Defeat Internet Marketing Overwhelm with These 4 Questions
Does internet marketing present itself as overwhelming instead of rewarding for you? Oftentimes (especially for those just getting started) it makes you wanna pull your hair out! Maybe you know someone that describes themselves as constantly feeling a lot of overwhelm in their internet marketing adventure. Stick with me to answer 4 questions that’ll help defeat this “side-effect” of internet marketing overwhelm.
Almost everyone that I’ve spoken to in the internet marketing industry has shared the same story with me over and over again. So, know that you are not the only one feeling this way. They shared why they are experiencing overwhelm. Here are the most common reasons:
- Don’t know which way to turn next
- Frustrated and confused who to listen to for advice
- Which marketing method to learn next
- Which specific marketing strategy to focus on
- What courses/books to buy
- Who’s the best person to learn xyz strategy from
- …the list goes on, and on, and on.
Absence of focus, inefficient, disorganized, paralyzed, unproductive, and indecisive are some of the results created from being overwhelmed. 
This rinse and repeat cycle (which seems never-ending) is the perfect formula for zero progress. At the end of the day, this only adds to the overwhelm.
When I first got started in 2009 (read my story here) I was so excited and enthusiastic to learn it ALL. The choices and opportunities seemed endless:
- Video marketing
- Blogging
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- PPC (pay per click marketing)
- Article marketing
- Phone recruiting
- Post cards
- Banner ads
- Social media marketing
- Forum marketing
- Recommended courses
- Live events
- Networking
- …and tons more!
Speaking from experience I can say that it’s so easy to get caught up trying to do everything, be everything, learn everything, or in some cases even be like someone else (what was I thinking!). When you walk towards that direction, you lose sight of discovering what your point of focus truly is.
We are unclear about what we wanna focus on (most especially when getting started in internet marketing) so we tend to over-commit to all the different moving parts of the game.
Now, let’s go over the 4 questions to help defeat and identify why you are experiencing overwhelm in internet marketing. I wanna get you out of the box of frustration, overwhelm, and stuck!
Defeat Internet Marketing Overwhelm with These 4 Questions
First, grab a sheet of paper and list down everything in internet marketing that you are currently involved in (marketing methods/strategies, businesses, business ideas, etc). Next, circle or put a check mark those on the list that are making you money.
1. Which one on this list has the BIGGEST long term potential to make you an income?
2. Out of everything on this list, which business, method, or idea drives the most passion out of you?
3. If you focused 100% on just ONE business or marketing method, how many weeks or months do you figure it would take you to get really well at it?
Consider all of the traffic generation strategies out there and then identify which one you are going to be exclusive to. Dedicate yourself to learning everything there is to know about it.
4. What traffic generation strategy will you commit to? Write that specific strategy down.
Other tips to defeat internet marketing overwhelm:
- Stick to the money-making strategy for a minimum of 6 months before moving on to learning a new strategy or business idea.
- Unsubscribe from all emails that have nothing to do with your marketing strategy. Go to my post Command Your Inbox Down to Zero to help you get started with organizing the clutter in your email inbox.
- Avoid bouncing from one marketing strategy to the next.
- ONLY buy products related or are aligned with the marketing strategy you committed to getting good at!
Okay, now that you’ve answered these 4 questions I sincerely believe you’ve just defeated the overwhelm in internet marketing. Pick ONE specific thing you’re committed to doing that you know will enjoy teaching other people. Notice I didn’t say “pick one thing you are interested in doing…” In this internet marketing game you’ve got to make a decision and commit to it.
I would love to know if this post helped defeat your overwhelm with internet marketing. Help your friends who are overwhelmed by sharing this post with them. Go to the top of this page and click the Facebook share and Twitter buttons.
Here’s to Defeating Your Overwhelm,
14 comments to “Defeat Internet Marketing Overwhelm with These 4 Questions”
October 8th, 2011 at 2:35 AM
Brilliant advice! Focus is so important, and man I certainly ventured into that state of overwhelm when I first started working online. It makes all the difference in the world when you take the time to chunk things down into manageable activities. Thanks!
marquita herald recently posted..What to do When Blindsided by Personal Crisis
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Jaclyn Castro Reply:
October 8th, 2011 at 9:11 AM
Absolutely Marty – focus is one of the keys defeating overwhelm. All you need to have that focus is to decide to be committed and dedicated.
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October 8th, 2011 at 8:54 AM
Jaclyn,
You make some great points. Cronically overwhelmed is probably the number reason (besides fear) that keeps otherwise would-be home business entrepreneurs in the “stuck, do nothing” mode.
There is so much noise out there on the internet and I believe people think that they to know all, be all, do all in order to achieve success.
For me, I started with video marketing and blogging. That was back in 2007 and I just stuck with those 2 things… Mostly video. From there, I built on and did other things.
I hope others who read this appreciate your common sense checklists. Great value for your readers.
debbie turner recently posted..The Top 4 Things Men Want To Buy
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Jaclyn Castro Reply:
October 9th, 2011 at 9:39 AM
Yes, fear is such an inhibitor of taking action on things. (I’ll write about fear and not taking action on another post
)
And because the internet is such a noisy place it puts people into this stuck mode and they end up losing their true point of focus. I want to share with as many people as possible that there’s no magic solution to getting going, it’s just about that…getting going, taking action. And these 4 questions are a great starting point to help them defeat overwhelm and discover what it is they can start to put their energies on instead of mindlessly being “busy” online.
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October 8th, 2011 at 12:19 PM
Jacklyn, what great advice! I especially love your strategy for combining your personal passion for a specific method together with the mastering of it. A further question we may need to ask ourselves is, “What does my audience prefer?”
What’s also helped me is reviewing my business plan. Or focusing on one key aspect per quarter: e.g., driving traffic during the first quarter, product creation during the second quarter, blog improvements on the third quarter, and so on.
Steve-Personal Success Factors recently posted..Do You Know How to Succeed Like an Olympian?
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Jaclyn Castro Reply:
October 9th, 2011 at 9:02 AM
Yes, “what does my audience prefer” is related to your target audience.When we KNOW what our audience wants it’s easier for us to make a decision on what to focus on. And focusing on a specific plan per quarter is another great thing to take action to defeat overwhelm. Thanks for stopping by Steve!
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October 8th, 2011 at 2:28 PM
Jaclyn,
I am one of those people who has experienced overwhelm over and over again. I have been blogging, creating videos, creating teleseminars, running a blogtalkradio show, writing articles, networking, using social media….
Even though attempting to do so much has been overwhelming at times, it has also been interesting and exciting to learn. Problem is, it was not focused in a direct way to build a list and market my products. What doing all these different tasks has done for me is to help me see a few things: What doesn’t work. What my real passion and pleasure is derived from. What my ideal clients want and need. And where I want to put my focus now. So after a lot of overwhelm, I am finally honing into my specialty area and focusing.
Thanks for your great, thought provoking post.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Dr. Erica Goodstone recently posted..The Divorce Myth – Redate Your Mate Before Too Late
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Jaclyn Castro Reply:
October 9th, 2011 at 9:11 AM
Many people coming across your comments and this post will learn that they are not alone in experiencing this feeling, and that they CAN defeat overwhelm. I always believe that everything happens for a reason (as cliche as that may sound) and our adventure in being engulfed in the time swamp of overwhelm certainly taught ME quite a lot of lessons. Just like you it taught me WHAT I wanted to focus on with internet marketing. It sort of reminds me of when I was in college. I had no idea WHY I was there, and then one day (after 4-5 years of confusion) I came to a decision to declare my major. Of course there’s a story in between the 4-5 years. Maybe I’ll share it with you on a new blog post
. I actually LOVE the story!
I believe majority of us have been in the overwhelm arena Erica. Thank you for sharing your personal experience Erica!
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October 8th, 2011 at 2:52 PM
Jaclyn,
Once again, great article. You have identified an issue so prevalent with so many bloggers and internet marketers and network marketers. When it comes to spending money on marketing, before I invest in some program or plugin or whatever, I ask myself: “Will I get my money back on this investment this week or this month?” I believe I have saved a lot of time and money by not spending money or “investing” in programs and gadgets that I can see, seem cool, but have no chance of paying for themselves int he short run. I use to invest in all kinds of advertising and marketing or whatever trying to justify it by saying, well it will pay off in 6 months, or 9 months or a year from now… Most of the time and money was wasted. Also, like you are saying, focus on one business and one or two marketing strategies that you are excited about and you know will work and ARE working for you.
Thanks for the great article!
Jupiter Jim
Jupiter Jim recently posted..WordPress Tutorial: Submit Google XML Sitemap to Google Webmaster Tools for your WordPress Blog SEO
[Reply]
Jaclyn Castro Reply:
October 9th, 2011 at 9:30 AM
All of us that have experienced overwhelm know what it feels like to finally get out of it and to get to that point of “I know what I wanna focus on” is such a super feeling isn’t it! It allows out of the stuck zone and into the productive mode. Thanks for your great comments Jim! I was once there too – buying all these great products, a couple of which I haven’t even used. Now that I know where to place my energy I will break out my products ONLY if it’s related to my point of focus.
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October 10th, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Hi Jaclyn,
First I add my voice to the fact that this is brilliant advice.
I was lucky in that I learnt Internet Marketing in the old days, when there weren’t too many choices. I have built my skills up as new ideas have appeared. Would you believe I spent a year trying to add streaming videos on my web site before it suddenly became possible!
My two cents worth is to concentrate on what makes you money. If you are not an expert, you can easily waste all of your time and cash doing unproductive work. Find something which works and stick with it. Then unsubscribe from everything else! It will save you a lot of money and frustration.
Just backing up your wise words.
John Gaydon recently posted..Applying The Free Model To Network Marketing
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October 10th, 2011 at 11:15 AM
Hey Jaclyn,
If every newbie read just this one post they would save themselves tons of time and loads of money. And they’d begin to experience success far quicker than the average networker.
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October 12th, 2011 at 9:26 AM
I needed exactly what you explained, Jaclyn. The four questions clearly help you define a path and a strategy to take on your internet marketing business plan. Even though there are so many options, and good ones, you have to take into consideration which one will provide you the biggest long term return of investment. I love it, thanks.
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October 16th, 2011 at 4:00 AM
This is the key to online success, Jaclyn.
You cannot succeed without traffic. And you will not be good at getting traffic from anywhere if you try to obtain it everywhere.
As to your first question, which method will result in the most income… I think most people have no idea which method will work best, and that’s the reason they attempt to try everything at once.
I think the only way to answer that question is by considering what you like to do and are good at doing. Start there. If you know video and like it, do video marketing. Love to write? Start with article writing. etc. From there, you must, as you suggest, stick with ONLY that one strategy for a good 6 months, OR until you’ve mastered it! Then, and only then, explore another method.
PS. You only need to apply ONE traffic method. If it’s working, why do you need others? Just keep getting better at the one you’ve succeeded with.
David Merrill recently posted..List Building Strategy for Blogging Profits
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