"Seven Tips To Test
Your Internet Business Idea"
By: Cathy Goodwin
Date: Sunday 1:38 pm
When people say, "My business isn't working," they often
focus on tactics. Revise the website. Change colors. Get
more speaking engagements. Run a new workshop.
But sometimes you have to go back to your
first question:
"Will this idea be effective as an online business?"
Pushing a weak idea is like climbing a mountain in your
flip-flops. Some people beat the odds. But in general,
successful online businesses follow these seven guidelines.
(1) Offer a product or
service that people can't buy
elsewhere. For example, it's nearly impossible
to learn to
write web copy from conventional "face-to-face" programs.
Marketing an online business? Typically you'll want to learn
from those who have experienced Internet success. And
they're usually delivering products and services through the
Internet.
(2) Offer products through
instant digital download:an ebook
in pdf format or music through mp3. These options influence
size and sometimes style of your offering. A few customers
will want hard copy and be willing to pay a hefty premium to
have your product delivered through the mail.
(3) Identify tangible advantages
of buying through Internet
rather than traditional channels. Typically you
can promise
to save clients time and hassle. But clients also value
confidentiality for everything from drugstore products to
career coaching. And using your own computer and phone, in
your own home, offers more confidentiality than driving to a
store or office.
(4) Profits come from offering
a product or service that's
purchased regularly, not just in a crisis. Business
customers typically realize they need to continue to pay for
products and services to remain competitive. But customers
face international moves, house purchases and major
vacations less regularly. If you do offer products for
one-time purchase, you have to be able to command a high
fee.
(5) Match your offering
to your background and personality.
It's hard to fake online: customers hear your voice in your
web copy and articles. Selling motivation? You need an
upbeat style, regardless of content. Marketing to parents
of children? You'll need to position yourself as a parent
or as someone who understands the Parental Experience.
(6) Package your offering
in an upbeat sentence or two.
Internet buyers like straightforward positive messages that
can be understood in seconds. Complex ideas can best be
delivered in hard copy books in brick-and-mortar bookstores.
(7) Choose an offering
that's fueled by your passion.
Website visitors quickly realize when the owner genuinely
enjoys spreading a message. And you need energy to keep
your ideas alive. Untended websites, like gardens, soon
attract weeds. Keep yours fertilized, nourished and
growing.
***********************************************
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker
and
career/business consultant, helping midlife
professionals make their First Moves to a
Second Career.
http://www.cathygoodwin.com
"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change"
Contact: mailto:cathy@movinglady.com
505-534-4294
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