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By Craig Lock
Introductory Thoughts:
I hope that the following article based on our experiences may
be informative and/or helpful in your online marketing.
A successful online business isn't built overnight; but is the
result of many late nights. If anyone says that they can teach
you to make a substantial amount of money without hard work,
realize they are talking through "a hole in the head and are out
of their trees".
After seven years doing it, here are my TEN COMMANDMENTS setting
out how to conduct business online (in spite of the recent
demise of so many "high-profile dot-bombs"- ready availability
to large amounts of capital, I believe, can be a big
disadvantage to the small/home business cyberentrepreneur):
Now time to "get straight into it"...
1. Understand that technology should help you achieve your business and personal
goals. It is merely a tool to move you forward with your vision: a "means to an
end" to HELP and enable
you, rather than being an end in itself, (or perhaps even be a disabler to
"untechnos" like me). So make modern technology work
to it's highest potential for you and your business. Spend time
learning about various computer programmes and applications
(hard though it may be for the 'technically challenged'). Then "use it
repeatedly , so you don't lose it!" Accept that the vast majority of www. users
are not "technofreaks" (like my "geek associate", Bill) and have great
difficulty learning new
computer procedures. Well, I certainly do (just ask "Billy boy")!
However, by making a conscious effort and with discipline and
effort the habit ingrained makes it easier and easier, as your confidence grows
in leaps and bounds.
2. Don't take the competition for granted...and don't "knock" them. Never ever!
Accept that no business can be the best in
every facet. The convergence of computer, media, entertainment
and communications means the underlying structures of the computer world will
change rapidly and soon... or so my
"technogeek" associate, Bill (not Gates) says. The
TV/computer/music center is not far away, I hear.
The net is a world wide market-place, so don't be too zenophobic
(now that's a really big word, that I tried very hard to bring
in). I think many Americans (and perhaps New Zealanders too) think that
theirs is the only country on earth in which to trade and is the
centre of the world... and we're nearly falling off the bottom
of the planet near Antarctica!
However, we can all compete fairly ("fairly") against the
competition by transcending international boundaries on a
"global level playing field" - whereby even the "little guys"
can take on the big corporations around the world (except for their massive
marketing budgets, of course!) . It may mean
adjusting your marketing efforts to take into account some
cultural differences (like my rather 'weird' sense of humour, or
different spelling - although it's the same English language).
However, I believe people around the world have more in common
than their differences. Common aspirations, eg. security, to do
their best for their families, etc. Enough philosophical
digression, Craig... and back to your point...
Here in "Sleepy Hollow" (with one of the highest unemployment
rates in the country) in little provincial New Zealand near the bottom of the
world, we sell our various products around the globe in response to customer
needs.
3. Consolidate your business by focusing on what you do best.
Don't try to be "all things" to your customer, nor try to offer
too many products. Concentrate on perfecting and marketing your
"best sellers" in your CORE business activities. That is the
area which produces the most profitable results for your
organization. (remember the "80-20 rule" - 20 of your
activities produces 80 of your results/profit and vice versa!).
For us it's my various books, as well as creative writing
courses.
Define your "USP" (or "unique selling proposition") - a "fancy"
term loved by "those marketing types". What is the key, that makes your product
or service really special?
Now for one rather more philosophical...
4. Honour your parents, your teachers and your communities and
especially your family. Family is most precious of all and
strong and stable family units make for a strong and stable
country. Parenting, I believe is the most noble occupation of all - and parents
want their children to be safe on line, so
supervise them closely. Teach them responsibility in internet usage... so they
don't push your telephone bill sky high (as my
dear boys do - but then that's the price of having and educating
children - a tax on sex!). Teach your children well (as Crosby,
Stills, Nash ... and Young used to sing so melodiously) and wisely. Let them
learn that the net is a great EDUCATION tool
for the present and the future and they could be learning
"practical skills on the job" and preparing for a future
technological career.
5. Do not send spam (sending masses of unsolicited e-mail) - under any
circumstances. You are likely to be cut off by your
server. I find it rather irritating receiving "mountains" of
spam and simply delete all unsolicited e-mail selling products
and services... and wouldn't you do likewise; because it just clutters up your
mailbox?
We've had a lot of fun, learning as we've gone along and this article has been
written in the spirit of helping others around the globe through sharing our
experiences of the www. (after all, we have all been "newbees" at some time)
6. Do not launch your product before the market is ready for
it. Test the market first by doing a survey. Ask yourself: Is
there a NEED for your particular product? In what way is it
distinctive (and superior) to the competition (world-wide,
remember!)? Have all your systems in place to market it... then
always remember, all products have a definite life cycle...and
some are relatively short.
7. Take the business of internet marketing seriously. The
world online population is exploding daily and exponentially
(big word, eh...but what does it mean?). I'm not sure how many
people are online world-wide, but think it may be in the order
of 150-200 million at present and increasing daily. In
addition, I "guess" there are a similar number of web sites
(and many more pages) "up there in cyberspace". So the
competition is "pretty stiff"! As the "cyber-revolution"
gathers momentum, imagine if everyone is online one day?
Impossible perhaps, but who knows! What will that do for your
business and you? An unlimited target market for your PRODUCTS
- if you are still going strong by then. VERY EXCITING!
8. Have an effective web presence. Your internet site should explain
immediately what the visitor will get for their time online. If
it is not clear WHY they should stay, they'll leave before they
try to find out. Therefore make your site as interesting and
informative as you can. I've seen many sites, where I don't
know the webmaster's objective, their PURPOSE. Are they purely
for information, or trying to sell something? Make sure your site loads
quickly, because people soon get tired of waiting in
today's fast /instant (coffee) world.
9. Always remember MARKETING YOUR PRODUCT EFFECTIVELY is the
key to the success of your business. If you don't get adequate
results, you'll soon be out of business... as recurring bills
in the post-box without income to pay them soon take all the
fun out of your venture into "cyber" self-employment.
I spend at least an hour a day purely on internet marketing:
mainly through my various article submissions. Most effective!
Don't forget to use traditional methods of marketing to
promote your business, as in advertising (radio, news- papers,
brochures, and the most effective of all, word of mouth in your
local community). The two strategies (both on-line and
off-line), I believe, work best together in your marketing
plan. I plan to do more off-line advertising, by allocating a
portion of revenue to marketing, as it comes in.
Even if you have the greatest product in the world, you will never sell
anything if you don't tell people about it. It's
like having a billboard in the middle of a forest or a desert.
An example: Just because you have a phone number in the phone
book, doesn't mean that a stranger will call you. So it is
absolutely vital that you advertise effectively to bring people to your site;
because without advertising, there will be no
TRAFFIC... and without prospects there will be NO SALES. And
without sales there will soon be no business!
..and finally and most importantly...
10. Use the Internet to build a better world. We are at the forefront of one
of the most innovative and far-reaching
inventions in human history. The net is the most cost-
efficient, INSTANTANEOUS, EXCITING and effective way of marketing products and
services around the globe through modern
telecommunications. We live in one of the most exciting times
in human history; so exploit the AMAZING POWER of the internet
to reach hundreds of thousands of people and perhaps even millions around the
world. Use your creative energies and
imagination to the fullest, by thinking of new ideas of how to market your
particular products. I keep a notebook by my
bedside and leave to my creative subconscious mind just before
I go to sleep. And we all have great powers of imagination as
the source for creative ideas, through the amazing power of the
human mind (that's the subject of my next book, btw).
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