Information OverloadIf there is one common frustration that plagues nearly all of us when starting out in internet marketing it is this:

INFORMATION OVERLOAD!

I have mentioned previously that I suffered particularly badly from it when I began online in April 2010.

And judging by your emails and feedback I know that many of you have been, or are currently, experiencing exactly the same thing.

So, in this post I’d like to offer you 3 tips to help break through your information overload issues and the ever so frustrating “analysis paralysis” problem…

1. Acknowledge That There Is No “Magic Button”

Often, the first thing people do when they want to make money on the internet is to search in Google.

But look at the suggestions when I search for “make money online”:

Make Money Online Google Search

In this example, clicking suggestions such as “make money online fast” or “make money online for free” is almost guaranteed to result in information overload and possibly even a great deal of wasted money spent on products that simply do not work.

If at this point you are thinking this all sounds a bit familiar then don’t worry because you are far from alone – I have personally experienced the exact the same problem!

The trick here is to acknowledge to yourself that there are no shortcuts, no “fast money” and certainly no “free money” out there at all.

So next time you see a sales page for a product that promises a gazillion dollars by next Wednesday, or some other ridiculous claim, simply ignore it and calmly move on.

While many people just can’t bring themselves to give up their search for the mythical and elusive magic button, if you yourself consciously choose to do this then you’ll instantly cut down on your own information overload, save yourself a huge amount of time and quite possibly even a fair bit of money too.

2. So, Who CAN You Trust?

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a great believer in learning from other people whether they are more or less experienced than myself.

If I remember correctly then I really started doing this when I learnt that Jimi Hendrix (of all people!) used to spend a lot of time watching bands and guitar players who were much less “experienced” than himself (no pun intended).

He believed that everyone has something to offer and therefore one of the greatest things you can do to advance your own success is to listen.

Of course, here in the internet marketing community the only trouble is that it is very difficult to separate the good stuff from the hype and know who to trust.

So, here are some tips for answering that important question, “Who can I trust?”…

1. Follow Bloggers Rather Than Pure Sales Marketers

While everyone wants (and needs) to make money, on the whole bloggers are there more for the community, providing free useful advice and sharing their own real experiences in making money online.

A great question to ask is this, “Is this person really publishing free and useful how-to advice or are they just providing ‘teaser information’ often followed by product promotions?”

Personally, I follow people like Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income, Glen Allsopp of Viperchill and Ed Dale of The Challenge.

There is a TON of highly valuable information here that won’t cost you a dime.

2. Send An Email And See If You Get A Reply

This piece of advice is not mine but was suggested by Joseph Archibald in my recent interview with him.

It’s a great idea because the chances are that you’re much more likely to actually get a reply (and a quality one) from people who really want to add value and help rather than those whose primary goal is to liberate your hard-earned cash from you.

Of course, this is not perfect because people are busy and emails do get missed occasionally.

But it’s still a technique that can be highly revealing.

The other point I’d make here is to aim to follow around 5 marketers or bloggers as a maximum. In my early days I followed an awful lot more than this and looking back there is no doubt that this massively contributed to my own information overload problem!

3. Take Action

Taking ActionThese two words have almost become a cliché in the internet marketing community.

However, they are absolutely true! Many successful marketers have admitted both publically (and some even privately to me personally) that they never saw any success until they actually “grasped the nettle” and just started.

The bottom line is that you can learn everything about making money online and internet marketing but you won’t achieve any success until you actually get stuck in and take action.

Now, this does take some work! Not necessarily massive amounts and certainly less than most people would do in a full-time or even part time job.

However, the trick is to enjoy it! Stop thinking about your ultimate goals and start enjoying the process: Have fun learning about how to find a hot niche, creating your first websitehow to drive traffic and so on.

Conclusion

The information overload problem is a very real one and pretty challenging to overcome. For this reason, I certainly wouldn’t claim that I’ve offered any kind of perfect solution in this post. However, just as these tips have helped other people (myself included) there is a great chance they can help you too.

Have you experienced analysis paralysis? What are your tips for overcoming information overload? Take a moment to leave a comment below and let me know….