Understanding the different Types of Internet Marketers is key to understanding what role you will commit to.

Not all internet marketers are created equal.  That’s for sure!  We could definately go on and on with this topic, but before I even go any further I’m going to prelude by saying that my main focus for this post is to describe, basically, the two main (in my opinion) approaches to web marketing that people take.

• Independant:  An internet marketer that builds and maintains his or her own website, e-product, affiliate program, et al for profit. 
• Service Provider:  Other internet marketers provide a service to others.  This can come via website development, search engine optimization (SEO), website management, etc.

Before moving on, let’s cover a description of the internet marketer.  For all intents and purposes, an internet marketer is someone who markets products or services over the internet.  This is typically achieved by joining the technical and creative aspects of the internet.  Internet marketers usually specialize in the placement of media along different stages of the web visitor’s cycle.  This is accomplished by Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), advertisments (banner ads) on specific websites, email marketing, and web 2.0 methods.

Typical business models used by the internet marketer are:

E-Commerce:  goods are sold directly to consumers or businesses

Publishing:  the sale of advertising

Lead-based websites:  generating value by acquiring sales leads from websites

Affiliate marketing:   a process in which a product or service developed by one person is sold by other active seller for a commission.

Information marketing:  creating a keyword focused, content rich website that generates income via contextual advertising solutions.

In our current world, there are literal masses of people racing to the internet to find an income.  The web has shrunk the world, and created  a global market place in which the average person can now reach thousands and thousands of potential customers.  With this kind of power, anyone armed with enough knowledge and a little technical know-how can make money on the web.  Over recent years, though, the competition has stiffened considerably, and making a quick buck on the net is not as easy as it once was.

In my next post, I will cover the independant internet marketers in more depth.