Here's what you need to do to get started

1) Learn as much as you possibly can. But don't let this slow down your involvement

2) Create or find a product or service that you can promote wholeheartedly.

3) Jump in. Get yourself a solid Internet presence.

4) Get busy! Market that product.

Sounds rather simple doesn't it. In fact it requires a lot of effort, but steps are simple enough and rewards are certainly worth it.

Let's look at these four points in detail.

1) LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN

"The great breakthrough in your life comes when you realize that you can learn anything you need to learn to accomplish any goal that you set for yourself. This means there are no limits on what you can be, have, or do." --Brian Tracy

We can never know too much about marketing on Web. If you get to point where you think you've learned it all, just wait a couple of days and rules of Web will have changed sufficiently that you will need to relearn what you thought you already knew.

The basics can be learned by doing a lot of surfing and employing search engines. Do a search using words Internet Basics, marketing, Web knowledge, etc. An even better approach is to search specifically for area of your interest.

The public school systems offer great night school programs that will teach you not only basics but more advanced subjects on marketing, web design, advertising, html, scripts, forms, graphics, and much, much more. These courses are often priced quite reasonably and in some cases will even give you credits toward further education.

You can also get a good education in what's 'working on Web' right now by subscribing to some of thousands and thousands of ezines that are out there. Many of these electronic newsletters (like this one) offer tons of valuable information for FREE. You are also likely to see advertisements for latest and greatest innovations in marketing. That's okay too. You want to stay abreast of what's happening.

I must have subscribed to 50 or more ezines. While I certainly can't read them all I like to scan through them regularly to see what's new and to pick up on some marketing advice.

Find a mentor or buddy who won't mind helping you out in your efforts. These days many of domain providers or their representatives offer ongoing assistance to their customers. This is just good marketing sense. Chat rooms and newsgroups are also a great way to tap into other people's knowledge. Joining an affiliate program can also give you unexpected benefit of great marketing advice that can be universally applied.

There are certain subjects that you may have to reach into your pocketbook to acquire specific knowledge on. I offer two suggestions regarding this: 1) be careful, there are a lot of sharks out there, and 2) don't be afraid to spend a little money to save you a lot of time in learning.

This may seem slightly contradictory but what it really means is; if you need to know something and you've found a reputable source with whom you are comfortable then it does make sense to spend a couple of dollars. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”-- Jim Rohn

2) CREATE OR FIND A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THAT YOU CAN PROMOTE WHOLEHEARTEDLY

“Happiness lies in joy of achievement and thrill of creative effort.”-- Franklin D. Roosevelt It's a very good idea to have a keen interest in what ever it is that you are selling. It's really not advisable to jump into some affiliate program simply because of promise of riches. All of great marketers enjoyed what they were doing long before they achieved noteworthy success.

The best product or service to offer is one of your own creation or at least one that you personally had a hand in developing. If you are not able to do this then take program that you are with and make it personal to you. Try to be unique. Find a niche area that most people are not already covering.