7 Levels of Internet Marketers

by Dan Lok

Published on this site: July 31st, 2006 - See more articles from this month

If you want to jump-start your life and your business, you have to know what type of Internet Marketer you are.

True financial success only comes to those that master this concept. So ask yourself, "Do you know what kind of Internet marketer you are"?

Have your marketing experiences on the Net been positive, negative or mixed?

As you read through the seven levels of marketers provided below, I want you to know that at various times in my life, I have been at almost every single one of them. It was only as my knowledge and experience increased that I was able to upgrade to the level I am at today.

At some point while reading the descriptions of each level, you will probably recognize where you are or where other people are you know.

I recommend while reading you write down where you currently are as you discover your level, to help improve your awareness of your current strategy. This will also help you realize where you need to go.

Here are the seven levels of Internet marketers.

1. The Mooches
   
   The "Mooches" are people at the very bottom level of marketing. They're clueless and sit around wasting their time. Most are completely ignorant of the moneymaking opportunities available on the Web. These people spend their time whining about their financial status without taking the time to evaluate what they need to do to get ahead.
   
   Most Mooches don't have a clue about Internet marketing. If you ask them what the Internet is for, they'll say, "to chat" or "to e-mail friends" or even better, "to watch porn". You know, something useless.
   
   
2. The Wanna-Be
   
   The "Wanna-Be" has ambition, but not enough. They wander around in the dark looking under stones for a magic treasure box. They want to make money, but don't have a clue how. They get sucked into ridiculous scams and waste their money on garbage ideas that won't get them anywhere. They need to get smart quick about where they need to go to turn their life around.
   
   Most Wanna-Be marketers have heard of the Internet and know people who make money on the Net, so they are easily excited about opportunities. Unfortunately they spend most of their money on MLM and other moneymaking scams rather than chasing real opportunities.
   
   
3. The Pretend To Be
   
   The "Pretend To Be" is living a lie. They pretend to work hard, to do what it takes to get where they need to be. But they don't actually DO anything. Most are perfectionists, worried about getting it right the first time. They don't realize just how much they can learn even by making a few mistakes.
   
   Most Pretenders are waiting for the perfect time to start a new business. They don't realize the perfect time is NOW. They talk talk talk about starting an Internet business but lack the guts necessary to DO IT. Many have successful offline businesses and spend lots of their hard earned money attending seminars and buying e-books about Internet marketing.
   
   A good example of a Pretender is a successful overworked doctor who spends $20,000 on info-products but doesn't develop a website. The Pretender doesn't understand a key principle of this industry... You don't have to get it right the first time; you just have to get started.
   
   
4. The Newbie
   
   The "Newbie" is on their way to the fast track, they just lack experience. They have the desire to learn and grow, and may have the skill and talent necessary. They jump into opportunities with all the freshness one would expect of an eager beaver in the industry. They have done some homework, but lack the technical know how to get where they need to be.
   
   There is hope for the Newbie. They feel excited and probably have read a few books about Internet marketing. Unlike Pretenders, they are willing to invest a lot of time in themselves. They will buy resale rights, reprint rights, licenses of many products... but lack the know how about how to market them.
   
   
5. The Marketer
   
   The "Marketer" is well on their way to victory. They are making some money. They are strong marketers. They still lack the ambition necessary however to get off their butt and do what they need to do to truly realize victory.
   
   Most Marketers have a website or a moneymaker but don't have a business. They posses a strong understanding of marketing, copywriting and traffic generation and have a clear sense of what their audience is looking for. They are often leaders within their niche and make good money.
   
   They enjoy a comfortable living. The problem is they are sitting on their "ass-ets" and thinking what they have accomplished so far is all they can do. They fail to realize there is more opportunity available if they are willing to put in a little extra effort.
   
   
6. The Master
   
   The "Master" is a smart marketing agent. They are making good money, and can teach others how to do the same. Most are visionaries, charismatic leaders who have a good handle on everything they need to succeed. They'll fail only if they stop thinking about what more they can do. There is always more success just around the corner, if only one takes the time to look.
   
   The Master marketers are millionaires, or at least making 6 figures a year. They are leaders in their industry. They are well versed in direct response marketing and can teach others. They have a vast amount of knowledge both online and offline and experience working in different businesses.
   
   Most have experience working with adversity. They are high performance people who make great mentors. Most understand traffic conversion and traffic generation.
   
   The Master marketer can get into any niche and make money, even if they don't have any affinity or experience working with a niche.
   
   They recognize the Internet is nothing more than a medium they can use to make money. They integrate online and offline marketing. They posses a solid understanding of copywriting, testing and tacking. They build a team of experts around them and delegate responsibility to talented people.
   
   
7. The Entrepreneur
   
   This is where everyone should aspire to be. The Entrepreneur has already achieved true victory. They are the models that others try to mimic and follow. If you ask me, your goals should be no less than achieving "The Entrepreneur " statue.
   
   These are the multimillionaires, the master sales people and the master marketers. They have a strong team of talented people with different expertise surrounding them.
   
   These are the people taking their companies public. They are raising capital and selling to the public... to shareholders... but not to customers.
   
   They have an exit strategy in place before starting something new. They recognize the purpose of a business is to sell it or put it on autopilot so they can enjoy their lives to the fullest. This is where you want to be.
   
   Example: ebay.com, google.com, yahoo.com... etc.
   
   So now I ask you... Which one are you? Which one do you want to be? The people you know, which level are they at? Are they realizing their dreams? Why or why not?
   
   You have to ask questions, have a firm understanding of where you are now and where you WANT to be soon if you want to succeed. Don't just charge ahead blindly, but don't sit on you're ass either.
   
   If you want to succeed, take charge of your life and your financial future. Find out where you are, and what steps you need to take to be where you want to be.

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and marketing design strategist who creates big visibility for small businesses. Erin helps her clients discover their brand differentiators, then designs logos, business cards, and other collateral materials and websites to reflect that differentiation, as well as to increase credibility and memorability. To learn more about defining your difference, check out our eBook, Stand Out, at http://www.stand-out-branding.com . For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com