So you’ve finished building a great website and you’re ready to start raking in the profits – if you can figure out how to let the world know your business exists. Although creating an attractive website is an important first step if you plan to start your own online business, it is definitely not the last. In fact, once the website is complete you’ve still got quite a lot of work on the horizon.

Just because you have a website up and running, it doesn’t mean people will automatically know where to find you. And yet, surprisingly, many first-time web entrepreneurs drop the ball at this point in the game. They assume customers will find them amongst all the other sites floating around in cyberspace, as if through some kind of psychic connection. But if you think about it, this type of thinking is very misguided.

It is the same with any business: customers won’t start flocking to your store unless you invest some time and money into advertising. Depending on your budget, you can either blast the trumpet really loud or toot the horn a little bit at a time. But in the end, you have to make some kind of noise in order to be heard.

But how do you achieve this in the vacuum of cyberspace? Or perhaps more fittingly, how do you make yourself heard amidst a crowd of other aspiring musicians all trumpeting their own cause? Obviously, online marketing is different from marketing a bricks-and-mortar business, so it’s important to know exactly where to begin. If you take the proper steps you will be attracting interested customers in no time.

The first step is to know your customer, inside and out. This is key if you want to be successful in your marketing strategy because you can’t market to potential customers if you don’t know who they are. For someone selling baked goods, targeting the “Carb-Haters of America” might not result in the profits you are anticipating.

Next, determine where you want to market your product. The Internet allows every new or expanding business the opportunity to reach a global market, but not every business is aiming for that goal. If your website is set up as one arm of your existing offline business, you might wish to target potential customers in your local area who also want the option of online shopping. In this case, integrate your website into promotional materials for your store so people will learn about the new branch of your business. Essentially, the efforts you make to promote your business outside of the Internet can be used to get your web address out there as well.

Internet Marketing

But of course, most people who begin an online venture are looking to broaden their customer base and attract a global clientele. There are several ways to start advertising online. Just remember: online marketing is always changing, and nothing works perfectly for every business. You might have to tailor a marketing plan to suit your company’s specific goals, or if Internet marketing makes your head spin, you also have the option of hiring a company to do the marketing for you.

Step one: register with search engines. Unfortunately, this doesn’t guarantee hits to your site, and the promises many search engines make are usually more pie-in-the-sky than realistic, but it is still a necessary evil. If you have to choose, register with Yahoo! and Google, as the highest percentage of web traffic originates from these two giants. In the past, achieving top search results could be done for free; now you have to shell out some cash if you want to get top placement and advertising space. Yahoo! Express and Google’s Adwords program are two examples of this type of paid search engine placement.

Another way to get noticed is to participate in a link exchange. Simply put, this involves seeking out other websites that are related to your company or product in some way and asking the owner if he/she will post your link on the site. If the owner agrees, you offer to post their link on your site, hence the term “link exchange.” This is a good way to start advertising your site because it involves targeting the right kind of people (someone visiting a site already related to your business) and forming solid bonds with other websites. And the more links other sites have to your site, the more popular you become with the search engines, without having to pay for top placement.

Finally, don’t sit back and wait for customers to come to you. Be proactive and go directly to your clientele. Of course, this means you must know where to find them, but this sounds harder than it actually is.

For instance, many new businesses actually use eBay to source potential customers. It depends on what you’re selling, but if you know a lot of people looking for your product spend a good amount of time making eBay purchases, that might be a good place to begin and get your name out in public. Use eBay as a marketing tool – sell a few items for very low prices, get people on your email list and invite them to consider future purchases from your website. EBay is more than a place to sell goods; it can be used as a highly effective marketing tool.

Or, as mentioned above, make business connections with people in a related business. Pay to have banner ads displayed on other websites to help spread the word about your business. This will bring you closer to the people who make up your target market.

This is just the beginning when it comes to online marketing, but if you start off on the right foot and persevere, you will succeed.
 

Mortgages are a funny thing. There are more lenders out there than one can shake a stick at, and beware; not all of them are scrupulous. According to statistics approximately 30% of the mortgage brokers operating in the U.S. are considered to be suspicious or do not meet the standards of proper business practices. Ask yourself, is my prospective broker in that 30%? The question remains how can you be sure that your broker is above board? Well there are a few ways, but they involve some legwork. Considering that you are purchasing a house, a fairly expensive commodity as purchases go; it might be a good idea to do the research.

A good idea is to start with your local Chamber of Commerce. Chambers usually have some great resources on financial institutions and you might even be able to find a lender who is a member of the local Chamber. Another good spot to look is the Better Business Bureau. But do be careful, businesses that run afoul of the BBB tend to change names quickly so it pays to find out as much info about your lender as possible.

There are definite things to look out for when securing your financing, does the lender explain everything? Do they take the time to walk you through the terms of your loan, detailing everything from start to finish? Do they seem to want to rush the process and have you sign quickly and without much explanation? One of these approaches should be setting off alarms. Make sure that the lender explains the type of loan you are receiving. The last thing you want to do is sign your agreement, only later to discover that you have signed up for a "balloon loan" where the balance of the loan is due after only 5-7 years when you were expecting a standard mortgage spread over 20-30 years.

The best practice is to use lenders that are recommended by the Chamber of Commerce and the BBB. Stick to institutions that have a longstanding reputation in the community and have the references and customer testimonials to prove it. If you are dealing with established banks then usually the bank's reputation will speak for itself but in utilizing private lenders be sure to do the homework.
 

Statistics show that 96% of adults between the ages of 25 and 44 show interest in running their own home based business. The opportunity to gain control over their life, to have financial security along with retirement peace of mind is what most home business entrepreneurs are seeking. The benefits of running your own home business are plentiful. There is low overhead; the advantage of home based tax, no employees and unlimited earning potential. With this in mind it is easy to see why so many of us are interested in a legitimate and profitable home business opportunity. If you are one of the many people seeking such business opportunities, here is a list of the top five ranking home businesses for 2007.

Wedding Consultant

With the rise in popularity for over the top weddings the opportunity of becoming a wedding consultant or wedding planning service is in its prime. Wedding planning is a billion dollar business and can easily be run from a home office. Everything you need is at your fingertips. As long as you have the minimum tools needed such as a computer, fax/copier, phone and Internet connection you are ready to begin. Searching local florists, bakeries and decoration shops can all be done from your office. Send out emails, faxes or phone calls to contact and compare services. You can also send photocopies via email to your clients. As long as you have an eye for details and you can remain calm and organized this may be the home business for you.

Dietary Consultant

As the importance of a healthy diet is recognized across America, the request for dieticians is rapidly increasing. Millions of men and women are in need of nutritional guidance as well as motivational assistance. With online training you can become certified quickly and do so from your home office. Once you are certified you can run your business from your home office. Sending daily to weekly emails with menus or nutritional guidelines and follow up patient phone calls. It’s a simple money making business that is more than satisfactory on a monetary level. The satisfaction also comes from the job itself. With your guidance, people’s lives are changed and they are offered the chance of a higher quality of life through your services.

Sewing And Alteration Services

Alterations are needed for several types of clothing. Wedding gowns, prom dresses and cheerleading uniforms can all require alterations. Seasonal changes and special events such as school reunions can all be great for business. Running an alteration service from your home allows you to provide customers with a lower priced service that is likely to carry better quality. If you have a sewing machine and the space to perform these services you could find the answer to your home business blues.

In Home Beauty Services

An in home salon can be very appealing to number of customers. A small, quiet location where they can simply have their hair cut and styled is what most women want. The prices of a manicure or set of acrylic nails is outrageous and these companies are often foreign family based services. Having someone who speaks your language and charges a fair price is far more likely to profit from this business. Customers will gladly spread verbal advertisement when satisfactory results are received.

Cleaning Service

Operating a cleaning service from your home is simple as can be. As long as you have reliable transportation and cleaning supplies you are ready to get started. For many businesses as well as elderly homeowners a cleaning service is needed. You can charge an hourly rate, weekly rate or charge by the services provided. A cleaning service is a job that is a definite moneymaker as long as you are willing to do the hard work to earn the hard cash, than you are set.

These five home business opportunities are only five out of the many opportunities that are available. Think of what materials you have on hand and the knowledge you posses and you will be on your way to running your own home business.

Up until the 20th century, buying and selling was simple. Businesses were largely local which allowed for a close relationship between suppliers and consumers. Competition was non-existent and the opinion of consumers was felt to be irrelevant.

The rapid advancements during the Industrial Revolution quickly changed business operations from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. Early marketing students had been educated as economists, schooled in the principle that demand was relevant to purchasing power. However, it became apparent that demand was much more complex than the financial ability to buy and that desire had become a factor in business.

New concepts in advertising proved that purchasing desires could be magnified and shaped by elements beyond mere availability of products. Extended markets allowed greater production of goods and transportation options quickly taught businesses that they needed to know specifics about customers to be able to compete.

With the modern marketplace being fiercely competitive, companies today have a greater demand than ever to monitor the pulse of consumers. However, the busy lifestyles of consumers in general made it more difficult for companies to engage people in telephone and direct mail surveys. Consumers perceived that they were being given a sales-pitch versus participating in independent research. And who has time for that?

The Internet age introduced easy access to consumers for marketing researchers. They could reach both general consumers and business consumers easily by posting their surveys online; however, there was still the issue of enticing people to take the time to participate.

Over the years, consumer science and market research have evolved collectively into a finely-honed craft. Companies spend over $250B globally in an effort to convince people to buy their products and services. Of that amount, over $750M goes for market research alone.

Being the savvy bunch that they are, marketing researchers finally grasped the concept of offering consumers something of value in return for their time and participation versus asking people to participate just for the sake of offering their opinions to help businesses in tailoring their products and services. To meet their own ever increasing demands for consumer information they began offering various incentives in exchange for time.

Consumer survey incentives range from entry into drawings for cash prices, points awards that can be accumulated and redeemed for merchandise and even cash payments to participants. Specialized surveys for professionals such as those in the IT industry often pay quite well. Researchers also pay consumers to participate in customized studies through which they can learn about their perceptions of specific products and/or services.

In addition to paid incentives, some marketing research companies offer people free products for sampling. They forward new products to consumers to try with the agreement that the consumer will later provide an assessment of the product. After trying the product, consumers complete an online survey sharing their experience with the product and indicating whether or not they would buy it on their own. Test products can range anywhere from household cleaners, snack foods, health/beauty products and all the way up to electronics. In many cases, participants are allowed to keep the products at no charge.

By taking advantage of paid market research offers, consumers can actually earn a part-time or even full-time income, depending upon the amount of time they invest and the number of research panels in which they participate. This has proven a productive source of supplemental income for stay-at-home moms, small business owners, retirees and college students. Simply by signing up at paid survey web sites and checking their e-mail for survey invitations, they can earn extra cash and incentives on a regular basis.

Another advantage of earning extra cash by joining Internet-based research panels is convenience. Participants can respond to survey invitations 24/7 which is much easier than trying to work a second or part-time job.

Market researchers also know that small businesses are the pulse of the American economy. With the emphasis in today’s markets having shifted primarily from that of products to the service industry, researchers always have a demand for opinions and details of purchasing practices of small business owners.

Small business owners and work-from-home professionals can have a significant impact and can shape the quality of products and services available to them by participating in online surveys. This allows them to tell companies exactly what instead of hoping that someone out there will finally deliver what they need.

Plus, they will be rewarded for the time they invest. The concept of paid surveys makes it a win/win situation for both sides. Be aware that the market research profession is largely legitimate but there are some Internet sites that are a scam. Never pay a sign-up fee for receiving information about available surveys.

Remember that you have something market researchers value: your experience and opinions as a consumer. Use that information to negotiate participation in research surveys and you will enhance your lifestyle and income.