Do I or Don't I? That is a question many of us ask when it 
comes to starting up or joining an online business. Most of us 
have heard of the vast amounts of money generated through the 
Internet but how many of us personally know anyone who has done 
it. Ten to one you know someone who has tried it and lost their 
shirt doing it. Why do you suppose that these failures occur?

Let's talk about it.

There are many reasons people fail in an online business, 
however, there are just as many reasons why some people 
succeed. The reasons for failure or success are all tied 
to some basic factors regarding any type of business offline 
or online.

What are these basic factors?

All businesses are tied to selling either a product or a 
service. This being the case we can then understand the 
importance of products and services to any business.

What makes a product or service viable is a real or perceived 
need for them in the marketplace. 

Next, is the product or service of the quality desired to meet 
the need?

Then, is it affordable to the majority of consumers? 

Can it be delivered in an easy and timely fashion?

What is the competition?

Can the product or service be guaranteed to the satisfaction of 
the consumer?

Simple questions right?

Wrong? The answers to the above questions can consume much 
money and time to find the answers you need. Even then you 
can never be sure until the product or service is offered to 
the consumers and they open their wallets and then buy the 
product or service.

Either they sell or they don't. That's the final results.

So what does this all mean?

Basically it means that you can have the most attractive, 
useful and affordable products and services available but 
they must still be sold.

What can we do?

I reckon we better look at how we can our sell our products 
and services.

What do we look at?

Well, first of all we must learn that the basics of marketing 
apply to all types of offline and online businesses. Because 
we are talking primarily of an online business here that is 
where we will concentrate our efforts. 

I'm sure we are all familiar with the marketing principles of 
time utility, location, inventory, transportation and ease of 
payment, promotion, advertisement and warranty.

What does this mean to the online marketer?

First of all an online marketer does not normally need to worry 
about buying, leasing or renting a business location or store. 
Nor do we need to worry about inventories or the physical 
shipping of products. The exception of course being on online 
Mart or Shopping Service. Even then the marketer does not 
normally become involved in the physical shipping of goods.

So where does that take us?

It takes us to the product or service itself and the promotional 
and advertising aspects of marketing that should concern us the 
most.

We must also consider the consumer payment system and the 
warranties we must provide, however, these last two factors are 
easily solved and of no great concern to this conversation.

So, where does that leave us?

It leaves us with the very basic problems of the quality and 
need for our products or services and how can we best sell 
them to consumers.

Well, first of all we face the problem of choosing a theme 
portraying our business to the consumers in such a way as to 
gain their confidence that we are a legitimate enterprise and 
will produce what we promise.

The theme you choose is the image you wish to portray to the 
consumer that reinforces the need that is out there and 
actually builds the interest to read your advertisements 
and purchase your products or services.

Above all else your theme must portray a professional aura and 
an earnest desire to produce customer satisfaction and enhance 
consumer trust in your business enterprise.

To this end you must always develop and put in place a customer 
service and relations system ready to go when you launch your 
products and service into the world of E-Commerce.

OK, we have a well designed and professional looking web site. 
We know that our products and services fill a need for the 
consumer. We have thought out and built a responsive customer 
service and relations system. Now What?
  
Now we get down to the nuts and bolts of promoting and 
advertising your business, products and services.

First, all available promotional and advertising media can and 
should be considered for use in getting your message out to the 
consumer. The largest factor here is the costs involved and your
ability to pay those costs.

I think we all understand that the available media includes 
newspaper ads; dedicated print media such as The Nickel; trade 
magazines; flyers and other handouts; radio and television; and 
of course the online media such as Email, Web Sites; Banner Ads, 
Pop-Up Ads; Ezines; Newsletters and the like.

Knowing this and knowing how best to use the media is a separate 
question. One that deserves careful consideration before jumping 
off in all directions at once.

In many cases, any online business you may join as an Affiliate 
has an advertising program pretty well laid out for you to 
follow and probably provides some basic tools to use in 
implementing your advertising program. This is fine, but if 
it were me I would like to be able to supplement this program 
through my own efforts and enhance the chance for success. 
There is no one better able to help you than yourself.

An important factor for consideration here is the time you 
have available to do all the good things we are talking about.

Most of us who become involved in an online business do so for 
one primary purpose and that is to supplement our income on a 
part-time basis. Notice I said part-time. This being the case 
any business activity we engage in must be designed to work on 
a part-time basis. 

We will just not have the time available it takes to run a 
business that takes more than four hours a day. This being the 
case we better find techniques and methods which allow us to 
accomplish things without a lot of time being involved.

Because we are working on a limited time and money budget we 
must carefully select the media we choose to use in presenting 
our ad copy to the consumer. There exists on the net now plenty 
of good advice to help you choose a media. Just don't go hog 
wild. Select a couple of media. Select your ad copy and get it 
out to the world.

All of us can learn how to write and place effective promotional 
and advertising ad copy. There is enough free information on the 
Internet to make sure of that. What we will not have the time 
to do effectively, is build a system to accurately record and 
provide the data we need to assure the effectiveness of our 
promotional and advertising efforts. Beside that, not many of 
us have the technical expertise to develop such systems.

Such Ad Tracking systems do exist and you must find them, assess 
their capabilities to meet your needs. Both from the required 
data aspects and your ability to afford them. 

An efficient and accurate Ad Tracker is absolutely essential 
to your online success and will save you time and money. So 
take my advice, check them out.

Ad Trackers are a tool which can go a long way in helping to 
answer the question 'An Online Business - Do or Don't I?'

Gary Layton is co-owner of PathTrax.com. By providing their 
users the ability to measure and track results connected to 
a specific ad or advertising media, PathTrax is helping small 
businesses expand the profits in their bottom line. PathTrax 
delivers flexible tracking URL's to track Who, Where, When, 
How Many? All for only pennies per day. 
http://PathTrax.com/x.pl/GL121,3

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Tired of wasting money on Internet marketing courses? Introducing the
first step-by-step, day-by-day plan that almost anyone can follow to
make money online in 33 days or less…100% guaranteed!
Click here now or go to http://www.33daystoonlineprofits.com/?19487

--------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU TODAY? 

1. Need a website designed? 
We realise running a small business takes up most of your time, so we
will make getting your website up and running as easy as possible.

If you find it all too overwhelming, don't worry you are not alone.
We understand  how scary the whole process can be and promise to help
you along the way.  In reality, we manage most of the steps for you -
with your input, of course.
Click Here to Get Started or visit: http://www.web4business.com.au

Did you know a 3 page website costs only A$149?

2. Looking for ways to promote your business?
The ultimate business tools and marketing resources, specifically
tailored for small and home-based business owners, will provide you
with hundreds of new ideas on how to improve your business.  Below is
just a preview:

- Internet Marketing Goldmine
- FREE Email Courses
- Instant Sales Letters
- Instant Marketing Toolbox
- Million Dollar Emails
- Copywriting Seminar in a Box
- Hypnotic Writer's Swipe File
- Guaranteed Customers for Life
- Psychological Triggers
- Trash Proof News Releases
- Ezine Adrenaline
- WebsiteWizard
- 24 Techniques for Closing the Sale
- Create Advertising that Sells

Click Here for a complete list of Business Tools or go to:
http://www.web4business.com.au/PromotionalTools.htm

A SPECIAL REQUEST

If your friends or family members also run small
or home-based business, they would benefit from receiving their
own copy of the Web4Business Ezine. Please forward this email to
them and ask them to subscribe by sending an email to
web4business@getresponse.com or going to
http://www.web4business.com.au/SubscribeW4BEzine.htm

ARTICLE CONTRIBUTIONS

If you have an article that you feel would be appropriate for
the Web4Business Ezine, please send it by email (no attachments)
to articles@web4business.com.au

Till next time ...

Ivana Katz
Websites 4 Small Business
www.web4business.com.au
Because every business deserves to
have a successful website.
Tel: 61 2 9907 7777