Question for Veterans only: Do you think the internet is getting saturated?

[Marko]

What do you think Veterans!

I've started as an 'internet marketer' from age 10, now I'm 22 and I'm still working everyday with almost no breaks to make as much as possible.

I feel like the competition will increase even more. The gates are starting to close more and more and faster. More regulations/limitations are imposed.

For those that've been in this business for many years, what do you think? This question applies to anything, from PPC to SEO, overall business-building on the web. Will the online become as hard to penetrate as the offline?

I'm asking this because I can't realise if I'm fucked in the head from all this work day by day and can't make a difference or if actually that's how things are becoming and the big companies/investment groups are starting to own it and expand more and more.

 

[ari]

Interesting question. It goes both ways, I think. Can you run one page landers reviewing stuff and buy AdWords ads to them anymore, No.. (Well, some people can, but I digress).. But on the flip side, making purchases online now is not like it was 10 years ago, and the internet is ubiquitous in a way that it was never before.

On the advertiser side, targeting is amazing (I love you FB/GDN). As an affiliate publisher, companies compete for your traffic if it's high enough quality.

Do you know what it was like to get a real merchant account before Stripe (HINT: anal probe)? Now, you have an MVP you want to test? No problem, you can process cards in a few minutes..

I think certain parts of SEO are now more complex, if you're competing against networks like Heart or whatever. But SEO is definitely not dead, and if you're small and nimble you can work much faster then going through 10 different levels of corporate approval on your next outreach campaign.

Bottom line: It's a great time to be alive but you have to treat it like a real biz.

 

[CCarter]

There is a reason 90% of new businesses fail within the first year, and the rest don't last past 5-10 years. Bad management, shortsightedness, and not being able to keep up with new competitors. Above all most small businesses don't know how to expand and become larger players. They can't scale and end up clobbered. This has been happening offline since the dawn of man and it happens online in the same fashion.

I'm still working everyday with almost no breaks to make as much as possible.

If you've been working for 12 years with almost no breaks your strategy is not working. If you are starting to feel "overwhelmed" by competitors that are "increasing even more and more" your plans aren't based on updating tactics or proper scaling.

I'm asking this because I can't realise if I'm fucked in the head from all this work day by day and can't make a difference or if actually that's how things are becoming and the big companies/investment groups are starting to own it and expand more and more.

Big companies/investment groups starting to take notice are only your problem because you are seeing the solution through a small business mentality. If Investment groups are coming onto the scene doesn't that also mean that you can build up an asset and sell it for more multiples (or a larger upfront sum) to them, and move onto the next one?

Realistically with the way the internet moves and creates giants overnight, can you use the same tactics and strategies from 12 years ago now? No. Do you really believe you'll be using the same strategies and tactics another 12 years from now? Definitely not. Do you honestly believe you'll be battling SEOs on Google for market share 12 years from now?

The part about shortsightedness is really what holds businesses back, think of the local business owner that still relies on yellow page, phonebook, advertising in 2017. It's easy to laugh at those people in the digital age, but realistically if you aren't expanding and changing with the times you'll get clobbered just like they did. In 5-10 years will the new kids be laughing at your ancient tactics?

It's one reason I state to not be over-reliant on one tactic, like SEO, and to become a full marketer. Learn the underlying tactics to getting in front of your audience and the latest tools being used to do that. That way you'll be one with the times.

The only constant in the universe is change - with the internet and technology, they just make the change even faster. Are you able to keep up?

 

[JasonM]

This is an easy mentality to fall into.. it's actually a natural human trait to think that the odds are stacking against you, or some circumstance is unfair.

The reality is that the internet is still growing a lot around the world, and overall it's actually still very early days for the internet and business.

The internet, right now, is still the wild wild west.

It's OOZING with opportunity. The costs of running a business online v a traditional brick & mortar business are drastically lower, there's less regulation, and just opportunity everywhere.

There's more competition than 5 years ago of course, but there's SO MUCH opportunity that it doesn't have a huge adverse impact.

It's impossible to say what you're doing right or wrong without knowing more details, so this is all very general.

But, in your search for why the success you desire hasn't yet arrived, don't let these negative thoughts and misleading notions sway you.

When I was first starting out, the way I looked at it was if someone else can be successful, then I can too - it's just a matter of taking the right actions.

Maybe you need a change of strategy? Maybe you need to network with some successful people, or find a mastermind to help advise you?

One thing is for sure, the reason for lackluster performance is certainly not for lack of opportunity on the internet.

Don't waste your time even considering that. It's wasted brainpower.

Instead, invest that brainpower in what you can do to improve your business or fix your problems.

Re-assess your strategies regularly, but don't change anything too drastically or rapidly. Use data and advice from those who are already successful to guide your way.

And, never give up.

Possibly the biggest requirement of success with internet business is to never give up before you make it. No matter the failure, keep coming back for more with the stubbornness of a mule.

Grind the problem over and over again, and you'll find your solution.

The fact that big investors are coming into the space makes the opportunity even larger, imo. More money in the space and more demand for valuable web assets means higher valuations.. for you, as someone with the skills to create these web assets, the opportunity is great.

Creating and selling assets, helping investors allocate funds, or grow their investments, or general consultation of these new industry players who have money but are sorely under-informed in the ways of internet business.

I know you don't see it right now, but you're actually in a wonderful position.

Don't waste it, keep grinding. Keep testing, never give up. You'll make it!

 

[Philip J. Fry]

12 years and you're working like a rat?

Dude, get a 9-5 job or figure out a business where you have security.

 

[contract]

1. G updates killed off a lot of bottom feeders in the content world.
2. Kids today are hooked on social media. They are too lazy to blog outside of mainstream platforms.
3. VC investments have created tons of content giants.
4. VC investments have led people from content/products into more apps/dev/saas type companies.
5. FBA Amazon + Kickstarter has led people from content into production creation/selling.
6. FTC / Shady networks killed off a lot of affilates.
7. FB/G/Etc. Ad guidelines (ex: FB removing dating or w/e) killed off a lot of affilates.
8. Forums dying, (ex: WickedFire), makes barrier to entry harder for newcomes to learn.
9. Algo updates raises barrier to entry, making it more difficult.
10. Why SEO when you can do Social? Lots of folks crushing it with Youtube/FB/IG/etc.
11. VC Backed companies hiring anyone and everyone in tech.

I could go on...

Things are always changing online...

 

[turbin3]

Tactics always change. Technology and mediums evolve. Ultimately, at its core, marketing in any medium can be broken down into 2 primary functions:

• Psychological Warfare: Know your consumer, their mentality, and learn how to exploit them.
• Asymmetric Warfare: Know your competition, their strengths and weaknesses, and learn how to exploit them.

Often, it is going to take concentrated effort with an outlook towards trying to achieve "fourth dimensional" thinking. This can allow you to elevate your mindset from the arms-length level of thinking that often results in perpetually worrying about rudimentary marketing efforts that may not stand the test of time.

 

[Sutra]

This seems like a weird question to me. Aren't you a successful IM'er with enough experience to know the answer to a question like this?

 

[Marko]

It's not exactly if you're successful or not

It's just as with working out, you spend too much time looking in the mirror and the body accomodates itself and you can't tell the difference anymore. Or like getting in a room with some scent and you can sense it but after 30 minutes of staying in that room the scent is nothing unusual anymore.

Sometimes you have to know when a very small break is required, spending too much with something can be a disadvantage and this is what I have faced hence the question.

Jason you're spot on, some of the hardest thing is to not lose your energy after so many things not going your way. Much more importantly to not let past failures take too much of a tool on decision making. It's a double sided thing, you've got to have your past experience and make decisions based on that but you have to realise when it's right to do so.

Thank you all for joining

 

[Marko]

I'm also working without any breaks due to FEAR of losing the opportunity of success. (Hence something inside my mind thinking 'the gates will close' whatever that might be)