A few years ago, I started an online business by putting put up my first website.

 

Like many of you I was looking to tap into the business potential of the Internet: customers around the world, low or no cost marketing opportunities as well as economic security and freedom.

 

At the time the information available made it sound easy. However, over time I discovered a different reality: Most online entrepreneurs–myself included–were making little or no money on the web.

 

Understanding that knowledge is power, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I wrote my own book based on the words and strategies of the most successful online marketers in the world. I spoke with experts ranging from Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen to Jay Conrad Levinson and Marlon Sanders. I was most interested in topics that led to traffic generation and creating websites and email campaigns that actually yielded sales.

 

Today, in the first of a series, I will discuss seven keys to creating a successful online business. Here they are:

 

Every Contact Is a Marketing Opportunity. Jay Conrad Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing and I teach this timeless principle in our Guerrilla Marketing Coaching Program. They are words to live by.

 

The idea is that small details that really make a big difference. It is the tone of your voice as you pick up the phone, the first impression made with the look of your web site, the care you put into your emails and remembering personal details about your clients.

 

On the web a first impression is everything. In fact most surfers are likely to leave your site in under ten seconds. Here are some questions you will want to consider:

 

Does your first impression of your website draw your visitors in? Is your copy strong and emotionally engaging? Do you have a compelling headline? Do your graphics and layout convey professionalism? Is your navigation easy to understand? Do you have any typos?

 

These mistakes can be very costly. The good news is that they are easy to fix.

 

Write Copy That Gets Visitors to Take Action. Copy is King on the web. The internet is a direct response medium which means you want to get your visitors “to do something.” A sale of your product or service would be ideal, but it is not always realistic. You must build trust and instill confidence before someone purchases from you. That may take repeat contacts. So as we will discuss shortly, getting them to opt-in to your mailing list is a vital step.

 

You can improve your copywriting skills by modeling the best websites on the net. Spend an hour or so making notes on which sites in your target market are best and why. We also have a 12 point copywriting check list you can view at Online Marketing Superstars that will ensure you don’t miss important elements in your web copy.

 

Ask yourself these questions: Do I have a clear call to action? What exactly do I want my visitors to do? Do I have a strong headline? Do I solve a problem with clear and compelling benefits?

 

Build Your Online Mailing List. Your list is your goldmine. If you capture a name and email you can send that prospect more valuable content and offers. Give visitors excellent content in return for their name and email. Remember that it is easy to deliver audio on the web as a signup bonus.

 

Successful Web-based businesses incorporate solid list building strategies into their marketing plans. I was able to make Success Secrets Of The Online Superstars a number one Amazon Best Seller in one day based on mostly on my own list.

 

Some important things to consider: Create a prominent opt-in box where your visitors sign up to receive something. Make sure you have a strong

signup incentive. Deploy a high quality data base management system to broadcast to your list. There are many ways to build your list that we will discuss in future articles.

 

Automate Your Website. If you’re busy like most of us, you probably don’t have the time to follow up every single lead that comes to your website. The good news is the internet will let you automate all these business building tasks.

 

Some tools you will want to consider are: sequential autoresponders to deliver mini courses, opt-in boxes to capture names and ad trackers to measure click-throughs. With the advent of easy to use shopping cart and merchant account tools, there is no excuse not to take money online. For more info on this topic visit EasyWebAutomation .

 

Develop Multiple Traffic Generating Strategies. This topic is an article in itself. Here are just five of dozens things you can do right away.

 

1) Put your web address on your email signature with an active link back to your site. (You can program this in the signature file in email programs such as Outlook).

 

2) Write an article on your area of expertise and submit it to a number of article submission sites.

 

3) Trade links with other business partners.

 

4) Create a free .PDF file of useful content with active links back to your site. Encourage others to give it away. You can even set up a “tell-a-friend” script to get others to spread the word.

 

5) Start a viral marketing campaign with a Flash video or audio on an email postcard. Remember to create a traffic generation plan with specific action steps and track it regularly.

 

Create Passive Income With Affiliate Programs. Affiliate programs allow a business to offer a commission to others for making sales. Suppose, for example, I sell a home study course on marketing. If you are part of my affiliate program, I would give you a special affiliate link. If you put this link on your site, every time someone clicks through that link and buys my program you would get a commission from the sale. It is as simple as that.

 

Action step: Find some excellent products that your target market needs and sign up for their affiliate programs. You can find them by looking at the link on the bottom of their home page that says “affiliates’ or “resellers.” Endorse these products on your site with the affiliate link and get ready to receive some checks in the mail.

 

You also could create you own program with affiliate software and have other people market for you in return for a commission of any sales they send your way. We’ll discuss this more in a future article.

 

Create Marketing Partners . Think win-win. The Web is a perfect place to make partnerships, trade links and co-promote products and services. The key to success in the 2000’s and beyond is living the principle of cooperation rather than competition. It is a

win for everyone.

 

There has never been a business development tool that provides so many low cost opportunities for small business owners and so widely expands the potential size of their global customer base. If learn from the successful online marketers, write out a clear and accountable business/marketing plan and take consistent action, you too can achieve success in the ever growing world of the Internet.