns. But for pete’s sake, DON’T throw your advertising dollars away for $2,000 for a full page ad in the New York Times until you’ve talked to a marketing consultant!
If you are a blogger, you want amazing backlinks! Backlinks are links that people place on their websites that link back to your websites. Quantities of good backlinks are good for your blog– your blog gets more attention, your content gets read, and maybe advertisers want to give you money.
I have found that this kind of stuff can easily be a full-time job in of itself. Building a hugely popular website can consume countless (precious) hours as you monitor every blip in your stats, monitor search engine keywords, and more. And I find it a boring chore. I prefer the more passive route: writing good articles and *hoping* that people discover you. It’s not rocket science, but at least I get some sleep.
Give the article a read, if you are a newbie. Then stand back in awe at how seriously people take the Internet. lol.
It’s not easy, building an online career. I have been slowing working at it for three years now. I’m very, very happy with my work, but it was a bumpy ride with a lot of trial and error. Making money online is a very attractive venture. No commuting, no cranky co-workers, no ogre of a boss barking orders… but there is definitely a learning curve. Developing an online career takes time, lots of effort, and learning.
Fortunately, however, there are more opportunities for learning the ropes of working online. There’s the Money Maverick Coaching system, for example. This is a coaching program designed to help you make the most out of your investment: yourself. The Money Maverick features hundreds of videos and other teaching tools to show you some of the techniques that the “experts” use. It IS possible to earn an income from work online– I do it! Like I said, I learned the ropes myself, as a writer and pro-blogger. It helps to learn how to do things before you jump in, definitely.
You can see the Money Maverick and judge for yourself if you think the coaching program is a good deal. It’s not for everyone, and the coaching program does cost money. Check out the details and see for yourself, if you are interested. Remember to do your homework when looking for online employment– do searches, check reviews, and do background research.
Remember, I’m a pro-blogger and I am sometimes compensated with stuff or money to review products! This was one of them. You can read more about my blog policy on my “About” page.
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
It’s not rocket science, but at least I get some sleep. 
