There are many that believe change is good and many that believe it's bad, But Change Happens! Whatever your personal belief, an online marketer must embrace and anticipate change as it relates to the way in which we do business. In the online marketing world, change happens daily and in order to succeed, you'll need to be able to adapt and take advantage of change. You need to "Become A Marketing Chameleon!"

So why a marketing chameleon? Because a chameleon can change to it's environment, almost immediately, by changing it's color and blending in with the environment in order to survive. I can't find any better definition for one of the most important traits an online marketer must possess. To become a success in the online marketing world you must not only embrace change but be ready to adapt, adjust, and implement your new online marketing direction and focus in a matter of days or even hours. So let's take a look at a few of the most important characteristics of the marketing chameleon and how they adapt and adjust to the ever changing world of online marketing.

Characteristics Of The Marketing Chameleon
The successful marketing chameleon posses online marketing knowledge, market awareness, analyzing skills, the lack of fear, being decisive and takes advantage of the tools to make it happen. These characteristics are not found in any gene pool that makes some more successful than others, but can be learned and perfected to create success. Let's discuss each of these characteristics in some detail.

• Characteristic #1: Online Marketing Knowledge
  A major factor in success is based on knowledge. In order for knowledge to become an asset in your area of business, it must be specific. It doesn't matter how much you know but it matters how much specific knowledge you have in the topic or area of discussion. Those with specific knowledge in a specific area are known as "experts" in their field. So, as a successful marketing chameleon, you must become an online marketing expert through knowledge of online marketing. While the colleges and universities around the country are just beginning to offer courses that discuss online marketing, there's plenty of resources available online to those who want to become experts in this field and receive their MBA's in Online Marketing. Core Courses: Ezines, such as this one, seminars, newsgroups, forums and digests provide the core courses for your MBA in Online Marketing. These give you the theory, fundamentals and terminology used in the online marketing world. Electives: There are quite a few books written about online marketing that range from the general view of the overall online marketing medium to specific books about specific segments of online marketing. Pick and choose these books wisely so they'll become an excellent addition to your Online Marketing degree.

  Experience: Yes the old school of hard knocks is still one of the best educational institutions available. But just don't try anything here, utilize your core courses and electives to get a basic idea of what you should be trying, as well as, what you shouldn't be trying. Combining these three areas will get you moving towards gaining that all important knowledge and earning your MBA in Online Marketing.
  
  

• Characteristic #2: Market Awareness
  If you don't know what's happening in the market, how are you going to be successful in your online marketing efforts. There's a number of ways to get information about what's happening. One of the easiest ways is in subscribing to one of the news services that will send you daily information on topics that you select when you join. These are free services, however, you'll also receive advertisements from these types of services in exchange for the free news service. But this is an excellent source of information.

  You can also find quite a few magazines both online and offline where you can keep up to date with the latest topics in your particular market. You can also join one of hundreds of associations and organizations online that caters to specific fields to get additional market information.
  
  

• Characteristic #3: Analyzing Skills
  Finding and receiving information in the online world is easily accomplished, however, being able to analyze this information is a bit more difficult. You must be able to dissect the abundance of information and learn how to evaluate it for an application in your market. Here's a few questions to ask yourself when evaluating the information you're receiving:
  • What's the specific topic of discussion?
  • What's the impact on my business now and in the future?
  • How can I implement this strategy now and in the future?
  • What resources/tools are needed to implement this strategy?
  • Do I currently have these resources/tools?
  • What is the cost of implementation now and in the future?
  • What kind of response rates can I expect?
  • Is this something I need to be competitive?
  • How soon can I implement the strategy?

  I'm sure you can think of some other evaluation techniques for your specific business but the key here is to make sure that you don't waste your valuable online marketing time on a strategy that's too expensive to implement or that simply won't work for you!
  
  

• Characteristic #4: The Lack Of Fear
  Fear is born out of the lack of knowledge. We're afraid of things we have no knowledge about. In order to eliminate fear, you first must acquire knowledge. There are hundreds of excellent ways to market your product, service or business opportunity in the online market that are incredibly successful, and best of all, many of them are free or the cost is minimal. But the fear of failure is very powerful and can paralyze even the best laid plans. So, before you begin a new online marketing strategy, take the time to educate yourself first, then you'll find there's very little fear involved when you get started and not only will you be able to act, but you can succeed as well.
  
  
• Characteristic #5: Being Decisive
  I'm sure you've probably heard the rumblings of indecisiveness everyday! I know I have. For example: "Should I Do This…"; "I Just Don't Know.."; "What About…"; and my all time favorite, "But What Happens If I Fail?" Folks, all of these examples are depicting what that little voice in your head is saying to you when you're just not ready to make a decision. Indecision can paralyze even more quickly than fear! If you've taken the time to understand and incorporate characteristics 1-3, you'll find that those nagging doubts and fears will be much less apparent in your thinking. While it's perfect business sense to have some doubts and fears, however, you must challenge those feelings and make a decision, then all that's left is to go out and make it happen!
  
  
• Characteristic #6: The Tools To Make It Happen
  Now that you've got the knowledge, market awareness, analysis skills and have overcome fear and indecisiveness, you're ready to become a true marketing chameleon, right! Well not exactly. In order to take advantage of the characteristics of the marketing chameleon and benefit the most, you need a few online marketing tools to make it happen.

So here's a short list of a few online marketing tools that the marketing chameleon has at their disposal;
• autoresponders
• web pages
• mailing lists
• ezines.

What you're looking for, and all of the tools listed above have, is the ability to utilize these tools in a quick and efficient means to get your marketing message out. The speed of change needs to be met with tools that can be equally as fast in implementation of that change. You can also use these tools separately or in any number of combinations. Many times the outcome or success of your online marketing is based on the marketer who can take a great idea and implement it in the quickest and most effective manner.

For example; let's look at a very popular marketing strategy used today, running your own ezine. While just a short year ago, marketing via an ezine wasn't a very hot topic of discussion. In fact, the number of ezines were exponentially lower than they are today. The true marketing chameleons took advantage of this opportunity a year or so ago and had the tools at their disposal to make it happen. Beginning to get the idea? In order to successfully market online, you not only need the knowledge but also the essential tools that the pro's utilize to produce incredible profits online today!

Final Thoughts Online marketing is an incredible medium that's in constant turmoil and change. What might have created great results last month or last year, just might not work as well today. On the other hand, with some knowledge about online marketing, your target market, the essential online marketing tools, and the keys to becoming a marketing chameleon, you just might be able to adapt one of these ideas and produce even better results than in the past. In fact, you'll be better prepared to spot a new opportunity and take advantage of it to your benefit and profit.

To Your Online Marketing Success!