How to Create a Successful Online Business On A Shoe String Budget

With the global recession many would-be entrepreneurs are looking to start an online business. Whether or not you intend to have a full time business or a part time business the rules of any business still apply. One important element that you must consider is advertising. No business will survive if no one knows it exists. Yes, it true that an online business can get more of a following instead of just a few locals in your neighborhood. However, just as there is work to be done to sell you local business that exists in a brick and mortar building, it takes some work online as well.


No matter what you sell it won’t sell well if you don’t know how to advertise. The question then becomes how do you advertise online? In the physical world, business owners rely on trade journals, the yellow pages, commercials, billboards, word of mouth, or whatever means they can afford. However, what happens if you are just starting out and you don’t have the money to do all these things?

The secret is in blogging. Blogging will open up your opportunities, this way you don’t have to bug your family and friends to buy your product. When you create your own blog to advertise your online business, you can essentially open up your business to the world.

You can invest in your own server to create your blog, that of course would give your blog the most visibility on the net, but if you cannot afford the investment there are plenty of free blogging sites to choose from. Look up on the search engines to see which blogging sites appeal to you. We know that Google and WebCrawler for example are good sites to start with.

Once you have your blog you need to make it attractive; plain black writing on a white background is not going to attract anyone’s attention. Remember you are in competition with every other blogger out there and every other person on the net that is selling the same product or service that you are. You want your blog to compel customers to buy and to come back. Repeat orders is a standing must for anyone in business, it is what keeps the business running and out of the red. Your blog should be colorful in order to draw attention to your product. If you do not know how to design an esthetically pleasing blog, there are software programs you can purchase to help you along, or perhaps you may want to invest a little money and get a web designer. You can go professional which will cost you a pretty penny or you can be surprised by how your family or friends might be able to help you in this area. So many people are into blogging and have created their own site.

After you have created your blog you must post constantly to draw potential buyers back to your site. Write articles about your product and write about the current focus in the market for your product, the more of an expert you appear to be, the more credibility you will have. Don’t be afraid to give out good and useful information about your product even if it comes from others in the industry, the more people are aware of the potential of your product, the more you will have created the need for them to buy. This is another fail proof marketing strategy. When there is no market create one.

Hand in hand with the concept of creating the need is to go visit websites, and forums where your product is being discussed. Find out what people like about your product, find out what they don’t like, and find out the questions they are asking? This way you can do the research and come up with a solutions focused product or appeal that will broaden your knowledge as an expert and your sale power as well.

However, do not stop at a great looking product (add pictures wherever you can) and a great looking blog if you do not know how to write your still do not know how to sell your product properly. If you can’t write and your articles are full of mistakes, you will kill your reputation as an expert. If you feel you cannot write well enough to sell your product then hire someone who can. There is big market of freelance writers and ghostwriters who will be willing to contract with you.

What ghostwriters and freelancers will do is write information packed articles that rely on the SEO format. SEO – search market optimization articles are designed to bring traffic to your site. How it works is that specific words and key phrases are inserted into your articles to draw attention to your product. For example, if you are selling perfume you will use keywords and phrases such as, perfume, perfumes, cosmetics, toiletries, cheep perfumes, classic fragrances, colognes, best perfumes; anything you think a consumers would look up if they wanted to buy perfume. However, SEO articles are only part of the marketing strategy.

Your business may start off slowly until you word gets out that you are running your own business. Again we apply the rule of adverting, don’t just sit back thinking that now you have your blog all is in place and you have nothing else to do.

You need to do some advertising on your own. You can advertise on places like Kijiji (Canada), and Craig’s List and Ebay (international). You can also rely on your friends, at home and online. The connections you have made on the social networks can be valuable resource. For example, there is www.Ryze.com, which is a business network where people come together selling their various products and making new friends. You can also take advantage of the many social networks such as facebook, twitter, myspace, and more. Use these people not in an aggressive manner, but nevertheless a professional manner. Use these networks for more than sending little smiley faces and forwards. Let your connections know that you are in business and just starting out. You will be surprised how many of your connects will visit your site and refer your product to their friends to help you out. Remember though, the basic rule is to create the need, don’t approach your connects with the “please by my product,” that may annoy a lot of people, instead show them how they can benefit from you product and services. Your business is only going to be as successful as you make it.