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Everyone seems to have their own top ten lists and ways to tell if someone fits a certain description. I thought I'd try my hand at a list describing an Internet marketer. See if you fit the description.

10) If you believe in your business and want to do something about it'

9) If you understand that people need to hear your message'

8) If you know the difference between the web and the Internet or are willing to learn'

7) If you are a power blogger with purpose'

6) If you dream in web design'

5) If you draw up battle plans for list building'

4) If you use lots of three letter abbreviations like RSS, PPC and SEO'

3) If you develop podcasts where you opine and are pithy'

2) If your video streams are both witty and meaningful'

1) If you are willing to barter or beg for backlinks'

'you might just be an Internet marketer.

Perhaps it's not the best list, but it does point out that Internet marketing is more than a simple task performed once and forgotten. It is an ongoing act of belief in your business. It is the desire to be in business next year at this time. For some marketing is an obsession.

Every grade school student seems to plant a few beans in a Styrofoam cup as part of a science experiment in school. It isn't long before those bean plants begin to grow and children urge their parents to become bean farmers. This visual is how it is with Internet marketing.

You start small with the beans of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), link building and networking. As those seeds grow in the fertile soil you've prepared you need to realize your work isn't done. The plants won't last in the container you started with so they need to be transplanted in a larger container and a few other nutrients and seeds planted (you want a staggered crop).

For most businesses the problems begin when they try to plant a few seeds in unprepared soil and believe they have done all they can. They don't water the soil, transplant the plants for improved growth and they fail to sow new seeds.

It's sort of like painting your house once and believing it will never need to be repainted again or putting tires on your vehicle and assuming they will never need to be replaced or cutting your hair once and believing that will be enough to keep your hair healthy and manageable for life.

Like a seed it can take some time to see growth so it can be easy to pay attention to other parts of your business while neglecting the marketing seeds.

The growth of a business depends on getting the word out.

I had someone tell me recently they didn't believe in advertising then they handed me their business card. Am I the only one to see the irony in that? Advertising was not important to them (or so they said), yet they were very interested in telling me about their business.

If you have a business online you MUST believe in advertising. You can only grow when you have an Internet marketing attitude enhancement.

If you can't find yourself in the top ten list above maybe it's time to move into exploration mode.