Information overload has affected every internet marketer/online business owner at one time or another. I have seen this topic discussed over the years by many of the marketing “gurus” and most recently by Mike Dillard. I feel he is spot on and has inspired me to share his key points.

People by nature want to absorb as much new information they can get in hopes of improving the business, but the new information coming out seemingly on a daily basis has simply become overwhelming and has lead to paralysis by analysis. When this happens, frustration and doubt creep into your head and 1 of 2 things will happen, you either give up and quit or you get a moment of absolute clarity and know what you must do. So what’s the proven formula for overcoming this information overload hurdle when building your online business?

First of all, keep it simple…you must focus your workday on those things that will generate an income, and not to get sidetracked checking email, seeing whose on Facebook, or watching Youtube . Here are the required steps that all successful online marketers focus on.

1. Building a quality list(responsive)
2. Building a relationship with that list(you must genuinely want to help them
and provide them with value)
3. Provide solutions to their problems(give them what they want)

That’s pretty much the bottom line, but what skills do you need to be able to effectively list build?

Traffic Generation-You need people to see your offer right? The key is to focus on one traffic source(ex. Pay Per Click, Article Marketing, Video Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media, Offline Marketing, Classified Ads etc.) at a time, master it, then expand into another instead of trying to learn and apply everything at once.

Copywriting-You must be able to properly communicate your message through print and/or video.

Now a good way to stay focused on building your business is to make a list of the top 5 most important tasks that you need to complete the next day to meet your goals. Be specific, it will provide you with a clear list that you are accountable for the moment you wake up. Remember, building your business is not a sprint, but a marathon, so take the time you need to do it right.

There’s been a lot of talk about the high failure rate in the internet marketing world, and how the odds are not in your favor to start your own business. I’d like to share with you a video by Tim Sales that answers that question and puts it all into perspective. This information in this video can apply to any business or activity where performance is part of the equation. So if your interested or involved in affiliate marketing, direct sales, or network marketing/mlm, you should give this a look….

People come online looking for the holy grail of easy money because of the constant success stories of instant wealth that is created from the internet, but what they end up finding instead is confusion and frustration. Let’s take the mystery out of this “make money from home” thing and go over the 4 proven ways that the average person can make money though the internet even if they don’t have their own product or service to sell.

1. Affiliate Marketing
People are usually attracted to this first because of how simple it is to understand and get started. Basically you advertise other people’s products and services through an affiliate link you are provided, a customer will buy, and you will be paid a commission. Everything is set up for you to start right away and no website creating skills are required. Just drive targeted traffic to your proven to convert affiliate webpage. Examples of companies that pay affiliate commissions are Amazon, Clickbank, Commission Junction and for many that want to take it to the next level,  CPA(cost per action) networks.

2. Marketing Information Products
The selling of information, usually providing a solution to an individuals problem, is among the best sellers on the internet. This can be done through Affiliate products, Master Resale Rights products(where you take pre-made pages, insert your details, upload the pages to a web host and then sell and keep 100% of the money) and Private Label Rights products(where you can claim authorship and ownership of the product and sell them and keep 100% of the money). The primary benefits to info products is that it allows you to carry no inventory(fully downloadable) and the ability to build up a list of buyers.

3. Automated Online Business Systems
These are turnkey businesses in a box that usually come with flashy replicated websites that do the selling for you and a fully functional backoffice to run your business from. They tend to attract a lot of people with their pitches of big money with little work(although to get to that point requires a learning curve in how to set up and market your business properly). This a direct sales business, whose product line is generally built around travel, info products, education, and training. It’s highly appealing because of the high front end commissions that are paid to the distributors.

4. Network Marketing or MLM
This model is the grandaddy of them all and could very well be an offline company. They are usually in the health or service industry. You must love the products you sell because you are usually required to purchase them through an autoship program. People are attracted to this model because of the long term residual income potential. To be successful in this business requires excellent communication skills because to make the big money you must recruit a large number of people into your business, but if your good, the sky’s the limit.

Remember one thing, people buy from people so build your business around you and not a company. If you do that and incorporate one or more of these models into your business your odds for success will definitely tip into your favor.