|
|
|
Step-by-Step to Your Own Profitable Web Business
By Jim Daniels
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 dotcoms 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
That's it for today! Please feel free to print this lesson and keep it
handy as you grow your own business on the web! And if you even need some
advice, feel free to contact me:
Jim@bizweb2000.com
-----
Tips by Jim Daniels, owner of
bizweb2000.com.
Did you like this lesson? Then you'll love Jim's
catalog of books and
software, guaranteed to increase your online income.
* 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 |
|
