7 Quick Tips for a More Profitable Internet Business
With billions of web pages and countless email messages --
a good percentage of which are spam -- building a successful
business on the Internet is hard work. Many entrepreneurs
seek to create a 'full-time' income (whatever that may
mean to each individual) yet find that making just a few
sales is still a struggle.
Have you ever looked at your online earnings and wished
you could do better? If so, then it's time for a change.
Doing the same things will give the same results! Here
are just a few suggestions for building your online
business:
~1. Give your website and/or sales letter a makeover.
For example, some sites offer lots of free content,
as a way to help people while building credibility.
Others are much more direct: the entire website
consists of a single sales letter. Many argue that
these 'mini-sites' are far more effective in generating
sales because they don't have any distractions - the
visitor can focus on what you have to say. That doesn't
mean you have to give up your content site ... but
consider creating a mini-site to help drive sales.
As for the sales letter, if copywriting isn't your
strength, then hire someone to do it for you. Sure,
it costs money -- but a good sales letter can pay for
itself many times over.
Things don't stay the same online for very long! Don't
be afraid to experiment. Just remember to keep backups
so that you can always revert to the old version if
your experiment doesn't produce the results you want.
~2. Don't forget about the 'real world'. There's life
outside of cyberspace! Many people prefer to be
contacted by postal mail. Email has become so clogged
with spam that it can be very difficult to get people
to read (or even SEE) your message! Ideas on how to
promote your business offline are available at
http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/articles/checklist3.html
~3. Evaluate your income stream. How stable is your income?
Are you protected against income fluctuations? Will you
be okay if one of your income streams disappears, and
how long will it take to recover?
You can also 'widen' your income stream by creating
additional sources of revenue. For example, someone
who sells a cookbook or recipes can also offer their
services as a 'menu planner': working within a set
of guidelines (time, budget, cooking skills, dietary
restrictions...), the menu planner can create 'custom'
recipes for her customers. Whatever you choose to do,
find other opportunities to add to your bottom line.
~4. Read, read, read. Education never stops! There's always
something new to learn, and even one golden nugget of
information or inspiration could be responsible for a
significant boost in your business!
There are countless manuals available to show you how
to market your business... but realistically, you only
have a limited amount of time you can devote to really
reading and absorbing the information. You might choose
to purchase a number of manuals, but select one of them
and resolve to seriously study the material -- then take
*action* on what you learn.
~5. Try to turn customers into *repeat* customers. What
ideas do you have for a complementary product? It's
easier to sell to a happy customer than it is to sell
to someone who's never had any experience with your
products before. Let your existing customers know
about your new products.
If you sell services, be sure to touch base with your
customers every so often -- remind them that you're
still around and available for work. You can even
offer incentives or discounts for the next time they
use your services.
Keeping customers happy is obviously important if you're
planning on building a viable long-term business. Happy
customers can turn into both repeat customers as well
as a source of referral business. But no matter how hard
you try, you will never make everyone happy -- so don't
fall into the trap of spending so much time and effort
with one customer that you alienate or ignore the rest.
~6. Form new partnerships in areas you've never considered
before. Perhaps you've always targeted a certain type
of business with which to form joint ventures. For
example, someone who sells a fitness tape might have
always approached weight-loss sites with partnership
proposals.
Instead, try to think of other markets that could
also use your product. In the above example, new moms
who are trying to become active again might appreciate
a fitness tape. Or how about stressed-out corporate
'worker bees' who need a way to relax?
~7. Build for the future. How can you attract more
customers? Is your customer service up to par? How
can you use your current customer base to expand your
profits? Concentrate on methods that allow you to build
a business relationship with your customers -- a common
example is to publish a quality newsletter to help you
stay in touch, build credibility, and help to keep your
business near the forefront of your readers' thoughts.
Vincent Van Gogh once said, "Great things are not done by
impulse, but by a series of small things brought together."
Keep working towards your business goals, little by little.
It's the only way to get there!
About the Author
_________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical
guide for beginners to the 'net. Packed with instantly
usable tips, you'll love its focus on effective fr*e and
low-cost marketing methods, specifically chosen for people
operating on shoestring budgets! Get the details here:
http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html