The good news is that, as far as we can tell, the recently deceased aren’t suddenly re-animating with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. The world has not become overrun by hordes of the undead. Even so, as Internet marketers and professional bloggers, we can all learn a lot from the fictional scenario of the zombie apocalypse, particularly as portrayed on The Walking Dead.
Prepare for the Worst
If there is just one life-or-death tidbit of insight that we can glean from The Walking Dead, it’s that you can never be too careful. No matter how fortified you think your stronghold might be, it’s not going to be safe forever. You could get attacked by rival factions. You could endure an unfortunate act of God. Your food could (and likely will) run out. All sorts of bad things can happen to otherwise good people.
And the challenge of making a comfortable living on the Internet is really no different, except you don’t have to worry about the guy next to you biting a chunk out of your neck. You need to stay on toes and never allow yourself to be lulled into a state of complacency. Even when all your campaigns are going great and you’re raking in the dough, it could all vaporize with a Google update or a server crash. You need to be ready for this emergency on a moment’s notice.
You Can’t Do It Alone
Even when we look to “lone wolf” characters like Michonne, we also see that they do a lot better when they are a part of supportive group. It helps tremendously when you’re surrounded by people who care for and care about one another, providing complementary skill sets that bolster everyone’s chances at survival. Just look at Daryl.
As you sit in front of your computer, plugging away at your online ventures, it’s easy to feel like you are absolutely alone in what you are doing. Just because you work for yourself doesn’t mean you need to work by yourself. In fact, by surrounding yourself with like-minded people — even if you only do so online via social media and instant messenger — can really boost everybody’s earning potential. Don’t feel like you have to go it alone.
Surviving Isn’t Enough
In a world where you are constantly on edge, where you are constantly fearing for your life and running away from the undead who will stop at nothing to take a bite of you, it’s hard not to focus on just surviving. You can work so hard just to survive to see another day, but that’s not enough. Surviving isn’t enough. You need to live.
Making money online is much the same. If you just keep going through the motions, barely scraping up enough cash to pay your modest bills, you’re not doing enough. You need to get excited. You need to get passionate. You need to strive to be better and do better. Always seek to grow and to learn. To live.
Retain Your Humanity
It’s obvious enough that law and order go way out the window during a zombie apocalypse. Traditional ethics and morals have to be questioned, because the scenario is so incredibly different from a normal world. If you lie, cheat, steal or kill, it’s not like you’re going to get arrested and go to jail. It’s a whole new morality, but do you really want to become the “bad guy” in this situation?
The actual mechanics of what you do each day are going to vary and you may find yourself participating in activities that you may not otherwise, but at the end of the day, you still have to remain true to yourself. You still have to be able to sleep at night. You still have to live with yourself. I’m not saying you have to avoid black hat strategies with Internet marketing. That’s your decision to make. What I am saying is that you may want to think twice before you betray or exploit your colleagues and friends.
Leverage Your Brand
Lastly, we’ll go a little meta and take a step back from the fictional zombie apocalypse depicted in The Walking Dead and think about the business of the franchise instead. It all started with a series of graphic novels, but The Walking Dead didn’t explode into the mainstream until the TV show premiered.
Since then, we’ve seen a spin-off show, a web series, a wide range of toys and collectibles, several mobile games, several video games for consoles and PCs, more books, and the list goes on and on. It’s obvious enough that they’re cashing in on the popularity and who can blame them?
In fact, that’s one of the best lessons you can take to heart as an Internet marketer. You never know when the well is going to run dry, so you may as well extract as much value as you can, as quickly as possible. John’s success started with this blog, but you see him doing speaking engagements, co-operating on training programs, and selling books. When you’ve hit something good, you should do the same.
Just keep the shotgun within arm’s reach, because you never know what might be lurking around the corner.