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Internet Marketing - Affiliate Marketing -
Articles
Step-by-Step
to Your Own Profitable Web Business
I've
been writing about Internet marketing for so long now (over 4 years) that I
sometimes forget to write for newer web business owners - the folks who are
still in the start-up period of their online ventures.
Yes, contrary to what some "experts" will tell you, there is still plenty
of room for new businesses in cyberspace. Sure, the year 2000 brought many giant
dot coms tumbling to the scrap heap, but running your own small business on the
web is still a great way to make a living.
A small businesses on the web can be cheap to operate, nearly fully automated
and nimble -- a great combination for success. I've been operating a successful
business, exclusively on the web, and right from the comfort of my home, for
almost five full years now. Like I said, it's a great way to make a living, but
only if you do it right.
Today I'll share a step-by-step must do list for those of you
who are either considering starting, or have already started a business on the
Web. Every key component you must integrate for long-term success is
revealed in this piece. (If you already have a web business, at least scan this
piece for items you may have missed. You really do need every single one
of these components if you want your business to grow into a source of financial
security.)
10 Key Components to Lasting Success on the Web:
1. A unique and professional web site with your own domain
name
Your web site will be the cornerstone of your success online. It should look
different than the "rest of the pack" and it should have a unique
domain name. I could go on and on with this one but I won't. Just surf the web a
while and decide what sites YOU would buy from. That will tell you volumes.
2. A product line you can control
Ideally you should sell at least one product or service that you own completely.
(See this lesson)
If that's just not possible right away, then make sure you align yourself only
with the strongest companies that you can rely on going forward.
3. A way to accept secure payments via credit card at your web site
The best solution is to have a merchant account of your own. But if that's too
costly for you in the beginning, a solution like ccnow.com or ibill.com will do.
Offering a FAST and SECURE way for your customers to purchase from your web site
with their Visa or Mastercard is a must on the web.
4. A support strategy that keeps your prospects and clients happy
There are lots of ways to offer support. The best is simply by offering contact
forms at your site and answering email every day. Other solutions include
"live support" interfaces such as those offered at http://www.livehelper.com
or http://www.HumanClick.com.
5. An opt-in email strategy
You must grow a list of prospects. It's the only way you can
"capture" a percentage of the folks who visit your site and do not buy
the first time. (Which is nearly all of them!) An opt-in strategy works best
when you give something of value away in exchange for a visitor's name and email
address. Then you must stay in touch with these people on a regular basis,
providing value for them.
I use a combination of tools to perform these tasks. I offer a free book at my
site and stay in touch with people through my BizWeb
eGazette.
In a nutshell, I help new marketers and many of them purchase a product or
service of mine when the need arises.
6. Sales copy that is proven to sell
If there is one aspect that kills web site sales it is poor
sales copy. You may think your site is fine, but tiny details in your
sales copy can be costing you thousands of dollars a month. 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.
I called in one
of my favorite online sales literature experts
and he confirmed my suspicion that the sales copy was the culprit. The site was
failing to obey some simple do's and don'ts. He made a few changes to the sales
copy and it resulted in a 34-1 visitor-to-sales ratio, practically unheard of
online, and almost tripling the site's sales overnight.
I've sold tens of thousands of manuals, books and software products over the
past few years. And I know for a fact that if you follow proven, successful
"cyber sales formulas" you'll be able to sell just about anything
online!
7. An affiliate program for your customers
OK, some may say this is not an absolute necessity, but look around. Nearly ALL
successful e-commerce sites offer some form of affiliate program. You can pay
for visitors, leads or commission sales, but you need to offer SOME way of
rewarding folks who bring you business. Here's
some more info on the subject as well as a few companies that offer affiliate
solutions for webmasters.
8. "Recommended products and services"
While we're on the subject of offering an affiliate program at your site, on the
flip side of the coin you need to join a few affiliate programs yourself! Find
affiliate programs that tie in well with what you offer, use the product or
service, and if you like it recommend it to your visitors. You'll increase your
web site income literally overnight. Over the years I've found that the best
programs are the ones that offer residual, or recurring income on each sale. Here's
an example of some programs like this.
9. New products or services on a regular basis
If you can create a new product of your own once or twice a year, you'll stand a
better chance of growing your income continually. Also be sure to update your
existing products on a regular basis to keep content and sales fresh. If you're
not able to create your own products that often, then find a product you could
get behind and do a joint venture with the owner. Even if the owner does not
offer an affiliate program you can offer to promote their product or service for
a percentage of sales. Let them know you have a targeted list of prospects that
would love their product, especially if they could get it at a reduced
price through you!
10. A marketing strategy that includes free promotion and paid
advertising
Lets face it, in order to make money online, you gotta get visitors to your web
site. There are tons of ways to do that on the Internet and I've tried nearly
all of them. But what works for me may not work for the next site. It all
depends upon your target market and your products and services. The thing to
understand is that you will never know what works best for you, until you try
and try different strategies. For a starting point, here are the top 10 methods
I've used throughout the last five years...
http://www.bizweb2000.com/top10.htm
*
Article by Jim Daniels of JDD Publishing. Jim's site has helped 1000's of
regular folks profit online. Visit http://bizweb2000.com
for FREE "how-to" cybermarketing assistance, software, manuals, web
services and more. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to Jim's Free, weekly
BizWeb E-Gazette: mailto:freegazette@bizweb2000.com
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