6 Stages to Become an Online Marketer

Wow… I can’t believe it’s been over 6 months since I started this journey to become an online marketer. And what a roller coaster ride it’s been!

In this post, I talk about the 6 different stages I believe every online marketer must go through on their journey to success. I’ve been through 5 of these stages to get to where I am now – and the 6th, I’m about to embark on (with intrepid excitement!).

I’d love to know if you’ve had similar experiences, and what stage of the journey you’re at – so please feel free to leave me a comment at the bottom…

6 Stages to Become an Online Marketer

1. Discovery.

You’ve discovered what internet marketing is about for the first time. Everything is new and exciting, and the possibilities seem endless. You just want to learn as much as possible. You’re buzzing with anticipation.

For me, this stage began when I attended a 4-day seminar in June. It was full-on and the first time I’d heard about making money online with e-books, about PLR, about Clickbank, about landing pages, and so on. I thought the presenters were ‘God’, tho’ now – with the benefit of hindsight – I know they’re far from Godly!

Nevertheless, the seminar got me motivated to give it a go. It helped to get me started on this amazing journey.

2. Information Overload.

For weeks you’ve been cramming your head with loads of new information, trying heaps of different things, working long, long hours, and listening to every Tom, Dick and Harry who had something to say. It’s no wonder your head is a jumble.

During this stage, I was a blithering mess. As detailed in my post Information Overload? How You Can Beat it Too! I became a hermit, neglected my friends, missed important meetings and talked gibberish. I felt totally out of control.

I beat information overload by stepping away, regrouping myself and getting organised. You can read more about how you, too, can beat information overload here.

3. Realisation.

Getting over information overload is no easy feat. But once you’ve cleared your head of the clutter, you realise what’s working for you and what’s not. Which then enables you to make conscious decisions about your next move.

At this stage of my development I realised I was on the wrong path. I was following the advice of the “gurus” and realised I was uncomfortable with their tactics – they just didn’t match my values. So I changed directions. I’d always loved business and helping others in their businesses, and that’s how the Online Marketing Rookie got started.

4. Burn Out.

Yep, we’re all human. And after working mega-long hours to get a business going – without seeing any major results – you run out of steam. You realise there’s more to life than work – and all that hard effort you put in over the last few months just doesn’t seem worth it anymore. You kinda feel like giving up.

I wrote about this stage of my development in my post Hit a Wall? How to Get Back on Track. I’d lost focus. I’d rediscovered life – which seemed a whole lot more fun at the time than grinding away on my computer.

But there was always a nagging feeling that I’d get back on track. And so I did some research, changed my attitude and got support from friends (both offline and online). This helped wonders and brought me to where I am today…

5. Perspective.

After experiencing burn out you become more aware of how important life is. You start to gain some balance in life and learn to juggle priorities better, enabling you to enjoy both your work and your life, in unison. You feel more in control and more positive about your business.

I’d neglected my friends and family – as well as myself – for too long. Now I’m enjoying my business far more as I’ve gained some work-life balance. Realising that it wasn’t the end of the world if I didn’t spend 15 hours a day on social media, or blog twice a week, was a biggie to changing my perspective.

I’ve now found my rhythm and am looking forward to the next stage of my business…

6. Growth.

This is when everything starts to ramp up. You’re now clearer on your business goals and have a good idea of how you’ll get there. You start to take steps to grow your business. The world’s your oyster!

What About You?

So what stage are you at? Have you had similar experiences to me? Perhaps you’ve passed stage 6 and are experiencing something totally not on my radar? I’d love to know – please leave me a comment below…

Until next time,

- The Rookie