Kamis, 02 April 2009

10 Tips for Online Business Success

The average time spent by an Internet user on a web page is a mere 46 seconds (Source: Clickz.com). Within these 46 seconds an online business needs to attract the customer, make a compelling proposition and close the deal.

The competition in the virtual world is growing day by day. Verisign reported 16% growth in domain name registrations in 2003. The total number of registered domain names now stands at a staggering 60 million, with .com consuming the largest share.

What can YOU do to stand out in the clutter and achieve E-Success?


We think the following 10 tips can substantially increase your chances of online business success:

  1. Target the Un-Targeted:
    Know your customers thoroughly and target those needs that are unseen by your competitors.

    eBay is a bright example. eBay was quick to recognize peoples' desire to earn economic profits by trading second-hand products. eBay realized the need for a platform where such buyers and sellers could meet and trade. ECommerce technologies helped eBay to create the required platform required and the rest is history.

    When you are new to online business- Start Small but Start Right.

  2. Strong Business Planning:
    Have complete knowledge of your revenue source, break-even duration and other important strategic details from the beginning, and decide on the milestones that are to be achieved. You should know the right moment to expand your business and plan for future sources of revenue.

    The Internet business has a cruel history of bringing about disastrous changes at phenomenal speed. Be prepared to face such upheavals and have plans in place to manage such turbulent times.

  3. Business Friendly ECommerce Software:
    Always choose software that is easy to manage and allows you to focus on your core business activities.

    Choose an ECommerce solution that fits your business requirements. Analyze ECommerce software in terms of its scalability, security and the amount of customization allowed.

    Invest in a solution that not only meets your present requirements, but also is capable of accommodating your future business needs.

  4. Create a Web Store with a Difference:
    Visual memory is more enduring than textual memory. Correct branding is important for the success of your online business. Increase your brand recall by creating an estore that is in tune with the likes and dislikes of your targeted customers.

    Learn more about your customers and create unique branding by using distinct color combinations, site layout and innovative logo. Attractive display of your domain name can also play an important role in branding your online store.

    Be different (but not vague) in order to create a positive appeal in the minds of your customers for achieving esuccess.

  5. Make your “Hot Sellers” most Visible:
    Attract a customer and advertise your USP first.

    Create your estore in such a manner that when a visitor leaves your online store, s/he is aware of your specialty even if they do not intend on purchasing those products.

    To clarify: Let us assume you are an online flower vendor specializing in selling fresh red roses. Create your online storefront in a way that when a visitor leaves your storefront, s/he is aware about your specialty even though he may not have seen the Red Roses section. So the next time the visitor intends to buy red roses, they will be very likely to recall your storefront.

    Highlight your best product/service first in your estore.

  6. Do not let your Customers forget you:
    Customer Relationship Management is of prime importance, especially when you are small and struggling to build a persistent customer base. Develop innovative ways to inform past customers about new products and the latest updates to the web store. Your chosen ECommerce solution should have provisions for incorporating various CRM campaigns. Adopt Innovative communication for communicating with your customers.

    Pamper your customers to generate permanent sales in order ensure the success of your online business.

  7. Increase your Web Presence:
    Make your presence felt by carrying out intelligent marketing over the Internet. Perform search engine optimization (SEO) for your site, since the majority of buyers visit websites after spotting them come in the first three or four pages of search engine results. You can either hire professional services or carry out Internet marketing by yourself.

    Associate yourself with web sites providing complimentary products or services on the Internet. This helps you in increasing your web presence both for search engines and for your customers.

    Intelligent marketing alone will get you customers.

  8. Build Robust Backend Operations:
    Backend operations are the backbone of your online storefront. Spend time in analyzing the backend operations provided by the ECommerce software. Features such as Inventory management processing, credit card processing, reporting systems etc. will shape your first impression.

    All your backend operations are expected to be accurate, scalable and provide real time data. Your choice of ECommerce solution would largely determine the strength of your backend operations.

    A potential threat to your ECommerce operations is systems failure owning to faulty backend operations. Ensure the existence of a strong backend platform before opening for business.

  9. Learn Faster and Better:
    To err is human, but failing to cover yourself and allowing your competitors to exploit your loopholes, is suicidal and is a major threat to E-Success.

    Always have an unbiased assessment of your online business and be prepared to spot your mistakes. Learn the art of covering your mistakes and rectify them before your competitors come to know about them.

    Business is all about speed. Speed is essential in identifying and rectifying mistakes. You need to learn about your loopholes and mistakes faster than your competitors and rectify them effectively.

  10. Surprise your Customers:
    Surprise your customers with frequent changes in your business offerings. Add incentives by providing surprise offers, price discounts etc.

    Your estore can also help to add life to your business enterprise. Perform regular enhancements to look and feel, the display of products etc of your online storefront. Make changes that do not detract from the brand image in the minds of your customers. Make sure, as well, that the changes are not unattractive or are too frequent.

    Constantly innovating while remaining focused on your business goals will lead to success in your online business.

Gimana sih promosiin Blog?

Setelah anda punya blog tapi masih sepi dengan pengunjung rasanya juga ndak pas kan, sudah capek capek nulis tapi ternyata ndak ada yang baca ya mending nulis saja di buku diary terus di pasang gembok kayak abg ituh :)

Nah kali ini saya hanya sekedar bagi bagi tips promosi blog ke beberapa situs search engine, tentu saja bertujuan untuk memancing orang lain mampir ke blog sampean. Selain rajin blogwalking dan meninggalkan komentar di blog blog yang anda kunjungi, ada baiknya juga anda bantu mempromosikan blog anda sendiri dengan menggunakan layanan web submission atau directory gratis. Selain menggunakan layanan web submission anda juga bisa menggunakan iklan baris, tapi yang ini etis ndak sih ? tapi sebelum ada undang undang patut dicoba.

Sedangkan link berikut adalah layanan web submission yang saya gunakan untuk mempromosikan beberapa blog saya, dan enakknya sekali mendaftarkan blog kita sudah otomatis masuk ke beberapa web search engine.

Setelah blog kita terdaftar di web submission tersebut, maka blog kita akan dimasukkan ke berbagai index Search Engine seperti Google.com, Yahoo.com, dan Msn.com. Nah setelah blog kita laris manis, maka saatnya memikirkan bagaimana supaya bisa menghasilkan uang dari blog tesebut :), itung itung buat ganti biaya ngenet sama biaya domain hosting.

Make Your site very popular in the search engine

This is a program, like a web submission.
This site will make your site very popular.
Click here.

Search Engine Submission - AddMe

Make Your Penis Bigger and Large Without Using Pills

If you want to make your penis bigger, there is nothing wrong. In today's world, people are accustomed to changing the parts of their body they don't like (think plastic surgery). Your penis isn't that different from other parts of your body and your desire to increase the size of your penis is absolutely normal. However, since penis enlargement is still a partial taboo in the western society, you may lack necessary information to make right choices. I hope that this little article will help you to understand the basics of penis enlargement methods and techniques.

The most heavily promoted option involves use of so called penis enlargement (or male enhancement) pills. If you remember some TV commercials (smiling Bob...), you even may know some of the most advertised products. To find out whether penis enlargement pills work or not, let's look at some examples (I won't mention specific names because of trademarking issues) and see what these pills are made of.

A significant majority of male enhancement pills constitute a mix of herbal ingredients. Most of those have exotic names such as Korean red ginseng root or muira puama extract. But let not these exotic names fool you -- these are still simple herbs, which cannot have a permanent effect on your penis size. They may sometimes provide a temporary boost to your erections, but this is not guaranteed and is in no way permanent. There are penis enlargement pills in the market, which contain heavy synthetic ingredients, but those pills are even worse than herbal ones because of the serious side-effects they have. Overall, I don't recommend using penis enlargement pills. You may try the herbal ones (since they are safe) but don't expect permanent results.

The only methods of penis enlargement endorsed by doctors and confirmed by clinical studies are penis exercises. These exercises may be performed manually or may require use of special devices (such as penis extenders). Penis enlargement exercises are absolutely safe and guaranteed to increase your penis size within three to six months.

Click here, and make your extraodinary penis.

PenisHealth

Rabu, 25 Maret 2009

Top 10 Tips for a Thriving Online Business

Past history has shown that it's not necessarily the companies with the snazziest websites that do well, or even the companies with the most money. The 'small guys' -- that is, Internet home businesses typically run by 1 or 2 people -- may not make the news like the big 'dot-coms', but there are many who quietly and steadily continue to turn a profit, even while big companies report huge losses or go out of business entirely.

So what's the secret? Here are a few tips from small but successful 'netrepreneurs' on how to build a thriving online business:

1. Find a niche with a demand.

Select a specific market to which you can offer unique products or services. You can't be everything to everyone, and trying to offer a giant selection of goods to a huge and generalized market is the route to frustration, disappointment, and even failure. We can't all be Wal-Marts!

As a small business, focus on a promising niche market and work hard to offer them the products and services they want.

2 .Care about the quality of your product or service.

Sell only what you would be proud to sell to your family and friends, and insist upon consistently high quality. This will help to encourage referrals and repeat business -- both powerful ways to keep the profits rolling.

3. Be smart and frugal.

Avoid unnecessary expenses, and be particularly vigilant when you're first getting started. One of the nice things about doing business online is that it's possible to begin earning an income while operating on a shoestring budget. Try to minimize expenses. Once your business is pulling in profits, you can reinvest part of it back into marketing and expansion.

4. Focus on marketing strategies that return the most profit for your dollar.

One of the biggest myths beginners face is that people will flock to your site once it's built. However, there are literally billions of web pages available, and every business has to find ways to attract their target audience to their little corner of the web. Track the success of each of your marketing campaigns. Drop those that don't work, and focus on those that yield the best results.

5. Provide the best customer service that you can.

Fast, helpful replies to inquiries and requests for assistance help to create and keep happy customers. This is particularly true of the Internet, where people have come to expect 'instant' responses. Genuinely helpful answers also help to ensure customers feel as if they're *people*, and not just another generic, faceless entity in cyberspace. Treat customers as you would like to be treated.

6. Build your business slowly but surely.

Instead of attempting to build your business into an overnight success, strive for gradual but steady expansion. Small businesses operating on tight budgets generally cannot afford to throw a pile of money into a marketing campaign that's 'hit-and-miss'. Instead, they find out what works, then build upon their successes.

7. Create multiple streams of income.

Your business can continue it's growth by branching out to offer a variety of products or services. For example, an online business may earn income from sales of its own primary product or service, sales of website or newsletter advertising, and commissions from affiliate programs. Start with one income stream and gradually add to it when you have the resources to do so.

Multiple streams of income will also help to 'buffer' your business against income fluctuations. While one product or service may experience a downturn in sales, the others may not. Similarly, if it turns out that one income stream disappears (for example, an affiliate program shuts down), then you can fall back on your other products and services.

8. Work together.

Use the Internet to find like-minded entrepreneurs. Develop mutually beneficial working relationships with carefully selected businesses. This will provide you with the opportunity to cross-promote your products and services, as well as give and share advice. A strong support network can help to build your own business as well as the complementary businesses with whom you choose to partner.

9. Keep educating yourself.

What works online today may not work quite as well tomorrow. Invest in continuing your marketing education and put what you learn to good use. You don't want your business to simply 'survive' online; you want it to thrive!

10. Enjoy what you do.

If you don't, then business will only be a chore, not a pleasure. Being passionate about what you do will give you that extra energy and desire to build a business that continues to offer your customers quality products and services -- while earning a profit.

Are You Wasting Your Marketing Dollars?

I was horrified.

I had just spent $400 on advertising -- advertising that only yielded $100 in sales.

Desperate to make up my losses, and not knowing which of my three ad campaigns actually produced the sales, I made a guess. I figured that most of my profits must have come from the ad campaign that reached the largest number of people -- in my case, an ezine with over 50000 subscribers. So I naively shelled out another $200 for an ad - a wasted $200, I might add, since I didn't make a single sale.

Thankfully I've learned a lot since those frustrating days as an online business 'newbie' ... but the above scenario isn't uncommon for beginners to the Internet business world. We're constantly bombarded with claims of fast, easy money - and they're hard to resist.

For example, when I first started online, I was told that all I had to do was purchase a top sponsor ad in an ezine, place a 'tested' and 'proven' ad ... and presto! I'd be several thousands of dollars richer.

It didn't work. I faithfully purchased a number of ads and followed the instructions to the letter. Hundreds of wasted dollars later, I was completely discouraged and almost ready to give it all up.

I'm glad I didn't. I learned that not every marketing campaign will be successful ... unfortunately, all too often people try an online business and give up when they're unable to make money at it. In some cases, sticking with it a while longer could have turned a 'failure' into a 'success'.

That doesn't mean doggedly doing exactly the same thing over and over again, hoping to see better results. If you do the same thing you'll get the same results.

Testing your marketing efforts is critical to your success. And one of the simplest ways to do this is to use an ad tracker.

Ad trackers provide you with a way to 'code' each of your marketing campaigns. You use this special coded URL in your ads -- and whenever a visit clicks on the URL, the tracker records the 'hit'.

In other words, these tracking codes tell you how many hits and unique visitors you get from each of your advertising campaigns. By analyzing this information, you're able to instantly see which of your campaigns are successful -- and which are not.

Ad trackers don't cost much at all ... yet this small investment can yield huge returns! One such option is AdTrackz, http://www.buildyourhomebiz.com/rd/adtrackz.html. This CGI script requires a one-time fee (instead of monthly fees, like many of the others), and offers many excellent features. It's easy and convenient to use.

Using an ad tracker really opens your eyes. I had always thought, 'The more people I reach, the more sales I'll make' -- you know, the usual traffic hype that we all hear.

Instead I found out real truths about what was working for me and what wasn't. For example, my ad tracker taught me that it's not the size of the ezine that counts ... it's how many people actually *read* it. It also taught me that just because a website gets a lot of traffic, it doesn't mean that advertising on that site will give you *results*.

By testing everything you do, you'll get solid proof of what doesn't work, what works well, and what can be improved. You know which ad campaigns to continue ... and which ones to dump for something more profitable.

So track your marketing efforts -- every single one of them. You'll gain valuable insight about where your sales are coming from, and be able to learn and grow from these insights. Your bottom line will thank you!

Seven 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!