Interview with an Online Marketer

Considered working as an Online Marketer? This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect in the position, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more. This is a true career story as told to MarketingJobs.org and is one of many interviews with marketing professionals which among others include VP Marketing and Marketing & Media Relations.

What is your job title and what industry do you work in? How many years of experience do you have in this field?

My main internet marketing income comes from my Amazon Affiliates account. Amazon Affiliates is the internet marketing program run by Amazon.com. My official job title is Amazon Associate, but I consider myself to be a freelancer at heart. Although I make the majority of my income on Amazon Associates I try not put all of my eggs in one basket so I am always looking for new opportunities to diversify.

How would you describe what you do? What does your work entail?  Are there any common misunderstandings you want to correct about what you do?

My work is basically writing and maximizing views for pieces of content on Google and other search engines. These products are usually sold by a company I have a working relationship with as an affiliate marketer, for example an HDTV on Amazon or a trampoline on Overstock.

I post information or reviews on products as well as my unique id link so that if customers click through links built in to my page I receive a commission percentage based on what the company has decided they will give you for this sale, the numbers generally range from four to ten percent. Many people think internet marketers are just spammers but this is completely untrue, many affiliate and internet market add great value you to the market with accurate and well written reviews as well as showing people products they might otherwise know about.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What might need to change about your job to unleash your full enthusiasm?

My job satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10 is an 8. I love the ability to work my own schedule from anywhere in the world. I also enjoying working in a performance based field so that the more work I put in and the more innovative i am the more rewards I gain. The flip side of that means that there is no built in safety net and if you have a bad month things could get rough with bills. Overall I would say I am very happy with my job.

If this job moves your heart – how so? Ever feel like you found your calling or sweet spot in life? If not, what might do it for you?

Internet marketers are generally not moved by their work. I know I certainly am not. I wish that internet marketing was about creating literature, or art which would be fulfilling to me on a deeper level. However creating ads and optimizing web sites for search is kind of an art. I do get a thrill from creating a page or site that gets a great deal of views and brings in a great deal of income, but I would say that makes my brain feel better than my heart.

Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?

Nothing unique about me at all. Pretty much anyone can do internet marketing, just be prepared for a great deal of trial and error and time spent reviewing consumer goods and services. Keep at it and you will do well.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?

I read a forum post about legitimate ways to make money online and the topic of affiliate blogging for a large company like eBay or Amazon came up. I researched more into it and found out that I could be paid for creating websites- something I had studied and done all of my life- but for free. I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and what happened specifically that led up to this hard-learned lesson?

The hardest thing about being a freelance internet marketer is driving yourself to succeed without anyone else telling you to. You must constantly pay attention to your work and grow it, or you will have no success or money. It took a few months of me barely making bills to teach me to take my freelancing seriously.

What is the single most important thing you have learned outside of school about the working world?

Success is a mix of hard work, luck, intelligence, and who you know.

What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?

Nothing too strange, some weird comments on blogs but that is about it.

Why do you get up and go to work each day? Can you give an example of something that really made you feel good or proud?

I get up to feed the bills and fund my traveling. I enjoy traveling, so being an internet marketer is the perfect position for me. I feel great when I build a site that takes off and makes me a good amount of money for very little work.

What kind of challenges do you handle and what makes you really want to pull your hair out?

Sometimes competing with other internet marketers and people will do things to undercut your business like report your website as breaking the law when it isn’t, just so they can take your spot. Also finding out that you have competition in a particular niche website after never having it is not fun.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?

My job is not very stressful, I can walk away from it and it still hums along and makes money most of the time. I maintain a great balance between my home life and my work life. Just having the ability to work when I feel like working takes a great deal of stress away from my life.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough and/or happy living within your means?

I make about 35k a year from my main position as an internet marketer. It doesn’t sound like much but I basically work 5 hour weeks which gives me plenty of time to enjoy life. I am very happy.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?

I take at least 10 days out of every month. I can never have enough vacation. Travel is one of my great passions and I am just happy my profession allows me to do that.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?

You need the ability to write formal and conversational english, or any language that has a major internet presence. Also a basic knowledge of how e commerce and the internet work as well as knowing how to blog or create a site.

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?

Jump in headfirst and try everything you can as well as putting as much work as you need to.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?

Internet marketing, with 5 times the profitability.