Starting An Online Business?

OK…If you are new to this and are considering starting an online business to augment and even replace your weekly wage the opportunities are almost limitless.

Let’s start with the SCARY STUFF!

As a few examples, you could build your own online shop or perhaps become an Amazon Affiliate selling products that you have purchased for resale. You could even consider setting up as a drop shipper. (If you are not sure what drop shipping is there will be another article on the way fairly soon to bring you up to speed.)

You could start a blog on a subject close to your heart, run a business just using social media like Facebook or even just build a website and get into it.

Of course, then you need to start thinking about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), PPC (Pay Per Click), Video Marketing, Content Marketing, Network Marketing and Affiliate Marketing…and any number of combinations of these that can make up an effective business model.

Honestly, if you have been thinking about what used to be called a second income, just sitting down to decide “What do I do?” is enough to send you screaming into the night.

First Up – let’s think in a little more depth about what you are going to do. Logically this depends a bit upon your current circumstances and everyone is a little different. In general terms however:

WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACHIEVE?

As I said at the outset, you are probably thinking about an online business as a way to add extra income into the household whether you are single or have a family to take care of. So, let’s take this as the major driving force.

Obviously, there are costs in setting up any business but if your goal is additional income it is reasonable to assume that you do not have a heap of cash to invest in the project. How can we keep the outgoings at a sensible level to get you started?

With an online business you do have to find somewhere to run your business from. You do not need a bricks and mortar building and all the licences that go with that, but you do need a base for your business online.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SELL?

Whether you are selling products like T Shirts, watches or kitchen knives using Amazon or Ebay or information products like eBooks or Training Videos, you are going to be selling something in the way of products and services to make income.

If you are wanting to keep the initial outlay costs down as low as possible then digital products that can be downloaded from the internet are not going to cost as much as having to organise stock for sale including freight and delivery.

So what is the easiest approach for the newbie marketer?

Before I go on…that question brings up another word we need to talk about right now.

There is really no such thing as an EASY method of making money online despite what some of the people you will meet on your journey will try to tell you. Everything you do will require the following:

• Some Expense – Depending on your approach you may need to spend money on such things as Domain Names, Hosting and Training. You didn’t really thing you could just turn on the computer and start did you? Even images to put on your web site might have to be bought and you may need to employ people to make website graphics and logo’s and write articles just like this one.
• Some Effort – In order to save some expense and not pay someone to help you, you will need to do a lot of stuff yourself and that means a time commitment ether before or after your normal work hours. Not during please…that leads to its own complications.
• Some Research – Unless you are an expert in your particular area, you will need to learn more about it. Whether it be Dog Training, Weight Loss or even Widget Design. And of course, you will need to understand what is happening in your business world from the Internet Technology perspective. You will need to be able to maintain and add to your web site.

With all this in mind…please do not believe the “install this, push a button and watch the money come in” advertising that will tempt you from time to time. It simply does not happen that way.

So…back to the question about where to start. Here is a short check list that might help.

1. Find something that people want to buy and sell it to them. Yes, I know it sounds a bit trite but it is true. Find something that people are searching for and provide it. For example you are reading this because, like many people, you are looking for some extra income and would love to work from home with all the benefits that brings. I know from research that there are a lot of people like you out there…so here I am providing a written article on the problem and outlining the solution.
2. Learn to write about that need and how you will solve it in a way that will appeal to the seeker, offer them a solution that they will capable of managing and assistance in achieving their aims and goals. I hope you are enjoying this article by the way…
3. Design and build a simple but easy to use, professional looking website.
4. Work out a way to get people looking for what you provide to read what you wrote and then sign up for your training or buy your eBook or video course. That is called traffic in the internet world by the way.
5. By providing this and also providing high quality in the training and knowledge that you offer you will establish yourself as knowledgeable and (dare I say it) an expert in your field.
6. Follow up with your customers and subscribers via regular email offering a high quality of information and maybe additional products they might be interested in.

If you rinse and repeat this process the snowball will grow as it rolls and you will discover new wants that your customers are looking for that will give you the avenue to produce more products that they will want to buy and so it grows.

For me the best approach to this is to start with either Blog Marketing or Affiliate Marketing.

If you want to learn more about these methods in detail, then you will see that if you hover your mouse of the words Blog Marketing or Affiliate Marketing you will be able to travel to articles on those subjects and get a better understanding of them individually.

If you would like to learn in your own time you will see two eBooks Below, one on each subject.

Please feel free to download them and read them at your leisure. Simply fill out the information that you will find when you click on the images and we will email you the information you need to receive these books absolutely free of charge along with regular updates on the wonderful world of Internet Marketing.

To Your Future… and all it could bring,

Gordon J