Ways to Market your Work at

Home Businesses on the Web

 

By: Matt Bacak

If you are looking for home-based business opportunities, you first need to see which one is the most marketable. Without customers, any business will fail, no matter what kind of great idea it was based on. Take your home businesses ideas and think about how they would work on the internet. The internet is a growing tool that can help you market your business effectively so that you can reach the most people possible.

1. Research the marketplace and know what your customers really want. In the same way, take a look at your competitor’s website and check for an open forum about problems that people have had with this company. Learn from those mistakes and do better than all of your competition by not only meeting the standards of your customers but exceeding the expectations of customers that are currently using another company’s service that they are unsatisfied with.
2. Keep in touch with the users and customers of your work at home businesses. They want to feel noticed, so show that you’re listening to them and have considered all of their needs. Start a blog where you can write what is happening in your business and keep your customers informed. You can even do video blogs so that people can see your face and become more familiar with the person who is selling them the products.
3. Some at home business ideas are too stuck in the past. Make sure that your idea is not based on something that was only a trend and is no longer popular. You want a sturdy business that can grow and adapt as the world changes. Even if your products change for a new, younger audience as time goes on, good home-based business opportunities allow your company name to thrive even when your products do not. With good branding, you can survive failure. Allow your name to be known above all else so that, even if one of your services or products is a flop, you can continue getting business because people know your name.
4. Think about how you could promote your home business ideas online. One of the most important parts of running a business at home is putting your best foot forward and allowing as many people as possible to learn about what you are doing. Work at home businesses mean that your face or storefront aren’t out in the open for people to notice. You’ll need to actively show people who you are and what you are all about. It can take a while to become comfortable doing this, but it is absolutely necessary for the kind of business that you’ll want.
5. Spread your business marketing across many different platforms. Make sure that you are reaching all of your potential customers by using all kinds of different marketing techniques. Update a personal blog, create a Facebook page, tweet out news, start an RSS feed for high-tech customers, offer a weekly newsletter or email for low-tech customers and frequent forums that allow you to talk about your business freely.
6. Don’t forget about press releases. Although they might seem scary, press releases are an important thing to think about as you consider home-based business opportunities. What would you write your press releases about? First, you have to have something newsworthy. Think of all of the reasons why a press release would need written up for your company: an all-new opportunity for a niche group, a meet-up, a heavy discount like never before, a problem with an old product that has now been fixed, tie-ins with charity or even more reasons.
7. Appreciate your customers and the people who help you. Although it might be fun thinking about at home business ideas, it can be difficult to run one effectively. You want to notice all of the people who have made this possible for you and treat them accordingly.  You can send them a free sample of something; offer your thanks publicly on your website or even just give a quick email that shows your appreciation. Customers and friends who feel as though they have been noticed after doing a good job will be more likely to help you or buy something in the future.
8. Don’t copy other people’s material. You didn’t get into the business to constantly steal somebody else’s work; you want to do your own! Besides that, people don’t want to see the same stuff rehashed multiple times. Good work at home businesses offer something that no other business in the industry can, so demonstrate to your audience that you can provide them with reading material and research. That will show them that you can also be trusted to give them unique products and services.
9. Associate yourself with others in your industry, especially if they are doing well. You can ride on their coattails for a little while when you first get started in order to get more visibility. Do some positive or helpful critiques of what they do, but also mention that they have inspired you to start your own business as well. Don’t ever be afraid to link yourself with someone who is doing a little better than you are, but also mention about how your business is different from theirs.

 

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