Secrets to Business Success on the Internet

Secrets to Business Success on the Internet

by: Marianne Puechl

Secret Number One: The Key Is A Niche Market

Identifying a viable niche is an important asset as you’re creating a new Internet business. The target should be a certain facet of the population that has very specific needs you are able to satisfy. Discover the habits and characteristics of those who will become your regular customers.

Here are some of the questions you should ask about various consumers.

Does this target market include consumers who use the Internet frequently?

Are these potential customers people who have disposable income?

Which communities have more interest in the convenience and time saving qualities of online shopping?

Are there businesses that could use your help to find diverse or rare services and products quickly and easily?

Are there potential customers who prefer the privacy of purchasing products or services online?

Is there a need in the target market for cost cutting or pricecomparison shopping of particular products or services?

Once you have discovered the answers applicable to your business you can narrow your marketing strategy. Spend time and energy on those you know have potential purchasing power. Also, a marketing portfolio should be diversified and flexible as your business changes over time.

Secret Number Two: Believe In The Importance Of The Web

These days a strong web presence can make all the difference to an entrepreneur. Your can now entertain the possibility of being nationwide or even worldwide. The scope is no longer limited to the physicality of your own neighborhood. Further, it provides your company with a virtual business card that is viewed at a client’s leisure and is a complement to a physical location that may appeal to a different clientele.

An Internet presence is a mighty tool for the small business. To build a web site or a storefront is incredibly costeffective. Also, as a growing number of web design firms and private contractors appear the rates and prices become increasingly affordable. Opportunities to learn how to create a simple web site on your own are also available. Inexpensive templates and programs can be purchased online and only basic computer knowledge is needed to utilize them.

Secret Number Three: Use Every Internet Marketing Tool Available

Unique, lowcost business marketing opportunities are accessible on the web. Bulletin boards, web rings, ezines and other resources post information and articles/press releases on companies. This is often free of charge! Grass roots methods, such as spreading the word about your business through referrals and from one person to another, also move quickly through the Internet. Use this technology to your advantage!

There are endless ways to add links to your website on other sites. This expands your web presence vastly and can also be free of charge. Check out networks online. Business organizations of all kinds affiliate with one another over the Internet. Taking part in an association made up of various providers helps bring in traffic and benefits everyone.

Secret Number Four: Do Not Forget The Importance Of Customer Service

People enjoy great customer service, yet itกs easy when owning an online business to lose sight of providing any customer service at all. The lack of facetoface contact can leave a company seeming impersonal and uncaring. Quality care of the people you work with is key to bringing in repeat business. See your business from the clients’ point of view and expand in the direction that best serves their needs.

On the Internet communication is a valuable commodity. Encouraging clients to ask questions, make complaints or suggestions, and to correspond by phone or email to discuss problems is imperative. Also responding to these inquiries in a timely and professional manner will solidify your presence as a company worth patronizing!

Remember, create a business or build on a business venture with a vision of success in mind. Your vision is an investment! Be adaptable, openminded, and diversify your efforts. This will lead to successful growth and longterm security. Take time to explore tools and do whatever detective work is necessary; make it a habit that continues over the years. Give yourself all of the advantages possible and you will reach your highest goals.

About The Author

Marianne Puechl is coowner of www.RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, the first exclusive gay and lesbian wedding registry online. The site includes a directory of over 4,000 screened, gayfriendly businesses nationwide and in Canada. RWN was launched in 2000, and the first GLBT Wedding Expo will occur in Boston, Massachusetts on May 2, 2004.

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 21, 2004

by Marianne Puechl

Take The ขSmallข Out Of Small Town Business!

Take The ขSmallข Out Of Small Town Business!

by: Michele Schermerhorn

Small towns are wonderful! I live in one with a population of 600 people. You can stroll down the boardwalk and people greet you every step of the way. The pace of the town is slow and it’s just really comfortable to live here. But, for many of the small businesses in town, it is a problem making a living here. If the snows come and the tourists don’t come, sales are way down. However, that no longer has to be true. A small town business doesn’t have to be a small business anymore.

Online retail sales were UP 28% this Christmas season while traditional retail was only up 4.5%. Are you still trying to compete without an online presence? It’s time to expand the business without expanding the parking lot. Can you imagine? Increased sales without increased population or tourists. The best of both worlds. But how?

I know how confusing it can be to understand the ขhowsข of moving your business online. However, the competitive advantage is swiftly moving to the business with an online presence. Can you imagine waking in the morning, turning on the computer, and finding sales? With an online presence, your business is open 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, without you having to be there every second.

The cost associated with moving a business online is relatively cheap. It takes a web presence and some savvy marketing skills. In this article, let’s look at how we can cost effectively achieve an online business presence.

A Web Presence For Your Business

Websites can involve a lot of time and money if you are not knowledgeable about the subject. Rather than spend the time and money for a website right now, consider an eBayä Store as an alternative.

An eBayä Store gives you all the benefits of a website without the cost and time. Once established, an eBayä Store will provide your business with a unique web address. This web address can be promoted like any website and included in Internet search engine results.

To establish an eBayä Store, you need to sign up for a seller account at eBayä. They have an easy stepbystep process for accomplishing that task. You will need to go through their fivedollar ขID Verifiedข process so they will waive the feedback requirements for a store. The first 30 days of the store is free. Then the fee is $9.95 per month thereafter. To add items to your store only costs pennies per item and is accomplished through an easy to understand template.

You now have an online presence for your business! You can still enjoy the small town you love so much but grow the business online. Make sales while you sleep! Why not start today? As my grandfather said, ขTime is awastin’ข.

About The Author

Michele Schermerhorn has over 30 years experience in the business world and over 12 years running her own successful online businesses. She is President of Online Business Institute Inc. (www.obinstitute.com) and presents free online training seminars regularly. Online Business Institute Inc. exists to ขCreate Successful Online Business Owners One Person At A Timeข.

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 29, 2004

by Michele Schermerhorn

Get more than just กa presenceก on the Internet

Get more than just กa presenceก on the Internet

by: David Leonhardt

The water purification salesman had been talking to us for what seemed like hours. During a lull in his monologue, I asked if he had a website.

กYes. In fact, we are the only independent distributors of this product who does,ก he proudly beamed.

กSo you get a lot of leads from the website, then?ก I asked.

กNo, actually I don’t think weกve gotten a single lead from it,ก he replied.

‘then why do you have a website?ก I wanted to know.

‘to have a presence on the Internet.ก

A few days later, our home inspector was giving us an update on the state of our house. We had bought it a few years earlier in winter, when snow was on the ground and on the roof, and we thought an update would be a worthwhile investment.

กDo you have a website?ก I asked.

กYes, I do. But, I don’t think a single customer found me that way.ก

‘then why do you have a website?ก I asked.

‘to have a presence on the Internet.ก

A lot of entrepreneurs and small businesses are sold on paying for a website because it is important to have a presence on the Internet. For many businesses, that is true. But what does กa presenceก mean?

Would you open up a store in the corner office of the fifth floor of an office building, or would you open it up in the mall?

Would you leave the windows bare, or would you fill the windows with merchandise and open the door to make your store inviting?

Would you ignore customers when they enter the store, or would you carefully place merchandise and staff to maximize the revenue from each visit?

กA presenceก is only valuable if the website serves a purpose, if it fulfills its goals. Just sitting there, somewhere in cyberspace, is not a sound business strategy. An experienced website marketing consultant can help you determine what goals, if any, are viable for your business website.

Here are a few of the goals you might want for your website:

Online pamphlet.

If you connect with customers by telephone, this is an ideal way to instantly deliver a pamphlet to them. No mailing, no delays, they can even call up your information while you are on the phone with them. This website has to look credible and be choc full of information.

Credibility booster.

If you are selling a big ticket item, particularly one that requires a good reputation, a website can help. This website should look upscale and focus on credibilityboosting content. It is ideal for speakers, consultants and other businesstobusiness service providers.

Lead generator.

One excellent use for a website in many nonretail businesses is as lead generator. The idea is to funnel traffic (website users) into the site and lead them to take action. Such action might be to call you, to request a brochure, to request a free sample, etc. The main requirement for this is the maximum amount of targeted traffic possible, of people interested in what you have to offer.

By way of example, my marketing website at http://www.seowriter.net serves these first three goals: online pamphlet, credibility booster and lead generator.

Email Address Gatherer.

This is really a form of lead generation, but it is unique in that you are not trying to sell through the website, but through an email newsletter (also called an ezine). The website is there primarily to pique interest, and the newsletter is there to build affinity and trust in order to make the sale. You need to have a newsletter set up, and you need targeted traffic.

By way of example, my personal growth website at http://www.thehappyguy.com serves this goal, attracting subscribers to my Daily Dose of Happiness.

Sell.

Of course, if you sell hard goods, electronic goods or even many services, you can make the sales right online. You need some form of payment gateway and/or shopping cart, and your website needs to be able to make the sale from start to finish, which is not always easy. Of course, you also need customers in the form of targeted traffic.

By way of example, my liquid vitamins website at http://www.vitaminsupplementsstore.net serves this goal.

What you want your website to achieve should dictate the look, the structure, the content, the writing style and whether or not the site is optimized for the search engines. Before investing any more money of time in your website, invest the time required to determine the goals you want your website to achieve.

Or you could be like that water salesman or my home inspector, satisfied with having กa presenceก. Of course, many people go through life having กa presenceก on Planet Earth, but most entrepreneurs I have met are gogetters. If กa presenceก is not good enough in the real world, why settle for it in the online world?

A website should be an investment, not a cost. If your website is not working for you, or if you feel your business should have a website, determine realistic and useful goals, then set your website up to achieve them.

Maybe you don’t need a website at all. Or maybe your website could double your profits. Either way, don’t let it sit there gathering dust somewhere in cyberspace.

About The Author

David Leonhardt is an SEO consultant

http://www.seowriter.net/freelance/seoconsultant.html

and a website marketing consultant:

http://www.seowriter.net/freelance/marketingconsultant.html

Pick up a copy of his SEO ebook:

http://www.seowriter.net/books/seobook.html

[email protected]

This article was posted on January 30

by David Leonhardt

Net Novice No More

Net Novice No More

by: M6.net

A relative novice when it came to the Internet, not too long ago I didn’t have a clue where to start when trying to create a website or why I had the need for one. Luckily though, with time and practice, it became apparent.

Having a website has advantages, providing solutions to a wide range of everyday problems. Websites can be used as a personal identity to promote you or what you offer, to the world, be it global, local or personal.

Web hosting, where one puts a web presence and stores it along with pictures, pages and ‘tricksก. As a novice I felt the need to have things explained to me in the simplest of terms and I know I’m not alone.

For all those out there who quietly sink into their seats when friends or colleagues start discussing the กNetก, I am going to explain to you, what web hosting is. Simply.

The web page. This is a document file, created by a web Editor software such as FrontPage or DreamWeaver. It is your first step, this is the page you will view. It will hold your pictures, your logos, your text, your links to other places and your Internet ‘tricks and fanciesก.

You then need to create your content, as above, pictures, logos, text etc. Once compiled, as you have with other computer design programs, you need to take the images and web pages and find a web host. This a service provider that offers space for your กNet presenceก.

Now …once you have negotiated a ‘rentก for your presence on the providers land (his servers), you will need to กmove inก. You will be given the key, a secret password and ID that only you will know, which will unlock your กplotก of web presence.

Once you are here, then it is only time you will need for unpacking your gear, and nestling into your web presence. You will be faced with a space to put up your web pages; drag and drop your created web pages; and you will be advised to create a folder called กImagesก, where you will double click to open, and you will place your pictures, logos, and other images in.

A good tip: take note of the web address, path, http://www.yourdomain.com/images/pic1.gif as you will need this to direct your picture (pic1.gif) from the images folder to your web page. Also note, that you can direct the image off to another page by applying a hyperlink address to it in your web pagecreating software.

This is basically it, once you have gotten this far, you are more advanced than the majority of the world. You have a web presence, you have a folder which looks and acts like any other folder on your computerกs desktop; in which you have web pages and a folder called กImagesก; and finally the images are in the กimagesก folder. Web hosting is really the selling of virtual space for you to store your websites. There’s really nothing too complicated about it.

Now the decorating is up to you, you can adorn it with pictures and text or in time add automated and smart features; and to provide invitations to your กpresenceก warming, (promotion of your site) you can find help with by searching the Net for กOnline Promotionก.

About The Author

M6.net

http://www.m6.net

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 01, 2004

by M6.net