Online business is indeed a lucrative means by which you can make a comfortable living. In fact, thousands have been able to live quite nicely off of internet marketing. Those who have decoded the nitty-gritty of the trade (social media, PPC, SEO, etc.) have either attained financial freedom or are on their way to reaching that threshold. It gives at the very least the opportunity to design your life the way you wish with hardly anyone looking over your shoulder to order you around.
One of the peculiar joys of Internet marketing is that it puts you in charge literally of your destiny. You get what you input into your business; the internet has virtually democratized the business environment to a significant extent allowing, what one of my clients deemed, “allowing little fish to swim with the big fish and not get eaten”. So while you may engage a professional marketing outfit to handle your marketing chores such as Imagery Magic Solutions (shameless plug, I know J), you have an option of doing your own thing yourself. And this may give you a better sense of personal fulfillment. Honestly, that is how I got started in this, by doing it myself and moving into helping other people.
Should you decide to personally market your online business, you would have to consider a number of factors. Would you have the knowledge, skill, time and commitment to see through your marketing campaigns? The key is to make it personal. Give your own stamp of approval (a touch of self) in order to resonate to your audience that you are not a bot or a big faceless chain is in charge of your marketing. Barb Wade said it best:
“Always be yourself and there is no competition.”
The trick is to start simple. There are a number of cost effective methods and practices through which you can go about marketing your business to steady success, like reading my blogs (another shameless plug; when will it end?). One simple way is to include email signature lines in all messages you send out to friends and associates. Email Signatures simply contain your website address which others may see, visit and become interested in. It would be more effective if you have a separate email address for your official business name, but a good gmail account works just as well. When used in personal correspondences, it works wonders and you can hardly be accused of spamming since it is only a signature line and not an overt advertisement.
That leads me into email marketing. This has been a veritable tool for effective marketing of products with very wonderful and rewarding results. I have already written a few posts on email marketing, if you haven’t already check them out. This simple method allows you to alert customers to the availability of new products, lucrative offers and changes to established businesses. In fact, I know a number of very successful Internet Marketers who use this method almost exclusively and they have several successful sites to show for it. However, knowing the SPAM laws is important.
Another method you can use to enhance the visibility of your site is the submission of your website to Search Engines and Directories.
Whatever methods you finally choose to personally promote your online business will depend on your personal preferences as well as on the results that you are able to get from any or some of them. However, there is this joy and personal fulfillment that you get from running your own business yourself from wherever you choose and at the times that you decide. I love being able to take off whenever my daughter’s school needs help or doing short-term missions with my church.
I’m dating myself here, but as the old commercial said, “Try it, you’ll like it.”
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