Published also on LinkedIn.
One thing I’m utterly proud of at the moment is that I love where I belong now and I love what I do. I was lucky enough to be able to discover my calling early in life. I’m 25 and I’m glad I don’t have to go through any quarter-life crisis of some sort. Three years ago, I decided the Internet is the way to go. It amuses me how the web has become the biggest media channel of our time, and information has indeed been commoditized and integrated in all aspects of human life.
It has paved the way for new job titles including SEO Specialists, SEM Consultants, Link Builders, Digital Marketing Specialists, Content Strategists, Game Developers, App Developers, Web Analysts, and so on. I am an SEO Specialist as I’d like to call myself, and I’ve built websites that were able to function and earn revenues with extremely low-cost capital, getting an influx of customers just from organic searches. More than that, I have come to love the startup scene.
Although I can’t say I am already successful in this industry, I’m sharing with you my note-to-self guide in this online journey in order to succeed as an Internet entrepreneur or marketing person. Here are 10 surefire ways to succeed in this highly competitive industry.
1. Read, read and read.
I did not learn all these Internet knowledge and skills back in college. I learned them all from drowning myself in articles written by influencers and thought-leaders. It’s all over the web. Follow the top guys in this industry on Twitter and read the links they share. But don’t believe them right away. Read other articles covering the same topic, and see the different truths in each of them. It’s only when you challenge their ideas that you get to really learn and accept the lessons.
2. Ask, ask and ask.
Ask and you shall receive. That also holds true when it comes to knowledge (and skills). If you don’t know how to do something you think is important in your job, then ask someone good at it. I know some people are too selfish to teach, but there’s a lot of people and channels you can tap when seeking information.
3. Practice everything you learn.
This tip actually carried me to where I am now. Whatever new technique I’ve read from an article, from a presentation in Slideshare or from a whiteboard Friday in Moz, I’d practice it immediately. I’d apply them in my own sites, or in my own experimental sites. What’s good with this industry is that there’s an unlimited number of techniques and ideas to learn. Everything is updating (but Google algorithm updates can be the most impactful). Read, ask, learn and practice..and learn again.
4. Innovate.
Sometimes there can be techniques that you can’t learn online, that you can’t learn from the masters or the gurus, you just learn by doing it and playing it dirty. Sometimes you have to deviate from the norms, and then you suddenly realize, what you’re doing works much better than the rest of them. In everything you do, do it differently, do it in a new kind of way.
5. Don’t be timid, don’t be snobbish.
I know for some, their products and outputs speak for themselves. But no man is an island. You have to reach out and be friendly. Expose yourself in the community. I’ve learned this just recently, and I know how important it is to be there in the scene, learn with the people who share the same passion and interests as you.
6. Always offer a helping hand.
It’s always better to give than to receive, so they say. Not unless you’re a boxer. Invest in a “favor capital”, ROI can be more than a hundred percent. It’s always an honor to provide value to your audience and especially to your target market. That’s how Internet giants grew. They always provide something valuable. Rewards automatically follow.
7. See yourself as a consultant.
I learned this from my cousin and ex-colleague Carlo Isles. He said, you should always regard yourself as someone with skills and talent that companies need. Whether you’re a janitor, a security guard, or even a top executive in your firm, you have to know that they need you. This way, you will offer your best foot forward and employers will see you as a partner more than a plain employee. It’s a win-win mindset.
8. Make decisions in a businessman’s shoes.
Always put yourself in the shoes of your company’s CEO, the one who is responsible for keeping the company earning, or at least afloat. This way, you will decide according to the best interests of the company, and you will most likely produce valuable results. Businessmen are always logical. They always decide with profitability as the primary basis.
9. Always know your audience.
Whether you’re the startup founder, the content strategist, the investor, or the PPC expert, you always have to know your audience fully. Familiarize yourself with your niche, interact with them, engage them. You have to be some kind of a psychologist and study their behaviors, act according to their actions.
10. Measure yourself; beat your own records.
In this industry you always have to exceed everything you were able to accomplish. Emotionally let go of your achievements and challenge yourself to do more. That is why the best marketers are the ones who are data-driven, who have numbers that they constantly grow. In this game, you cannot sit around satisfied with what you’ve accomplished. You have always have to do more and offer more.
Do you have more to add to this list? Help us be a better Internet marketer. Share below! 🙂