| Many of the questions I receive when giving my | | | | Getting started online requires making choices. The |
| weekly free teleseminars about marketing with | | | | fact is there are dozens of choices you have |
| content is what are the very first activities required | | | | regarding what you can do to promote your |
| to start a business on the internet or to give a | | | | business. Some of these strategies are free; some |
| business an internet presence. My response to each | | | | cost a lot of money. And then there are the |
| of them is that what is basic for you may not | | | | hundreds, maybe thousands of experts and gurus |
| require the same activity that it will for someone else | | | | telling you to do this and another saying no do that. |
| depending upon your business and what your goals | | | | There are also hundreds of videos on Utube |
| are. | | | | explaining how to do the mechanics of what you |
| There has been much talk about online success lately. | | | | need to do to promote yourself online. |
| There are even dozens of TV infomercials about | | | | You can purchase books, you can attend |
| starting a business at home on the Internet. Some | | | | conferences, you can register for online seminars, |
| folks may be looking for the big car or the second | | | | and you can arrange for getting yourself coached to |
| home, but most are seeking extra income to get | | | | get started with your online business. The amount of |
| them through these tough economic times. The | | | | information is overwhelming! In fact, it is often times |
| problem is the way they are going about starting | | | | too much information. |
| their business on the internet is costing them money. | | | | Step three is finding your keywords. Whether you |
| The point is your goal may be $200 extra a month | | | | are looking for airline tickets, a coupon for a |
| and the goal for the next person is $5000 a month | | | | restaurant, or a critter control company to get rid of |
| or $20,000 or enough so that they can quit working | | | | the skunks, you most likely go to your computer and |
| two jobs. The amount of the goal is not important in | | | | search in Google for your handyman or manicurist. |
| the beginning. What is imported is to get started | | | | The words you type in t find your handyman are the |
| correctly. | | | | keywords for the handyman business. The words |
| The first step then is to write down your goal of | | | | someone uses to find your business on Google are |
| how much money you want to earn each month for | | | | the keywords you want. Those are the keywords |
| the next 6 months, the next year, 2 years and 5 | | | | you are seeking. Do you know the keywords that |
| years. Keep in mind is that your goal can change and | | | | people type in searching for your goods and |
| your internet business can change before you reach | | | | services? The more you understand what problems |
| your goal. The internet does change and it changes | | | | they have and how you can solve those problems, |
| quickly all the time so that no matter how stable you | | | | the better will be your keyword selection. |
| consider yourself, you are going to be making | | | | Your fourth step is to purchase domain names. Your |
| adjustments along the way all the time. | | | | website requires a domain name. If you have |
| Step two is to find and identify your target market. | | | | products you may want more than one website. |
| This is your niche market. You cannot promote your | | | | Some of the internet marketing experts say you |
| service or product to everyone. You do not have | | | | need only one website; others say you need several |
| enough time and money to cover that large a | | | | or many depending up what you are doing. You need |
| possibility and you will be totally unsuccessful. Once | | | | one domain name for each URL. They usually cost |
| you are aware of your ideal client or customer, once | | | | under $10. |
| you are aware of the problems your product can | | | | Your fifth step is to find a hosting account because |
| solve for athletes or for parents, once you know | | | | your website lives on a host. You have lots of |
| who wants to purchase your service, just about | | | | choices for working with a particular host company |
| everything else falls in place. The problem that many | | | | but use these two requirements when you make |
| people have who enter the beginning phases of an | | | | your decision. You want a host company that runs a |
| internet presence is that they jump from market to | | | | cpanel which is a type of user interface that has lots |
| market. That will make your business life very | | | | of built in tools and free programs. You also want a |
| confusing. Even if you have a service that appeals to | | | | host service that allows multiple domains on the |
| 3 markets. I recommend you still start with one | | | | same account. |
| market, saturate it, and become successful with that | | | | Carrying out these five steps will get you started |
| market and then take on the others one at a time. | | | | with your online business. |