SiteProNews has an article about why Internet marketers fail online. Great article except that it’s mostly talking about Internet marketers who build landing pages, microsites, and other animals for AdSense or use other “traditional” Internet marketing strategies. Small businesses using online marketing techniques do things a little differently.

That’s why I decided to come up with my own list of 5 reasons small businesses fail when they go online to market their businesses. But for the sake of comparison, here’s the summary of why Internet marketers aren’t succeeding:

1. They are overwhelmed with information
2. Lack key marketing basics
3. Not much time or few resources
4. Don’t have the necessary skills
5. They lack persistence

But do these same afflictions affect small business owners online? Aside from key marketing basics, I’d say small business owners suffer from some of the same problems, but they aren’t necessarily causes of failure online. If so then they’d be causes of failure off line and if small businesses are failing off line they likely aren’t trying to build online variations of their businesses. Or shouldn’t be.

So how are small business owners marketing online different than Internet marketers? Here is the list of top 5 reasons I can think of:

1. No persistence – OK, let’s get this one of out of the way right now. In this regard, small business owners are like other Internet marketers. They give up too soon. The old adage “you can’t win if you quit” rings true. Stay in there! Be persistent.
2. Hung up on their budget – Small business owners have small budgets. The beauty of marketing online is that you don’t need a big budget, but many small business owners fail online because they’re hung up on their pocketbooks and cede to those with more money to throw. Be stealthy. You don’t have to be Bill Gates or Donald Trump.
3. Try to bite off more than they can chew – Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was your business. And your online business won’t be either. Take your time, learn the ropes, and don’t quit.
4. Analysis paralysis – You can analyze information all day long and get nowhere. Eventually, you’ve got to do something. Don’t let thinking get in the way of doing. You’re successful off line because you take action. Now, take action online.
5. They listen to Internet marketers – Just because someone calls himself an Internet marketer doesn’t mean he knows what he’s doing. There are a lot of strategies online to use. Some of them work, some of them don’t. But if you listen to the Internet marketers you could lose. Many of them fail because they’re trying all the wrong things any way. Instead, choose your guides carefully.

It’s not all about the money. And it’s not all about time. It’s about how effective you use both time and money (the little you do have) to reach the audience you want to reach. The most important thing is this: Be persistent!