Branding David

There are many things you can do to get people’s attention online, and that should be your primary concern before monetization, return on investment, or anything else.

I have worked for people that are focused on making money online, and they are good at it, but far more people get to the point where they receive a return on their time and energy investment if they aren’t overly focused on the money aspect of running their site.

In fact, most of the successful people that I know gained more fame, money, links and other benefits because of their strong desire to gain attention to themselves.

While gaining attention is getting more difficult online due to people quickly hitting their saturation point with regards to new people, products, services, and companies, there are still ways to stand out from all of the noise and get the attention you are looking for.

One of the hottest trends for gaining attention right now is to run a contest, but many people would probably say that we have passed the apex of attention grabbing through contests, and so it might be time to focus on new and interesting ways to drive attention to yourself.

A mix of techniques is probably the most effective way, but if you come up with something new that works really well, then let me know in the comments below.

I have seen many blog posts similar to the title I placed on this post, where people, deciding to find ways to cash in on the Internet, especially when they are having career problems, decide to become Internet Marketing specialists, and tell other people how to make money from the Internet.

Starting on day one, they act as though they have more insight and expertise than the millions of people before them, spewing out information that is mostly incorrect in hopes of building a brand for themselves and earning some sizable pay checks.

It might sound great to most, but for someone like me, that has put over three years into making this my business, I am slightly offended, and a little annoyed by these people.

Of course I understand what they are doing, as I was once looking to find ways to make it big online and make big money, but I understood that you had to learn before you can teach and that you had to put in your dues before withdrawing money from the Internet.

Just because the barrier for entry into blogging or building websites is so low, that doesn’t mean you can skip a bunch of steps, so please, if you want to make your career Internet Marketing, I really hope that you will take the time to learn, practice, study, and try out various things before bestowing your “wisdom” on the general web going public, as your mistakes and misinformation negatively impact all of us, despite that not being your intention.

Sometimes inspiration can be hard to find, but when you really need it, having a few ideas on how to get your creative juices flowing can mean the difference between a productive day, and a waste of one.

Visual

Much of my inspiration comes from taking time to look at things I enjoy. I search for photos of Ireland on Flickr and beautiful web designs on various design galleries which can sometimes bring me back into a more productive mood.

There are numerous visual sources, especially for those in the web design industry, but even for me as a blogger to look at well constructed posts on some of my favourite blogs creates a moment of inspiration that I can hold onto and take advantage of throughout the rest of the day.

Audio

Playing upbeat music that I enjoy has always helped keep my focus and energy up on days where I’d otherwise be slumped over my desk tapping my fingers. Services like Last.fm, and the various streaming radio channels in iTunes have always been a great source of music for me, as I haven’t been a big fan of downloading music for a very long time now.

Ever person is inspired by different types of music, but I recommend something with a faster beat as it can strongly effect your energy level.

Interactive

I have some friends that enjoy playing a round of one card game or another, but I am more interested in tossing an arcade racing game on my Xbox 360, or getting a quick round completed in a first person shooter. Something that will let me unwind in a short period of time, and hopefully provide a small adrenaline response to get me energized and motivated to get back to work.

Conclusion

Some days are easier than others, as there are times when none of these methods work for me, but when you need to do more work than normal, sometimes having that bit of inspiration can give you a banner day.