Five Reasons Why Black Folks Aren't Making Money Online
I'm not trying to be controversial, but over the last several years that I've been mastering what it means to be an online marketer (and I'm still learning--any savvy marketer knows that the learning never stops and hardly keeps pace with new technologies & techniques), I've notice a few things about how "we" approach making money on the internet. These are a few of our fatal flaws and things that you must avoid if you want to have real staying power and maximize your goal of establishing an online income.
1.) You can't network by yourself. Join online communities, forums and groups that are related to your niche--yes, get a niche if you don't already have one; that's the next point--and build relationships with people who have an interest in your products and services. Be where your potential prospects are and offer them value. Find others who share your mindset, maybe even potential competitors or individuals in related product/service areas, and collaborate with them for mutual progress and profit.
2.) Get a niche. Black folks are some of the most creative, enterprising, innovative and resourceful people on the planet. Many of us have had no other choice because we either didn't have the means or weren't provided the opportunities to do anything other than figure things out for ourselves within our own communities. But don't get so excited about doing your own thing that you try to be all things to all people. Narrow your focus and do a few things well. As you refine your offerings and dominate your market, you can expand your business based on a solid and proven foundation.
3.) Quit the hard sell and offer some help. Nobody wants to get a random email message from you offering your gotta have it widget, book, audio file or whatever snake oil you appear to be peddling. With access to people being so cheap and easy, we've become very suspicious about who we associate with and very selective about how we respond to the millions of offers being made every day. The shotgun approach to marketing is a hard way to make money and takes serious volume to pay off.
4.) Distinguish yourself from the crowd. If you're into network marketing, MLM, YTB, Mary Kay, PLR or whatever--understand that several thousands of other people are doing it too. You need to provide some value whether in quality of service, delivery, cost, expertise, or complementary products and services to make what you provide better than the competition. Those folks that got in early have already reaped the benefits of not being distinctive, you'll need to do something different with the concept to make it pay off or you'll just be off to the next new thing in a few weeks.
5.) Don't be afraid to do the damn thing. If you're not out there trying to get your hustle on, you'll never become the financial success that you know you can be. If you're not making mistakes, you'll never truly succeed--I do things wrong every day but mistakes can be corrected and then you learn what the right thing is. Ask questions, study what's working for other people, test new ideas and be open to change--keep a flexible and optimistic view of the world, entrepreneurship can be challenging but it's not a killer. Take care of your mind, body, and spirit and business fulfillment will find you.
I'm sure many of you can add to the reasons that we struggle online. Please feel free to comment and keep adding numbers to this list. When you add a numbered reason, please offer a positive perspective on a how to overcome the issue. Who has #6?
Iceman Baldy is principal of the Iceman Baldy Group, which consists of the Black Internet Marketing Forum, BlackWepreneur Network and his weblog at Iceman Baldy.com. He has interests in technology, entrepreneurship, and personal development.
1.) You can't network by yourself. Join online communities, forums and groups that are related to your niche--yes, get a niche if you don't already have one; that's the next point--and build relationships with people who have an interest in your products and services. Be where your potential prospects are and offer them value. Find others who share your mindset, maybe even potential competitors or individuals in related product/service areas, and collaborate with them for mutual progress and profit.
2.) Get a niche. Black folks are some of the most creative, enterprising, innovative and resourceful people on the planet. Many of us have had no other choice because we either didn't have the means or weren't provided the opportunities to do anything other than figure things out for ourselves within our own communities. But don't get so excited about doing your own thing that you try to be all things to all people. Narrow your focus and do a few things well. As you refine your offerings and dominate your market, you can expand your business based on a solid and proven foundation.
3.) Quit the hard sell and offer some help. Nobody wants to get a random email message from you offering your gotta have it widget, book, audio file or whatever snake oil you appear to be peddling. With access to people being so cheap and easy, we've become very suspicious about who we associate with and very selective about how we respond to the millions of offers being made every day. The shotgun approach to marketing is a hard way to make money and takes serious volume to pay off.
4.) Distinguish yourself from the crowd. If you're into network marketing, MLM, YTB, Mary Kay, PLR or whatever--understand that several thousands of other people are doing it too. You need to provide some value whether in quality of service, delivery, cost, expertise, or complementary products and services to make what you provide better than the competition. Those folks that got in early have already reaped the benefits of not being distinctive, you'll need to do something different with the concept to make it pay off or you'll just be off to the next new thing in a few weeks.
5.) Don't be afraid to do the damn thing. If you're not out there trying to get your hustle on, you'll never become the financial success that you know you can be. If you're not making mistakes, you'll never truly succeed--I do things wrong every day but mistakes can be corrected and then you learn what the right thing is. Ask questions, study what's working for other people, test new ideas and be open to change--keep a flexible and optimistic view of the world, entrepreneurship can be challenging but it's not a killer. Take care of your mind, body, and spirit and business fulfillment will find you.
I'm sure many of you can add to the reasons that we struggle online. Please feel free to comment and keep adding numbers to this list. When you add a numbered reason, please offer a positive perspective on a how to overcome the issue. Who has #6?
Iceman Baldy is principal of the Iceman Baldy Group, which consists of the Black Internet Marketing Forum, BlackWepreneur Network and his weblog at Iceman Baldy.com. He has interests in technology, entrepreneurship, and personal development.
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