Introduction
You maybe here because you want to create an Internet business. To answer the question on “How A Successful Internet Business Is Built”, I have to ask a couple of question so we can, come together to answer the question at hand, how a successful Internet business is built.
Question 1. How Serious Are You?
– Just looking around
– I have a business and need to expand
– I am really serious, but only with the right business program
Question 2. When Are you Ready To Start?
– Sometime this year
– 30-60 days
– I’m ready now…only with the right business program
These are important question so you can become clear on what you really want.
If you’re not ready and just looking around, that is completely understandable and it’s okay. Keep reading and maybe you will change your mind….maybe!
If you’re ready NOW I may have an answer for you…but first a story.
Have you ever heard of the Enchanted Kettle?
Many years ago, an old country doctor drove to town. He met with a young drug store clerk. You see the doctor had a large black old-fashion kettle that he wanted to sell. The doctor also had a big wooden paddle he was willing to give away if the store clerk would purchase the kettle. The kettle was priced at $500 dollars.
The clerk really wanted the kettle but $500 was his entire savings. They continued to talk until the doctor finally convinced the store clerk that the kettle was well worth the $500 dollars. The store clerk, Asa agreed and purchased the black kettle. As he handed over the $500 dollars, the country doctor gave Asa a small slip of paper with a written secret formula. Asa took the secret formula, played around with it and out came the Enchanted Kettle.
That old kettle is now one of the world’s largest consumers of sugar and provides jpbs for thousands of men and women. The risk that Asa took created a vast empire of wealth for only $500 dollars.
You probably know by now that old kettle and the idea Asa had created Coca-Cola.
With one Idea and the willingness to take a risk came one of the most successful business.
What does all this have to do with YOU?
Something Different
People all the world are looking for something different. The days of mom and dad, grandpa and grandma working their entire life is over. Today’s “would be” business owners are more tuned into freedom and not complacency.
I can recall my dad’s days. Dad worked his entire life for a company that provided a pay check. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with his job but he was taught to “finish school, get a job and retire.”
He did just that.
That doesn’t work for today’s independ adults. They want more than just a job. They want the freedom to make choices, to live a life of less worries, provide a way to live happy.
Having your own business is now the path that many adults are taking. Fear of “down-sizing” “working for 30-40- 50 years and retiring is not for them” “the freedom to work when I want and play when I want is the modern life style.”
You Have 2 Options
Really you have more than 2. When you have decided to have a home based business and/or working at business on the Internet there are many options.
What are the 2 options?
- Go it alone
- Work with a team of successful people
With the flexibility and financial opportunity that owning an online business provides, it’s no wonder that there are approximately 102,000 successful e-commerce businesses in the U.S. alone and growing.
If you are interested in starting a business, an Internet business or working at home business now is a great time. Don’t let the fact that you might not be sure how to move your business from the idea phase to a booming business. Instead, here are some quick tips that will help you get the ball rolling.
Proven Steps
There is a proven sequence of steps you can follow to guarantee your success when you’re starting a small business online.
- Find a need and fill it
- Write copy that sells
- Design an easy-to-use website
- Use search engines to drive traffic to your site
- Establish yourself as an expert
- Follow up with your customers and subscribers with email
- Increase your income through back-end sales
Anyone, from newbie to seasoned online entrepreneur, can benefit from this process in learning how to start a successful Internet business online.
1: Start a business that fills a need
Most people who are just starting out make the mistake of looking for a product first, and a market second.
To boost your chances of success, start with a market. At this point let’s not confuse Market with Sales. Marketing create sales. Coca-Cola markets it’s products to create sales.
In this step you need to find people who are searching for a solution to a problem: ie; How to make more money, Starting an Internet business, “How To……” The internet makes this kind of market research easy:
- Visit online forums to see what questions people ask and what problems they’re trying to solve
- Use Google to help. Type a question into Google and see all the results that “drops down”
- Do keyword research to find keywords that a lot of people are searching, Again Google will help
- Check out your competitors by visiting their sites and taking note of what they’re doing to fill the demand. Then do it better than the competition.
2: Write quality copy that sells
There’s a proven sales copy formula that takes visitors through the selling process from the moment they arrive to the moment they make a purchase:
- Arouse interest with a compelling headline
- Describe the problem your product solves and how it benefits the user
- Establish your credibility as a solver of this problem
- Add testimonials from people who have used your product
- Make an offer and guarantee
- Create urgency
- Ask for the sale
Throughout your copy, you need to focus on how your product or service is uniquely able to solve people’s problems or make their lives better. Think like a customer and ask “What’s in it for me?”
3: Design a customer friendly website
Once you’ve got your market and product, and you’ve nailed down your selling process, now you’re ready for your small-business web design. Remember to keep it simple. You have fewer than five seconds to grab someone’s attention — otherwise, they’re gone, never to be seen again. Some important tips to keep in mind:
- Choose one or two plain fonts on a white background
- Make your navigation clear and simple, and the same on every page
- Use graphics, audio or video if they enhance your message
- Include an opt-in offer so you can collect e-mail addresses
- Make it easy to buy — no more than two clicks between potential customer and checkout
- Your website is your online storefront, so make it customer-friendly
4: Use search engines to drive targeted buyers to your site
Pay-per-click advertising is the easiest way to get traffic to a brand-new site. It has two advantages over waiting for the traffic to come to you organically.
First, PPC ads show up on the search pages immediately, and second, PPC ads allow you to test different keywords, as well as headlines, prices and selling approaches. Not only do you get immediate traffic, but you can also use PPC ads to discover your best, highest-converting keywords. Then you can distribute the keywords throughout your copy, which will help your rankings in the organic search results.
5: Establish yourself as expert
People use the internet to find information. Provide that information for free.
- Give away free, expert content. Create articles, videos or any other content that people will find useful. Distribute that content through online article directories or social media sites.
- By giving them valuable information in a timely manner, you will soon become the “go-to” expert
Become an active expert in industry forums and social networking sites where your target market hangs out.
6: Use the power of email marketing to turn visitors into buyers
When you build an opt-in list, you’re creating one of the most valuable assets of your online business. Your customers and subscribers have given you permission to send them an email. That means:
- You’re giving them something they’ve asked for
- You’re developing lifetime relationships with them
- The response is 100 percent measurable
- Email marketing is cheaper and more effective than print, TV or radio because it’s highly targeted
Anyone who visits your site and opts into your list is a hot lead. And there’s no better tool than email for following up with those leads.
7: Increase your income through back-end sales
One of the most important internet marketing strategies is to develop every customer’s lifetime value. Customers who have purchased from you once will buy from you again if you follow up with them. Closing that first sale is by far the most difficult part — not to mention the most expensive. So use back-end selling and upselling to get them to buy again:
- Offer products that complement their original purchase
- Send out electronic loyalty coupons they can redeem on their next visit
- Offer related products on your “Thank You” page after they purchase
Reward your customers for their loyalty and they’ll become even more loyal.
The internet changes so fast, but the principles of how to start and grow a successful online business haven’t changed.
If you’re just starting an Internet business online, follow the above sequence. You can’t go wrong with the basics.
One Final Thought
It takes patience and time to establish a successful Internet business.
A good example is the Chinese Bamboo:
- First year – not even a sprout. More water
- Second year – still no growth. More water
- Third year – Nada – nothing – more water
- It can take up to 5 years for the tree to show up
- Then in just 6 weeks it shoots up as high as 80 feet
- The secret is in the root system, growing underground
That’s how the Internet business is built
- Time to build a root system (website/content/marketing strategy)
- You must learn the rules of internet marketing
- It is necessary to create a following
- You have to use all the tools available to you
Answer the questions above then, take Action, learn from Experts, invest in your business like Asa, and Work Your Business.
Then, enjoy the journey!
Thanks to Allen Moon for his contribution to this article.
PS: Want to shorten the learning curve and have most of this Done-For-You. How about an All-In-One- Digital-Business as the world’s first digital business?
Unlike Asa investing $500 dollars to start Coca-Cola, all you need is $25 dollars. You read that correctly….$25 dollars. Interested?
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