If two more-or-less equally skilled people start an Internet business, why does one flop miserably, yet the other become a roaring success? Is it a secret weapon - a magic bullet - that others are yet to discover? It sometimes seems like that, but you'd be wrong.
Here are 5 characteristics which anyone can use to help improve their online (or offline for that matter) promotion. You'll find these traits in most all successful on line marketers. They are:
Organized
They have a plan! Sounds like a no-brainer, but so many businesses approach the task of promotion haphazardly, with no clear idea of where they are going. You must get down ON PAPER (well, OK on you computer at least) a checklist of tasks and activities for each day of the week. Then, in the words of Nike, "Just do it!"
It should be a simple system that you work on every day, as it will keep you on track; and away from distractions. As Harvey Mackay said, " If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail." However, if you fail to use that plan, you're also planning to fail.
Consistent
Read and research, research and read. Learn from other's experience. Yes, there are some new tricks which appear every year, but, consistently, the proven methods still work. So check out what others are doing and copy. Not to say you can't add your own nuances, but try what others are doing first so you have a benchmark. Did you method do better? Stick with it. No? Ditch it and try again. The wheel is likely to always be round - don't waste time trying to reinvent it!
Once you have a strategy that works, then stick with it till it doesn't. Don't be tempted jump around each day or so looking for the latest "magic bullet". Hard, consistent work are key to a marketers daily activities.
Determined
The email in your inbox reads, "Get 100% more sales in just 20 days with <insert name here>'s revolutionary secret method. For only <insert dollar amount>..." Do you pay up and cross you fingers? Rely on the honesty and integrity of <insert name here>? Don't be easily swayed by the latest fad or email. WAKE UP!!! They're marketing YOU - wanting YOUR money with their slick marketing! By all means be open to new changes and software that can improve efficiency, but stay on track.
So you've lost momentum in your weekly checklist. Don't sweat the small stuff - watch the big picture. Don't chastise yourself, it only brings you further down. Winners are positive; self-chastisement brings negativity. Resolve to stay on track NEXT week! This week is gone!
Helpful
When I got into website building nearly 20 years ago, there was no SEO or "online marketing" per se. Of course anything you do on the net is both of those, but there was little formally organized like it is now. However, apart from being one of the first Architectural Design firms to even have a website in New Zealand, I recognized one very important fact for online authority - givers get. My sites always feature as 
much free giveaway stuff as I can - even the deep, dark "trade secrets". I realized all those years ago that nothing is hidden anymore - surfers will find it somewhere... why not YOUR site? Be the good guy or gal - give surfers what they want and earn their appreciation. Or they'll get it elsewhere...
Faithful
Though it's last in the list, this trait is probably one of the most important. Do you believe in yourself and what you are selling? If you can't answer an emphatic "YES!!!", then you need to re-evaluate where you are and what you're doing. You should know that you provide a great product or service that is good value and which will benefit owners/users. Stay away from anything shady or illegal. It WILL come back to bite you.
In conclusion, online marketing is like the Aesop's Fable of the Hare and the Tortoise (thanks to childhoodreading.com for the resource and Arthur Rackham for the illustration). Shady operators and those who fail are like the hare. Those who succeed understand Internet marketing - they're like the tortoise. Happy plodding!
