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5 Internet Myths Still Floating Around

by 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 website 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 website 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 website, get one immediately. 95% of websites 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?

Products and services come and go, but your name will always remain intact. If you're ready to gain the trust, respect, and recognition in your niche that leads to opportunities, traffic, and sales, grab onto this powerful branding secret that YOU can use to make a name for yourself online.

1. Always, ALWAYS include your full name. Whether you include it at the end of your post or just in the "Post By..." field, get it in there somewhere. I was born lucky—a name like Rebekah Nahai isn't one you see every day. The branding effect is almost natural.

But if you go by 'Mary', 'Joe', 'Tim' etc., or some other common-place name, who's going to remember this Joe from that Joe? They won't.

"Joe Loewenthal", on the other hand, is more memorable.

2. Use your photo. After I began using my picture in my forum posts, my click-throughs to my website jumped by 600% and my newsletter subscription rate knocked my socks off at an 800% increase. Photos are now an "online business staple" for me. Next time someone hears my name, they'll associate it with my face. Powerful.

3. If your name is perceived as a "normal name", like Bob Smith or John Miller, consider using your middle initial in your posts. An example is Jimmy D. Brown...

4. Forget the "screen name mentality". Those names you used to use in chat rooms and message boards, like NeatGuy and FunGirl45? Only fun communities may remember. Trash 'em for business.

No one will know who you are, regardless of how many times you post. Not to mention it comes across as amateur and less-than-serious in a business sense.

5. You have your own flavor, so fire it up. Are you sarcastic by nature? Great! Tactfully show it in your posts. Are you gushing with generosity? Let it shine through.

The worst posts are those dry, drab paragraphs that make you think, "Sheesh, was there a person on the other side of that?" People love personality. They love opinions. Eventually your 'flavor' will stick in their heads.

Go ahead. Take action on this information while it's still fresh in your mind. Dig up some active discussion forums related to your Internet business and start branding yourself now—without spending a cent!

Terry Dean, a 7-year veteran of Internet Marketing, will take you by the hand and show you exact results of all the Internet Marketing techniques he tests and uses every single month!

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