I read an interesting post today from one of the friends I really look up to in the internet marketing world – Mark Thompson.

You can read the original post here but basically he talks about the disillusionment that many of his forum members are feeling after Google slaps and Panda updates, etc.  After a couple of disappointments in a row it’s very easy to feel like giving up on your marketing efforts.

Fortunately, it is that very character trait of pushing through and overcoming difficulties that turns losers into winners and what we see as failures (actually just figuring out one of the ways that doesn’t work) into eventual success.  One of the problems that I see though is people putting all their eggs in one basket – and that basket being based on someone else’s platform.   One example is building all Amazon affiliate sites and then because of sales tax laws Amazon turns off their affiliate program in that state.  Or building an entire business model around Google adwords and then having their account banned for some unknown reason.

Start by having some measure of diversification in your business model.  Then use those diverse ways to build on each other.  When you find a niche in Amazon that is profitable, build other sites in related niches that you can push traffic to ebay EPN or adsense or build your own list around that niche and develop your own product and/or start a membership site.  Or you can use what you learn in building traffic to your affiliate sites to help local businesses do the same for themselves.  Then roll those contacts in the offline world into building Google local, facebook and twitter profiles that allow them to become ‘Real Time Marketers’ and communicate and respond to their customers in ways that have never before been possible.

Instead of thinking of the negative things that are happening as a snowball rolling out of control, think of the positive ways you can use the ‘snowball effect’ to build your business.  Start with a small idea and build on it.  As you extend your reach farther and farther, everything you do is able to attract an increasingly large customer base and your growth becomes exponential because of the greater surface area of exposure.

To your success!
Dean Martin

Two of my favorite shortcuts to success!