This post aims to show you strategies and tactics that work in the real world, in different markets, and not pure theory. Now, there are many ways to create an internet business. One of the most rewarding is transforming your talent, knowledge or experience into an info product, which can be an online course, an ebook, coaching, software, etc. That is what I will explain to you in this post.
Below you have the eight ways that I consider essential for anyone who wants to start an internet business by creating an online course so that you can help other people with your knowledge and experience in a certain area.
Ways to start an online business
1. Your blog
Having a blog (not free but on your own domain) allows you to put your personality into the business, which is essential to differentiate yourself from the rest in your industry. You can post your own content, receive comments, spread it on social sites like Facebook and Twitter, and build your list of email subscribers. All in the same place. And you don’t have to look glamorous or anything like that. The idea is not that it looks PRETTY. The idea is that it starts to WORK.
2. Your list
If you really want to be successful with your internet business and not be just one of the crowd, you cannot depend on traffic sources (generating visits) that you do not directly control. The money is on the list. On the internet, the amount of income you generate with your online business is directly proportional to the quantity and quality of your list of volunteer email subscribers.
The second thing I did on my blog was add an email subscription form to start getting subscribers.
I knew that I would need my audience and my list when creating my digital products. My preferred traffic sources for building my list are Facebook and Google ads because I can get visitors overnight, convert them into email subscribers, and then into customers.
Your list of subscribers is the main asset of your online business. So make sure you use a good email marketing service from the start if you don’t want to experience the headaches of moving your list from a poor platform to a decent one when your business grows.
3. Content
Obviously, a blog is no good without content. So I started posting content about my experiences and things that had proven to work, and so I always had valuable new posts to ‘nurture’ my subscribers. You can use video content to educate your followers as well since video content is more engaging. For example, a tutorial video helps explain how to finish a task in a more engaging way.
4. Offer your product
My first info-product was far from finished in those first few months, but I shouldn’t build my audience based only on free content because if I didn’t periodically send an offer on a product to my list, people could resent it when I start ‘marketing’ them suddenly.
I started to promote other products as an affiliate, consistent with my personality and the type of content I was publishing. Both at the beginning and when you are somewhat more experienced, this will be key in your online business. Promote other products that really help your subscribers with their businesses, and you can not cover everything (you will earn good commissions as an affiliate).
When you decide to promote a product to your list, ensure that the product owner has results that demonstrate what they teach with their product. That’s basic. But there is another reason for that, which is just as powerful as the previous one:
The people who had the best products obviously had large, high-quality lists of subscribers. Those subscribers are willing to pay good sums of money. In other words, the people I was affiliated with were also ideal affiliates for the product I would later launch.
Obviously, it is different to contact someone to propose that they promote your product when you have already generated $500, $1000, or even more in sales. You already have a relationship with them, then contact someone and simply say, “I have a product. Do you have a product?” do you want to promote it?”
So, look at your affiliate marketing in a strategic way that will pay off far more in the future than just the commissions you can generate now. But keep in mind that the internet is not about “I help you and you help me because I helped you.” When you promote a product because you know it will really serve your subscribers, and you’re not just waiting for later help from the product owner on a launch of yours, that’s when things work best. Trust me!
5. Your Products
Never start developing a product first if you don’t know if there is a market for your product. Research on Google. If there are at least 2 or 3 products similar to the one you want to create, it means that it is a good market because if they are promoting those products through ads, it means that they are profitable.
And that suits you because it indicates that there are people who already buy products like yours.
Don’t worry that there is competition. Worry when there is no competition because no people are willing to pay for products like the one you want to create.
6. Traffic
Without web traffic, you will not have people who know what you do. There are many traffic generation strategies. Pick one and master it. After mastering it, you can implement another additional strategy but first, focus on one strategy for a whole year. Successful businesses aren’t created overnight, and if someone tells you that, run away and never listen to them again. The strategy that I chose to leverage all the effort I was making on my blog is Facebook ads.
7. Repetition
And that’s it. You just have to repeat it! Again and again, again and again! Continue helping to solve common problems of your followers with your blog’s content. By doing that, your subscribers will inevitably see your offers and launches because you always provide them with valuable content.
Do not look for the magic formula to earn money online. The formula is the one I read here, and it’s not that complicated. The complicated thing is that you commit to yourself and that you have perseverance.
Don’t waste your time and decrease your productivity with technical aspects like choosing the best template for your blog or the best platform to launch your products. You can always improve and optimize everything along the way, but it’s about starting once and for all and, little by little, generating that snowball effect in your business.
8. Become a better person
Nothing will make sense if you don’t have the right mindset and don’t care about your personal growth. Your income grows as you grow, and it took me huge failures and endless nights of silent crying to understand that. Are you going to make mistakes in the process? Of course. The only ones who will not make mistakes are those who do not dare.
Closing
Well, the eight ways above are the ones I follow every day and the ones I recommend to anyone getting involved in the fascinating world of internet business. And to finish, I just tell you that if you don’t have results with your internet business, don’t worry, get busy!
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