The Dip in Internet Marketing

May 2, 2007 by ian

I just finished reading Seth Godin's The Dip. It inspired me, and I created a little comic, tapping the very limits of my artistic skills, to tie Seth's insights to internet marketing:

First, decide you want to be the Best In The World, in your own little marketplace. You launch your new site. You're thrilled, but nothing happens:

Then you see some signs your site might be working. You get a few sales, or leads, or whatever it is you're after:

But that kind of quick hit is unlikely to last. And it's not why you're doing this, right? Still, it's stressful. Is it worth it? Is this a Dip, or a cul-de-sac?

Then reality really sets in. This is hard work (this is when my clients hate me)!

But maybe you're OK. The hill is steep, but you're starting to feel like you're climbing out of this dip. Between some smart, ethical search engine optimization, a lot of work perfecting the site itself, great customer service and a positive response from the community, things are looking up.

You did it!