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you might want to check out some forums that specialize in internet marketing
google these forum names:
warrior forum
v7 network
black hat world <-- this one is about using especially creative techniques. just be aware that "black hat" methods are short term.
read a lot, don't be discouraged by failure, and don't be afraid to jump in.
I've had a couple sites for a few years and it sounds like what you are looking for. Choose a niche product but be diverse and creative. Setting up is a lot of work, takes time but is not expensive. Get drop shippers and the best way is to go to trade shows so you can talk to the companies but you can get them by calling also. Get a business credit card because they will not sell on credit, at least not until you have established trust. Your sites have to be easy to navigate, look professional and have a lot of content, not just products. This will help a lot with search engines. I've built about ten sites for myself and at least ten for other people and have them all first page by adding content and submitting to search engines. You can work from anywhere, it's great. I was in HI on vacation a few years ago and had orders while on vacation. It did require a few calls while there but that's it. Keep your site updated and fresh. Google knows when sites are outdated and not freshened up once in awhile. Give excellent customer service, sell quality products and make sure you are on first page searches or it's not even worth doing.
Sounds easy but it's quite a bit of work. I also set up an S-Corp, use Quickbooks for invoicing and have an 800#. These are other things you might need. Good luck!
The hardest part of any business, especially online business....is getting the word out. The best advice for a starting business is do not skimp on advertising in the beginning.
Trade shows are crucial. You get to meet face to face with your target audience. Also, just as importantly,m yo ucan meet contacts that can help you run your business(get supplies cheaper, potential new empoyees, etc). I would reccomend hiring a company/consultant to help you at trade shows. Theres tons of local companies that you could look up. The big dog is http://www.atlanticexhibits.com/. Google the small companies in your area.
lol, I've tried most of the above methods. Started at 16 writing a blog which had google adsense on it. Did simple stuff - write content to increase traffic. Didn't really get much money from it, a few bucks a day. So I moved on to the affiliate marketing route, selling other people's stuff and getting paid commission. Made more money compared to adsense but still, not much compared to how much effort I put into it. Same story for ebay/amazon.
Then I had the big revelation: The reason I had failed in the past was because I was making others rich, not myself. I was selling their products be it advertising or physical products. I realized that if I wanted to be rich I had to develop my own product and sell it.
After that revelation, I scrapped my blogs and affiliate websites and started working on my product. I focused all my efforts to developing this product. I made it the best at everything. When I launched the site I didn't get much success. However, over time, I slowly got customers. Getting that first customer is absolutely the best feeling since it shows that you developed a solid product that consumers want. Now I get more and more customers every single day. The best part is that I entirely automated this website. Billing, automatic. Shipping, automatic (handled by 3rd party company). All I do now is deposit money from my paypal account to my bank account and answer customer e-mails. Its great. If I do, "work" its related to building/improving the product or developing a new product(s).
Thats the secret folks, you have build a product and sell it. Then you have to turn that product into an automatic SYSTEM. Just look at how all the millionaires/billionaires out there. Most of them made all their money by either developing these systems or owning them. Once you've done that continually improve that system or develop new products to sell. Let others make you rich by selling your product.
The wise man says, "go to school so you can get a good paying job." The rich man says, "convince those smart people thats its a wise idea to work for you. Let them make you rich"
Now I am not saying that using adsense or amazon affiliate is bad. Its a great way to learn the basics of a business but at the end of the day you want to develop your own product.
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There are a lot of websites for sale at digital point forum. Ebay has a few real ones, and a load of other junk.
Lots of shady people a the digital point forum. Its sad really considering how many smart people are there. Definitely watch out on the buy/sell forum. I'd never buy a website through that forum.
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The hardest part of any business, especially online business....is getting the word out. The best advice for a starting business is do not skimp on advertising in the beginning.
Trade shows are crucial. You get to meet face to face with your target audience. Also, just as importantly,m yo ucan meet contacts that can help you run your business(get supplies cheaper, potential new empoyees, etc). I would reccomend hiring a company/consultant to help you at trade shows. Theres tons of local companies that you could look up. The big dog is http://www.atlanticexhibits.com/. Google the small companies in your area.
Advertising online works very well. Google Adwords, if done right, is very cost effective. Check out http://www.google.com/ads/adwords/.
Even www.facebook.com ads are showing great returns. If you are not good at doing this kind of stuff, there are marketing companies that can help.
Forget the advertising. Its too expensive. What you want to do is show up in the organic results. So if someone types, "hand bags" into google, you want to be in the top 10 of that page. You don't want to be in the paid advertisements section, you want to be in the top 10 of the websites being shown. Thats where the big money is made. How do you rank well for those keywords. Simple you get high quality websites to link to you. How do you do that? YOU PAY THEM TO. Welllllll worth the money.
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I've had a couple sites for a few years and it sounds like what you are looking for. Choose a niche product but be diverse and creative. Setting up is a lot of work, takes time but is not expensive. Get drop shippers and the best way is to go to trade shows so you can talk to the companies but you can get them by calling also. Get a business credit card because they will not sell on credit, at least not until you have established trust. Your sites have to be easy to navigate, look professional and have a lot of content, not just products. This will help a lot with search engines. I've built about ten sites for myself and at least ten for other people and have them all first page by adding content and submitting to search engines. You can work from anywhere, it's great. I was in HI on vacation a few years ago and had orders while on vacation. It did require a few calls while there but that's it. Keep your site updated and fresh. Google knows when sites are outdated and not freshened up once in awhile. Give excellent customer service, sell quality products and make sure you are on first page searches or it's not even worth doing.
Yup, thats exactly how its done. At least with affiliate marketing. You have to become an, "expert" at your product line. Giving solid advice, great reviews so on so forth. Once you've done that you can sell the people your niche affiliate products. For example if you are an expert in laptops, you sell the visitors laptops and laptop accessories.
Last edited by killer2021; 11-17-2010 at 02:30 AM..
So, did you develop a product you knew a great deal about, or was it just a product that has a great niche?
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Purchasing a Web site
