Internet Marketing & Home-Based Business

Archive for the ‘Internet Business’ Category

So we know that Internet Marketing is all about driving traffic and creating relationships. How can you turn that into money? There are a few specific techniques that can bring in the bucks, and one thing in particular that you might want to…well avoid isn’t right, but you shouldn’t focus on it too much.

First off, don’t spend all of your time trying to get rich off of Google AdSense payments. Do you realize just how much traffic you will have to generate to get enough money that Google ad clicks is your primary source of income. Let’s just say that you have a blog with AdSense on it, and you get $.10 per click. Sometimes you get less, and sometimes more…this is just an example. Read the rest of this entry »

Internet Marketing is not some catch phrase or advertising fad. It’s a viable source of generating buzz, interest, and sales. Unfortunately, I think that this phrase has had some bad press due to so many marketers selling junk with it. We can’t really help what some people do or say, so I suggest you just ignore them.

Let’s take a look at the phrase itself for a moment. Internet marketing. Broken down, obviously, that means advertising something online. That’s all it means — nothing fancy. When you look at the application, however, things get more interesting. You see, Internet marketing, due to the very nature of the web, is different than traditional advertising methods. Read the rest of this entry »

Your email newsletter should not be some endless sales pitch. You need to give your readers something of value. Do this every single week, and they will be coming back for more. People subscribe to newsletters because they want content, not because they want commercial after commercial.

Fortunately, there’s a way to create valuable content once and then have it automatically delivered to each of your readers, on time, until you tell it to stop. This device is called an Autoresponder. All the best email newsletter services have them, and if yours doesn’t, find a new one. An autoresponder is a message that you write once, and then the system will send it out to your list at intervals you define. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is the second video preview of my upcoming online store training course. It’s a video showing you what your end-result store could look like, and some basic features it will have. Watch it, then head over to Online Store HQ.

Learn ecommerce the easy way. Head over to Online Store HQ and check it out!

Who doesn’t want to work from home and make good money? I’ve worked for other people, I’ve worked for myself, I’ve worked in an office, and I’ve worked from home. I’ve made good money, and I’ve been flat broke. And I’ve got to tell you that the combination of working from home and making good money is awesome!

Unfortunately, this isn’t easy to do. There is a simple reason for this — lack of knowledge. Just not knowing how to do it is enough to keep you from finding the success you want. But there is good news. There is a program out there that helps a lot of people make money — all from the comfort of their own home.

Maverick Money Makers

This program was created by a guy named Mack Michaels, when he was fed up with working all the time, making too little money, and feeling burnt out overall. What’s different about this program is that isn’t not just some book and video course that you buy, and use (or forget about). It’s more of a coaching program.

It’s a program with video and a supportive community. Personally, I learn more by doing, after watching an example. Sure, I can read instructions, but watching those instructions is so much more beneficial. I’m up and running faster. Doesn’t that sound interesting? Doesn’t that sound like something you can actually learn from and implement?

This is a really interesting program, and something that you may be able to use to earn some serious cash. Think of what you can do with serious cash. What kind of lifestyle do you envision for yourself? Take a look at it, and if it’s right for you, take the first step. Check it out here:

Maverick Money Makers

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to work at home, or at least generate some extra income on the side? I thought so, too, and so I searched for ways that I could do that. My first idea was to sell goods on eBay. Unfortunately, that’s just too expensive for someone with no budget. After doing some research, I decided to start my own online store.

The problem I had with eBay was that I had to pay every time I listed a product. It didn’t matter if it sold or not – I still had to pay the listing fees. It wasn’t long before I started to feel those fees adding up. I asked myself if there was a way to have products for sale online without having to pay money to offer those products.

This gave birth to the idea of my own online store. It wasn’t long before I had one up and running. I was surprised by how easy it was to get going, but I was disappointed in the sales. So I dug deeper, and did more research. Before long, I was making money. I had my own home-based business that generated cashflow with only a little bit of work each week.

It’s not exactly easy, but it’s not really hard, either. Running your own online store can be a great way to earn a little bit of extra money on the side, and then – if you want – grow that side income into a full-time revenue stream.

Running an online store is how I got started in doing business online. Actually, it’s how I got started in business all together. I wasn’t happy with my career, so I started to look for a way out. I wanted to stay at home with my newborn daughter, and still earn enough money to support my family.

If you are looking for a home-based business, but you really don’t know what to do, or where to start, try running an online store. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and the rewards can pay for a new toy, a vacation, or for the future growth of your business.

Here are some tips to help you get started.

1) Create a store using open source software. Your online store doesn’t have to break the bank just to get it online. There are free software solutions out there that rival those costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

2) Sell products that you like. While there are valid arguments for selling certain products based on their own inherent “sellability,” I recommend starting out with items you personally like. That way you will be interested in what you are selling. This will make it more fun, and could make you more successful, too.

3) Learn everything you can about running and marketing an online store. There is a lot of information out there, and you have to sift through it all to find tools and techniques that will work for you.

4) Don’t give up! You might go for a whole year without having a single sale. I went six months before anyone would give me money for what I was offering. I made some mistakes early on, but I learned from them, and learned how to do the right thing. If I can learn how to sell stuff, you can too.

Starting a home-based business is a great experience. I highly recommend it. If you are having trouble deciding what to do, try starting your own online store. It only takes a little bit of work to get it going, and the rewards can far outweigh the investment of time and effort.

To get a jump-start on learning how to create and run your own online store, check out Online Store HQ.

These days, a lot of people are looking for a way to make more money to supplement their shrinking paycheck, or just to start a company of their own. I’ve heard so many people voice their concern about the economy and their complete lack of security when it comes to their own paycheck. Many of them are looking to the Internet for financial freedom.

As many of us have learned by now, the Internet is not some gold mine just waiting for us to grab our riches. Get rich quick schemes are just that — schemes. There’s no easy path. There aren’t any magic formulas. But don’t worry. All you need is a plan, a direction, a little business sense, a bit of training, and you can get started.

When I first got started with my own Internet-based business, I chose eBay. My brother had said something along the lines of “start selling stuff on eBay,” and the idea was born. Long story short, eBay turned out to be expensive. I looked for another route.

I thought, “I could just sell this stuff on my own website and not have to pay listing fees all the time.” I started an online outdoor and survival gear store and I was off.

Money Pouring In?

So many people have this vision of making money on the web as being a no-work cash machine. To be honest, that does happen from time to time. Someone gets a really good idea, then they get a really good marketing plan for that idea, and they make money hand over fist. It’s not the Internet that made that possible, but the great idea and great marketing.

I didn’t make any money at the beginning. I didn’t know what I was doing. I had no real sales training at that point, and no experience. I had more of an “If I build it, they will come” attitude. Well, this isn’t Field of Dreams, and no one bought any of my goods. But then I learned.

I learned how to market, I learned how to build a site that was targeted and easy to use. I went through all the mistakes, spent a lot of money, and failed over and over again. I did all of that, and now you don’t have to. You see, after all those failures and missteps, I started to make some sales. I started to figure it out. Now you get to learn from my mistakes and successes. You don’t have to pull the year-long trial and error adventure that I did. You get to start with a guide for doing it right the first time, and doing doing it all on a shoestring budget.

Online Store HQ

I want to tell you about a new site and a new course I’m building right now, with a launch date set for Aug 1, 2009. Head over to Online Store HQ to get a little preview and sign up for the advance notice mailing list. The course will teach you how to start and run an online store using free, open source tools, and then teach you how to market it using new media such as blogs and podcasts.

The course itself will consist of an ebook guide, and audiobook companion (for you to listen to on your iPod at work), and video training. I haven’t settled on a price yet, but I do know that I’ll be taking pre-orders at a HUGE discount. So get over there, sign up now, and get advance notice of the deal when I finally decide on a price. Don’t wait around, because it will be just a very short window of opportunity.

Here’s the teaser page: Online Store HQ

Starting an online store is a great way to get started with Internet business. It has taught me a lot about running a business and marketing online, and that experience has helped me branch out into other online business opportunities. Start an online store. It’s a great learning experience, and it can be great fun, too.

Check out Online Store HQ now, sign up for the deal alerts, and take that first tentative step toward the lifestyle you want. Because that’s what this is all about…the lifestyle you get with professional and financial freedom.  Sign up today.

Say you’re a blogger, writing about whatever interests you. Then you hear about some people making money with their blogs. Why not you? That’s what crosses your mind, but does the thought go any further?

Can you make money with your blog? Can you create a network of blogs designed to both inform and engage the reader and pull money in your direction?

Yes.

But how? My first foray into Google AdSense netted me about $2.46 after the first 6 months. My dreams of making money were quickly dying. But then I learned a few things. I learned that there’s more to blogging that writing stuff no one cares about and throwing Google ads around it.

Real money – serious amounts of money – can be made by blogging. But you’ve got to know how to do it, and you’ve got to have the right system…a system set up from the beginning to pull prospects and money to your blogs.

The funny thing is that everyone can do this, but not a lot of people will. Do you know why? Because it takes some work. Making money with blogs isn’t a scheme, and it’s not life of luxury (well, not at first…). It’s work. But you can get paid handsomely for that work, and enjoy what you do every day.

I’ve just finished reading Blogging to the Bank by Rob Benwell. It’s pretty good. I’ve been blogging for a while now, and I still learned some stuff. If you haven’t been blogging for long, or if you’re totally new to blogging, then this book is definitely for you.

You can take the concepts in this book, apply them to your own situation, and start making some money. You might not make money right away, but you can do it. You can create a blog, or a network of blogs, that turns a profit for you.

Wouldn’t that be nice? I remember when one of my sites started turning a profit. It was small, but it was greater than the operating costs, and I loved it.

To get that sense of joy and the satisfaction of a job well done – not to mention the cash! – just go get Blogging to the Bank 3. I really don’t think you’ll regret it.

Get the book. Use it. Profit.

An email newsletter performs two vital tasks. It helps you create a relationship with your customers and prospects, and it establishes you as an expert in your chosen niche. Why is this significant? Because, in the end, it will mean more sales for you.

And that’s really what you’re after, isn’t it — increased cash flow? I’ll talk about each benefit in turn, and then relate them to increased cash flow.

Create a Relationship

A newsletter helps you create a relationship with your customers and prospects. It does this by maintaining contact with people who have asked to hear from you. But this can’t be just any contact. Your content must relate to the reader in some way, and the information needs to have inherent value. Otherwise, they are just going to unsubscribe.

With regular, informative contact, your subscribers will become fans. The reason is simple — you give them valuable information for free. When your readers come to see you as a source of good information, they will be more open to offers you present them. Instead of just “some guy” trying to sell them something, your prospects are going to see what you have to offer in a different light.

Set Yourself Up as an Expert

After you’ve been viewed as a source of reliable information for long enough, your audience will start to view you as an expert. When you become viewed as an expert, your audience will see you as one of their favorite sources for information in your niche.

I can attest to this myself. After reading two blogs for a while, I came to view the writers as experts on blogging. Now, whenever I need information about blogging in particular, I look to them for information. They are Darren Rowse of Problogger and Yaro Starak of Entrepreneur’s Journey. They are my go-to guys for blogging info.

Remember, even if you don’t see yourself as an expert, your readers might. Don’t underestimate their faith in you and what you have to say. In the end, you’ll end up becoming something of an expert anyway. That’s what happens after you write about a subject (or perform a service) for long enough.

Once you’re viewed as an expert, things will start looking up. And, as a result, your audience will want what you have to offer, and buy what you recommend. That will translate into monthly cash flow.

In my next post, I’m going to tell you how to set up an email newsletter on your site. But if you want to get started right away, sign up with Aweber. It’s the only email newsletter service I use and I love them. Sign up now and get a free 30 day trial. Go here to check them out: Aweber.

Affiliate marketing amounts to two channels of income for you. What do I mean by “two channels?” I mean that you can make money by promoting other company’s products, and  you can also have affiliate marketers promote your products.

If you’ve never done any type of affiliate marketing, I recommend that you start by promoting other people’s products. It’s easy and free to get started. You just sign up with an affiliate network, select some products to promote, and start promoting.

I’m going to be honest with you. Promoting affiliate products is hard. Plenty of net “gurus” will tell you it’s easy, buy what they really mean is that it’s easy to set up. Making money at it takes practice and patience. But it can be done. Here are a few things you can do to get started.

First, join Clickbank (for free) and get access to promote all of the products offered through their system. Then find products that you think you can promote. It’s best to find products that are related to your site niche. For example, if your site is about fishing, look for affiliate products relating to fishing — like a how-to guide or something.

When looking for products to promote, it’s important to find something good. You don’t want to promote junk to your audience. If you do that, your audience will just shrink. To find something good, you should either purchase the product yourself or find a lot of objective reviews about it. If you don’t think it will be a good buy for your audience, don’t promote it. Don’t just promote products to make a buck. Remember that you need to provide value for your audience in general. Promoting affiliate products is no different.

If you have your own product, you can increase your sales by enlisting the help of affiliates. They will promote your product and you won’t have to pay them unless the prospects they send your way make a purchase. Start out with Clickbank and move up from there. Here is the page for learning more: Clickbank Publisher.

If you want, you can even take your affiliate marketing up a notch by hiring Affiliate Announce. They offer comprehensive programs for promoting your products. Check them out here: Affiliate Announce.

If you want to create your own affiliate tracking network, there is software out there to help you. Keep in mind, however that this may be a bit technical. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Here are a couple of affiliate software solutions for you: My Affiliate Program and iDevAffiliate. I don’t know anything about them, so be sure to do your research (I found these two with the always-useful Google).

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money on the web. Take some time and see if you can create an affiliate marketing strategy for yourself and your Internet properties. And if you can find a way to combine affiliate sales income with products you produce, then what you sell could keep generating money for you for a long time.

Give affiliate marketing some serious thought. Many marketers have created a lot of cashflow by leveraging the power of affiliate marketing. Why not join the group?