Is it better that one reads a book on the basics of Internet marketing?

[Christopher Z]

Will this save them time and money?
Will it help them avoid making costly mistakes?
What are some books you suggest?

[newmoon]

It is always better to do your research and get as much info as you can about internet marketing. There are so many different ways to market and so much info that you could read for the rest of your life. Just google it and u will see books that u buy and some that are free. However, there are shortcuts and you will probably need to spend some money to learn proper strategies.
I've been getting coached by an internet marketing expert. He uses very clear, step by step videos that give u these insider strategies. While doing your research, stop by http://www.maverickmoneymakinggem.com. Best of luck in your online business.

[Lauren]

Hi Christopher,

I would suggest that you go straight to the source- online!

I have been learning internet marketing for the last 5 months or so, and I looked into buying books, and I was disappointed with the selection- the problem is, the field is continuously evolving!

A book can teach you the very basics, but you'll end up paying for information you can find for free.

My advice is to follow the experts, the gurus- Do a search for a specific topic you're interested in, and you'll get tons of specific blog entries and articles to help you out- the nice thing about internet marketing is how active and growing the community is.

If you already have a site, it's great because you can experiment as you go and see what suits your needs best. If you're starting from scratch, consider getting a free blog or other personal site that allows you to manage content personally. Otherwise you may feel lost, and the truth is, you don't need a textbook- the key to the Internet is, it's interactive. Textbooks can never compare.

Plus, you'll often get more actual information per paragraph than most books will offer.

Depending on your goals, there are many ways to market online. You have to start with a site, and you should learn some basics on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (I wrote a blog entry that offers some resources for beginners, I will add it below) - beyond that you have tons of options.

- Write original articles and submit to article sites (they provide good exposure!)
- Create videos and post them to YouTube and other video sites
- Write a blog and get it out there! (plenty of free sites)
- Make friends in the social network space (i.e. sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter) that will help you spread the word
- Record a Podcast and publish to different podcasting sites
- Visit other sites, forums, etc and post comments where you think your product or service could benefit the person
- If you're strictly looking for traffic, don't be afraid of paid advertising or sponsorships

ClickZ offers a number of columns on every topic in Internet Marketing

[Fundburst]

Either books or articles will accelerate the learning curve. Books are more organized and "linear" but the content is often out dated, and they can get expensive. I recommend that you start looking for do-it-yourself articles on the internet. These are free, condensed, and can focus on a very specific internet marketing topic. To get you started, I found many at web design and email marketing articles at http://www.sharpnetsolutions.com. These are all good articles and can get you pointed in the right direction.

[Scott]

It is definitely helpful to read up on a subject, and internet marketing is no different.

There are so many things that go into developing a money making internet marketing business. There are many ways to make money with internet marketing.

The best way to learn is to read and then put what you read into practice. You have got to take action, or just be a walking library.

Right now my favorite book is written by Tony Shepherd. He leads you through developing a product and promoting it. Then he takes you through getting others to promote your product. Great Stuff

[CarryOrchid]

Research is the key to everything, especially internet marketing. The tough part is sorting out the snake oil from the truth. There is a free course starting up next week, it actually is free, and it actually doesn't try to sell you anything. It will take you through all the basics, step by step. The goal of the course is for you to end up making at least $10 (without spending any money) within 30 days.

Also, I have linked to another course I used. It is a quick read and it includes a fantastic viral twist at the end. It has increased my sales as well as my web traffic.

[Ian]

It all depends on what form of Internet marketing you want to do. You can do PPC marketing, article marketing and audio & video marketing.

There are many more, but the one that I find is more profitable is PPC marketing. PPC marketing can be very dangerous as people loose thousands of dollars due to stupid mistakes. A good book to read on PPC marketing is "Google AdWords made easy" I found it very informative.

Also you could just read blogs and join internet marketing forums (They are great for up to date information)

My Internet marketing blog is here:
http://esmarketing.info

If you have any questions regarding internet marketing you can ask me personally and I will help you.