My Buy Essay

Posts Tagged ‘web marketing’

Have you ever considered starting your own business? Maybe you’ve always wanted a chain of hotels, or a chance to open your very own restaurant. Why not.

Maybe that coffee shop idea you had back in the 80s wasn’t such a bad concept after all. Regardless of your hopes and aspirations, it’s certainly easier to make them happen in this day and age. So many people look to start their own business; whether it be a cafe downtown or a home-based operation. With the World-Wide-Web at our fingertips, we can make these dreams a reality. That is why a number of individuals have begun their own web-stores and money-making sites. It’s all about the web marketing. Are you Internet savvy?

What do you know about web marketing? This is pretty much one of the largest operations these days. With cyberspace comes infinite traffic. It’s basically never ending and almost impossible to fathom. You have to remember there are around 6 billion people world-wide. Now, how many of those people do you think access the Internet on a daily basis? Let me save you the math; it’s a ton. This is why home businesses are booming. That kind of customer access is incomparable. Imagine the local marketing of a particular product in comparison to web marketing. You would have to compare the global population to that of your own town. It’s certainly not difficult to see why the Internet is such a money-maker. In fact, loads of web-savvy business folk are taking prime advantage of all this cyberspace traffic. All you need are your own web pages, which are rather simple to construct now days. Use basic web marketing to increase traffic on your websites, hence increasing your profit. Web traffic equals revenue. Just ask the person who started Google.com.

The great thing about web marketing is the cost efficiency compared to offline marketing. While in the tangible world we have to print flyers and create advertisements to entice customers and increase business, in cyberspace it’s much simpler. Shoot an ad out to a million people at once with the click of a mouse. With advanced web marketing, you can get the job done much faster and appeal to a much larger cliental. Is your personal business getting the traffic and response that it should? If not, it may be time to delve back into cyberspace and learn more about web marketing.

With the New Year right around the corner, we often resolve to improve our behavior, health, or personal relationships. Let me tell you, you’re wasting your time. I’m OK, you’re OK. It’s our Web marketing that’s a mess.

We’ve got out-of-shape Web sites, directionless Web marketing, and we’re lost at the search engines. It’s time to stop worrying about self-improvement and start worrying about Web marketing-improvement!

While every business has different goals and needs, please consider these twelve items in creating your own Web marketing plan for next year. Rearrange the order to fit your own schedule in 2006.

January: Set up a Web marketing budget. I know, this is your favorite part: the budget. However, once you’ve decided how much money you plan on spending quarterly or monthly, deciding what to spend your marketing dollar on becomes much easier. You’ll also want to carve out some time for your Web marketing endeavors. After all, a lot of the following to-do’s are more about time than money.

February: Audit your Web site (beginner.) Often we’re surprised or dismayed at the material that’s on our Web site: bios of ex-employees, links to sites that no longer exist, a 2001 pricelist. Spend some time reviewing the content on your Web site and get rid of anything that’s out-of-date or no longer expresses who you are. Nothing turns off prospects faster than a neglected Web site.

March: Audit your Web site (advanced.) Review your traffic reports and decide if your navigation needs to be updated. Maybe certain parts of your site are getting a lot of traffic and should be further promoted on the home page. If other sections or pages are being ignored they may need to be removed…or promoted. Fill out all the Web forms (contact, search, etc.,) and read the “hidden text” that appears on landing pages. Rewrite the copy that seems dated or incorrect.

April: Start reading blogs in your industry. Download a newsreader (I recommend NetNewsWire for Mac users) or set up a free account at Bloglines. To find blogs in your industry you can do searches at Technorati or check out BlogCatalog among others. Make sure you’re reading the blogs of your competition and your clients.

May: Start your own blog. You knew that was coming, right? Blogs are becoming an important, perhaps essential, part of business communications. No matter the size of your organization, a blog can be a great way to connect with your clients…and your clients-to-be.

June: Subscribe to your competitors’ email newsletters. This is a fantastic (usually) free resource of advice that is targeted towards your clients. Shouldn’t you know what your competition is recommending? Maybe they know something you don’t!

You probably know many of your competitors already and can visit their Web site to see if they offer an email newsletter. However, you can Google “your industry + email newsletter” to find some ezines that are new to you. (You should also be reading your clients’ newsletters as well; you can’t know too much about their business.)

July: Start your own email newsletter or jumpstart your subscriber rate. If you’re not publishing an email newsletter you’re missing out on one of the most cost-effective Web marketing tools at your disposal. Use an Email Service Provider (ESP) to manage your subscriber list and publish an ezine regularly.

If you’re already publishing an email newsletter try some new ideas to increase your subscriber base . Offer a free article for new subscribers, raffle off a prize to one subscriber each month, or advertise on a complementary newsletter.

August: Troll discussion boards in your industry. There are discussion boards on every topic under the sun, and certainly a few in your industry (or your target audience’s industry.) By reading posts at these discussion boards you can get an understanding of what prospects are looking for and create products or services that meet their needs.

By posting responses you can quickly establish yourself as an expert and create links that drive traffic to your Web site while improving your site’s ranking at the search engines!

September: Start listening to podcasts. The New Oxford American Dictionary named “podcast” its 2005 word of the year, so maybe you shouldn’t wait until September before you tune in.

Whether podcasting ever becomes a part of your Web marketing, it’s important to understand how podcasting works and how other companies (including your competition) use it. Visit the iTunes Music Store or a podcast directory like Podcast Alley and start sampling some podcasts. Not sure where to start? Adam Curry’s PodFinder show (available at the iTunes Music Store) highlights new podcasts each episode.

October: Consider starting your own podcast. I can’t recommend podcasting for every business, or even most businesses. I still believe there are more effective ways to communicate with prospects and clients. However, some businesses will benefit from offering a podcast. Keep in mind your target audience, and whether they will be downloading audio to their computer or mp3 player.

November: Submit some of your articles to article directories. A great way to increase your “findability” at the search engines is to have a lot of quality incoming links. One proven method to do this is to have articles you’ve written appear on other Web sites that link to yours. To get your articles posted at other Web sites check out article directories such as The Phantom Writers and iSnare.

December: Add share this page functionality to some or all of your Web site. As people suffer from information overload, they rely more heavily on the recommendations of friends and family. Make this word-of-mouth advertising easier by allowing site visitors to quickly “share this page” with a friend or colleague. You can even include your own marketing message embedded in the email that arrives at the friends’ mailbox.

Do you have a website but having a hard time generating traffic? Don’t you wish you could just sit back and let someone else do the promoting for you? Well you can! And they’ll do it for you for FREE. That’s right, we’re not talking about paid advertising here. What we’re talking about works better than paid advertising and doesn’t cost you a thing! We’re talking about article submissions.

Submitting an article to an article directory is a great way of generating traffic for your website, whether you’re just starting out or just trying to increase the traffic to your site. All you have to do is write an article that would be useful to your prospects, and put a resource box at the end of the article with a link to your website. A resource box is just a small statement about yourself with a link to your site for them to find out more information. Then you submit it to a few article directories. That’s it. Other people take over from this point.

So what exactly happens when you post articles on an article directory? Well your article gets posted on their website. A lot of other website owners check these article directories for articles they can use as content for their website or newsletter. But when they use your article, they agree to not change the article and to leave YOUR resource box on it. They advertise your website for you! You don’t have to do anything.

I can hear you now, this all sounds great but I’m not that great at writing. Well you don’t have to be! You’re not trying to sell a novel here. All you are doing is writing something that you think would be useful for someone else to know. As long as it is helpful I’m sure there will be plenty of people who WANT to read it. And the more you write, the better your writing is going to get. So don’t sit around procrastinating because you don’t feel you can write good enough. Just do it. You’ll get better.

This looks good but is it really better than paid advertising? I would say yes and there are several reasons for this. First of all it is FREE. Second, it’s viral. Take a look at this scenario. If you post an article on a couple article directories and only 10 people decide to use it in their newsletter. Each of these people has 2,000 people on their list. This advertises your site to 20,000 people. Now imagine if 100 people used your article or if they had 20,000 people each on their list. This stuff is powerful. Third, it establishes you as an expert in that field. People will trust you more and will be more willing to by your product if you’ve already given them useful information. Forth, after you’ve written a lot of article you can compile them into your own ebook and give it away for free (with links to your site of course) or sell it. Paid advertising doesn’t even compare to this. Don’t waste any more time. Start writing articles now!

Who haven’t been in the Google Sandbox? As new website owners, we all experience the Google Sandbox dilemma. I can relate to the pain of webmasters and website owners who are currently experiencing being on the Google Sandbox. And I bring good news: there is a guaranteed way to come out of the Google Sandbox! But first, it is important that you know what is meant by Google Sandbox.

The Google Sandbox

Google Sandbox is such a popular term among webmasters, web marketing specialists and new website owners. Google Sandbox refers to the period when a new website appears invisible on the Google search results even after a month or two of search engine optimization. The most probable reason why new websites are placed in the Google Sandbox is that Google doesn’t see yet the importance of these websites.

New websites can be on the Google sandbox for at least three months. This is a test of patience for the website owner and of course the web marketers who have tried their best in promoting the website. It would be understandable to be on the Google sandbox for at least three months. But what about those websites which seem to be locked on the sandbox for many months already?

How To Get Out Of The Google Sandbox?

Who would want to be in the Google Sandbox forever? Of course, every single website owners aim to finally get hold of Google Sandbox freedom. But what can we do? The best and guaranteed way to get out of the Google sandbox is to focus on your website and not on Google. Forget about the Google Sandbox first and concentrate on more important things in web marketing.

Shift your focus from the Google sandbox to making your website more relevant. You can’t simply get out of the sandbox &ndash you need to impress Google with your website. This way, Google will be able to see your website’s importance and when it does &ndash boom! Out of the Google sandbox you go!

How Earn Google’s Respect

These effective tips in search engine optimization will help your website in its struggle to be free from the Google Sandbox. These are easy steps that are undoubtedly effective.

• Equip your website with the relevant and useful web content. Your website must have a unique content.

• Submit your website to high quality and relevant web directories.

• Create relevant articles that provide useful information about your website’s theme and submit them to article directories. This a good way of generating quality one way links.

• Blogs, forums and other interactive stuffs can add to your website’s relevance.

Why let your website remain on the Google Sandbox when you can let it come out in no time? Don’t be contented being on the shadows of other websites. Instead create your website’s own shadow! Come out of the Google Sandbox now &ndash it’s easy, just follow these tips and soon your website is free!

More and more online businesses and internet marketers are recognizing the tremendous benefits and responsiveness that multimedia generates when used as an advertising medium and marketing strategy.

For those that utilize multimedia effectively, significant increases in buy rates, conversion rates and subscription rates have been experienced and all within a very short period of time. However, many believe that just adding any old media content, such as video and audio onto their website will generate significant increases in visitor responsiveness regardless of content presentation, quality, and other attributes that contribute to a positive experience for the website visitor. Just so that we are clear, this assertion is very wrong and can have potentially negative consequences from a marketing and/or advertising standpoint.

My philosophy is quite simple. Using multimedia to advertise your product or service needs to follow the same basic rules and principles as would apply to any other strategy or medium that can be used to convert prospects into subscribers and buyers. Yes, multimedia does improve conversion rates but it has to be done right and convey professionalism. This is absolutely essential.

When it comes to video and audio content online, what’s often been the case is that those who have tried to add this type of media content to their websites have unfortunately had disastrous results. For example, with video content, many have added videos to their webpages that are of extremely poor quality, small and ugly. The overall experience for the viewer – Poor. One of the biggest problems has been the fact that the videos load very slowly. Visitors are turned off completely by the fact that they have to wait for minutes, even longer sometimes in order for the video or audio file to start playing. This, unfortunately, is a result of these webmasters using cookie-cutter solutions to add video or audio content to their site without really knowing the implications and limitations. As I said, with multimedia…either do it right or don’t do it at all. For those who do their research and take a little time to produce video and audio content that is of good quality, the results have been tremendous.

Bottom Line: If you want to capture the attention of your visitors,you need to use top notch technology to bring your message to that person and provides the viewer with a positive experience.

If you do plan on adding video and audio content to your website, here are a few simple guidelines to follow when determining what the best multimedia solution is for you:

1. Cost Effective: You need a solution that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg and leaves you with great video and/or audio content on your website but flat broke.

2. Fast loading Media Content (Video/Audio) that can play almost immediately. Website visitors are fickle and inpatient so its not wise to keep them waiting when trying to view your video advertisement or listen to your audio message.

3. Superior Website Integration: Video and Audio Content that can appear to be seamlessly Integrated into your websites and emails. Viewers don’t have to view video and audio ads with media player’s that annoyingly pop-up on top of their internet browsers and distract them from the rest of your website.

4. Superior Customization: Video and Audio Advertisements that can be customized for your websites and emails based on your specific requirements.

5. The ability to handle a large volume of simultaneous visitors.

6. Large-Scale Playability: Viewing/Listening DOES NOT require the download of additional plug-ins. Don’t make your visitors have to download any special software to view or listen to the video and audio content on your website.

7. The media content needs to be of reasonably good quality and resolution. Don’t worry, you don’t need Lord of the Rings quality to provide your website visitors with a positive experience. They won’t expect perfect quality but you need to make sure that the content is of good quality.

Of course, we can get into specific details about each one of these things but we won’t get into that in this article. These are just high-level, general guidelines that you can follow when shopping around for a good multimedia solution for your business.

Multimedia does have impressive results from a marketing perspective. That’s why the big companies and brand names are utilizing multimedia content to sell their products and services. However, not everyone has the exact same budget and requirements and if you are looking for a multimedia solution you need to spend some time shopping around to find a solution that offers the best bang for the buck.

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If you do not earn $100,000 net profit within 4 months, MTT will give you the remainder of their service for FREE- no charges plus you get to keep what you earn. You can set up as many of your web sites or affiliate programs as you want. This is true Set-It-And-Forget-It technology. Join our FREE affiliate program and try the service before the introductory offer expires.

See You At The Top!

C L Eldridge

Since its launch in 1995 Craigslist.org has quietly become the largest online classifieds website in the world with a regional presence in 190 cities, across 35 countries. Each month over 10 million people log on to the seventh most popular website to buy and sell just about everything. From real estate to furniture, promoting services such as contracting, house cleaning and even babysitting &ndash Craigslist is the one spot where anyone can connect regionally to fill a need.

As its popularity has continued to increase, so have the possibilities for vendors large and small to market their wares on Craigslist. What’s the big attraction? For the most part Craigslist is 100% free to post and search. Only do job postings in San Francisco, L.A and New York City cost a small fee to post. Otherwise, Craigslist is an open free source for new targeted customers, ripe for the picking, just waiting for your business to give them what they want.

Craigslist is regionally based website that truly promotes community involvement. However, you can post in any of the available metros and multiple metros as well. The trick is in designing an ad that gets people attention, getting on a regular posting schedule, following the rules (or at least not overtly breaking them) and searching for new customers daily.

Simplicity in ad design is paramount and it matches the vibe that Craigslist likes to attract &ndash peer-to-peer, real human interaction. It lacks the commercial aspects that add fluff and confusion in exchange for simple ads, most posted by real folks. Design your ad to fit into that scheme is key to a successful campaign.

Get into the habit of posting often on Craigslist and hit multiple metros with different ads to get more reach (if you business can support it). It’s free to post so what do you have to lose!

Understanding Craigslist rules are fairly simple as they are openly published. They are super picky about what you can post, but there are exceptions like livestock and anything illegal (drugs, guns, etc.). One of the major rules that I see as a marketing rule more than a terms of service rule is to post in the category that best corresponds with your product type. This ensures your ad will reach the best target without adding to useless clutter.

Over 8 million people post monthly on Craigslist and that number grows every day. Don’t just sit back and post ads, answer ads seeking your products and services as well.

Craigslist is one of the best ways for every business, large and small to find a new voice online for little more than elbow grease.

What I’m about to explain to you will change to way you do your online marketing Today, Tomorrow and Years to come with little effort on your part.

This simple But effective technique involves the use of a ‘Pop-Up’ on your website, but, the difference between this technique and just a standard ‘Pop-Up’ or ‘Exit Pop-Up’ as we all see them is that when your potential prospects see them they are more then willing to give you there Name and Email address.

Why you ask?

Because your offering them something of Value for FREE.

As you well know the word ‘Free’ is one of the most Powerful words on the internet when used correctly and when combined with an ‘Pop-Up’… it could make you alot of extra money with little effort.

As a marketer myself, a simple Name and Email Address is worth hundreds, if not thousands of extra dollars a year if I collect and follow-up my leads properly, but, the questions that always seem to arise are…

…How do I do it? …What steps do I need to take?

So… now that I have your attention, let me explain to you how this can be achieved in a simple ‘Step-By-Step’ fashion.

Step #1:

What do you have that you can give away to your visitors as they leave your website that is of value to your visitor and more importantly, will benefit from?(Here’s a hint… Free Reports, eBooks, eCourses, etc.)

(Note: Give away brandable ebooks, reports, etc. with your affiliate links embedded within them. Make sure they’re related to the subject of the content.)

Step #2:

Once you’ve figured out what your going to give away, put together some ad copy for your ‘Pop-Up’ that your going to build that will grab your visitors attention and get them to sign-up for your ‘Free Offer’ or ‘Give Away’ as they leave your website.

(Note: You don’t have write alot, just a few attention grabbing sentences pointing out the ‘Benefits’ of your offer.)

Step #3:

Write a short Solo. You need this because after they sign-up through your web-form from your pop-up, this is what they will receive in there Inbox with either download info or other instructions that you specify in order for them to receive there Report, eBook, eCourse, etc.

(Note: Also, make sure you attach a ‘Signature File’ at the end of your Solo. Many marketer’s forget this part and are losing out on alot of extra profits. Don’t Forget!)

Step #4:

You need to go to your ‘Auto-responder’ management console and set-up an seperate auto-responder with the solo you wrote for your ‘Free Offer’ and/or ‘Give Away’.

Once you’ve set your auto-responder its now time for you to copy the HTML code for your auto-responder’s Web-Form and paste it into the ‘Pop-Up’ you just put together.

(Note: Auto-responder services may very. Simply follow there directions.)

Step #5:

This is the easy part, once you have completed all of the other steps, simply paste your ‘Pop-Up’ code into your desired webpage(s).

If you use pop-up software that creates and automatically inserts the code for you simply select the webpage you want the code to be placed on and the software will do the rest.

Now simply upload your newly formatted webpage and pop-up to your host and start sending it Traffic!

As a general rule, test out your pop-up for your first week a see how it pulling. You may need to tweek it if its not performing to your stardards. All it takes is just a few words to be changed to make your pop-up a success.

That’s it… your Done!

These are the 5 basic steps needed to turn your website into an fully ‘Automated Sales Machine’ that will automatically follow-up your leads 24/7/365 without you lifting a finger.

It may take a little time to set-up initially, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.

Now, I just have one last tip for you.

If you really want to get the most out of your Pop-Up and the leads it brings in simply load-up your already set-up ‘Auto-Responder’ with 6 or 7(or however many you want) follow-up emails and set them to go out every 3 to 4 weeks.

For maximum results make sure that you target the particular Product or Service you are offering or promoting because it makes no sense to offer a Product or Service that doesn’t relate to what your initial offer was that they signed up for.

Without a doubt, if you asked me, Shane if there was only 1 marketing strategy that you could use on the Internet, what would it be? Without hesitation I would say joint Ventures. Joint Ventures are easily the most lucrative Marketing Strategy ever invented and if you learn to do it right, will likely be the ONLY marketing strategy you will ever need to use.

A Good Internet Joint Venture is your shortcut to success. It can send you more qualified internet traffic rushing to your site in the shortest amount of time than anything I’ve ever seen! And it can mean bringing your product to market without spending one single penny of your own money!

In it’s simplest form, Joint Ventures have to do with 2 businesses (or more) joining forces to leverage off of each others success, assets and/or expertise. There are hundreds of different variations but let me just give you one simple example:

One variation of a simple type of joint venture partnership used most frequently would be where one business provides a product for sale, the sales message and the product delivery while the other business provides the recommendation for that product to their own list of subscribers/prospects and receiving a commission based on the sales generated through that recommendation.

The benefits are great. You can build your subscriber list, leverage off of your partners infrastructure like using their existing servers, software etc where you don’t have to pay a dime. If you pick the right JV partner, you can acquire instant credibility and reputation with their customers and lists. Credibility sells. Let me give you an example, if you created a book on “how to acquire real estate”, you could certainly make MANY more sales if you JV’d with Donald Trump and put his name on the book as the co-author, building your reputation and increasing your credibility at the same time. Are you starting to see the incredible power of this strategy?

Now I know that some people may think that Joint Ventures are difficult to do,but if they are telling you this, then I wouldn’t take anything they tell you at face value because they’re either lying to you or don’t understand it themselves.

Let me show you how easy it is. Here’s typically what I do when rolling out a new product. In this example, let’s pretend that I just completed a new ebook on Penny Stock Trading and have setup a web site with an affiliate program. I would go to google, do a search on keywords like “penny stock”, “penny stock trading”, “stock market strategies” etc..you get the picture. The top sites on the first page are typically your target partners because since they appear on the first page you can bet they have lots of business, traffic, subscribers and customers. I would visit each site to make sure that they are right for my product and then I would first send them a very brief email asking them if they would be interested in marketing my product in exchange for a high commission as an incentive.

Typically in this email you should briefly introduce yourself and your product. Describe your product and the benefits it would offer to their Newsletter subscribers, customers and/or web site visitors. Ask them politely if they wouldn’t mind responding to you asap and provide your contact information if they are interested in marketing your product. Also very important, you need to give them access to this product FOR FREE!..so that they can review the product and feel comfortable about endorsing it. These site owners have spent years building their business, lists and cultivating their lists to be very responsive. Any endorsement they do to their huge lists could mean thousands of dollars in your pocket for very little effort.

then, go thru the same process for all the other appropriate sites under that keyword and send JV proposal letters over and over again. Then repeat that process for other relevant keywords until you’re finished.

Understandably, this can be a very time consuming task which is why I developed a piece of software that will automate this whole process for me at .jvmining.com. I can now get all of this done in a matter of minutes!

Remember if just a few of these super affiliates decides to market your product you’re golden. Once they contact you all you need to do is setup their affiliate account and commission. This will ensure that their commission will be calculated properly when they endorse your product to their list. If you send these offers to just 10 sites per day, Within a week you’ll be on your way to making thousands of dollars per month, all for 5 hours worth of work and at NO COST to you. Isn’t that easy?

That’s all there is to it.

I have been working with a lot of Entrepreneur’s over the last 6 years as a consultant, a business leader, and one myself. There are two types of Entrepreneurs and I have definitions for them:

1. Successful Entrepreneur

2. Unsuccessful Entrepreneur

3. New Entrepreneur

Not very catchy definitions are they? Let me define them based on their characteristics because the “New Entrepreneur” out there could save them self a lot of headache if they look for behavior that generally leads them to failure.

Sucessful Entrepreneurs

These guys are easy. They know the game. They understand why you build a business. They do it over and over again because they love the challenge. They are not in it for their egos, the idea, or the need to have President on their business card. They do it because they can’t do anything else, but build things and then sell it off. They get it started, then hand it off to people to run it.

Unsuccessful Entrepreneurs

Things just don’t work out for the Unsuccessful Entrepreneur. More often than not, they keep on trying, and get it a little more right next time. Eventually, some become successful. Often, they give up and return to the safety net of a 40 hour per week job. Their idea, product, or service just does not solve anyone’s problem, but their own.

New Entrepreneurs

I have a lot of respect for people that venture out into their own or try to turn an idea into action. These are people that generally don’t fit into the corporate structure, are generally liberal minded (not to confuse the Rush Limbaugh listeners of the world, liberal minded means finding new ways of doing things from how it is always done. Or, it simply means outside the box thinking). Having the audacity to question how things are being done and suggest there is a better way to do it.

So the new Entrepreneur has this great idea! Then, they get excited because they could make a lot of money doing it! “I am going to be rich!” So, they embark on the emotional high of becoming an Entrepreneur. They become infatuated with their idea. It is the best idea and the only idea worth investing. Most need money to fund their idea, yet they don’t want to give anything up to get other people’s money. Their valuation of the business is way over inflated and they have no sales. Ego and control start to get in the way.

I have been involved in several start-up ventures and this is a common pattern that occurs. As I sit at the Venture Club of Indiana and listen to new ideas being pitched around the table, the pattern is there. The “New Entrepreneur” is excited about their great idea, yet they cannot really articulate how to make money with it. Their assumptions about their market are not well defined and they do not really understand what it takes to get a business going. They don’t understand why no one will invest in their business. They are passionate about the idea and their ego loves the fact that they can now put President on their business card.

So what is important for new Entrepreneurs? It is all about sales.

When I was President of the Indiana Entrepreneur’s Alliance, one of the guests to our meeting made an important point. He said, everyone says you need and accountant and a lawyer to get a business started. So, everyone goes out and gets and accountant and a lawyer to make you feel good about your idea. This is backwards. He points out that you need customers first to determine if the idea has merit, then go out and hire an accountant and a lawyer. Is what you are doing in demand and are people willing to pay for it?

In other words, it is about sales and marketing. As a New Entrepreneur is weighing the idea, the emphasis needs to be on sales and marketing. Get the idea, product, or service out there and see if someone will pay you for it. Do you need an infrastructure to support it? Yes. Do you need to be able to deliver it? Yes. But figure out what kind of expectations you can put out there and manage. As another successful Entrepreneur told me, don’t be afraid of success. You can always find money, if you have a book of business to show an investor. And, you can always find ways to deliver.

In our web consulting, we see the New Entrepreneur all the time. Some people are looking for the “Mirror”. “Come in and tell me that I am great, my idea is great, and that you can sell it the way I want it to be sold, even though I have had mediocre success to date.” In our case, the web plays an important part for most customers trying to sell products or services. They focus on their logo and their image, their name. Unsuccessful entrepreneurs gladly feed into their egos and leave results starving at the table.

The reality is New Entrepreneurs need to focus on results. In business, results equal sales and profits. Logos, names, and images can have value &ndash only if people buy because of the name, logo and image.

Get centered Answering the questions of your buyers:

1. What is it?

2. What is the value?

3. How do I get it?

4. Has anyone else used it?

a. What do they say?

b. If not? What is the edge I get with it?

5. Yes, I want one!

With limited resources and limited time, investment needs to be on finding the market, bringing them to you, engaging the market, and closing some deals or selling product. The question to always ask:

Is what I am doing or spending money going to help me generate more sales?

Case in point, people always feel like they need to reinvent something that has been tested to work. (Ok…I respect out of the box thinking, but dollars can be wasted on IT projects that bring very little value in the end). E-Commerce is an area that people feel the need to “customize”. We had a client that need to change e-Commerce systems because the one they were using did not support standard marketing practices for e-Commerce sites. Yet, they would not do it because the one they were using had a feature that really brought no value to the buyer or their business. Again, was what they were doing going to help them generate more sales? The answer was no, yet they chose to spend $20,000 when $3,500 would have done the job for the next five years.

So, New Entrepreneurs, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. No one cares about “the idea.” They care about what the idea will do for them.

2. Investors don’t care about “the idea.” They care if their investment in the idea will make them money.

3. Investors don’t invest in “the idea”, they invest in the people behind the idea. If you do not demonstrate your ability to execute, you will not get investment.

4. Being President of nothing with no sales has no value.

5. It’s about marketing and sales, particularly for start-ups.

a. Always ask, is what I am doing going to help me sell more?

b. Is what I am spending my money on going to help me sell more?

c. Can I apply metrics to what I am doing?

6. It’s about execution.

As it relates to the web marketing, the same rules apply. Here is the list to keep in mind:

1. The website visitor does not care about you, they care about what you can do for them. They want to know:

a. What is it?

b. What is the value?

c. How do I get it?

2. Before you spend money on an expensive website, can you answer these questions:

a. How big is the market?

b. What words do people use to search your product?

c. How much to advertise?

d. Who are your competitors?

e. What are they doing?

f. What are they not doing?

g. Who are the top ranked sites?

3. Have you budgeted for web marketing?

a. Monthly?

4. You are a new business, people don’t know you. And until you spend millions on drilling your brand into the American psyche, they aren’t going to know your brand from a hole in the ground. Use what you do, or what your customers call your product as your name. This strategy worked fine in the past and still works fine today. Evidence: International Business Machines, Advanced Micro Devices, American Telephone and Telegraph, General Motors, General Electric, National Cash Register, American Airlines and Budget Rent-a-Car. Not an obscure latin name with an interesting meaning only to you.

There is really nothing sexy about Internet marketing. It too is about execution. It is about results. It is not about corporate ego. It is about what your product or service does for the buyer and the investor.