Tips For Starting Your Internet Business

by Matt Bacak

 

Starting an internet business does not have to be difficult or overwhelming. There are many resources to help you create content and a website, build customer lists and use social media to promote your online business.

PLAN
1. Define who you are and what your business is

2. Develop the style of your business and your site

3. Set up an e-commerce website to sell products

4. Set up an online portfolio to sell your services.

5. As you set up your internet business, you will need a unique site name.

LEARN and GET HELP
1. Learn from others with similar online businesses

2. Learn to deal with rejection

3. Talk to lots of people who might be able to help you. Eventually, someone will.

4. Send short, succinct messages to potential helpers.

5. Find a mentor with a good system of success

6. Find a proven business system

7. Consult a tax advisor regarding business taxes and personal taxes

8. Consult local or state business licensing bureaus and follow regulations

CONTENT
1. Populate your site with examples of work or items sold

2. Create and post keyword-rich unique content regularly

3. Make your site findable on Google, Bing, and other search engines

4. Do not use technical jargon. Speak to your clients, not your peers.

5. Offer payment options including PayPal or similar services

GET TRAFFIC and CONVERSIONS
1. Traffic, or visitors, to your site need to become customers who return to your site

2. Make it easy for customers to communicate with you

3. Respond promptly to customer communication

4. Engage customers on your site with online communities, product reviews, blog comments, etc.

5. Offer coupons and exclusive offers for frequent buyers or registered users

6. Offer free shipping

PARTICIPATE
1. Get involved with the community your niche targets

2. Participate on message boards and help others with your expertise

3. Cross post updates, news, new products to your social networking sites

MONETIZE YOUR SITE
1. Sell advertising on your site to make additional money besides direct sales

2. Become an affiliate marketer, earning commission from sales

3. If your website is selling a product, also sell on eBay or Etsy and link back to your direct sales site

PROMOTE
1. Market your online business assertively both on and offline

2. Connect with customers and prospects via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and other social networking sites

3. Maintain a business page on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Post special offers for those who “Like” your page. Update your personal pages with links to your business page.

4. Cross post news from your main website to your social sites and link back to you main site.

5. Tweet tips or short bits of information from your main site on Twitter

6. Create your own YouTube channel for your business. Regularly add useful videos. Encourage viewers to share your videos with others. Have a video contest. Post a weekly mini-demo of customer tips or demonstrations

BE PATIENT
1. Start your online business small and build it bigger.

2. Expect to have a few failures along with your successes

3. Keep your main job until you are certain the online business can sustain you.

If you did good research and created a good foundation for your business site, you will have a better chance of success. Take care of the basics, and gradually build on that. Learn everything you can and strive always to improve your business presence.

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