As everyone piles onto the internet, trying to become the next online millionaire, odds go down because certain risks rise.
I’m not talking about DDoS attacks, hackers, jackers, phishing, and pharming though. I don’t even know what most of that is.
Specifically, I’m referring to three big threats that are becoming more serious by the day. They are:
- Distraction.
- Competition.
- Commoditization.
Most internet entrepreneurs I talk to only consider the second one: competition. That’s pretty obvious.
More players enter the game, and you have no choice but to compete. To out-everything them.
But what they don’t realize is, online, everyone and everything is competition. Like it or not, you’re competing with Facebook and Snapchat and YouTube and porn and games and apps and sports and celebrity gossip websites and memes and music and politics and those f*cking fidget spinners.
Why? Because all the above is distracting your audience from clicking, reading, watching, listening to, and engaging with your content. And the more that happens, the fewer sales you’ll get.
Then there’s commoditization, where products and services that used to be unique are copied, marketed in the exact same way (#FunnelHacking), and sold for less. Now it’s who can survive on the thinnest margins? I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand that game.
Anyhow, do you see what you’re up against? It’s a lot more than you thought, huh?
And if you take this lightly, good luck getting to a million or more. I don’t see it happening. Unless, of course, you publish and promote with these three threats in mind.
Because, think about it: if you’re Tweeting and posting and pitching and no one notices (or cares), it’s spam. You’re just littering the web with garbage like every other idiot.
So before you click that mouse, ask yourself a few questions:
- What’s my goal here?
- Is what I’m about to do going to accomplish it?
- Am I adding value or just taking up space?
- As busy and ADD as everyone is, will this get attention?
- Is this work I’m proud of?
- Does this show how I’m different than the other guys?
- If I came across this, would I even care about it?
And if you don’t like the answers? Pause. What can you do to improve it? Or should you even bother moving forward?
I mean, here’s the thing:
The internet doesn’t need more “me too” marketing. I’m not saying everything you put out has to be brilliant. But damn, don’t be okay with 4/10 effort and 2/10 creativity. That’s never going to get the job done.
To survive these three threats and thrive online, change your mindset: instead of going through the motions, try to fascinate your audience whenever you communicate with them. Need some ideas? Try these.
