a.k.a. Keep it simple, Choosing an online business
This is the first in what I hope is going to be a series of articles that will help to clear up some of the confusion surrounding Internet marketing for people that are just starting or who would like to start their own home based business.
I was going to start by explaining some of the pitfalls that newbies, people that are brand new to Internet marketing are often referred to as newbies, encounter when they first start learning about marketing their product or service on the net.
After some careful consideration I decided that it might be even more important to take my own advice to keep it simple and start at the very beginning, choosing an affiliate program to represent. That?s assuming that you are in fact looking for an affiliate program. For anyone that is absolutely new to Internet marketing and who doesn?t have a product of their own to promote, affiliate programs are probably the easiest to get started with because a lot of the hard work has already been done for you. Internet marketing in itself can be quite a challenge and I would suggest that a newbies would be wise to learn how to market before they spend a lot of time trying to develop their own product, there will be lots of time to do that later.
My first piece of advice to any one that is just entering the field of Internet marketing is one that you won?t often hear. Pay careful attention to this next comment. Pick something that you can afford. Each and every one of us has their own level of financial recourses available to them. Internet marketing is not a get rich quick scheme, it is a legitimate business that takes time to build and see results. All to often I talk to people that have expressed an interest in joining one of my online businesses, yes I have more than one and I?ll write about that in a subsequent article, and their biggest concern is how long it will take to make money because they are already having money problems. It is not a crime to be short of funds; most of us have been down on our luck at one time or another. Most good online affiliate programs take time to start generating an income. Some will take longer than others just by their nature and some will take longer than others based on your level of skill and experience. There are even some free online business opportunities that should not be overlooked, but beware most that offer free membership will do everything they can to have you upgrade to a paid position. To summarize let me say this one more time, pick something you can afford. Please don?t turn what could be a pleasant and a paying experience into something that you will regret.
Next, do some research, don?t join the first thing that you see online. There are literally thousands of different programs out there, it can be overwhelming I know but don?t even think you?re going to look at all of them. If you?re serious about starting you business look at a few but be ready to join one that appeals to you. There is one fact that will never change. If you take no action nothing will happen for you. If all you are is an opportunity tire kicker that just isn?t prepared to get going please do all of the marketers out there a favour and stop wasting our money. We are after all paying for those Google ads you?re clicking on.
Sorry I got on a rant there, back to the point. Choose wisely do some research to make sure that the program you think you want to join is a legitimate one. Don?t worry there are lots of people online that want to share their experience with you good and bad. Do a search of the program you like and look for sites that talk about Internet scams and see how you?re program stands up. You may also find testimonials from people that think the program is so good it?s worth telling you about. Of course it goes without saying that you should take this info with a grain of salt on both counts especially if the party you connected to wants you to join under them in their program. And don?t be fooled. One of my favorite affiliate programs is EDC Gold. There are lots of people online that want to slam EDC and tell you about how great their programs are. It?s mostly envy; if they had been smart enough to join EDC they wouldn?t need to bad mouth anybody else?s program and they sure wouldn?t be trying to copy EDC?s format, which by the way most are failing at. And yes, I know I?m not fooling anyone this is a plug for EDC, can you blame me?
Last, I think it?s important to pick something that interests you. If candles are your thing look for a company that pays a commission for selling their candles. If you like to eat there are lots of companies that sell products that you can sell to your friends and enjoy yourself while you?re doing it. In my case I?ll probably eat all of my profits. The point in all of this is to pick a product that will hold your interest. It is far easier to become and remain enthusiastic about your new online business if the product you are representing inspires you.
There is one more aspect in choosing a new online business that I feel is very important and that is the payment scheme that is offered by the program you?re considering joining.
I hope that you have found this article to be helpful and will return to read part 2 of my ?Marketing Can Be Simple? series which is about some of the different types of pay plans that are offered online.
Brian Downie edcgoldprofits@gmail.com http://www.dailyprofitmaker.com
