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Monday, February 13, 2006

Myths and Misconceptions About Starting an Online Business



Are you trying to start an online business? Are you overwhelmed with the many online business programs available or concerned that you'll lose money by investing in them? While many offers sound too good to be true, there are some very good ones available - but how can you be sure? Learning to read 'between the lines' will better prepare you for what's really involved.
Here are some common phrases used to promote online businesses and what they really mean:
#1 - Simple & Easy
Simple and easy depends on who's speaking. A doctor may tell you it's only a 'simple procedure' but that doesn't mean that you should attempt it yourself.
Many online businesses ARE simple to operate. If you understand how it works you will be amazed at the simplicity - but getting to that point will require time and experience. You may just need to try a few to get a 'feel' for the business before deciding which one is easiest for you.
Those who have learned from experience can look back and see how simple it COULD have been if they'd known what to do all along. Finding a trustworthy guide can be a great assistance to your business efforts.
#2 - Anyone Can Do This
Sorry - starting a business of any kind is stressful and requires a learning curve. If you are attempting an online business out of desperation or the belief you will make easy money you will face enormous obstacles. On the other hand, if you are truly seeking a business you can learn, work at and make a living from, you will find something online that fits your needs.
Studies of successful business people concur that those who make it have common qualities of persistence, patience and desire. These qualities are essential when trying to start an online business - do you have them?
#3 - Turnkey
The term 'turnkey' use to mean that a business was set up and ready to go. You will find the term in business classifieds where the new owner can just step in and start running the business. Unfortunately some marketers use the term to suggest a business is fully automated - that there is no work involved.
There is always work involved. If the business really is turnkey than you will begin work right away because it has already been set to go. If you want an automated business you will have to do the work to make it automated. Either way, nobody is going to give you an automated, turnkey business that makes money - they had to do the work, so why would they share it?
#4 - It Won't Cost Anything
You absolutely CAN set up an online business with no money, but be prepared that a combination of no money and lack of experience will stifle your efforts immensely.
Most individuals who start or run a business with no money have learned how to make use of the best free techniques through experience. They have paid their dues by trying businesses that cost money. They have spent time in and around their industry or market and they've been able to see where they can cut costs.
If you are prepared to spend a LOT of time researching before starting your business you may be one of the few who does it right the first time. For most people though, expect to pay something towards your online business education before seeing results - you just can't buy experience.
Online business obviously has its share of work involved, but finding the right one has enormous payoffs many people are willing to sacrifice time and money to achieve. Running your own business is satisfying and can give you more time to do what you really want to do in life.
Creating a successful online business is within the grasp of nearly everyone who is prepared to stick to it. Face the task of starting your business with realistic expectations while continuing to dream big and you may just surprise yourself!

Sunday, February 12, 2006

2 Keys To Writing A Winning Web Site


As a web writer, it's a "must" to write each web page with the entire architecture of your web site in mind. Think about navigation and web design as you write. Text, design, and format are interwoven on a web page. To the creator of a web site, these are separate pieces of the project. To the reader, it's one instant impression.
To boil it down to the bones, the 2 keys to creating a winning web site that will captivate your readers are:


  1. Good Informative Content

  2. Effortless Navigation
Pretty tall order, right? It is, and it's your job as a web writer to make it happen!
Web surfers are your customers. As a web site content writer, the best way to stay in business is to provide something of value to your customers. On the Internet, that "something" is appealing, well-designed information.
Let's examine for a moment an off-line writing example, the procedure manual. Most businesses have them in one form or another. If you compare the structure of a detailed manual to web writing, you'll discover a few things that are keys to success.
Manuals often grow to be hundreds of pages, and are updated all the time. Cross-referencing from one page or section to another is frequent (just like hyperlinks!) Changes made to one section often impact another section, which will keep you on your toes. If you write "see pg. 279 for more information," there better be more information on page 279!
It's even more so with a web site. Your pages, as they slowly but steadily grow, will become many. Certain pages will link to others, and they must always be easy for your readers to find.

Suppose you write a web site about baseball. Baseball players, rules of the game, equipment... everything baseball! Now it's time to create new pages about famous baseball stadiums. Your new page about Fenway Park is great... but don't forget to update your Index Page or Site Map with easy to follow links.
Next, within the structure of your existing web pages, add good, purposeful in-text links to these new pages. This will fulfill your readers in a big way (not to mention the search engines!)
Your web site is made up of text, links, and images. As a writer, you're very close to these separate "parts." But your readers will not see your pages as isolated features. They will not notice all your content first, and then go on to check out your site design and pictures.
They'll experience everything at once, instantly. All these features - refreshing content, appealing design, and well-planned linking - work together as one subtle ensemble in your readers' minds the moment they enter your site.
As you write your pages, keep navigation and your site's structure very much in your mind. Deliver an "easy-to-browse" web site chock full of great information, and you'll knock a home run every time.

Freebies -- Good Deal or a Waste of Time?



There are a great number of "free" things available on the Internet. Some of the offers are real and some aren't. There are legitimate reasons for free offers. Sellers give away free samples, for instance. That's why there are wine-tasting rooms, test-drives for cars and the opportunity to try on shoes before you buy them! Sellers want you to buy their products and are willing to let you try them out to some extent to convince you to buy. And so there are promotions of various types out there, which can be a good deal for the participants. But tread carefully! There ARE nuggets to be found, but all that glitters is not necessarily gold!
For example, a search on "free antivirus" at www.dogpile.com, yields 100+ hits. They run the usual spectrum of most free offers, from genuine giveaways to outright "sucker traps" that just want your address so they can drown you in spam! They can be categorized as 1.Genuine, 2.Free but donation requested, 3.Time Based, 4.Free but paid for by others, 5.Free Sample, 6.Marketing key word tricks and 7.Bait and Switch address thieves. Let's look at each of these categories.
1. Genuine. For anti-virus software there are some programs out there that are really free, just for the downloading. Some perform very well against the well-known annual-fee offerings, even beating them in various ways.
They give good advice, "...when picking out your antivirus solution...first of all you want to make sure you get an antivirus program from a trusted source. Doing a little research on the internet (websites like this) will help you identify who the trusted providers of antivirus software are. Always find multiple sources of information, that way you are more than likely to find a software product you can get help with and that won't be filled with spyware and adware."
2. Free but donation requested. These are free, but they ask you to make voluntary donations. Also in this category are those that offer a limited capacity version, such as do Note Tab (text manager) and Zone Alarm (firewalls) for free, then try to get you to upgrade to the paid version. These are legitimate marketing ploys, and maybe the free version will be all you really need.
3. Time Based. Free to try for 30 days, $30.00 if you decide to keep it! Not unreasonable. Like a test drive. Many software products use this approach. Some will just not work after the trial period; others will periodically degrade their capacities, encouraging you to buy. For example, www.goodsol.com has a solitaire program that starts degrading after 30 days. After 60 days or so they shut down the take-back-the-last-move feature! Maybe by that time you are addicted to the game and go ahead and buy the full-capacity version. Or maybe you just play VERY carefully!
4. Free but paid for by others. Paid by advertising (like yahoo mail and hotmail) is legit. Like commercials on free TV. Somebody's got to pay the cost of providing the service! Spyware and adware are not O.K. Their purpose is to track your Internet movements for marketing survey purposes or deliver pop-up ads to you at random unexpected times. If you download any program of which you are at all suspicious, run your anti-spyware program(s) after using them.
Spyware and adware must "call home" to report and get new ads, so you should severely restrict which of your programs you allow to access the Internet.
5. Free Sample. Fair enough if it is legit, but remember the fisherman offers the fish free worms! In anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, many vendors offer a free online checkout of your system to see if it has viruses or spyware on it. Most are honest. Some will "plant" a few of what they are supposed to protect you against, and then "find" them, to great fanfare, just to prove that THEY are finding things that your current program can't!
6. Marketing key word tricks. The word "Free" sells! Marketers know this and put the word "Free" in their headings and where search engines will look. So when you search on "free anti-virus download" a marketer's "Download a free scan" offer will match on two words, free and download. The majority of hits on your search will probably be from this type of word trick site.
7. Bait and Switch address thieves. The Internet is cracking down on spam. Pushy salesmen are getting desperate for email addresses to which they can "legitimately" mail offers. To get addresses they offer all sorts of outrageous (and some almost reasonable) free offers. "Congratulations you have just won a Sony laptop computer!", followed by a request for your home and email address so they can send it to you (sounds reasonable enough, to get your Sony laptop). This is followed by requests to answer a "survey", then questions about your interests, occupation, etc. etc. What is really happening is that they are getting a profile of you to help them sell your address to their customers! Finally, it turns out that to "finish qualifying" for your gift, you have to buy something, then something else, etc. The free laptop (the bait) has been switched to being required to buy junk you don't need that ends up costing you more than it would to go out and buy the laptop!
And the next day there are 40 or 50 new emails in your inbox offering things that they claim that YOU asked about!
In summary, with a little research you can find worthwhile free items on the Internet. Using common sense you can avoid most of the problems. Ask yourself, what's in this for the seller? How can he give it to me for free? And remember, that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably IS too good to be true. Even a fish wouldn't get caught if he looked, and avoided worms that had a line going from them up to the surface!
Otherwise, use caution and enjoy the many GOOD freebies that are out there!

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Friday, February 10, 2006

Making Money from Photos


The first thing to do if you want to make money from photos is learn how to take great ones. In the world of commercial photography clarity sells. The subject of how to take a good photo is too comprehensive for one article, however the following is important:
· Have a decent camera. · Know how to use it. · Have an eye for detail and colour. · Be ready to grab an opportunity when it presents itself.
If you happen to be driving through the hills of Scotland and come across a lone piper (or even two), grab that camera. Watch for sunsets, moonrise, cloud formations and tree shapes. Keep a sharp eye on your pet for unusual poses, and visit your florist every so often. Flower pictures are surely many photographers’ bread and butter and they can be photographed in the light on your windowsill. Greeting card markets love photos of flowers, gardens and pets doing something unusual. Wildlife and nature are great for calendars and geographic magazines and educational markets.
Diversity is the keyword for topics in photography. The wider the range of topics you cover, the more likely you will be to get a sale. Anyone can make a good living from stock photos. Freelance photographer Lee Frost (UK) sells just as many photos taken from his own backyard as from exotic and far-flung locations. In fact he sold a pic of the dandelions in his garden to a natural health book. But if you love travelling, put your holidays to work for you. Travel guides, brochures and websites could be possible markets for your photos.
So what to do with that fantastic shot? The edges are sharp enough to cut with, while the clarity would bring tears of joy to many publishers. The main thing to aim for with any photo is to sell it to multiple markets. This is taken care of if you submit to a photo library. You don’t have to be responsible for selling your own stuff then, but since the word is ‘diversify’ aim to do both. Offer it to non-competing markets over several years, since you are not selling the copyright.
It is important for any photographer to keep a portfolio of his work to show. You never know when you’ll meet a prospective buyer who wants to look at your work and they will not be impressed if you have to rummage through a dusty desk to scrape them together. When you do score a sale, don’t charge a pittance just because the picture only took a few minutes of your time. You’ve spent years learning your craft and your photos are worth a decent figure.
If you really know what you are talking about and can take a fantastic shot, think of submitting it to a photographic magazine, along with all the details of the precise equipment you used and a step-by step account of your procedure. A bit of a challenge maybe, but worth the effort. There are many other markets to consider too; all kind of magazines, newspapers, catalogues, travel brochures and books. So grab that camera and start shooting.

Article Marketing - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Article Marketing - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


Article marketing seems to be the latest rage and with good reason. It's by far the best free method of promoting your business and increasing your sales and opt in subscribers.
By submitting your articles to article directories, article announcement lists, and ezine publishers, you accomplish several things.
First, you establish yourself as an expert in your field. Readers are more likely to listen to you if they feel you know what you are talking about.
Second, by attaching a resource box to your article, you are giving the reader a link to your website. If the reader is impressed with your knowledge, they will likely click on your link to see what it is that you are offering.
Third, you increase your search engine page rank by providing a non-reciprocal link to your website. Search engines seem to give extra weight to non-reciprocal links in their page rankings.
But many marketers are not comfortable writing their own articles. They just do not know how to put their thoughts into words. Or worse yet, they do not have any thoughts worth printing.
That is why private label articles are in such high demand these days. There are several of these services available and more seem to be popping up every day.
Therein lies the problem. Depending on how these articles are used, the results can be good, bad, or downright ugly.
The Good: As stated previously, private label articles, when used correctly, can give the non-writer a big advantage over other marketers. They can increase your traffic, sales, and opt in subscribers. That is good.
The Bad: A common mistake made by marketers using private label articles is getting lazy. They simply copy and paste the article and submit it, as is, with no personalization.
At the very least, you should change the title. Most article directories require that your article be approved before they are posted. But do you really think they read every article that comes in? Not likely.
They get dozens, even hundreds of submissions every day, so it's unlikely that your article will actually be read.
But most directory software will automatically search their database for duplicate titles. If the title of your article matches one in their database, yours will be rejected.
So do yourself a favor and at the very least, change the title. It might also be a good idea to change the wording in the first paragraph.
The Ugly: Many marketers load so many links in their article that it becomes one long ad. This will not only get you rejected, but eventually banned if you do it often enough.
A good article contains useful information to the reader whether they buy your products or not. Give them good content and you will increase the chances that they will click your link in the resource box.
Private label articles are a great tool, but do not get lazy!

Content Management Systems Beneficial to Dynamic Web Programming

Content Management Systems Beneficial to Dynamic Web Programming


One of the most innovative benefits of dynamic web programming is content management systems that make the life of internet content editors easy and their work visually attractive.
Imagine that you are the editor of an online newspaper or magazine. You are creative in your writings and very knowledgeable about the content you write about. However, these skills alone are not good enough to be able to work in an online “news” source. You must have at least the very basic knowledge on the functions and the tags of HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). You must be able to create codes for the presentations of your articles. This process of writing web articles can be very frustrating (and exhausting) if you have never heard about CMS’s (Content Management Systems).
Content Management Systems are almost like personal automated web page authors. You write your articles, surveys, and rating systems as if you are using a word processor or a visual editing program. Driven by the data you put in, the CMS stores all of these in a database and then translates them into HTML. CMS basically acts like a translator between you and the browsers by creating very user friendly graphical interfaces.
CMS generally have a front-end and a back-end. The front-end obviously refers to the face of the site that each visitor sees. The back-end is the user-friendly graphical interface where you can edit your content or the template with the help of the many wizards that are supplied by these systems. Let’s say you needed to write a code for a user-upload function in the site, or a survey system that would enable users to vote on your articles; you don’t even need to touch Dreamweaver, Frontpage, or any kind of HTML editor; there are already hundreds of modules that are written for different CMS’s. You just download the module to your server and install it.
There are loads of CM systems online that are presented as freeware. However, below are two suggestions for different user groups;
Typo3: If you think yourself a professional and think that you can deal with some PHP coding, this robust and very flexible system is just for you.
Mambo: If you say “No, thanks. I don’t want to deal with PHP coding, I am doing this as a hobby”, then Mambo should be your choice since it does not require the user to change much and is already supported by many ready-to-install modules and templates.
In summary, CMS makes our life much easier then before and our sites much more attractive. They are the “operating systems”, personal coders and free translators of the web.


Resource:

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Thursday, February 09, 2006

Power Business Builders: Market Your Storefront with a Website


Open an eBay Store!

Market Your Storefront with a Website

Market Your Storefront with a Website

Many people think that the Internet offers a tremendous marketplace, while others will question the extra effort and money to purchase and design a website. Some of the money-making values of having a website are summarized in the following paragraphs for your consideration.
1. If you have a local group of customers and want to expand to the neighboring areas, states or even, countries, without spending massive amounts of costly advertising money or even leasing more company space, then the Internet can work very well for you. Niche markets (small groups of customers scattered about that are interested in a very specific item or service) also work very well on the Internet.
2. As a business owner, you need to provide a map and directions to your store for your customers and enable them to look up specials, discounts, limited merchandise, or varieties and prices of each item you market. For instance, let's say you sell cheesecakes and you would like to spend less time on the phone explaining the different varieties, how many people the different varieties will serve, prices, and availability. Here's how this could work online for you. You would provide a secure, encrypted order form thereby collecting the person's credit information as well as their address, phone, and email information. They would list their preferences as to varieties and sizes of cheesecakes. This form would be sent directly to your email or to your fax so that you would have the items ready for the customer to pick up that day or the day they designate. You would have the cheesecakes shipped for those that cannot make it to your store. When a customer returns to order another product from your website, they would not have to fill out most of the form as it would already be in your database.
3. You build their confidence when you show customers that you have their best interest and shopping convenience in mind when you open a website and properly maintain that website with new and updated information. Customers will appreciate being able to read about the owners, the store's policies, the service after the sale, and any other items you think would develop a rapport to allow them to do more business with you. Having a website allows your company to develop its style and branding and develops a sense of security for the customers in doing business with your firm.
4. A small operation can look just as important as a large corporation. A website builds confidence and value into your products and services and allows you to receive orders you may have missed without being on the Internet.
5. If you do advertising on the radio or TV, newspapers or direct mail, having a website gives the customer a place to review what you tell them in the ads in much more detail. Every ad should reference your website so customers can view the details at a time and place that is convenient 24 hours a day seven days a week. You can quickly change and update information on a website without the expense of printed materials.
6. You can do any promotion online that you can do offline and much cheaper. Coupons, money-off sales, discounts, employee recognition, limited merchandise you want to move, all these can be marketed on your website. Keeping the website up-to-date can be provided by your webmaster at a very nominal fee.
I hope that you can see from some of the above points that having your own website is necessary in today's marketplace for any small or medium-sized business as well as any at-home business. Customers are out there looking for you and you need to take advantage of where they are looking and, right now, that is the INTERNET! Since your competitors have a website, they are perceived as being more up-to-date. The ease, convenience, special online savings, information about your company's mission, your services, your ability to communicate with customers are all important reasons for having a dynamic online website. Online marketing will only continue to grow...WILL YOUR CUSTOMERS FIND YOU ONLINE?

Additional Comments:

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Do You Have an InfoProduct to Offer?

Do You Have an InfoProduct to Offer?


If you have been researching or involved in online business for very long, you have no doubt seen a multitude of offers for "eBooks", books, reports and training course on every subject imaginable.
Why? Because information is the hottest product on the market! (At the foundational level, it's actually the Only product, but that's another article.) Information cuts straight to the root of all selling, which is answering the customer's question: "What will this product do for me?"
There's another reason, though. Pure information is a product that doesn't require a huge financial overhead to produce(other than the hard knocks you got in gaining the experience and information), and is easy and relatively low cost to deliver to the customer. That is what makes it such a great product for us, as entrepreneurs, to offer.
Everyone has life experience, training, and skills that others don't have. Everyone knows something that others want to know, or can do something that others want to learn. That's how I know you have an InfoProduct inside you, everyone does. Your first assignment is to decide which of your many gifts you are going to offer to the world!
Does that mean you have to be able to write a book? No. Not necessarily. I'm talking about what is known as USP...Unique Selling Position. Your USP might be that you have detailed knowledge about someone else's product that you are selling as an affiliate. It could be that humorous way you present the information you have collected on some subject of interest, or the fact that you offer the best customer service available for the service you offer. You may offer the same products that others are also selling, but find your own unique market for them.
But whatever you decide to use for your information product, your USP, you need to find one. If you were to research the online marketers who are honestly making the money they claim to be earning online, you would discover that they all have a USP. Your USP IS your product, however you package and deliver it.
If you are working a Multi-level Marketing program or one of the BIBs (Business in a Box), you are not left out of this concept, but you may have to work harder to figure out how to be unique. You can still go for the niche marketing idea. Find a group of people who aren't usually reached by these kinds of businesses, or aim your advertising at people in the countries that are just now going online.
You may, of course, actually write a book, eBook, or training course and sell it. Many are making good money doing just that. The list of helpful software and online publishers is growing every day. But even if you write your own product or design your own software, you will still need a well-thought-out USP to stand out in the crowd. It's like your business plan -- you need a firm foundation before you can build your future online success.



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3 Things You Must Include in Your Next Ebook or Report

3 Things You Must Include in Your Next Ebook or Report


Many people are now using ebooks and reports to promote their business. Sometimes those reports are aimed at turning the reader into a subscriber; sometimes to turn the reader into a customer; and sometimes to turn the reader into a purchaser of an affiliate product.
But whatever the reason you are writing an ebook or report, there are three things you should include every time:
1. A resources section Let's say your ebook is about dog-training, and aimed at convincing the reader to join your membership site on dog training tips. Well, as well as writing about your site, you could also include other useful resources:
* Other sites that they might find useful * Other reports or ebooks that they might find useful * Details of some of the best newsletters on dog training * Links to Amazon for books or DVDs on dog training
And so on. And of course, any of these could be your products, affiliate products, or just normal links to normal sites.
If your ebook or report is rebrandable, you might even want to include details of the rebranding software that you're using, with your affiliate link on it.
2. A "freebies" section As well as reading the report or ebook, let the reader know about other freebies they can get from you. These could be in return for joining your mailing list (if they have not already joined when they downloaded the report), or just a way of saying "thanks" to new subscribers.
Again, these freebies might include affiliate links or links to your own products. They might also be viral tools you use to promote your site, such as rebrandable ebooks.
Or maybe you have a free "dog training hints" newsletter which offers small snippets of information based on your membership site. And you then use the newsletter to convert free subscribers into paying customers.
3. A "work in progress" section
Do you have other sites that are perhaps not related to dog-training? Share those as well, in case some of your readers are interested.
Do you have forthcoming products that you want to promote (perhaps a dog-training DVD set to complement your membership site)? Write a little bit about those, and point readers to a lead-capture page for that product.
Maybe you're interested in surveying readers of the report - let them know about the survey so that you can get some more feedback.
There you go, three things you can include in your report or ebook to help further promote you, your business, and your products.


Resource:

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