What Is Your Online Business Model?

What does your perfect business look and sound like?
Are you one of those that is looking to make money at home for doing nothing?
Or, do you plan to work hard to earn this income in such a way as so that it can actually replace the income you are currently making? While some individuals look at the opportunities and worry if in fact it is possible to not get ripped off, others take the time to actually learn what makes them work. These are the individuals that will succeed in their online business endeavors.
You Can Make Money Online
You just need to know how.Step one in the process is learning about some of the options out there that are available. We are not talking about scams and games but legitimate businesses that you can make a great deal of money with. Once you learn what is available, you'll need to analyze which project fits with your specific being. What makes you tick, in other words? Finally, you'll need to get yourself motivated and get your products out there.
What's Out There?
There are many various types of businesses that you can secure. Many of them include selling products, software, ebooks, or the like. In some cases, you will want to produce and sell your own product while in others you'll want to use another's product to make a profit from. One this is for sure, you'll probably need to set up a website to sell it. In most cases, individuals will set up a website for the product that they are trying to sell and then promote that site. To do this, there are a number of means that will work for them. They can use ads from the search engine Google for example. Some like to fill their website with great content so that the search engines stop there when someone does a search for their product. You can create good articles about the products you are selling and submit them to article directories which will allow others to use them. This allows people to come to your site for their product needs. Still, there are many ways in which you can promote your product through a website. Now, before you worry that you are not Internet savvy enough to actually make a website, there is just nothing to worry about. There are simple to use software programs that will basically do the work for you. These are not overly expensive and can easily help you to create a website within a matter of minutes.
What Works For You
The best advice that you can get is to take the time to look for opportunities that appeal to you. Ask which ones actually sound good to you and determine if you could get behind selling that product or working that business. If you can put your heart into it (not necessarily a lot of money!) then you can make it work. After you have taken the time to find out which opportunities are available, look at them side to side and stay focused. You do not want to overwhelm yourself by trying to do too many things all at once. Instead, you need to determine which one you want to start with. You can always go back for more later! Then, you'll want to build on your business through knowledge. This is very powerful to have. You can learn a lot about why a business works right online without paying a dime for it. You may want to purchase a product that will teach you, but even this is not necessarily going to make your business. You have to make your business work. You have to invest your time in doing so. You may also need to invest a little money to earn money. But, the rewards from working your own business can be amazing. Thousands of people get started every day at a new online venture. Most of them fail not because the business will not work, but because they do not know what to do, don't put their best foot forward and they simply do not step into it with the best attitude. The best attitude is that of keenness and enthusiasm to "have a go" and put some realistic time and effort into making money. For those that are ready and willing to change their life, there is a business out there with their name on it.

Easy Ways To Make Extra Cash Online

There are numerous simple and easy ways to make some extra cash online. This article will give you some ideas.

Surveys
One of the best ways to earn some extra cash online is by taking surveys. There are many companies that need consumer opinions on a wide range of topics, and many of them will pay you money or with points you can redeem for cash or prizes. It's easy and free to signup and the more surveys you take, the more money and prizes you will get. It just takes a small investment of your time.

Writing
If you have decent writing skills, there are many publishers and content distributors who need content for their websites. Two such sites are AssociatedContent.com and Helium.com, they will pay you for each article you write. You don't have to be a fantastic writer either, just have a good grasp of English and be able to write something of interest on a given topic.

Blogging
Blogging is fun and easy and, again, you don't need great writing skills. You just need to be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas well. You can get your own customizable blog by getting a domain and hosting package that includes the Fantastico module. This module allows you to install the blogging software, WordPress, with 1 simple click. It's super fast and easy and you'll be blogging in no time. Once you have some visitors, you can add Adsense ads or affiliate ads to leverage your visitors and make money from them. Remember, the more interesting your topic, the more people will be interested, and the more readers you get, the more money you will make from your advertising. Blogs can be about anything, what do you have a passion for? What is your interest? Blog about it!

Affiliate Marketing
Many online companies have affiliate programs. Amazon.com, for instance, has a great affiliate program that allows you to sign up and get a customized URL to any page or area of their site. Then you can send this URL to your friends and family and encourage them to buy gifts from Amazon.com. With every purchase from your affiliate link, you get a commission! There are thousands of other affiliate programs out there, in addition to Amazon's program.

Sell Your Extra Stuff
We all have extra stuff laying around our houses or garages. Why not get rid of it and make some money too? Get your stuff and take a picture, write a description and put it up on eBay. You may find that something you thought that wasn't worth anything, is actually worth something!

Contests, Sweepstakes and Instant Win Games
Everyday there are new contests, sweepstakes and instant win games launching. If you are vigilant and spend an hour or a few a day entering contests and playing these games, you will win something eventually. Playing these games and contests is often fun anyway, so why not take a chance? Check out sweeps.ws for a great list of contests, sweepstakes and instant win games.

Free Lottos
You know how you go to the convenience store every week and spend a few bucks on lottery tickets? Well, there are also online lotteries where you can get tickets and win cash prizes. The difference is, these lotteries are free! Yes, free! You can find a list of free lottos at sweeps.ws.

Online Casinos
There are hundreds of different online casinos on the web. I bet you thought that you needed money to play at them and win? Well, you were wrong. You can signup for free poker tournaments that have cash prizes. There are also slot, roulette and blackjack tournaments that you can play that have real money prizes. All for free! Check out freerolls.net and gambling.com for listings. There you go, 8 fun and easy ideas to make some extra cash online!

Researching An Internet Home Based Business Opportunity

If you are a looking for more ways to earn more, consider an internet home based business. When choosing the right internet home based business, it is important to choose the opportunity that matches the skills you have, in a field that you enjoy. Shifting through the different advertisements and flyers, you will find that there are lots of internet home based business opportunities being promoted, and it might be hard finding the right one. There is also the problem of finding a home based business opportunity, which is legitimate. There are a number of people looking to sell you an "opportunity" which is really a scam. Therefore, all these things must be considered when starting to look for the right internet home based business opportunity. To choose the right internet home based business, start with the field that you already know something about. For example, if you have experience in the healthcare field, look for opportunities to work from home in the healthcare field. This is actually one of the most important factors for any job - finding something you like and putting all your energy into making it work. After you have determined the area or field you want to look for your new internet home based business in, the next step would be to actually research the different opportunities available to you as a home worker. Home based business opportunities can be found almost everywhere we look. You can search for your new business opportunity in the newspaper, magazine ad, Internet, posters in your neighborhood, or on the Internet. The Internet is one of the best places to look for home based business opportunities, as it is not limited to your local area, but will have information about opportunities occurring worldwide. When a list of internet home based business opportunities has been compiled in an area or field you feel comfortable in, spending time comparing and contrasting the advantages and disadvantages of each business opportunity. It is important to really consider every aspect of an internet home based business, before taking the plunge into it. Things to compare and contrast about your different internet home based business opportunities would be criteria such as the amount of time needed to set it up, the amount of money involved in running it, the amount of support given from the parent company, and the length of time estimated before you start achieving a profit. After all the different advantages and disadvantages have been considered in regards to your internet home based business opportunity, it should be more clear to you, which opportunity will cost the least of your time and money, and be right for your to promote. But it should be cautioned to not rush into any opportunity before carefully considering all the disadvantages attached to it. The worse scenario to occur would be for you to decide midway into your internet home based business, that you are ill-suited for it, after investing so many hours into your new business. In the end, when researching internet home based business opportunities it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to choose the create opportunity for you. A new internet home based business opportunity can be something that comes "prepackaged". In these types of opportunities, you are more likely to have the support of the company's more senior members. However, some people opt to choose a business opportunity that they have heard about from somewhere else and perfected themselves. In this scenario, less or almost no support is available. Regardless, of which of these options you choose, the bottom line is find an internet home based business opportunity you can enjoy!

Make Associate Programs an Extra Income

Do you have a connection with another site that can offer something new? Then you should know more about an associate program or sometimes called partnership program. This is where the companies selling products or services online gives a part of their profits as a commission on any sales you create for them by introducing new customers. These have become very popular for both companies who are looking for an increase in sales and websites who have been inadequate in producing some earnings. Whether you have a website that sells a certain product/service or a website that has nothing to sell, you should not stop from joining related associate program for your website, product or service because it can give you additional earnings. Some companies who offers associate program usually weigh their compensation rates in terms of those sites that send the most clicks and converted actual sales. When somebody reaches an industrial site and make some purchase from the site, you will get a commission for that as a return. You will greatly benefit when you join any associate programs that are related to your business that definitely would sell other products or businesses to your clients. Indeed, it's really an additional source of gaining cash. The examples of companies that have affiliate programs are the software retailer Beyond.com and bookseller Amazon.com wherein anyone can have affiliation with these commercial sites and direct people to visit them. By using the associate program, every one has a chance to add a significant value to any website. And a good quality website can become more valuable and dynamic if it offers a wide variety or different products and services as an associate. There are also several types of associate programs like the Web Cards. This is an associate program that pays one dollar to affiliates each time a consumer asks for a free sample of their merchandise. The product is actually a postcard of an image or a website. Wherein the user does not need to spend some money yet an affiliate gets a small fee for it. One should remember that associate programs increase the usefulness of a site only if the commercial site offers the users something valuable. An associate program may affect the accessibility of a site, but it will make it easy and convenient for users, they may visit a site searching for a product or service that it does not offer. However, the site can at least direct the customer to another site that offers that particular product or service. People would definitely like to revisit a site that leads them to a good purchase. That is a very important factor to have a good rapport with the client. For the success of an associate program, it is necessary to make sure that the content of a site matches the program. Otherwise, the visitors may get irritated. For example, if one has a website on watches, it is better to keep away from giving a link to a pastry shop. It will just give a negative impression to the customers about the products and the company. When joining an associate program and reselling their products or services, there are critical things that needs to be considered because your customers are also counting on you for the good recommendations that you will make and your reputation will depend on it. It is really valuable if one would join an associate program because of the benefits that they will get, but if you are serious in joining a program you should first get and try the product or service of the company before recommending it to somebody or to a customer.

How to Achieve E-Commerce Success - You Gotta Plan!

"Build it and they will come! Not! You can have a terrific site, with lots of bells and whistles and if people don’t know you exist, you never get any visitors, let alone customers." Heidi Richards
Before becoming a netpreneaur, I was an entrepreneur. First, I owned a successful child care center which grew to capacity in less than two years. When I sold that, I bought a little flower shop that had less than 300 customers and grew it to what it is today, one of the most successful, award winning companies in South Florida with more than 7,000 customers who purchase from us on a regular business. To better serve our customers, we took our business to the Internet. We still have a brick and mortar storefront, yet everyday we receive more and more customers via the Internet.
How about you? Do you or did you have a traditional business or professional practice? Is it successful? Unless you were born under the star called “LUCKY,” you probably did lots of planning. A business plan, a marketing plan, maybe even a succession plan for what to do with your business when you were through.
You may have heard the statistics that half of all small businesses fail in their first year and of those, only 25% make it through to five years. According to youngbiz.com it can be even less for e-businesses.
Build it and they will come! Not! You can have a terrific site, with lots of bells and whistles and if people don’t know you exist, you never get any visitors, let alone customers.
Planning is the key to success in business. Amazon.com had a plan, Bill Gates had a plan, eDiets had a plan, and I’ll bet they still do. Once a business launches on the net, you will need a marketing plan to be successful. Your biggest challenge will be to find time to plan. However, if you don’t find time now, you will find yourself with plenty of it (time, that is) later on, and no business to speak of.
Unlike a business, generally created to get financial backing from investors, Netpreneurs create marketing plans for themselves. Where do you start? First you have to ask yourself these questions. Where do you want to be in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years? How many customers do you want or better yet, how much money do you want to make? Who are your customers? Do you know what they want, need and expect? Can you give it to them? What are your competitors doing? What are you doing that is different? How will you promote your business?
Now Create your Website marketing plan.
Put it in writing! Not only do you have to plan, you have to write it down! Take a notebook or idea book and write the following: your vision, mission strategies, goals and the time frame you wish to accomplish these goals. Keep this notebook next to your computer to refer to. It will help you stay focused.
What is your vision for your business? Your vision is what you want your web site to accomplish. Write your vision statement in your notebook. The vision statement for my flower shop is to “Make a reasonable profit via the Internet by providing a quality product, delivering exceptional service, at a price my customers will pay.”
What are your goals? What do you believe you can accomplish that may be a bit of a stretch but doable? If the goals are too easy, you are not getting the most out of your planning process. And you could be losing money. Can make a profit of 20% in 3 months? Can double your customer base in 6 months? If so, write it in your notebook.
What steps do you need to take to achieve your goals? How much do you have to sell to achieve your goals? You must first know your profit margin to determine this figure. Then you have to figure out how you are going to find the customers to make your goals come true.
What are your marketing strategies? Start with those goals you know you can attain. How will you reach your market? Are you going to use search engine optimization, email, newsletters, networking, advertising on related sites, advertising in trade magazines, or write an article to submit to online publications? Participate in online forums, message boards and newsgroups. Include your URL (Internet address) in your signature file.
What is the time-frame for accomplishing your goals? Create a time-line for every goal in your notebook. Next to each goal, write down the starting and ending dates of when you plan to accomplish that goal as well as what type of marketing strategies you are using.
Are you keeping track of your marketing results? If you are doing any advertising whether it is online or offline, track the results. You can track online advertising using ad tracking software , to track all the links you place online. Analyze web site statistics to find out how visits found you. For offline advertising, place codes or words in your advertising to keep track. Your online order forms should have a place to enter the code. To learn how customers found us, we use a numeric code on all advertising/marketing materials.
What is your return on investment? How much money did the marketing strategy cost? How much money did you take in? Subtract the second figure from the first and that is your profit (or loss).
Keep track of those marketing campaigns that worked and those that didn’t. Do more of the first. Reevaluate the second. Can you change one thing in the strategy and achieve different results? Try it! Add new strategies to the mix.
Stay focused on your goals. Nothing feels better than accomplishing a goal. Except maybe, all the money you are going to make when you do!

Target Marketing Your Internet E-Commerce

It is one of the supreme ironies of the Internet that the computer, so long derided as impersonal, is now being used to create highly personal experiences for Web site visitors. Because a computer can sift through vast amounts of existing information according to preprogrammed rules, computers can now take company information (or special interest information) and combine it with information supplied by prospective customers and digest it in a way that is meaningful to each individual. What are the best ways for businesses to personalize selling and customize products in order to build business. Although many of these methods are still in their infancy, a great deal can be gleaned as to current strategies and technologies and techniques and strategies can be implemented. To attract new customers, companies can now establish Web sites that provide highly individualized recommendations based on information provided by the customer. In this way, it's possible to tell a prospective customer exactly which product, among a plethora of possibilities, is just right for that individual or that business. The strategic idea behind these efforts is clear: By empowering the customer with information about how a specific offering meets his or her needs, the company positions itself as a knowledgeable place to buy and also demonstrates how its products are just right for that individual customer. This information, properly used, gives an existing supplier or retailer a clear leg up on the competition: The Company is able to use its information to establish itself as the supplier of choice and to suggest services to existing customers before they request them. Companies can maintain effectively private Web sites for individual clients so that they can both provide extraordinary service and recommend new products that will be of value to these customers. In the past, this type of personalized communication was virtually impossible: Retailers and suppliers lacked the detailed information necessary to provide these recommendations and the ability to cost-effectively communicate it to individual customers. However, today we have moved into an era where technology allows firms to cater to the individual needs of customers in a way that have not been possible before. The value of these initiatives, both in tightening the bonds with existing customers and in attracting new customers, is high. Another business tool made possible by the Internet is something that previously was available only to the wealthy: product customization, done quickly and inexpensively. How are companies making use of several levels of "personal" recommendations ? In adopting any strategy based on personalization, privacy is a central issue. The ability to make the customer feel comfortable enough to give you the information you need to create a tailored product or solution is among the primary challenges companies must overcome. 1) The Web's ability to help companies establish marketing intimacy is possible because a Web site combines five elements: 2) An opportunity to present information in an interactive format, permitting customers to express their preferences to the owner of the Web site 3) Virtually costless online communications between the potential buyer and seller 4) A visual component that lets potential buyers see prospective purchases and how they would appear if personalized The ability to store tremendous amounts of personal information about their customers 5) An unprecedented ability to create systems that configure products so that costly errors are eliminated, thus reducing the expense of creating custom products Presently, one-to-one selling can be viewed in two general categories, recommending and customization. Brick-and-mortar companies have long known that for the most part, either a motivated buyer has done a great deal of research on a particular product, or a product has been enthusiastically recommended by a friend or business associate. This knowledge leads to two keys to establishing a Web site that motivates buying: Ample information (so that the buyer needn't do any more research—and, in the process, possibly depart your Web site for another) A positive recommendation.In the past effective recommendations were generally person to person, there are several reasons why these technology-based recommendations are valued now. One has to do with the dizzying array of choices that now faces consumers. A cosmetics firm may offer hundreds of shades of lipstick or eye shadow; financial services companies have become true supermarkets filled with choices; well-known cold remedies now have multiple versions that end with words such as "plus" and "sinus" and "cough." A generation ago, the dilemma posed by the array of choices was generally solved through one-on-one interaction (selling, if you will). Someone with a cold would have stopped by his or her local pharmacy and chatted with the pharmacist about which of the three or four cold remedies carried by the pharmacy would be best. Depending on your product and customer, several types of recommending functions may work best. But first, let's take a moment to consider how to judge effectiveness.. Personalization, like any business initiative, should be used judiciously. There are real costs that accompany developing personalized applications: They range from the hard cost of development dollars to the cost of disappointing customers or prospects who expected a better experience. It's important to assess whether a personalization effort will be effective and contribute meaningfully to new sales or customer retention before investing the time and money in bringing it to market. The criteria for establishing an effective recommendation system are different for every product. The system chosen is dependent upon a balance of the following: (1) the nature of the product, (2) the amount of information needed from the potential buyer to make an effective recommendation, and (3) the likely willingness of the prospective buyer to share this needed information with you. Will consumers will trust the information they receive from companies on the Web as much as (or more than) they trust sales representatives? All evidence to date suggests the answer is yes. People believe that no trusted brand will risk its good name by posting misleading information on the Web. As you go about creating an online recommendation system, your overriding goal should be to make the online shopping experience better than what a customer might encounter in the physical world. Therefore, you need to ask yourself: "What can my company accomplish using this medium that can't be accomplished in the physical world?" Payment issues online seemed to have been taken care of by the credit card companies as a matter of routine. What about issues of privacy? Consider gathering data anonymously. Recommendation systems that provide advice to consumers anonymously are likely to be far more popular and, therefore, more effective. In these cases, you are able to provide the prospective buyer with value without needing to jump the hurdle of "you can trust me with this information." If you'd prefer to record the identities of site visitors, you are one step ahead if you are a recognized brand. Consumers are already predisposed to believe in your company name. In this case, address the privacy issue head-on with a statement that precedes your online registration form: "The information gathered here is to help us better serve you; we will not share or sell this information to anyone." Finally, if you plan to share customer data with others, then you need to be explicit about it and receive the customer's permission. The worst thing you can do is fail to inform the customer that some piece of information you determine about him or her may be used in some way the customer does not expect. Product customization is possible because of a convergence of two elements: the Web as a one-to-one communications technology and manufacturing processes that allow for the development and delivery of custom products. Designing your own custom desktop computer at Web sites such as Dell has become "commonplace," but what about designing your own swimsuit or, perhaps, golf clubs? These customized services provide several valuable benefits for companies: (1) They help to drive new business, and (2) customers are willing to pay a premium price for an individually designed product, which means these products and services sometimes have higher profit margins than standard offerings. The ability to interact with customers and say, "I can create the product that is just right for you," is one of the most powerful features of the Web. Expansion of this Internet capability will be the inevitable result of the combination of (1) manufacturers creating products that permit increasing customization, (2) further advances in computing power at ever decreasing costs, and (3) new software that is continuously enhancing the options available to businesses to personalize. Smart companies realize that the more involved the relationship becomes with the customer, the better their rate of retention. They are implementing this strategy in a wide variety of creative ways, involving both personalization and customization, and will certainly enhance their applications significantly over time: 1). Companies are creating extraordinary convenience for customers and establishing systems to speed the fulfillment of custom orders. 2). E-mail communications and reminder systems are going to be used increasingly. The ultimate goal of every business is to have a customer who wants to hear from the business about new products that he or she might want to buy. E-mail, for the first time, provides this type of powerful tool, since it's an almost costless communications vehicle. 3). In business-to-business selling, smart companies are also linking tightly to their customers. Leading-edge technology companies are offering custom password-protected Web sites for their corporate accounts and high-volume small business accounts. These sites are typically designed to simplify the buying process, and they offer (1) customer online malls offering products preselected by the company to be bought by employees at volume discount prices, (2) electronic mail links to account managers responsible for serving that customer, (3) the ability to track the status of orders, and (4) dramatic increases in the speed of order fulfillment through the elimination of paper forms and a reduction in errors. This is a clear way of providing customers with additional value and of tying the customer more closely to your company. Most companies will also see an increase in revenues from these accounts. What was called for, of course, was a new category of employee: "e-mail respondents"; yet no one wanted to add staff at an additional expense to a project that was in its infancy. Enter "response software." Several intelligent software systems, are able to routinely handle and route questions, so there is no excuse for underserving your customers with the first and most basic customer service—answering their questions. Companies who are successfully managing their e-mail via electronic means are also taking the opportunity to benefit from the Knowledge they glean.Companies are finally transforming their Web sites from marketing brochures to vehicles that turn visits into sales leads. Those who develop a Web presence and fail to respond to electronic inquiries in a timely manner run the risk of losing existing and new customers. Industry research also shows that only 30 percent of Fortune 500 companies respond to questions directed to these companies through their Web sites, which means a large number of customers aren't getting the personal attention winning companies need to provide. As you consider the possibilities offered by personalization and customization, I suggest that these initiatives be weighed against these criteria: Will the initiative enhance relationships with my customers by adding convenience or a better ability to meet their needs?Will the initiative result in potentially high cost-savings for my organization Will intelligent product configuration eliminate and reduce costly order errors and help to target vital marketing efforts directed at the customer base entity?

How To Improve Conversion Rates On E-commerce Sites

As competition increases in the online market space, more companies vie for Top 10 placement on the search engines, driving up costs per click. In such an environment it is imperative for companies bidding on top positions to convert as many visitor clicks into customers as possible. This article discusses a few measures all companies can take to improve conversion rates on their e-commerce sites.
1. Keyword Research
• Ensure that your keyword research is thorough. If you only select the most obvious keywords, you will pay more, since all your competitors will also be bidding on them.
• If you select only generic keywords, you will suffer low conversion rates since visitors typing such words in are often not yet ready to buy.
• If you miss out the unique keywords which no one else is bidding on, you will miss the opportunity to sell to visitors that search on these keywords.
• Use negative keywords to discourage irrelevant searches from displaying your advertisement. 2. Effective Ad Copy
• Ensure that your ads describe your product or service precisely.
• Do not lie in your ads to attract visitors. If visitors don't find what your ad promised on your site, they will leave, making your conversion rates fall.
• Use your ad to discourage the wrong sort of people from clicking. E.g. if you sell a premium product, don't use words like "cheap" or "bargain".
3. Consistency
• Deliver what your ad promises. Always.
• Make sure that your offline and online advertising image is consistent.
• Most importantly, for e-commerce sites, ensure that the price quoted is consistent throughout your site and through the entire checkout process.
4. No Hidden Costs
• Make customers aware of any extra costs at the very start of the checkout process.
• VAT and postage should be clearly mentioned as extras.
• If the amount quoted at the start is unexpectedly different from the final total, customers will abandon the checkout process and shop elsewhere. This will make your conversion rate suffer greatly.
5. Comprehensive Search Engine Marketing
• Customers often browse and return for products. If they can't find you when they return, you will loose the conversion.
• Top 10 placement in the natural and paid listings often reinforces customer trust in your brand, making them more likely to buy from your site.
• Ensure that your search engine marketing campaign also builds a brand in the minds of browsers, so that when they are ready to buy, they will come to your site since it is the only one they recognize. When you increase conversion rates on your e-commerce site, you can automatically afford to bid more per click without suffering a loss. If you find CPC's rising and profitably diminishing rapidly, the first step you should take is to review your site to ensure that you are converting as many visitors as possible. The maths is very simple: If you currently pay £1.00 per click on Google, convert only 1% of these clicks, and the profit you make on each conversion is just £100, your total cost = total profit, meaning you just break even. If you have to raise your CPC to £1.10 per click in order to maintain your top 10 position, you will suffer a loss. However, if you just raised your conversion rate by 1%, you would actually find yourself making a profit, since your cost would now be £110 for 100 clicks but the profit made from 2% conversion, i.e. 2 sales would be £200!