Ways to Market Your Online Business

It is estimted that approximately 600,000 businesses are started each year.  According to the SBA 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years.  Why is this?  One reason is that businesses are not started with good, solid planning.  Another is that people think working for themselves is going to be easier than working a 9 to 5 job and don’t put in the amount of work needed for running a business.  When it comes to online businesses I have noticed that the reason a lot of people did not succeed is that they do not know how to market their business online.  Think about it, you can’t simply create a web site or blog and expect people to come flocking to it.  It takes a lot of work and planning.  So here are a few ways to help you market your online business.

1.  Networking.  Yes, I know you may be sick of hearing that word.  But as sick as you may be of hearing it, it won’t change the fact that networking is one of the greatest tools online business owners have to make their businesses work.  Think of it this way:  If you were doing a business off the net you would have to get out there and meet people face to face, door to door, and business to business, right?  Well take that same attitude to the net.  You are doing the exact same thing, only you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home.  All you have to do is create a number of online profiles for your business and befriend people through social networks like Facebook.  Really, how hard is that?

2.  Blogging.  When I first started blogging I have to say it was a discouraging experience.  I didn’t know what I was doing at all, and I tossed the idea out for a while.  The next time I decided to read a book on it and do some research on how to blog the right way.  I will cover correct blogging methods later on, but for now I want to say that no businesses should be without a blog that is updated at the least once a week.  While web pages are great and a must for your business, a blog creates a two way conversation between you and your customers.  Blogs let the world know that your business is alive and well.  I have often visited online businesses and wondered if they were still up and running or just forgotten and failed attempts at something.  But once you find a blog connected to a website you can check for the last post.  If it was a year ago I usually assume that business has moved on, but if it was just last week, well I know shop is still set up here and I’ll stick around.

3.  Search Engines.  Submit your web site or blog to as many search engines as you can, even the ones that you have never heard of.  I have added my site to large search engines like Google and Yahoo, but I also sent them to smaller ones and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they produced traffic for me as well.

If you’re serious about escaping the 40-40-40 plan and having a successful online business, you have to lay a solid foundation.  Remember, 50% fail.  By default, that means that 50% succeed.  Which 50% group have you decided to join?  I’ll give you a few days to get started on these, and then we’ll continue on.

To your MASSIVE success,