The Free Lunch (And Other Myths)
I have a page at my website that contains a list of home
business ideas (and links to detailed articles about some of
them). On that page, I invite visitors who have an idea that
isn't listed on that page to submit it to me for inclusion. Nine
times out of ten, the "ideas" that are submitted are nothing
more than ads for various online business opportunities and not
true business "ideas" at all.
This evening I received one such email. No greeting, no thank
you, just a terse one liner "to be added to your ideas page" and
an URL. I responded that this was not an "idea" (which, had the
person bothered to spend any time at all at the page in
question, she would have realized) but an ad for her business
opportunity, and that if she wanted her ad on my site, she could
damn well pay for it like anyone else (I was a little more
diplomatic than that but you get the gist).
Hot on the heels of this type of approach is the owner of an
affiliate program for a product which would be of marginal
interest (if that) to a tiny number of my ezine subscribers,
offering me a fabulous "joint venture" opportunity whereby all I
have to do is send a solo mailing to my list (worth $260) in
exchange for making maybe $12 on each of three sales. Whoopee.
Invariably, these people know the demographic of my database
intimately since, according to them, all my readers have been
searching high and low for just such a solution to all their
problems and *I* can be the one to give it to them!
Please. Contrary to what these people obviously think, I did NOT
just fall off the back of a turnip truck so, to whom it may
concern, go grow your own list or pay to advertise to mine.
Those are your choices. This is a business, not a charity for
the bone idle.
These are by no means isolated examples.
Those of you running an online business probably have a list of
examples like these as long as your arm. Why do people not
understand that you get what you pay for in this world? I'll
tell you why. The proliferation of "secret" sites that promise
to reveal to you, for only a "$60 lifetime membership!" all the
"tips and tricks" you need to know to market your online
business on the 'net "without spending a dime!" and all the
"insider secrets" marketing courses promising the same thing.
If you're laboring under the impression that it's possible to
market your business without spending money, here's some
not-so-secret tips:
1. There ARE places to advertise your business for free, sort
of. They don't come with no strings attached though. For
example, although you can submit your site for free to the
classifieds sites and FFA pages that are absolutely everywhere,
be prepared for a deluge of email in response. And I'm not
talking about requests for more information! Typically, people
visit these sites to get your email address so they can send
THEIR business opportunity to YOU.
2. Some of the search engines are still free. Many have moved to
a paid submission model though and, even if they do still offer
a free submission service, those listings are not a priority and
tend to be added to the index when the engines get around to it.
Better to spend a few bucks for a submission and get listed
before the next summer Olympics.
3. You can write articles and submit them to newsletter
publishers and relevant websites. That's actually a good way to
get your message across so long as the article has real meat to
it and doesn't mention your opportunity or product (leave that
for the resource box). Although it needn't cost you money, it
does cost you time and effort and you may well get a better
return by simply paying $65 for an ezine ad.
4. You can start your own newsletter and develop your own opt-in
subscriber list. Unless you're prepared to pay for subscribers
(around 15 cents per subscriber is about the average) it's going
to take a LONG time to grow your list to a decent size. Contrary
to what some people will tell you, you will not grow a 'sticky'
subscriber base of 5,000 within a month. Oh, you can grow a list
of that size alright using some of the various approaches being
offered but it won't be a targeted list and it won't be a sticky
list (i.e., subscribers won't stick around). With these programs
you'll also find that a lot of subscribers are in it to generate
their own subscribers and really aren't interested in
subscribing to your newsletter. They do so only because it's a
condition of being in the program. Often these people will use
free email addresses that they never check, let alone actually
read the contents of.
5. One of the best advertising mediums out there is ezine
advertising (which is why I receive so many of these bogus
"joint venture" proposals). Understand though that the person
writing and publishing an ezine that accepts paid advertising
from third parties is running a *business*. True, some
publishers will accept free ads from subscribers but they are
usually just starting out and offering free ads is a good way to
generate new subscribers. As a result, their subscriber numbers
are pretty low (only a few hundred or a couple of thousand at
best) and so the result will probably be disappointing unless
it's an extremely targeted list. So, if you want to get your
message to a large, targeted group of prospects, ezine
advertising is your best bet. But be prepared to pay.
Contrary to what many people apparently believe, running an
online business is hard work. It's not a simple matter of
slapping up a website, posting a few free classified ads,
submitting your URL to the free search engines and then turning
your computer on in the morning to find an inbox overflowing
with orders that came in overnight while you were sleeping. This
is a MYTH perpetuated by the authors (and VERY hard-working
authors, I might add) of those so-called "secret sites"
memberships and "insider secrets" marketing courses. They make
their money by selling you the FANTASY that it's possible to
make money online without working (or that you don't have to
spend money to make money).
Running an online business requires an enormous time commitment
initially just to create a useful website and just as much (if
not more) of a commitment to maintain it, create new content,
develop products, publish a newsletter and basically do all the
marketing things that ANY business must do to grow, whether
online or off.
So, next time you're looking for ways to market your product or
opportunity without spending a dime, think about who you're
approaching. If it's a free classified ad site, fine. But if
it's someone just like you trying to make a living with a
business of their own, ask yourself: What's in it for them to
promote your product for free? Consider how you would feel if
you had invested two years of blood, sweat and tears building a
business in your town only to have people walk into your office
expecting you to help them market your product for free. It just
ain't gonna happen unless there's something in it for them. The
same is true online. Don't make the mistake of thinking that
someone's online business is just a hobby and that they're there
for the sole purpose of helping you make a success of your
business. They're not. They may be helpful, they may offer
advice and encouragement but, when all is said and done, they're
in business, just like you. Bottom line: you have to pay your
way in this life and that includes online.