How I Made it Online: The Dos and Don’ts of Online Money-Making from Reputation Changer Co-Founder

Published by on August 10, 2012

Byline: The author of this guest post, Rich Gorman, has 10+ years of experience in online marketing and startups. His areas of expertise are the Reputation Management and Direct Response Industries. Rich currently works with www.ReputationChanger.com <http://www.ReputationChanger.com> and regularly blogs about his success and experiences at www.DirectResponse.net <http://www.DirectResponse.net> .

How I Made it Online: The Dos and Don’ts of Online Money-Making from Reputation Changer Co-Founder

There are about a gazillion bloggers, online marketing whizzes, and other Internet self-starters out there, each one of them trying to capitalize on the amazing money-making powers of the Internet. Sadly, only a few of them will actually find their way to online success, and hand-over-fist revenue generation. So what’s the difference between the ones who fail and the ones who make it big? There is not necessarily a recipe or a magic formula here, but there are a few basic tips that have worked well for me.

First and foremost, remember that the way you present yourself matters. This is one of those longstanding business principles that we all know and recognize in the offline world, but for whatever reason it hasn’t translated to the online realm. When conducting business face-to-face, you would never walk into a client’s office wearing sweatpants and a tank top, unshaven and dirty. That’s because success begins with a professional appearance—and that’s how it works on the Web, too. There are a lot of would-be online up-and-comers who fail to properly invest in winning design, and as such they struggle from the get-go. Simply put, if you don’t present yourself as a professional who knows what he’s doing, no one will take you seriously. A good design—and a good domain name—is an essential investment.

Another tip: With so many bloggers and marketers vying for the online consumer’s attention, it’s vital that you stand out if you want to make it big. There are plenty of ways to do this. You could try to generate some controversy, perhaps by taking an unorthodox political stance. My vote, however, is for proving to the online community that you have real value to offer, by actually giving away some of your own trade secrets and industry insights.

Essentially, that’s what I’m doing right here—but the more specifics you can go into, the better off you will be. Tell people how you have made money, what methods and techniques have worked for you, and how they can follow suit. In my own blogging, I’ve even given away the names and phone numbers of vendors I’ve used. This shows people that you know what you’re talking about, and that if they listen to you, they’ll truly benefit.

Here’s one final secret to online success. Don’t forget that networking matters, in the online world especially. This may sound almost like a cliché, but it’s actually a practical, actionable step you can take right now. Connecting with others from your industry is a vital way to prove your authority, and command respect. Write some guest blogs for industry-leading publications, and see what a difference it makes.

Online success is not something that people stumble into. It’s something that you cultivate for yourself, strategically and with immense foresight. Follow these battle-tested tips, and you’ll find that leveraging the power of the Web allows for ample money-making opportunities.