Isn’t it amazing that some internet marketers make thousands of dollars a month (even thousands a day online) whereas others can’t seem to make their first dollar? Why is this? Are the internet marketers who are making thousands, working harder than the ones who aren’t? Or is something else?

I think it is a combination of factors and believe that if you’re really committed to making money online, visualize success, and work hard  then, you will.

Here are some tips that helped me “crack the internet marketing code”:

- Visualize success. If you can visualize success in your mind then you can manifest it. Don’t let anyone stand in your way of achieving online success. Instead, surround yourself with people who are already achieving success and let them inspire and motivate you to accomplish your goals as well. Tell yourself that you will succeed and that failure is NOT an option. Do this everyday!

-Stop looking for the next best thing. You must get laser-focused and stop searching for the next get-rich-quick-scheme. There is no magic bullet. To succeed at IM, you just have to work smarter not harder. You have to master one technique before moving on to another. It takes hard work and effort but the payouts are huge!

-Learn the fundamentals of advertising. I’m not saying that you have to be an advertising whiz but you do have to understand the basics of promoting and advertising products and services. In addition, you must have a bit of seed money to invest into your marketing budget. And, if you don’t have any seed capital then you can make some doing odd online jobs and then reinvest that into your advertising budget.

-Be honest when promoting products. You can’t hype up a product you haven’t even used or purchased. Instead they have to market products you’ve used, believe in and ones that work. When you do this, your enthusiasm and honesty shows in your promotional efforts and people are willing to buy the promoted product because of the trust factor. They won’t bypass your promotions as pure hyped up nonsense and you’ll build a solid but loyal following.

-Become more credible. You can’t just promote any make-money-online techniques if you aren’t making any money online yourself. For instance, you can’t create or promote a course on flipping Squidoo lenses, if you never built or sold a Squidoo lens yourself. Instead, you should promote something you know about. For instance, do you have a reliable hosting service that offers an affiliate program? Then promote that hosting company! If you do, you’ll have a much better chance of succeeding.

-Be patient. It takes time to build a profitable online business. Despite the hype, successful businesses take time to start and cultivate. You can’t be in a huge hurry to make huge sums of money overnight. Although you can eventually do it, it will likely take time. So, set realistic goals, do your best and be patient. By not being in a hurry, and staying focused, the money will come.

Well, that’s it for now. Do these tips and you will make some money online. And, when you do, tell me all about it because I really want to share in your success!

One thing that gives Internet Marketing a bad rap is the fact that people review products that they’ve never used or have no intention of using. In their reviews, they boldly claim how wonderful something is and list all the reasons why you should buy the product too. Many times, these products sound too good to good to be true. People then buy them, find out that they’re crap and your reputation is forever tainted.

To me, you must be honest in your reviews. They must be based on actual personal experience. If you say something is great then by golly it must be great. That means, you must actually purchase the product you’re reviewing so that you can recommend it. I think a lot of people confuse reviews with promoting but to me, they’re not the same. If you’re promoting an item then you can simply put up a 3 line ad, send prospects to the merchant’s sales page and you’re done. You don’t have to worry about whether their claims are true or not.On the other hand, reviewing a product is putting your personal reputation on the line. You’re basically telling your readers about your personal experience with the product. You’re telling them that you actually used it and offering them advice. If you’re trying to get around not purchasing the item then DON‘T do it!Just the other day, I purchased a product and it was a bit disappointed by it. It wasn’t full of crap but it didn’t meet my high expectations either. In my honest review, I told about the good and the bad. When I was done, I embedded my affiliate link, told people to use their best judgment in purchasing it and you know what, I still made two sales.

I was open and honest in my review and I was rewarded by my honesty. So, the next time you review a product, review it first. This way, you won’t be simply blowing smoke up someone’s fanny to make a sale. After all, your reputation is on the line!

I consider myself a highly motivated person but there are days when I simply don’t feel like doing anything. I just get super lazy, tired, or frustrated and don’t feel like working. So, what do I do on these days? Do I twiddle my toes, watch Jerry Springer all day, or say head to the beach because I’m in not in the mood to work? Ummmm no. I delve deep and find the motivation to keep on going and I do it!

Here are some tips that get me motivated:

1. I set a small but specific goal. I commit to getting that one thing done and then do something fun and exciting. The task could be writing an article, press release, sales letter or blog entry. By having one specific task, I can achieve instant success which makes me feel excited and proud. Sometimes this excitement inspires me to do another task.

2. I  break my weekly tasks into chunks or delegate. For instance, if I have 10 things to do, I’ll choose 1-2 items to do on that unmotivated day, assign the rest for other days, or delegate some tasks to someone else.

3. I look at my dream board. My dream board. My dream board has a picture of me smiling holding a blank check with the words “debt free on it”. This poster reminds me that I will pay off my debts within 2 years. On those unmotivated days, I stare at my dream board and feel an immediate surge of motivation and energy.

4. I take a cold hard look at my financial obligations. Nothing kicks my butt into gear like looking at my bills and seeing how much money I really owe. This not only motivates me but fires me up to do something about it – to work smarter and become successful so I can achieve my debt-free status.

5. I pull out visual reminders of my past successes. For instance, I have a picture of my first Clickbank commission check for $246 bucks and look at it when I feel unmotivated. This motivates me to keep on going because I know if I did it once, I can do it again!

Yes, it can be difficult to get things done on unmotivated days. But,  If you delve deep and motivate yourself, you can get it done. I’m living proof that this system works if you work it!

In my inbox this morning, I received an email to join a traffic exchange program. You know one of those companies that promise to deliver 10,000 visitors a day for a low fee of $100. Although I thought about taking advantage of their super dooper incredible offer ( for like a millisecond), I then realized that I didn’t want their stinking traffic.

Here’s why: There is a difference between targeted and untargeted traffic. Targeted traffic is when someone visits your site for a specific purpose, to receive information or actually purchase something that you’re advertising. This is good traffic. On the other hand, untargeted traffic is simply traffic where someone visits your site with no real intention, just to “check it out.” As such, they may or may not need what you’re promoting.

Although you may get some random sales from this, to me, you‘re taking a risk. Still not persuaded? Consider this scenario. I break down and buy one of those guaranteed traffic packages for $100. The company promises to send me 10,000 visitors and they do. Out of 10,00 visitors, I get 1 sale. I then, try a different approach. I take another $100.00 and purchase 40 articles from a ghostwriter who crafts outstanding optimized articles on my niche. As a result, I receive 5,000 site visitors and make 10 sales.Now, as you can see the articles was the better investment. Why?The articles brought me targeted visitors so I didn’t need as many people to visit, to make the same amount of money. Although I received less traffic, I made 14 more sales because the traffic was laser-targeted and the people who saw my articles had a genuine interest in what I was promoting. In contrast, the folks who visited from the paid traffic site didn’t have much interest in my product or services so I didn’t make as many sales.

So, the next time, you’re tempted to buy one of those fancy traffic packages, think of other ways to invest your moola instead. You may want to consider: -Purchasing articles or press releases-Hiring someone to build link or optimize your website or blog-Using Adwords or other PPC ads

-etc.

This way, you can get targeted traffic that has a better chance of converting and receiving a better return on your investment.

A few months ago, I received a disturbing email from another internet marketer who was giving out free tips on how to make money online. According to him, he consistently makes $500 a week working 4 hours a week.

His strategy is placing fake ads in Craig’s List. He basically pretends to be a “hot woman” and then encourages gullible men to email him and then sign up for various incentivize dating sites so they can ”meet him” or rather “meet his alias.” (Note: he makes 2-3 bucks every time these  men sign up under his affiliate ID.)

That really got me to thinking, is being dishonest the only way to make money on the ‘net? Is that really the only way to make $500 for 4 hours of work?

Well, I honestly think that there is a better way. Sure, plenty of people lie all the time to get ahead. Heck, just go to Clickbank and read through all those bogus sales pages. Look at all the so-called millionaires with lavish cars and boats promoting this product or that one. See how they imply that anyone, regardless of their background can easily become a multimillionaire if they only use the methods in their books.

Now come on, this is B.S. but this type of B.S. sells like hotcakes. People are typically lazy and they are always looking for the easy way out. Well, I’m here to tell you that there is no easy way and no, you don’t have to lie to make money on the ‘net. To me, it simply isn’t worth it. It is much better to be honest.

Yes, it may take more time to make money and you may have to work a bit harder than the next dishonest marketer but by golly, you’ll be doing the right thing and you can sleep better at night. You’ll be promoting quality products and services and won’t have to worry about sneaking and lying to cover your back. You will not have to worry about complaining customers and a bad reputation. Instead, you can hold your head up high as you cash your checks with pride.

Just like my grandma says, “The Truth will set you free every time.” Therefore, I challenge you to be honest with your IM strategies and deliver value.

As for that internet marketer who is lying to men to get them to sign up to date his fake persona, good luck to him. I will not follow suit. Instead, I will go the honest route and we’ll see who comes out smelling like a rose and who stinks like rotten cheese.