5 Internet Myths Still Floating Around
- Terry Dean -
You would think that some of the old
Internet myths would just die off with the growth of Internet commerce, but some of them
just won't die. Even though you can't ignore the growth of online commerce, businesses
still believe some of the exact same myths that were started years ago.
Let's put an end to some of them here and now...
Myth #1: No one is making money online.
This myth has been around as long as the Internet as existed. The truth is that a lot of
companies are earning incredible profits online. Some of them even become extremely
profitable within 6 months of being online.
An independent study has reported that 30% of Internet businesses are currently earning
money. This is an extremely large number considering the fact that the Internet as a whole
is still in it's infancy. Wait to see what kind of results are going to be produced in the
coming years and decades of e-commerce.
Myth #2: If you build it, they will come.
This is opposite of the first myth. You have one side who believes no one can make money
online while the other side believes all you have to do is a set up a web site and rack in
the dough. This concept may have been a good basis for a movie, but it is completely
inadequate for Internet marketing.
If you just sling together any old site and put it up on the web, you are going to quickly
turn into one of the people who believe the first myth about the Internet. Marketing
online is no different than any other type of marketing in this area. You have to plan
your business, design good marketing materials, build relationships with customers, and
learn how to sell more to your existing customers.
If you build a well designed, well thought out site and promote it, they will come. If you
just build it, it will just sit there.
Myth #3: You need fancy graphics to catch your customer's interest.
Fancy graphics are not essential for online sales. If your graphics are so detailed that
they take too long to load, they will even cost you sales. Most people are still connected
to their Internet using basic modems and graphic intensive sites often take too long to
load for most people's attention span.
This is not to say that you can just use cheap graphics. Use quality well designed
graphics on your site, but keep them to a minimum. The key to online sales is showing your
customers the benefits of your product or service. It is not in just having a gorgeous web
site with dozens of pictures.
Myth #4: Internet consumers are so sophisticated that ad copy doesn't matter anymore.
Yes, Internet consumers do see through the hype that many people try to push off as ad
copywriting. This does not mean that you can just put together string of words and a
couple of pictures and hope people buy from you. If you want to have customers constantly
purchasing products and services from you, you have to write ad copy which shows them the
BENEFITS of your product or service.
The key to ad writing is to show your benefits, not just your features. You can't just
tell people a bit about your product. You need to let them know exactly what it will do
for them. You need to help them get as exited about your product or service as you are. Ad
copy does make a difference online.
If you don't currently have a headline on your web site, get one immediately. Ninety-five
percent of web sites you visit won't have one, but yours can. Then, list multiple benefits
your visitors will receive for staying at your site. If you don't let them know what they
will get out of your site immediately, then they will leave your site as
quick as they entered.
Myth #5: You can find anything and everything online for Free.
A lot of people think that they can get everything they need in their business for free
online. This just isn't the case. The old saying,"You get what you pay for" does
apply to the Internet as well.
For example, free web hosts will end up costing you money in the long run. People don't
look at sites that are hosted for free in the same light they do ones which have their own
domain name. Whether it is true or not, free web hosts don't give the same sense of
stability to the consumer that your own domain name would. Plus, you will often experience
a host of other problems.
This concept will apply itself to many other areas as well. Many software programs out
there will help you automate your online business, but they do cost money. Many
information products will help you build a better business, but they do cost money. Always
look at everything you do online with this purpose in mind. Will the product,
service, ad, web hosting, etc. cost you or make you money in the long run?
Terry Dean is the webmaster at
http://www.bizpromo.com Visit today for turn-key web site solutions, turn-key products you can sell, and answers to all of your Internet marketing questions. For "115 Internet marketing tips" please send an email to..
115tips@aweber.com
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