| The Internet is a great equalizer
giving opportunity to anyone willing to roll up their
sleeves and go to work. But how do you build your own
online empire when you're already busy with job and family?
Here are seven tried-and-true shortcuts to get your
online business up and profitable in record time.
1. Those snazzy corporate web sites now cost
one million dollars and more. Customers expect your
site to look almost as good.
Professional designers spend years and thousands of
dollars purchasing the right programs and learning how
to use them. You can skip the learning curve by using
a good template-based web design system.
JustWebIt.com
and others offer free systems you can use online to
build your site. Simply type your headlines into the
supplied boxes, add your copy, pull up the right graphics,
and list your product prices.
For a more advanced look that makes you look like you
spent thousands on designers, try NetStudio. Get the
free download at NetStudio.com.
I'm about as graphics challenged as anyone and I was
able to churn out a killer web page in 15 minutes.
2. Skip the shopping cart and go with a good
third-party credit card processor or one of the new
generation of all-in-one solutions. A number of firms
like ibill.com and
ccnow.com give you
an online order form, process your customer's credit
cards, and deposit the funds into your bank account.
They charge healthy percentages, but it's a no-cost
way to start taking cards.
GoEmerchant.com
has a one click "buy-me" system that lets
you easily link their shopping cart to any product or
service on your site.
Watch for hidden merchant account fees. Especially
be wary of credit card companies that say your shopping
cart can be tied into their system with simple programming.
One "simple" system turned out to be so complicated
we had to hire two professional programmers for three
days to hook it up.
3. Buying visitors for your web site can be
very expensive. Advertising and marketing costs mount
quickly. You can get thousands of visitors free by building
attractive features into your site. Offer free software,
free articles, or a free 7 lesson course via email.
Think from the beginning how you can make your site
attractive to search engines. Keep your site's theme
narrow and well-focused. When prospects type a word
that describes you into a search engine, your site will
be far more likely to come up if your copy revolves
around that search topic.
4. Offer a service with plenty of profit built
in. Think of something you, or someone you hire, can
do to help businesses. The lion's share of commerce
on the Internet consists of products and services sold
to businesses.
A good service can cost you very little to deliver
and it can command a high price.
5. Create your own in-house email list. Spam
is ineffective and often illegal. It's a much better
idea to offer a newsletter or monthly update packed
with helpful information your customers will appreciate.
They will respond by saving your email, printing it
off, and forwarding it to associates.
Cut the time of producing and sending your newsletter
with the no-cost Ezine Builder at e-zinez.com.
Onelist.com and
Topica.com offer free
list management services that can save you hours each
week.
6. Get help writing your web site copy. Effective
copy can make a huge difference in how many people buy
from your web site. One major company had us tweak their
copy and sales doubled immediately.
Having a professional writer do all your copy will
probably be too expensive. Instead, write your copy
yourself and have a professional writer fix it up. It
may take no more than an hour of their time.
7. Become an expert on something. Experts are
in constant demand. Everyone wants to buy from an expert.
Becoming known as an authority is probably easier than
you realize.
Spend time at your local library reading up on a subject
your customers care about. Use search engines to find
more information online. Jot down the things you learn
and spin them into short articles. Use your own words.
These eight simple shortcuts are the mortar behind
many successful Internet businesses. Use them to smartly
cut costs and speed your path to success.
Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and copy
writing for businesses and organizations. Read all his
money-saving marketing tips at http://DrNunley.com.
Reach him at kevin@drnunley.com
or (801)253-4536.
|
Seven Shortcuts to a Successful Internet Business, For
People Who Are Already Too Busy
