Beginning any business, either online or off-line, is not something to be taken lightly. Taking time to develop a business model is vitally important and should be clearly thought through before taking even the first step. The failure rate amongst those starting up an online business is very, very high. All too many newcomers to the business charge in with all guns blazing without doing their reconnaissance first. Understanding is so vital in any new venture and in any field of human endeavour. Without understanding trouble looms ahead. Without a well -researched business model, internet marketing for newcomers can be a bit of a minefield.
For a newcomer to the world of online business I would recommend one of two business models which are a great way to learn as you earn. The first of these has given many of the most successful marketers their first step on the ladder to riches.
Affiliate Marketing requires a very simple plan which does not involve the new internet marketer in the more complicated aspects of the business. It does, however, help to develop a good understanding of how the business works. Anyone can sign up to an affiliate programme for free, choose a suitable product and begin to promote it almost immediately. There is no risk with affiliate marketing, commissions are paid on sales achieved and it is all done using products that someone else has created for you. There is no product handling, no complicated banking to set up, in fact nothing to worry about beyond getting people to visit the product sales page. It isn’t even necessary to have a website as there are ways to generate traffic off-line.
Picking an affiliate programme and a product to promote will get a business launched and start to bring in the money, but it won’t make you rich, at least, not in the short term. It is necessary to build up a series of products to promote, preferably all from within the same niche, if you wish to swell the stream of income. This will obviously take time. As you develop your internet marketing business this way, you will be learning all the time about the technical and promotional aspects involved. This will, ultimately, lead you into the more ambitious aspects of the business where the possibility of really substantial earnings will become a reality.
A second business model ideal for the beginner is the creation and selling of e-books. Some highly successful marketers have built a whole business around this simple strategy. E-books can be on any and every topic under the sun. If you have an e-book, a simple one page website and are able to bring traffic to that website you will make money. If you have the expertise you can write the e-book yourself. If not, you can outsource the writing of the book to a professional writer who will produce an excellent product for you to sell. The cost for this service will often be recouped by the sale of the first two or three copies.
They say that everyone has a book in them! This, I believe is true. If you can tell people about your holiday in Spain or Florida then you can write a book about your holiday in Spain or Florida. Just sit down at your computer and “speak/write”, not worrying about grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc., just as if you were relating your tale to a friend. You will be surprised at what you can produce. The grammar, spelling and punctuation can be sorted later. You could even get a professional to do that for the price of a couple of pints if you wish
This business model is slightly more involved than affiliate marketing but not appreciably so. The cost of producing an e-book, even if you outsource it, is very small. The product is digital and, therefore, is sold via a download. You can even make your e-book available for other affiliate marketers to do some of the selling for you in exchange for a percentage of the selling price. The cost of e-books varies enormously anything from $3 to 900$, – even more. Obviously it depends to a large degree on the value of the information contained within the e-book. If you sell an e-book for just $9 and sell over 100 copies, that’s near-enough $1000 in your bank account.
Start small, be patient and work hard. That way you will eventually master what is probably the best business in the world.