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Future for Internet Marketers
By
Jakob Jelling
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Have you ever attended a class
where the instructor followed the Socratic method of
teaching? You remember, only questions, no direct answers.
Some discussions lend themselves best to that format, and
this look at some possible future trends in Internet
marketing is one of them. Mainly because there are no
answers at this point, only the questions we pose!
Internet marketers by and large are used to creating
products for, and selling to, a predominantly western
audience. Whether inside the marketing niche or not,
today's web sites, autoresponder sequences, mailing lists,
payment processing systems, and overall way of doing
business have evolved around the needs and wants of target
markets in the western world. And any experienced marketer
knows it can be difficult. Despite popular notions that
you can start an Internet business and watch the money
roll in, the reality is that there is a lot of competition
from other webmasters, regardless of the market or type of
products you promote.
Looking ahead, have you considered the impact of even more
competition - lots more? In Asia, in particular China and
India, large, well-educated populations, a lower cost of
living with much-improved standards, and more widely
available Internet access may combine in the near future
to create a lot more Internet marketers. Many are
well-versed in technical aspects of the Internet,
including programming and site development. In fact, if
you've ever used any of the various freelance sites to
outsource technical projects, you've seen that many of the
bidders are from Asia.
With populations of one billion people and more in those
two countries alone, the current generation is certainly
well-attuned to the Internet, and being avid surfers, are
no doubt aware of the commercial opportunities and
worldwide reach available only on the net. It's likely
only a matter of time before they begin marketing to
western audiences themselves.
Whether through affiliate marketing, or by developing new
products to sell on their own behalf, the prospect of
increased competition for current Internet marketers is
very real, and likely very near. The biggest hurdles will
be language and market understanding. After all, it's
difficult enough to write effective sales letters in ones
native language, even if addressed to a market and culture
you understand. Over time, even those barriers will fall -
face it, just as programming can be outsourced, so can
marketing and language assistance.
The potential competition can sound ominous. And depending
on your outlook, it can be. For every new product that
pays affiliate commissions, there soon could be lots more
marketers trying to promote it to the same audience. And
for every new product of your own you develop, similar
products with more features and selling for a lower price
could appear. That already happens now to an extent. What
will it be like with even more marketers and developers
competing?
But change can also be good news. You as an individual
marketer can either complain about the unfairness of it
all, or you can choose to adapt your business to the
inevitable and prosper. As new marketers, and surfers in
general, from China, India, and elsewhere come online,
they will also create entirely new markets to sell to,
markets that weren't there just a short time ago. After
all, as marketers they will need the same types of
products and services that western marketers need. And as
surfers and eventual online buyers, their consumers will
want not only western, but also regional and cultural
goods, just as online shoppers in the western world do
now. Of course, marketers in those regions will also
compete in their local markets, as well as western ones.
The globalization of Internet marketing will continue
rapidly, no doubt about it. To stay in the game, western
marketers would be well-advised to begin their strategic
planning for this trend now. New markets and new
opportunities are forming - learn to spot them at a
distance through global binoculars!
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About
The Author
Jakob
Jelling is the founder of http://www.sitetube.com.
Visit his website for the latest on
planning, building, promoting and
maintaining websites. |
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