High impact on your business, Low impact on your wallet.

How much does it cost to start an online business? If anyone asked me that question right now they would probably fall about laughing at my answer. You see, I know for a fact that you can get your own online business up and running for under $100. Now you may think I've gone insane, but the proof is right in front of your face........this article. I've done it, you are looking at the proof. No, I'm not any sort of guru with a million dollars in the bank, but I am an online business owner who started for under $100. Providing you already have an Internet ready PC so can you. The bad news. ____________ You have to realize one thing, if you are not prepared to put in a whole lot of work, then don't go down this route with your online venture. Getting your business up and running is just the start and if your not willing to put a little cash into your new venture, then it's going to be a long road ahead. Yes it can be done, and when you start to see a profit from a business started in this way, the feeling of acheivement is multiplied many times. All too often I see web sites offering *guaranteed* success, yet they don't offer you their ongoing support or any training whatsoever. How can they guarantee your success if they don't even know you or aren't prepared to invest some time into helping you get started? There are no guarantee's of success in any form of business, online or off. That said, the chance of success is far greater if you have a *proven* path to follow and also someone to guide you onto that path. Now for the good news! ___________________ You can have a web site, affiliate programs, pre-written e-mail campaigns, newsletter and ongoing help to put it all together for under $100. If you make the right choices and follow the right advice, you can get resources and products that people who have been online for years still aren't using to their full potential. Plus you can get them at little or no cost. Unfortunately, the one thing that you won't get with all the above is the vital piece of the Internet marketing puzzle..............customers. It doesn't matter if you've got the best sales copy in history on your site. If nobody ever sees it, you will never make any money. Thats where the work comes in. Getting customers and visitors to your web site is the all important "X-factor" in runnng a successful online business, and one of the best ways for getting customers to your web site or subscribers for your ezine is FREE. It's also one of the most under used tactics. Like I said earlier, you must be prepared to invest a large amonunt of your time into your business if you follow this route. Hey, it's your business, you are putting in the hours to help change and shape your future so don't fall into the trap of thinking you should be spending all your time on the search engines. If you learn how to do this next step effectively you will generate a good rate of traffic to your site and over time it will create you a viral advertising effect! Writing articles ___________ One of the tried and tested free ways to get visitors to your web site is to write and submit articles to ezine and newsletter publishers on a topic that relates to your web site. I personally think this is the way to go if you're low on advertising funds. Only write articles that relate to the web site you want to promote. If a person clicks on a link in your article about fishing and they are sent to a web site selling sewing machines, you can bet they won't ever read another article with your name on it again and your credibility will be lost for good with the reader. If your article happened to get picked up by a publisher with a 30,000 subscriber base you just lost a big chunk of potential customers. So you need to focus your efforts on the subject of your website. Also at the bottom of every article you write you *must* add a resource box giving a little bit of information about your web site or autoresponder course and what the reader can expect by visiting your site or submitting their email address to your autoresponder. Also you need to include a link to the web site or autoresponder. (see bottom of article) The bottom line: Credibility is what will give you a long and successul online business and also get visitors and customers to put their trust in you. Treat visitors to your site and those who give you their contact details in a way you would like to be treated and you will earn their trust. Once you have their trust it's only a matter of time before they become your customers.