Internet Marketing Etiquette - Dont Be Mr Bonehead

September 24th, 2009, Author: Nathan Hulls, Categories: Make Money Online, Selling Online, internet marketing

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Hey folks, this blog post begins and is prefaced with a warning…

This topic is one of my pet hates, so if I start getting on my soap box dont let me scare you off, its just that its something quite close to my heart. Also with that being said, I dont profess to have it all worked out and pretend that I’ve never broken any rules of Internet Marketing Etiquette but let me say this I do my best and am always open to be corrected.

So…

My reason for todays post is that over the past few weeks I have had a number of encounters with Internet Marketers from the city of spam in the land of rude and obnoxious.

Strong words I know but let me paint a picture for you.

You’re at a party, people are in their groups, having conversations and quite happy to be enjoying each others company. Some people are familiar with the others in the group but there are a few new faces and they’re enjoying conversations about varied topics and subjects.

Then along comes Mr Bonehead, from the city of spam, in the land of rude and obnoxious, waltzes into the middle of your circle and without so much as an introduction says something to the effect of:

“Hello there people, come over to my group, my group is great, it will change your life and you’re wasting your time here in this group.”

He then slips out of the circle as quickly as he came and moves on to the next circle of people, while the previous group are left in the wake of his whirlwind of obnoxiousness.

Hmmm interesting…

So firstly, what would you think of such a person at your party?

They would be shouted down, kicked to the curb and never invited back.

But yet there are people just like that, doing exactly that, online, everyday without so much as a thought or hint of how rude and obnoxious it is.

If you’ve been a subscriber for any length of time to this blog you will know how much importance and emphasis I place on relationship.

In marketing just as much as in life, relationship is the key to success. If you are not building genuine relationship with your prospects and your customers before you present them with any form of offer, you will not have any sense of rapport or trust in their eyes for them to attach to your offer.

So here are my keys to Internet Marketing Etiquette:

1. Dont Be A Jerk - Do The Ground Work!

Pretty simple I think… but lets define it. A jerk in the real world is someone who simply considers themself and doesn’t put any thought into the people around them.

When you’re marketing online, your focus should be on your market. Not on making money, not on making a sale, not on finding a prospect, not on making appointments or making a pitch. Focus on people, people buy from people, and again unless you build relationship, trust and rapport you will have no market and no customers, AND NO BUSINESS!

Unlike our Mr Bonehead, an informed and educated Internet Marketer, knows that its important to treat people online, the same way you would treat them in the real world.

Dont treat them like a commodity, or just another friend in your facebook account, or just another follower on your twitter. Each and every person is just as real and deserves just as much respect online as they do in the real world.

So… Dont be a jerk - do the ground work! Build relationship, offer and create value, identify the issues of your market, and provide a solution.

2. Two Ears and One Mouth - Learn To Listen

I think that because the internet is typically a text and type driven medium, people have decided that the ‘two ears and one mouth’ concept no longer applies, well I guess, to an extent from a reality perspective, we do have two hands and two ears, so we can type as much as we listen…. WRONG!

Be willing to listen to your market, to the people you’re building relationship with, more than you pitch, sell or offer.

You will be amazed when you begin to ask your market questions how much information they will provide you and what’s better, its FREE!

Your market can provide you with valuable information at no cost, which could benefit your business no end.

I am in the process of building a new online project, but before launching it, I’ve spent a few weeks asking people for feedback on the site design, the pricing, the packages, the service. Essentially these people may be my customers, so they know what they’re looking for, why not ask them, and give it to them!

To many business owners, online or offline, think they have the great idea and run off without consulting with their potential market.

3. Build Your Business Online - One Person At A Time

When you focus on sales, or prospects, or cash flow, your business becomes a heartless machine.

I’m of the opionion as Zig Ziglar puts it - “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

As an internet marketing professional even though your vision or outcome in the end is to build a passive income, and create freedom for you and your family, the only way you will get there is to build your online business one person at a time. Help as many people as you possibly can and you will see the money roll in.

People are people whether they are online or offline. Values should not change. Things like; respect, manners, integrity, openess, trust and truth, should not go out the window just because you have the benefit of annonymity and they wont physically grab you round the neck if you rip them off or tick them off.

When you focus on building people, and creating value, identifying need and providing solutions you will discover that the amazing universe that we live in has a fantastic way of rewarding those who approach life in this way.

So, that’s my little soapbox session for this week.

Dont be a jerk or a Mr Bonehead, be sure to build your internet business in a way that displays utmost integrity and you will see success follow you.

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