Getting Started with Internet Marketing
Having a internet business is exciting and, if done correctly, very profitable. If you want to grab you piece of the pie, you must learn to play by the rules.
Do you know the basic requirements needed for a successful on-line business? If not, then you definitely need to read this page, Getting Started with Internet Marketing!
These basic requirements are essential if you plan to have a successful internet business. And they are:
- Find a Niche (Market) That Will Be Interesting to You.
- Choose a Domain Name That is Suitable to Your Niche.
- Choose a Web Host for Your New Web Site.
- Set Up a Autoresponder Account.
- Create a Lead Capture Page and Put It on Your Site.
Finding Your Niche: An ideal niche would be something that you are interested in, like a hobby. Or it could be something that you have a great deal of knowledge about. If you don't understand what a niche is, then read this special article entitled "What's a Niche?". (A popup window will appear). On second thought, read it anyway — it will do you some good!
By the way folks, you don't have to choose internet marketing or making money online as your niche (market) choice. You can cater to other niche markets and it can turn out to be way more profitable.
For example, Health & Wellness is big business with tons of niches. I highly recommend you take a look at Push Button Health, they offer some extremely valuable resources to include Private Label Rights and pre-made sales packages.
It's not an accident that most people lean towards making money online as their niche market. Why? Because, through the process of learning how to build an internet business, we are learning from those who's niche is just that, making money online.
And of course, they always have a product that they want you to promote. That's not to say there is anything wrong with their approach. Quite the opposite, remember that's their niche. Just keep in mind, making money online is not the only game in town!
Besides, the biggest mistake new internet marketers make is to find a product and then look for a market to sell it to. Big, Big Mistake. So, even if the marketer you bought the information from, entices you to promote their product, just realize that it might not fit into your niche.
Determine your niche market first, then find products to promote to that market. If this doesn't make sense then you need to read the article "What's a Niche?".
Choose a Domain Name: This is one of the most important decisions that you can make. Your Domain Name should reflect what you are doing. It should be something catchy that people will remember (name branding).
For example, here at this site, I chose Learn-2-Profit as my domain name. Why? Because it sums up what this site is about. I want people to be able to remember the name, in case they forget to bookmark my site.
Once they are at my site, I want them remember my site by using an appropriate slogan, which is "Continuous Learning Is Important to Your Internet Success". The domain name is memorable and the slogan reinforces the name.
Put serious thought into your choice of a domain name.
I personally use GoDaddy for all of my domain name registrations.
Choose a Web Host: This is another area that is going to be VERY important in your online ventures. Don't take this lightly. You are going to want to choose a host that will offer what you need at the moment, but also one that gives you the opportunity to grow.
This is the one area that I refuse to skimp in. A good or bad host can either make you or break you. If you pick a real cheap one and their service keeps going down and people can't view your site, then you are throwing money away and losing prospects & sales.
The one thing that I do have to say here is - Stay away from free Hosts. Free hosts are fine for personal Web Pages, but not for a Business Website. And even if you are just building a mailing list, it is a Business Site.
Free hosts put their banners & ads on your sites. The only ads you want people to see are the ones that are going to make you money. That is the bottom line.
Recommended Hosting: Kiosk Hosting. Their whole concept is based upon helping the internet marketer succeed. They also offer a residual income.
Setup Your Autoresponder: Once again, there are all types of Autoresponders and mailing list managers around. You want to choose one that is right for you and your needs. Once again, do not choose a free one. It comes down to the ads once again. They allow you to use them for free so they can place ads and sell advertising at the top of your messages.
The main features that you want to look for in autoresponders are:
- Ease of Use
- Ability to schedule messages ahead of time
- Ability to send Broadcast Emails (Manually Send to list)
Not all Autoresponders offer all these services. Prices can range from $7.95 a month to $19.95 a month+. Choose what is best for you.
Recommendation: You can get an All-In-One Solution to run your business at Kiosk Hosting.
- Includes Professional Web Hosting,
- Autoresponders and SO MUCH MORE
- Best of all, you can get started today for just $1.00.
- Click Here to check it out.
Create a Lead Capture Page: Lead Capture Pages, or Squeeze Pages, whichever you prefer to call them, are the pages that you are going to use to capture your prospects name & email address. You can also be more passive and simple have a "subscribe to my newsletter" insert on your site. That is exactly what I do at this site.
Even if you are just building a mailing list, these are going to be the most important pages on your site. Why?
Because these are your sales pages. This is where you are going to sell the benefits of being a subscriber to your list and yourself.
Once your autoresponder account and lead capture page are set-up you will want to create a mini-course (training series) on your niche subject.
The best way to create your mini-course is to write 5- 7 articles yourself on the subject your promoting and putting it into a free course. The free course will be sent out daily (for example) over the course of a week.
Why are you writing this mini-course?
What I'm about to tell you is vital to your success! You must get your mind wrapped around this concept. Repeat... this is where most people fail with their internet business...simply because they don't get it.
Your potential customers don't go online to spend money, they go online for information. And you need to learn to be a provider of that information. Let me back up a moment...
Yes, many, many people do go online to purchase products, but not from an unknown entity (that's you and me). They will buy a book or CD, without a second thought, from Amazon.com™ or Wal-Mart.com™.
And yes, they went online and visited Amazon's site for the sole purpose of finding a specific item to purchase. What I want you to understand is that only big name entities are going to have customers search them out and make a purchase.
These companies have spent millions of dollars to gain name recognition. With that recognition they have already established a trust, thus people seek them out to make purchases.
And what this means to you is that you can't simple build a website and they will come and buy you products. You must build a relationship and establish trust.
How do you start a relationship with a potential customer and build trust?
First, you must capture their name and email address. How are you going to correspond if you don't have some type of contact? However, you can't simply ask people to sign-up for your ezine or newsletter. You must offer something substantial that they want.
For example, on this page you see a sign-up form for my newsletter. As an incentive I offer a Training Series on 20 Surefire Techniques to Insure Your Website Explodes!. This is my mini-course.
Once they have joined your mailing list, now it's time to build a relationship with your potential customers. The beginning of this relationship is them receiving your free mini-course.
Think about it, you have started this relationship asking for nothing while providing some terrific information. Over time this relationship develops into a trust. Once people trust you, they will buy from you. So, why do you need to write the mini-course? To establish a relationship and build trust!
Trying to outright sale products to people who don't know or trust you is very difficult. That's not to say it can't be done, because I have people buy from me everyday, from my various websites. They find my website through an article and buy one of my ebooks while visiting.
But remember, I asked at the beginning of this page; "Do you know the basic requirements needed for a successful on-line business?" The operative word here is successful.
Sure, you'll get a few purchases from people who just happened to find your site. However, those purchases, although appreciated, are not going to make you enough sales to ensure total success.
The mini-course serves three functions:
- It's an incentive to get people to sign-up for your mailing list.
- It provides relevant information for free which makes you an expert in your chosen niche.
- It establishes creditability between you and your subscriber. The trust begins to grow.
Without that list you are not going to find much success. And without the mini-course, you aren't going to build a list! 'Nuff said!
OK, that covers the five "must have" things in order to start building a successful internet business. If you leave this page without remembering anything else, please understand that having a profitable business is about:
- Providing information (content) that is useful to your visitors;
- Building a relationship, resulting in trust, is your main priority;
- Your revenue (profits) will be a combination of several factors which include customer purchases and Google Adsense.
The five "basic requirements" are simply your foundation. Without the foundation you will obviously not be able to build your business.
As always, I hope this helps!
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