Branding yourself is the most important thing when you are building an online marketing business.

How do you that? What are the best options to build yourself a reputation as someone who can be trusted to deliver the goods?

Social networking is not online marketing

Ok. I'm too harsh here. Nowadays, social networking is an essential part of the picture. But if you talk more than you do, you won't be trusted by serious marketers. We see people trying to teach others all day long on social networks. How do we know if they can deliver? Do their efforts go beyond the clichés? Do they stand out from the crowd? I will give you a real world example of a successful marketer.

"Show, don't tell" applied to online marketing

All my life, I have dreamed of seeing my name on the New York Times Bestsellers List as a science-fiction writer. In the 80s, I used to read Writer's Digest. The most important principle I learned was "show, don't tell." Good fiction writers don't tell us "Paul is happy", they write "Paul had a big wide smile." Ok, not the best example, I'm sure. Well, now you know why I'm writing about online marketing instead of cranking out science-fiction novels. Who is the successful marketer I want to feature here?
So, I put my money where my mouth is. I showed you Darren Olander's blog. I also mentioned two of his sites, adchiever.com and ListSurfing.com.

Don't talk about online marketing success.

Not successful yet? No problem

When you start in online marketing, nobody knows you. It takes time to brand yourself. Don't hurry, be professionally happy. A track record like Darren Olander has right now can be reached. It will take smart AND hard work. Don't pretend you know things when it's not the case. Be honest. In the video, I mention I hadn't joined ListSurfing.com. Well, as I write this, I thought it made sense to become a member. What if some of you decide to take a look? The two times I mention it in the article, it's a referral link, because I joined it a few minutes ago. My friend Roosevelt Evans will be very happy, since I used his referral link. I'm sure he will be happy when I tell him I mention his name here. Roosevelt is the best example of positive thinking and humility I know.

These qualities combined will help you in your online marketing projects.