The Internet can be a boon or bane. It is up to you to use it to your advantage. The World Wide Web can be a good source of income. You must just know how you milk it. There are several platforms online like freelancing, online jobs, opening an online store, consultancy etc. The possibilities are endless; you could earn monthly salaries by working from your home, or earn daily or weekly. However, before venturing into any of these it would be a good idea to consider some of the common mistakes newbies make to protect yourself and your investment.
Given below is a carefully curated list of 7 common mistakes you can avoid:
- Impatience – is a blogger’s demise
Blogging is a very popular mode of making online. However, people tend to get carried away by the glitz of all the success stories they’ve heard. Yes, there are people out there making good money. But it only comes with time. You can’t expect to throw in a few lines that interest a hand full of people to make money. The niche for bogging must have a decent and sustainable appeal. Your brand-new bogging site will not generate interest overnight. It is a gradual process. Planning is the key. We recommend putting a mix of blogs to umbrella a wide range of interests. This way you get more hits and gradually generate traffic. By traffic we don’t mean merely hits. The content must capture the readers interest to peruse.
- Lack of planning -could kill your online moneymaking adventures
Planning and strategy go hand in hand. You work must speak for itself. Blogs must be informative and interesting. The tone must catch the interest of the readers. Failing to do so can douse their interest and they may not get to the end of the write-up. Remember no matter how informative your big is it doesn’t catch the attention of the reader its purpose is moot. The idea is to get hits and have people stay on the page for a few minutes. Just clocks don’t fetch money.
- 3. Ignoring ‘relevance’ – could bring down your marketing empire
Another common mistake blog site owners do is grab whatever advertisements they are offered to make revenue. This is a big no. Your ads must be related to your blogs. When you are blogging on a certain topic such as parenting, and you are getting sizeable hits, displaying ads connected to diapers or babies will fetch you a long-term tie-up. Why would anyone interested in baby diapers, want to buy garden tools? Think about it!
- 4. One man show model – doesn’t work
Don’t be a penny saver. If you think you can’t do it all, you can delegate. Running an online business is like throwing darts blindfolded if you do not have adequate help. Hiring full-time staff may be expensive, but there are several talented freelancers out there waiting to deliver great work. Hire them. Freelance writers can write promotional ads for your web portal.
Use a virtual assistant to sort out your emails, respond and send bulk emails to prospective clients. Use marketing experts to help you forecast and apply optimal strategies. This rule would apply to the bloggers as well. Writing on the same topic can drain your ideas soon. Your writing could become monotonous or drab. Hire freelance writers to contribute to your website to get fresh perspectives.
- Unrealistic expectations– will disappoint you
Be it blogging, freelancing or setting up an online business, set achievable goals. Don’t get unrealistic. Don’t be a quitter. Many freelancing companies don’t keep up their promises. Don’t lose heart. Continue to pursue. In the worst-case scenario, you can try other reliable freelancing platforms.
As for business goals, breaking even for the first 6 months is great news. You are building a customer base here. So, if you don’t start raking profits in the first 2 months, don’t worry. We recommend studying your customer stats and graphs carefully rather than looking at profits this early. One way to ensure profits is to cut losses. While some losses are inevitable to businesses, others can be avoidable like staying away from scamsters.
Beware of the address you deliver to. Fraudsters can order in bulk to a remote temporary address. You may receive a cheque for a much higher amount than your order. The cheque shows up as cleared for the first few hours till it his dishonored by the bank. In the man time, you will be asked to wire the difference to the buyer. Unfortunately, your check bounces because it is fake, but your money is honoured and you may have no way or tracking or retrieving your money.
- Identity theft – can break you
Earning or spending online involves transferring money back and forth. It is imperative to use net-banking for wiring or transferring money online. However, many innocent people fall prey to fraudsters due to sheer ignorance. When you are asked for personal and security details to deposit money in your account you are being taken for a ride.
Every once in a while, you may get an email or an SMS that claims you are a winner. How can you win if you didn’t play? Beware! These scamsters ask sensitive information like your bank details, account number, routing number, and password luring you with a big cash transfer reward or deposit. Your own bank is restricted from questioning you about this data. Never give out your personal bank details and password information to anyone.
Concluding Remarks
1 in 10 people are defrauded through online frauds. Let’s hope it will never be you. Fraudsters are getting to lay their hands on more and more sophisticated tools using highly complex algorithms to snoop data and creative ways to cheat people. Cybercrime alone costs Americans $100 billion every year. One rule of thumb for staying safe is being cautious. Doing diligent background checks to ensure the client or the party you are in touch with is genuine is solely your responsibility.
