Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
June 28th, 2011 | 
Author: With the recession in full flow and more small businesses closing all the time, those that have survived this far are understandably keen to do everything they can to stay afloat. One key element to this is the use of the internet to cost effectively market whatever product or service is being offered.
The good news is that small business online marketing can be incredibly effective if done right and in my experience can produce the biggest bang for your buck possible in comparison to old-media types of advertising such as local newspapers or Yellow Pages adverts.
Indeed, once your online marketing campaign is up and running, if you have done it right, you should find that it continues to bring in business for you on a daily basis for month after month. Indeed, in our longest-term study to date, a website set up in 2003 to market a small business online still brings in revenue each month without having been touched since it’t initial launch.
Possibly the most productive online marketing you can do in terms of return on investment is to combine a well-built website with professional search engine optimization. This will lead to a website that is listed prominently in the search engines for terms that relate to your business, thus driving new potential customers to your door all day, every day. Your website acts then as a landing area for these people and convinces them to do business with you And as a result your bottom line benefits.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2396758
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Marketing plan objectives are critical for any business to establish, but perhaps even more critical for the home based entrepreneur making a run at establishing their own online store. The reason for this is simple, most home based entrepreneurs are operating on a thin budget and making a marketing mistake (like not having the proper marketing plan objectives) can lead to disaster. A great deal of time, effort, and money is often required to get a quality online store up and running. But, that does not guarantee any customers, traffic, or sales. If I can get one point across in this article it would be this– the best website without a marketing plan is nothing more than an expensive brochure.
I have been one of the fortunate folks who has an online store that has survived. We are in our 6th year and, with that in mind, here are a few suggested marketing plan objectives that you may want to consider (and that I would highly recommend).
Objective 1: Target your niche
Where can you find customers who want your product or service? What are they reading, what websites do they visit, are they in forums, groups, blogs, etc…? You need to figure out exactly where they are and then you need to get there. Sometimes it is free to do this and sometimes there will be costs to pay so you’ll need to budget exactly what you can afford to do and how long can you afford to do it? How many prospects can you reach with a particular method, how much will it cost you, and how much time will be involved? How many sales will you need to gain in order for any particular method to be worth the investment?
Objective 2: Chose your weapons
Ok, with literally dozens, if not even hundreds of marketing methods out there, which ones will you chose? You will again need to weigh your budget, skills, and knowledge into this decision. Not every marketing method will be appropriate for every business owner. Some marketing efforts can be outsourced (there will be a cost for this) but many you can do yourself (with proper education and guidance). This will be an ongoing part of your marketing plan as you will continually need to seek and consider new and additional options. However, this can also be the most frustrating part of your overall task because if you are new to internet marketing, you “don’t know what you don’t know”. What I mean by that is this- if you don’t know about a particular marketing method, then how can you decide if you want to do it or not? Most people will experience a breakdown in the process here and they flat out will not know how to reach their audience.
Objective 3: Take immediate action
Don’t develop the “paralysis of analysis”. When you decide to employ any particular marketing tactic, do not wait. Get started now! In fact, if you already have your site up and running, then you should have started weeks or even months ago. A proper marketing plan really should be developed BEFORE your website. Unfortunately, most people do not realize this until it is too late. Time is of the essence and every day that you are not marketing, your competition will be!
Objective 4: Be consistent and persistent
This is a marathon, not a sprint. Your marketing plan will evolve, change, grow, and expand with your knowledge and skill level. Results are not usually seen immediately so buckle up for the long ride. It’s not an easy one, but it is definitely worthwhile. The marketing plan objectives above will lead you down the right path, but you will, at some point, need to make the decision to either learn how to market your own site or pay someone else how to do it. In my opinion, if you don’t have a huge budget, then the only real option is to learn how to do it yourself and the best way to do this is with a mentor and someone that has done it. Otherwise, the task is so monumental that it is very easy to get overwhelmed. So, find a mentor and take it one step at a time. As always, I wish you the best of success!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4400739
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An online business is probably the most practical idea in today’s world. Small online businesses are cheap to set-up, easy to maintain, and can reach an unlimited audience. If one has a great idea for a small business, it doesn’t take an entire team to get it started anymore. Here are a few tips on how you can start-up your small business.
What type of business will you want?
Is your business going to be a service, wholesale, or dropship? Will it be hosted on Ebay, your own website, or Amazon/Overstock? These are vital questions to ask when starting out.
If starting out on a small budget, dropshipping is probably the best option. There is no warehouse cost for you, and you’re not out any money if you cannot sell the products. You only pay for the product once your customer has paid you, leaving you with the desired profit. One problem with dropshipping however is the high startup costs or monthly fees. This does insure that the products you will be selling won’t be all over the market, but you will need to save up before starting a business like this. Try shopster.com or doba.com. This, in my opinion, are the best options. You can also do your research on the web.
If you have plenty of startup cash, wholesale is a great option. You will need somewhere to keep your products, and will have to pay up front. However, there are many more options for products. Shipping and handling costs may also be cheaper, since the wholesaler is not doing the shipment themselves. This can lower your over all product costs, giving you an edge to the competition. There are many more wholesale business online, and it just depends on what you exactly want to sell.
Having a service-oriented website is the cheapest to start up of them all. It requires much more work on your part however. You will also need plenty of advertising cash. I would suggest learning SEO to get a better advantage for free traffic. Build up your website first, and provide content and information that will make your customers feel comfortable with your service.
Save up initial funds.
You’ll need some startup money before you do anything. It won’t need to be as much as a storefront as this is an online business, but nothings ever free. You’ll need cash for wholesale/dropship fees, advertising, or your own website. There are also a bunch of little other fees from Ebay, design technique, and more.
Create a business plan.
Making a business plan is one of the smartest things you can do when starting
Starting an online business by yourself requires you think about what you like to do, what you cannot stand doing, the financial startup cost, your patience and stamina level. They will all figure into what kind of business you should start by yourself.
An online business needs a solid business plan. If you truly want your business to succeed, you will need to have a determination to make it succeed. It will not happen by itself. You will need to work and work hard.
CRUCIAL RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESS
* Better Business Bureau (bbb.org)
* Counselors to America’s Small Business (score.org)
* Small Office/Home Office (soho.org)
* The Small Business Training Network (sba.gov/training)
* The National Association For The Self-Employed (nase.org)
Running a business from your computer opens a vast number of doors and opportunities. Small businesses usually begin, and are run by individuals. I started an online retail business and ran it by myself for four years. It was a very gratifying experience.
There are many benefits in starting a small online business by yourself. You decide what kind of business you want to start, how many hours you work and when you will work.
BUSINESS STARTUP OPTIONS
* Selling your handmade crafts on your website
* Selling crafts or resell items on an auction site such as eBay
* Freelance writing
* Become a reseller of hosting, movies, or software
* Create a virtual pet supply store
* Become a virtual assistant
* Join an home-based business
Whatever you decide to start as an online business, determine to yourself to do it well. Do your homework. Research the business in and out. Know what you are doing. When a customer or client asks you a question, you should know the answer. Become an expert in your field or craft.
BASICS IN STARTING A SMALL ONLINE BUSINESS
WEBSITE CREATION
Now that you know what kind of business you want to run, you are ready to get a website. If you do not feel or know how to create a website on your own, hire someone good. You do not want it to appear incomplete. It would look jumbled or like an amateur created it. Make sure the person or company has experience with creating keyword rich content for you.
SITE AND URL NAME
You will need to pick out a great name. The web address or URL is very important. It should consist of keywords that describe your business or your products. This will help people find you when they search for your product.
MERCHANT ACCOUNT
The majority of small online businesses are started and run by just one person. This business model is becoming more popular as women leave the work force to raise families, senior citizens search for ways to supplement retirement pay, and students strive to earn enough to pay for college or buy the latest video game. Online businesses are hot, and you can start one by yourself.
One of the major benefits of starting a small online business by yourself is that you do not have to compromise with another. Find your bliss, and follow it. The first step in building an online business is to determine what you will focus on: insurance sales, video game reviews and sales, child care, dog toys. The sky is the limit for online businesses.
After choosing your business focus, a website is the usual next step for small online business. . Build one yourself or have one made and learn how to update it. You can easily start a small online business by yourself with a blog, or even use classified ads to sell your product or service.
Starting an online business by yourself requires internet marketing skills. Tutorials, ebooks, and message boards abound that can teach you all you need to know. Starting a business by yourself requires you to learn something about every aspect of online business. Your only other option is to spend money and outsource content creation, design, and marketing tasks to freelancers.
There are both pros and cons to starting a small internet business by yourself. Benefits include complete control over substance and organization. You will also get to keep all the profits for yourself. However, it also means that you will bear the entire expense of the business, and have to deal with all negative outcomes yourself.
Once you learn how to start a small online business for yourself, it is important to remember that you are solely responsible for its success. Learning everything you can about online business models, internet marketing, and how to make money in various ways will lead to higher profits. While outsourcing is always an option, being a sole proprietor of a successful small online business ultimately depends on you.