Common Problems New Online Marketers Face

Are there common problems online marketers face day in and day out? Of course there are… just ask any online business owner you meet. As a new online marketer, understanding the concepts of online marketing is not necessarily the problem. It’s quite simple really.

You basically need three things: (1) a product that converts and sells well, (2) traffic to the product to get sales, (3) a way to build a list of buyers you can market to over and over again.

So far, so good… right?

Then there are the technical aspects of online marketing. Some are relatively easy once you have a grasp of the fundamentals; others, not so much. However, despite knowing how online marketing works and being proficient in dealing with the technical issues you may face, many marketers still fail online.

And, if they don’t fail, at some point they feel like their progress is stagnant. There is never enough time to complete what needs to be done. They are always behind the 8-ball and it’s a never-ending struggle.

How to Overcome Problems New Online Marketers Face

In this article we’ll look at 7 common problems online marketers face day in and day out.

1. Too Many Projects and None Reaching Completion

This is one of the biggest problems online marketers face and unfortunately they bring it upon themselves. The truth of the matter is they try to do too much and in doing so hamper their efforts.

The marketer who is trying to sell books on Amazon suddenly decides to open an ecommerce store as well. Now he has two projects that require his time. Neither is earning money yet, and what does he do?

He decides to try affiliate marketing by harnessing the power of chat bots. He has no clue how it all works, but everyone seems to be making money with it. At least that’s what they’re all saying so he wants to get in on that too.

Over time, he has many open projects and none have reached completion because he gets distracted every single time.

The cure to this malady is to place all projects in a folder, except one. Focus on that one project until it’s complete. Do not start any new projects or flit to the other pending projects. Only complete the one in front of you before you move on.

2. Busyness Instead of Productivity 

Every day you work for hours and see no results. Well, take a long hard look at what you do all day. You will be surprised to discover it’s mostly “busy work,” which is code for wasting time. Doing tasks like reading comments on forums, organizing your desktop, creating workflows, etc. are all well and good. But to what end?

Ultimately, you’ll need to ask yourself if these are income-generating activities. If they’re not, you’ll have to back off and focus on doing tasks that contribute to your bottom line.

You only have a limited number of hours each day to devote to your business. If you fritter away your energy on work that doesn’t reward you financially, you’ll not see the results that you want in your business.

Focus on tasks that generate income… period! Focus on activities that take your business to the next level.

3. Underestimating How Long a Project Will Take

Another problem online marketers face is almost always underestimating just how long a task will take. As it happens, it usually takes longer. You have to learn what needs to be done, how to do it, deal with problems that crop up, and so on.

Give yourself more time for any project and have a contingency plan just in case your project goes into overtime. Not setting aside enough time for your project will cause you to panic and get stressed.

 

4. Too Much Learning and Not Enough Doing Is a Common Problem New Online Marketers Face

The best way to learn is by doing. Very often, beginner marketers focus much of their efforts on trying to learn their way into becoming an expert. As a result, they never actually do anything.

Sadly, they see no results and eventually become frustrated. Read through the material once to get a rough idea of how it all works then put it into practice. In this way you’ll be able to do and learn as you do.

5. Too Much Helping and Not Enough Selling

Once you start making sales and build a following, it’s inevitable that people will email you with questions and ask you for help. It’s easy to get sucked into a vortex of helping too much until you’re drained. You’ll have no energy to focus on your own business.

To make matters worse, the people asking for help usually don’t follow through on the advice you’ve given them. This is definitely a waste of your valuable time and will eventually aggravate you.

You want to help others and that’s great. But if it gets to the point where you’re dealing with too many people, you need to rethink this practice. You might be better off offering coaching services by the hour and charging for it. People willing to pay you for your assistance are more likely to follow your advice. This will allow you to make some money and keep things more focused.

6. Not Prioritizing is a Huge Problem Online Marketers Face

Many marketers often ask themselves why they can never complete what needs to be done. Oftentimes, it’s all about priorities. It’s imperative that you prioritize your tasks.

Do not complete the easier tasks first just because they’re easy and you can scratch them off your list. Always complete the important and urgent tasks first.

Usually, these are the tasks that you’ll be dreading and subconsciously trying to avoid. I know because I’m often guilty of this. So, finish these up first. Then you’ll find that you still have energy to quickly complete the easier, less important tasks still pending.

7. A Lack of Energy

Becoming lethargic and bored with the mundane tasks of running a business is common. In fact, many marketers let their health go and end up getting burned out. Some even give up. But that’s not what you want to do.

To maintain a healthy energy level, you’ll need to watch what you eat, exercise often, and get enough sleep. You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of your business.

You need to make the most of the time spent in front of the computer… it must be productive.
Always get your important tasks done early in the day so that you don’t run out of energy later in the day. This will ensure that you get the most work done before you start feeling tired and drained.

Conclusion

These are 7 of the most common problems online marketers face running their business. You may even have a few more to add to the list. In fact, you should read this article, “8 Problems New Internet Marketer Face.” And there is another article by Neil Patel for even more insights on mistakes marketers make.

But make no mistake, you need to recognize the problems and learn to deal with them. Always keep in mind why you started your online business in the first place. Always strive to be productive daily in order to reach your goals.