Beginner's Guide to Starting a High-Income Business on the Internet
INTRODUCTION
Okay, why was this manual published?
Fair enough question. Here's the answer in a nutshell...
In 1996, I, the author of this manual (I shall remain nameless in an effort to convince you that this manual will NOT be filled with promotion) tried my hand at starting an online business. What I found was a bit disturbing, and at the same time, exciting.
The online world was literally filled to the gills with charlatans and con-artists. The number of junk email I received grew daily and these people were making money!
So what did I do? I jumped in head-first. But I did it a little differently.
To make a long story short, I left my 9-5 job that very same year. The internet gold-rush, as many are calling it, was under way. The next few years brought knowledge and income far beyond my wildest expectations.
This completely free manual is just a small gesture in an effort to give a little back. It was published for anyone who may be in the same predicament I was in a few years back -- that is, stuck in a "less that thrilling" job and living from paycheck to paycheck.
Is that you?...
If so, you have chosen the perfect time to explore other options.
The explosion of the internet population through the late 1990's has sprouted more new entrepreneurs than any other event in history. It is now possible for "absolutely anyone" to step up and make the big money!
How can I make such a bold statement? Simple. I've done it. I was a "phone guy" living from check to check. Now I work from the comfort of my own home, on my own terms. And the best part is, I did it all on a shoestring. That's the beauty of the net. You can start for peanuts and turn shocking profits in months - if you know what you're doing.
Wouldn't it be nice to someday walk into your boss's office to explain how you really don't need the job anymore? While this may sound like a wild fantasy to many people, it is becoming a reality to more people than you may realize.
But let me set one thing straight right here and now. I'm not about to make crazy promises with rags to riches fairy tales. I'm also not going to recommend that you have that little chat with the boss tomorrow morning. Here's what I am going to tell you...
The drive and ambition that prompted you to download this free manual, coupled with the information you are about to discover, will finally get you going in the direction of financial independence. Ask any financially independent person you can find (truly financially independent) and they'll all agree on one thing. You can't get rich working for someone else!
So, without further ado, lets get the show on the road as they say. Or more appropriately for our purposes, lets keep the show at home. The following information has been organized in a manner that will assist you through the process of building a successful internet-based business as smoothly as possible.
And if you're waiting for a sales pitch, you won't find one. You see, I've already carved my niche online. I wrote this manual to help others do the same.
Be sure to give this manual your undivided attention, as it is not light reading material. This information, if used properly could very well lead you to your goal of financial independence...
A BUSINESS OF YOUR OWN...
At last, a business of your own. You've finally made a decision to move in the direction of financial freedom!
But why an "internet" business?
That's simple...
1. You can operate right out of your home if you want.
2. Thanks to the exploding population online, your income potential is virtually unlimited.
Did you know that the average home business earns more than $50,000 per year? And thanks to the internet, a growing percentage of home businesses now earn in excess of $100,000 per year.
The reasons for this are quite simple really...
More and more people are turning to the online marketplace for the products, services and specialized information that make their lives easier or richer. Home business owners willing to fill this need are "hitting paydirt."
Think you're too late? Or maybe you figure there's no room for yet another new business venture? Think again.
Latest estimates show that the number of users who will be connected to the internet by the year 2005 is now up to 350,000,000. That's Three Hundred and Fifty Million!
The customer base for home business operators is virtually unlimited. Needless to say, with the right product, properly marketed to the right consumer, a company can turn quite a profit.
But why give up a "secure" job for the insecurity of working for yourself?
I won't kid you. The answer is money.
The easiest and fastest way to become financially independent is by owning your own business. You know how much you are making right now in your current job. You also probably have a good idea how much you'll be making in two, five or maybe even ten years from now. That is if you continue working for someone else.
When you start your own company however, there is no limit to earning potential. I'll say that once more - there is no limit to what you can earn when working for yourself.
Remember though, I am NOT suggesting you quit your job just yet! Heck, even after you establish a firm hold on the concept of making money online, you may prefer to keep right on working your regular job. That's fine!
There also is a good chance however, that you may eventually find your 9-5 job weighing you down in your effort to make more money at home. That's what happened to me. Within a year of starting my internet business, my online income surpassed my 9-5 job and I had to have that chat with my boss. (Okay, I admit I enjoyed that a bit!) Since then I've even managed to buy a big house in the country. I'm not telling you this to brag, but rather to motivate you!
Remember, I am not saying you can do this with zero effort, but plenty of us are doing it. Thanks to "the net" it is now more possible than ever before in history. You just have to be willing to make the commitment to work as hard as it takes. The best part is that you after reading this e-book you will be far ahead of the rest of the pack. You will be armed with the knowledge and resources you need to get started.
So lets continue on and get you started on your own wonderful internet adventure...
PROPER BUSINESS SET-UP
Along with every exciting adventure comes a bit of tedious work. I would be remiss if I did not mention a few details on properly setting up your business. So here goes.
(I promise to keep this boring stuff brief, but feel free to skip this page and the next if you already know about business registration, licensing, zoning and regulations.)
For those of you just starting from scratch in your own business, there are a few business matters that will need to be addressed. It's a good idea to take care of these matters relatively early in your business venture so you can concentrate on the heart of your business, that is, actually making money. I won't go into too much detail, but I'd like to touch briefly on a few of the more important issues.
The first issue to concern yourself with is licensing and registration. There are many companies in existence today that have not taken the time to concern themselves with these "details" and therefore are not operating legally. Don't let your company become one of these "under the table" operations. Not only are there many tax benefits when operating legally, but the feeling of clear conscience alone can be just as important.
The first step in the licensing and registration of your business is to call or stop by your local town hall and tell them you are considering starting your own business. Ask them if you need to register this business and if there are any special requirements or licenses for a home based business in your area. More than likely, you will not need any special permits or licenses to operate a business out of your home, however you may need to register at a local and or state level.
The next issue you may run into when checking into these business matters is zoning. If you're in the U.S. you'll find that many zoning laws are largely ignored by home business owners. I do recommend however, that you become aware of the zoning laws in your area, even though the type of business you'll be operating is usually not subject to zoning problems. Most of the zoning laws on the books are there to protect your neighbors' rights. As long as your business won't disturb your neighbors, which an "e-business" won't, you should have no problems here. If you run into zoning problems, consider getting a post office box and using that as your business address.
A last issue to consider during start-up is naming your business. You must be careful here. It is easy to violate registered businesses and trademarks. Before you decide on a name, make sure you investigate whether it is already being used. If you want a easy way to avoid trouble, simply use your name or initials and you will be safe. (Like JJJ Marketing or DDD Design.)
As you'll see, these three early business matters are easy hurdles to clear. Be sure to take care of them early on and you won't have to worry later.
Time to move onto a few rules and regulations you should be aware of...
START UP MATERIALS AND COSTS
Now that we have covered the necessary evils, lets start looking at some of the things you may need to purchase in the early stages of your business. One of the main reasons that an online of business is so attractive to new entrepreneurs, is the low initial start-up investment.
The following list was made with the assumption that you already own a computer and all the hardware and software necessary to connect to the internet and send and receive E-mail. Other than your monthly online charges, as you will see from the list, you really won't to spend much at all.
* Research material:
Anytime you take on a new venture, whether it is a business or a hobby, it's always a good idea to learn as much as you possibly can about it. This means you should read books, instructional literature, magazines and anything else related to your new area of interest. You can purchase these items right online.
Expected cost: $20.00 - $100.00
* Registration, licensing, permits:
You may need to do some form of registration to make your business legal. As suggested earlier, check with your local officials to find out exactly what is necessary in your area. Don't make the mistake of waiting until it's too late. Do this relatively early in your business start-up period so you won't need to worry about it later.
Expected cost: $0-$200.00
* Basic office supplies:
You certainly can spend a lot of money here, but don't. Just start with the very basics. Pens, pencils, paper, business size envelopes, and a good notebook should get you started. You can purchase other larger office supplies on an as needed basis. Forget about business cards, your web site will be your business card!
Expected cost: $0-$20.00
* Business checking account:
You should open a business checking account sooner or later to keep all of your business transactions separate from your personal finances. It is important to have your business name on your checks to portray a professional image. You should open this account once you have chosen a name and registered your new business. (Remember, when choosing a name be careful not to use the name of an existing business. If you don't want to do a trademark search, stick to a business name that contains your name or initials.)
Expected cost: $0-$50.00
* Office equipment:
Other than the computer which you already have, most people can probably get by without purchasing any office equipment at all. I started on an old card table with folding legs. The point is, don't go out and buy anything until you absolutely need it.
Expected cost: $0
* A Printer:
If you don't already have a printer connected to your PC, you should think about getting one. You'll eventually need to print something. Although you don't need to have one right away, consider the time it will save you in the long run. If you're in the market for a printer, I would recommend an ink jet printer. The prices are sensible and the printing quality is more than adequate.
Expected cost: $100 to $400
* Software
Here are the basics you'll need...
- A good word processing or desktop publishing program. Microsoft Word or whatever came with your computer should suffice.
- A web design program. Go to http://www.shareware.com and download a free one!
- A good email program. I suggest the free version of Eudora, called Eudora light. You can get it from http://www.eudora.com
- Another very helpful program to have is a mail list or address list program. This helps you grow a customer list as well as track product ship dates, amounts paid, E-mail addresses and other pertinent information. Microsoft Access is very good for this, but you can find plenty of shareware titles at that Shareware.com link above.
One more item that you will need eventually is a web hosting company to host your web site. Pricing varies widely here, and this e-book will be cover hosting later.
That just about does it for start up materials. You will probably come across a few things here and there but there won't be many surprises now that you've read this list.
As you can see, you shouldn't need to purchase much to get started. Actually, many people won't need to buy a single thing! However, if you do need to get a few of the items listed, don't do it all at once. There's no reason to put yourself in the poorhouse before you have a chance to make money. Take your time in acquiring everything you decide to get.
Let's go into a crucial area now. It pertains to actually how you will make money online -- that is, what you will sell...
BUT WHAT SHOULD YOU SELL?
Okay, time to get down to business.
What should you be marketing on the internet? That's right, you need a product or service to market if you are going to make any money.
I know a lot of people who are looking for opportunities that do not involve selling. And sure, there are some out there. They are called jobs.
The simple fact is, when you go into business for yourself, and you want to make real money, you have to be able to market yourself or your products or services.
Here's a little secret: Even I used to believe that "sales" was a dirty word. Because I was on the technical side of business most of my life, I started to believe what my co-workers and buddies were always saying, that the sales people were all crooks and con-artists.
The fact is, my buddies were wrong. After I got to know some of the folks in the sales department of my old company, I learned that they simply wanted the chance to make more money. They were wise enough to know that their best chance at a high income was in sales.
One of them even explained it to me like this...
Hey, I'm not taking people's money, my customers make a conscious decision that what I have to offer is worth a trade for a certain amount of their cash. This is exactly how and why capitalism works.
When you take this sensible outlook a step further, you realize that selling for yourself, instead of an employer, sets you up for the best earnings potential possible. Simple facts of business.
So now that you know that you have to sell something to start moving toward a high income, the questions becomes this - what do you sell?
Once again, I'll level with you completely. The very best way to make money, either online or off, is to market your own product or service. Not only does this give you complete control, it enables you to maximize your profits by keeping most of the money from every sale.
Perhaps you already have a product or service in mind for your business. If not, here are a few ideas...
During my humble beginnings, I learned that the number one seller in the world has always been, and always will be - information. Not just any information mind you, but specialized information. I made a decision that I would start my business on this premise. I set out to develop the best information about internet marketing possible, and offer at a price far below what others were selling it for. (Admittedly, I've gone too far this time!) Anyway, this "good info, cheap" strategy has worked for me and I will continue using it until it stops working. (Most likely never.)
Creating your own information products is NOT hard. Everyone knows something about a particular subject. Whether it is "golfing" or "model airplane flying," you can easily create your own information products.
Simply take your area of expertise and start writing down everything you know about it. Think back to everything you have learned over the years about it. This is the type of information others want and need. They will pay good money to save their valuable time and get the facts that you already know.
Once you have your facts together, putting them into a marketable format is much easier than you think. The internet offers a wide array of software for this. Manual printing software, electronic publication creation software and the like are readily available online now. Just pick a program and run with it. If you need help getting your written information into a marketable format, let me know. I can even create an electronic publication just like this one for a reasonable fee. Once it's done, you own it and can sell it over and over! (Oops! That was almost a sales pitch. Sorry!)
"But can't you make money selling things other than information products?"
Absolutely!
One way is by reselling products and services that other companies have already produced. The internet is spawning all types of new products and services, many with innovative reseller plans. Although offering YOUR OWN product or service is highly recommended, you can start quickly by selling products for others, but you must be VERY selective. Only top selling products and services that fit a certain criteria should even be considered.
What's the criteria? Well, if the product or service fits the following categories, it should be considered:
1. It must have a large demand. That is, you must be able to identify a very large group of people who would be interested in it.
2. You must be able to earn at least 25% of the profits on anything you sell. There are far too many so-called opportunities that pay less that 10% to the distributor. You just cannot sell enough of something at this commission rate to earn a substantial income.
3. You must be able to become a reseller without shelling out a large amount of cash. If it looks like it will take you many sales to earn back your initial investment, you may want to pass.
I know first-hand that you CAN make excellent profits promoting products that others have developed. I do this every day.
If you do not already have your own products or services to market, consider starting out by reselling. If this interests you, visit http://www.bizweb2000.com/bizops.htm where you can check in on my own current reseller earnings. I'm always involved in at least three or four programs and that link will show you which ones are paying the most.
Remember, although there is no substitute for your own product or service, the key is to get started marketing something right away.
Now it's time to discuss exactly "how" to sell online...
"TIME TO CYBER-SELL!"
IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN REAL-WORLD SELLING...
Okay, you have an idea of what you want to market. Whether it's an information product, an online service you plan to offer, or even others' products and services, you'll need to learn how to sell it. This section will begin to teach you how.
You see, anyone can "say" they are an internet marketer, but it takes some special know-how to actually make lots and lots of money in cyberspace.
There are many important factors to online business success. Among them are effective email marketing, a well-designed web site and many other variables.
Often overlooked however, is one of the most crucial steps in your entire internet marketing campaign, that is the actual selling. You must learn how to properly present your product, service or opportunity to your target market. You can have the best product or service in the world, but if you do not present it properly, you are destined for failure.
If you've surfed the web at all, like me, you've seen some pretty lousy stuff. Although many websites and email messages are designed to sell you something, many of them do just the opposite. They scare you away with exclamation points and wild claims.
Over the past few years, I have spoken with many people who have had excellent products and services to offer, but could not make even a single sale online. And in almost all cases, it was simple words holding them back. That's it. Small changes in their sales literature made the difference between zero and 100 sales or more per week.
Here's an example...
A recent site I was involved with personally was pulling a sale for every 100 or so visitors. Now that's not a bad visitor-to-sale ratio in cyberspace. But it was not nearly what I expected for this particular site. The visitors were being carefully targeted and the potential customer base was huge.
So why was the visitor-to-sale ratio lingering around 100-1?
I called in one of my favorite online sales literature experts at http://www.bizweb2000.com/sellmore.htm and he made some changes. His changes confirmed my suspicion that sales literature was the culprit. The site was failing to obey some simple sales literature do's and don'ts, that many websites are ignoring. His changes to the sales copy resulted in a 34-1 visitor-to-sales ratio, practically unheard of online, and almost tripling the site's sales overnight.
Here's just a small portion of this advice, which can help anyone trying to make sales online. If you keep these in mind as you are creating your sales literature, whether it be email or web page copy, you will make more sales.
1. You must always attract a prospect's interest with an innovative and intriguing title or first sentence, while avoiding the temptation of using copy like this: "Become a millionaire in 14 days." Overly sensational headlines are a big turn off, especially online, where the prospect is a little more intelligent and sophisticated. Instead, get their attention with headlines like one I use. It reads: "Thousands of businesses closed their websites last year. Here's why they failed..."
2. Always focus your copy on solving your reader's problem or making something easier for them. This is the key to successful selling. If your product or service cannot enrich the life of your prospect in some way, they will not buy it. Make it crystal clear to them how you plan to do this and what they have to do to take you up on your offer.
3. The best way to sell in cyberspace is to first educate your consumer with free assistance and then gently guide them to your offerings. And when they get there, give them a reason to buy that very moment. You can do that with a special bonus or other added incentive. Remember, once they are gone they may not be back. Make your offer so irresistible they can't refuse it!
Using these simple techniques I've sold tens of thousands of manuals, books and software products over the past few years. And if you follow proven, successful "cyber-formulas" like these you'll be able to sell just about anything online. Now I'll teach you a bit more about bringing people to your offers...
A KEY COMPONENT - YOUR FREEBIE...
The last section mentioned your "sales literature". What is that exactly?
Simple. When placed on the internet, your sales literature will usually take on one of two formats.
These consist of:
1. Web pages
2. Email messages
In order for both of these to do their job successfully, you must get people to read them. Although there is a lot involved in selling online, if you start by following rule number one you will be ahead of the game.
What is rule one?...
Always Give Away Something for Free!
Unless people have an incentive to click to your sales message, most of your prospects will not read what you have to say.
Here's a perfect example of this in action:
Were you enticed by the offer of this free manual? Did it make you want to investigate a little further? Hey, you downloaded it and you've read this far haven't you? It must have been somewhat effective. The reason I offer it for free is to spread the word about my business.
In addition to teaching you how to succeed in your own online business, offering this free manual gives me an opportunity to show off my expertise and possibly gain a few more potential prospects and customers.
Now, of course you can't go around giving everything away for free, but you can make your readers stand up and take notice. That's step one. Simply using the word "FREE" in your sales literature can do wonders. Of course you have to back that up and actually give away something of value.
Whether it is a free subscription to your email newsletter, a free software program or even this very e-book, if you can give it away for free people will remember you.
Now that you know how to get the attention of your prospects, lets move into some methods of reaching them in droves...
EMAIL MARKETING STRATEGIES THAT WORK...
Okay, so you now know a little about what sells online and what your sales messages should say.
But what specific online marketing strategies should you be using?
Besides the actual sales literature that you work so hard on, you need to actually get your message out to the cyber-public! So what is the best way to do this?
What online marketing methods really work? Bulk email? Banner advertising? Email advertising? Discussion group participation?
The list of possible solutions goes on and on. And hey, I've tried them all, believe me. Although I don't have room in this manual to go into detail on everything I've tried, I will reveal one method that works head and shoulders above anything else. What is this powerful income generator? Your own "email newsletter" or "ezine".
An email newsletter or ezine is simply a regular email message that you send to anyone who asks for it. It delivers free, helpful information to your customers and your best prospects. The "information" can take on the form of industry news, web resources, discount specials or anything your heart desires.
This is definitely one of the best proven online marketing methods I have used since 1996. And best of all, it's virtually free to publish one!
Why would you want to? That's simple. Here are just a few reasons...
1. Your customers and prospects won't have to find you or your web site. They'll constantly be "in touch" and in tune with your business. You can keep them abreast of new products and services as they become available. Whether it's a new product you are introducing or a service you are adding to your existing web site, your newsletter is the perfect place to announce it.
2. Publishing an e-newsletter is the cheapest form of promotion you'll ever find. Unlike traditional newsletters, there are no printing or postage costs so you can publish as often as you like. Try sending out a catalog by postage every week without going broke!
3. Since the cost of publishing an email newsletter is near zero, you can offer free subscriptions. This insures a steady flow of new prospects for your products and services.
4. Educating potential customers and prospects is an excellent way to market your wares. What better way to educate them through your free electronic newsletter? You'll be proving your expertise in your field and establishing credibility with every issue.
There's another way to utilize ezine marketing. Simply put, you utilize other marketers' lists. Here's an example...
Last January I figured I'd spend a few bucks and drum up some more subscribers for my ezine. Although I was closing in on 20,000 subscribers and adding a few hundred more every week, it never hurts to add a nice chunk once in a while to keep the income coming in.
Here's what I did:
I looked up my handy dandy list of proven places where promoting my business has paid off best, and plucked out http://www.jokeaday.com. For a hundred bucks I ran an ad to their subscriber list of 100,000 email addresses.
Two days later, bingo! Nearly 1000 new subscribers for my newsletter. Simple and very cost effective. Those new subscribers will eventually result in that hundred bucks being returned many, many times over.
Every month I utilize a similar resource. Every time I find a new one I test it and save the results for future reference. I'll never run out of resources like this, they just keep piling up! The best part is that I can use them over and over and they work every time.
Thanks to the internet, powerful small business promotion like this is now easier than ever. You just have to know where to go get it. And remember, you don't have to shell out money to get oodles of free exposure on the internet.
Email is free.
Email will always be the number one tool for internet marketers.
Proven internet marketers make email their number one priority. Newbies can follow their lead by starting an email marketing campaign as soon as you have a product or service to offer.
Here's how...
Be sure to use a good email program like Eudora. You can get the program at http://www.eudora.com or at most software stores.
Learn how to use every feature in it, as it will become your best friend in your cyberbusiness. It will let you do things like publish an email newsletter, send targeted email to thousands of prospects and gather and store information on every subject imaginable.
To put your email marketing campaign into action right away, seek out email newsletters related to what you will be marketing. Here are the best places to locate your targeted ezines...
http://www.ezineseek.com
http://www.meer.net/~johnl/e-zine-list
Once you find some of these newsletters, do three things:
- Subscribe.
- Write and submit articles that show off your expertise on your business.
- Buy advertising.
This is the just the beginning your "email marketing strategy". It will eventually tie in with your web site but it is important to get started marketing right away, even if you do not have a web site yet. This will help you generate income while your site is being built and launched.
Beware: Along the way, you'll be tempted to try unsolicited bulk email. Don't do it. Use only targeted email marketing and never send email to someone who does not want it.
Once you have your email campaign underway, the next important part of your email marketing strategy is to answer email every single day. Don't let messages pile up. People online want answers fast. They won't wait for you. Don't make them.
In a few minutes you'll learn some ways to spread your word online. But first we need to cover an important aspect of your online business... Your Website...
A PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE - WITHIN ANYONE'S REACH.... During the first year of my cyberbusiness, I made one big mistake. I waited almost a full year to start building my web site.
My email marketing campaign was effective, but not nearly as effective as when I combined it with a professional website. Why? Here's the main reason...
Many people will delete an email message if it does not contain a URL (website address) where they can "anonymously" investigate your offer. With all the unsolicited email on the net, folks don't like to risk being added to yet another list without their approval. That's what they're doing when they email someone they don't know.
However, if they are invited to a URL and are presented with a professional web site, they are likely to stick around. You just earned a prospect.
It's really quite simple... You NEED your own website!
So "HOW" do you set up a professional web presence? Simple...
Here's a checklist of tasks you'll need to complete:
a. Register your own domain. (A must)
This will give you business an internet established presence. Too many marketers skip this crucial step. The $35 yearly fee is a small price to pay for professionalism. If you're serious about your business, don't skip this step. (More info below.)
b. Build the site.
If you do not have the webmastering know-how, download a program from http://www.bizweb2000.com/webmastr.htm and learn it!
If you prefer to outsource your design work, be sure to hire a professional designer. Tell them you want to see examples of their work including unique logos, working scripts and more. You want a site that you will be proud to direct people to. Also, be sure to pack your website with helpful information so people will stick around!
c. Host it.
Be careful here. If you think any old host will do, read about this true crash nightmare at: http://www.bizweb2000.com/crash.htm
Planning Tips for your Website
Once you enter the planning stages of your website, you will need to include some proven components.
You see, your web site is the first thing most of your prospects see. It is the very heart and sole of your online marketing campaign.
Your site absolutely MUST make a lasting impression -- and a good one.
Below are six little items that will help you do just that. You'll find 3 key components to a successful web site, as well as 3 top mistakes that cost webmasters more than they realize. Even if your site is already up and running, I suggest you browse these items and give your site a quick check-up.
KEY COMPONENTS:
Key Component #1: A "pretty" home page with a clear objective.
C'mon, a pretty home page? What sort of advice is that?
Well, actually it may be oversimplifying things, but an attractive main page will compel visitors to investigate further. How many times have you clicked away from someone's home page before it even finished loading? Yeah, that's what I thought. Make your home page into a page that YOU would be impressed by. You do this with a professional logo, a crisp, fresh look and simple navigation links.
Also, be sure your main page contains a clear objective and an invitation. Let me explain this.. When someone comes to your site is it obvious how the site can help them? After all, they probably came looking for help. I have visited many sites that look great, but fail at this key component. If I find myself trying to guess what is in the site, it's usually too late, I'm gone. A home page should clearly define why it is there and invite visitors in for more.
Examples:
"This site has helped thousands of webmasters design a professional website. Come inside and learn how to design your own site now."
"Do you need advice selecting stocks? Put our 10 years of experience to work for you. Browse our past picks and current recommendations."
Key Component #2: A sign-up form for a free, email newsletter or product/service updates. An email newsletter is a cost effective way to stay in touch with your prospects. It is also the single most effective way to hang onto your visitors. Hey, getting traffic is tough, don't let visitors get away without offering to stay in touch! A simple fill-out form will allow you to add their email address to your private in- house list.
A key tip here...
Don't ask a million questions in your subscription form. They may be interested in your e-newsletter but may shy away if they have to reveal too much information about themselves. A lead is a lead. Ask for their first name and email address only. If you scare them away, they may never be back.
If you don't want to publish a full newsletter, come up with at least something! Here's a great example...
A few years ago I visited a site that offered free "club member specials". Sign-up was free so I took a few seconds and joined. Every month for three years I've been getting their monthly email inserts. Out of 35 or so I've received, I probably deleted 30 without even reading them. This month I noticed a modem for $29. Guess what? I opened the message, clicked to the site and bought it. I also spent $300 on a digital camera. Now that's effective e-marketing!
As you can see from the example above, regular email contact pays off. If not today, maybe next week - or next year. The cost of staying in touch is tiny compared to the long-term rewards.
If you need help getting set up for regular email contact, here are some resources that will help: http://www.bizweb2000.com/contact.htm
Key Component #3: Secure credit card ordering.
This is a MUST at every site that is designed to make money. I won't go into the pro's and con's of commerce enabling a web site. The fact is, there are only Pro's. Quite simply, you are missing the boat if you think you can get away without this.
E-Commerce enabling a website is as simple as getting a merchant account (Cheap and fast online) and hooking up a secure server. Sites without these components are being be left in the dust.
MISTAKES:
Mistake #1: Using someone else's domain name.
Does the first impression your site makes look like this..? "www.somefreewebspace.com/user/"
Or is it more professional and established like this... "www.yourcompany.com"
Think about this for a second. Why are so many companies offering free websites to anyone who wants them?
Answer: To get traffic to THEIR site!
Smart companies realize that giving away freebies is a great way to attract visitors. So go ahead and take them up on it. Build as many free sites as you want! But link them all to YOUR site. A site with YOUR OWN domain name.
If your company won't spring for its own domain name at $35 a year, your potential customers will definitely think twice before they buy from you. Plain and simple. Even if just one or two are scared away, you've lost more than the yearly domain cost already!
More details on choosing and registering a domain name: http://www.bizweb2000.com/domain.htm
Mistake #2: A large, slow loading home page.
A fellow marketer recently wrote to me asking why his site was not generating income. I visited the site and it was beautiful. Probably the best site I'd seen in a year. So why was it a dud?...
It took 3 full minutes to load! Very few people will wait that long. Perhaps the small percentage of users surfing the web on a T1 or faster connection will view his site, but you can't gear a site toward so few users. A good site loads fast for ALL surfers.
Check your site load time at http://www.netmechanic.com today. If it loads in under 20 seconds on a 28.8 modem, you're fine. If not, cut down the graphics and try again!
A slow loading home page can also be a result of a page that contains too much information. Visitors should not have to scroll down endlessly to view your home page. If your main page contains too much information, simply break the information up into several pages.
Mistake #3: Failing to promote!
This one is a classic. Far too many business owners pop a site up on the web and cross their fingers. In order to grow traffic, you need to promote it. How?...
Well if you have an advertising budget, spend money. This is the easiest way to promote a site. Buy banner ads on busy sites, sponsor email publications and re-order every avenue that is effective.
If you do not have much of an advertising budget, fear not. You can generate traffic for free. I've been doing it for years. My favorite methods are article submissions, ezine advertising, search engine positioning, and my associate program just to name a few. If you'd like to learn how to emulate these methods, just spend a little time at the related web articles at http://www.bizweb2000.com/articles.htm - nothing is held back in the articles. Anyone doing business online will find some real, useful information.
In closing this section...
Remember, your web site is the first thing your online prospects see. It is the very heart and sole of your online marketing campaign. Make a lasting impression!
Now we'll get into some more ways to get your marketing message out...
INTERNET MARKETING: MAKING THE ROUNDS
Your website is up and running. You have your own domain name, forms are working properly and you can accept credit cards. So where are the visitors?
What's that you say? You're dealing with a limited budget? Ok, the truth is after you bought all those books to teach you how to market on the net, monthly payments for hosting service and your Internet Service Provider, your spouse wants to see some green coming "in" for a change.
STOP WAITING for traffic and Start Making the Rounds!
Yes, it's true that sales is a numbers game. The goal is to get visitors to your site and the good news is there are lots of vehicles to accomplish that goal.
The most successful sales people are minglers. They don't "wait" for customers to come to them. They never miss an opportunity to put their card in your hand. They're out there getting their name and business noticed. Successful sales people are continually helping others which naturally builds trust and confidence.
So, what are those "vehicles" to get visitors to my site? Glad you asked! Keep reading and even more important apply what you're about to read. It's not complicated and it certainly won't take up any more of your time than all of those other great ideas you've been reading about!
Subscribe to and Participate in Discussion Groups:
Discussion groups are a tremendous source of information. They also offer the added advantage of providing you with FREE promotion! You can read and participate in most of these groups via email.
Here you will find details of a few discussion groups worth your time. Go to the archives or wait until you've read a few issues before you contribute. Be sure to read the FAQ page or for those that do not have one, read the welcome message. Take particular notice of the use of signature files. Discussion groups are a bit different than newsletters.
General Guidelines
1. No flames or personal attacks
2. Read previous posts before you post to the list
3. No blatant advertising
4. Be sure to quote correctly when responding to a post
5. Stay with the specified limit of signature file lines
6. Read FAQ page thoroughly if one is available, if not, instructions are usually included in the welcome message.
Linkexchange: http://digest.linkexchange.com
Moderated by Adam Audette
Frequency: Daily - Circulation: 110,000+
Adlands' Digest: http://www.adlandpro.com/list.asp
Moderated bt Bogdan Fiedur
Frequency: 2 - 3 days a week - Circulation: 4034
Biz Digest: http://www.talkbiz.com/bizlist/index.html
Moderated by Paul Myers
Frequency: Daily - Circulation: 450+
I-Sales: http://www.audettemedia.com/i-sales
Moderated by John Audette
Frequency: Daily - Circulation: 11,000+
I-Advertising: http://www.internetadvertising.org
Moderated by Adam Boettiger
Frequency: Daily - Circulation: 10,000+
Help Out At Bulletin Boards:
By now you've been around long enough to know a bit more about what's what and what's not. Share your knowledge with others. You can save new marketers months, maybe even years of misery by telling them what you have experienced. The good, bad and ugly.
You'll also learn plenty yourself. Below is an alphabetical listing of well populated Bulletin Boards you should become acquainted with. Start visiting and get your name out there!
1. CyberMarketing InfoBoard: http://bizweb2000.com/wwwboard
2. Entrepreneurial Success Forum: http://www.ablake.net/forum
3. Free Publicity & Promotion Discussion Board: http://www.free-publicity.com/cgi-bin/talk.cgi
4. Get High (Traffic) Forums: http://gethighforums.com/bin/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro
5. Profit Talk: http://www.profitalk.com/talk/talk.cgi
6. Marketing Success Discussion Forum: http://www.jvmarketer.com/discussion/index.cgi
7. Web Marketing Forums: http://www.webmarketingtoday.com/hn/forum
Chat It Up!
Another way to get acquainted with others is to enter targeted chat rooms. Choose some favorites and hang out there. Don't post ads though, they're useless here. You'll shoot yourself in the foot before you even get a good start. Lurk for awhile and then add your 2 cents. Use the Search Engines to get a good variety of business chats. Be particular, only frequent busy chats.
Here are a few places to get started with "Chat Marketing":
1. Delphi Chats (Business & Finance) http://www.delphi.com
2. Access Business Chat Rooms (13 to choose from) http://www.clickit.com/cgi-bin/rbox/chatz.pl
3. Talk City: http://www.talkcity.com
4. 11iVilliage (women networking) http://www.ivillage.com/chat
Remember, sometimes it's good to go where everybody knows your name ;-)
[Many thanks to Rhonda Ramsey at http://www.ezine-publishing.com/newsnet/index.htm for gathering these resources.]
Now we'll touch on your biggest step yet, actually getting started, as we wrap this whole thing up...
IT'S ALL UP TO YOU TO GET STARTED...
You now have everything you need to get your internet business started and shifted into high gear immediately. Heck, you even have a free manual to give away!
So what are you waiting for? Are you worried you won't succeed? Why not look at it like this. If you try to succeed in your own business and fail, the most you will lose is a little money. (And not much with the low start-up costs on the net!)
Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to risk your life savings when starting a business. The knowledge alone, that you will gain from simply attempting your own business will outweigh any financial loss by far.
That's not to say it will be simple. Success can sometimes be a difficult thing to sneak up on. Perseverance is a major asset for anyone starting their own business. After all, failure, as well as success, is a part of life. As the old saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. This saying wouldn't be so popular if everyone succeeded the very first time they attempted anything.
I have a favorite story of perseverance and I'd like to close this e-book with it. Below you'll find this bit of American history that kept me going during my own start-up phase. You see, early on I had serious doubts about this web-biz stuff. While still working my steady 9-5 job I often thought, "What am I doing? I'm not an entrepreneur".
Well I was wrong. ANYONE can be a successful entrepreneur in cyberspace!
Around the time my doubt was reaching a peak, I received a little 3" X 4" card in the mail. It turned out to be just the encouragement I needed. I still keep it right here on my desk.
Here's how it reads:
PORTRAIT OF AN ACHIEVER
Failed in Business - Bankruptcy, 1831
Defeated for Legislature, 1832
Sweetheart/Fiancee Dies, 1835
Nervous Breakdown, 1836
Defeated in Election, 1836
Defeated for U.S. Congress, 1843
Defeated again for U.S. Congress, 1846
Defeated once again for U.S. Congress, 1848
Defeated for U.S. Senate, 1855
Defeated for U.S. Vice President, 1856
Defeated again for U.S. Senate, 1858
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Elected President of the U.S.A., 1860
You cannot fail... unless you quit!"
Now that you know the worst that can happen (and it can't be as bad as Honest Abe had it) concentrate for a moment on the best case scenario!
If you succeed, and more than 75% of all new entrepreneurs do, you will no longer have to rely on others for your income.
You'll be able to work the hours YOU want to work, right in your own home.
So what are you waiting for?
You Can Do It!
Just keep this e-book on your PC's desktop and refer to it as you go along. Have faith in yourself, work hard, and you may be surprised how easy it really is.
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