Five Firm Foundations of Online Success

© 2005 Charlie Page

You have probably heard the saying "you must walk before you
can run" applied to life and business. It's a valid saying,
which simply means that one should master the basics before
moving on to other, more advanced, efforts.

And this is rock-solid advice as we look forward to a new
year of opportunities.

The good news is that it's simply not that hard to succeed
online ... if you are willing to walk before you try to run.

As a person who has made a living online for about 5 years
now, I've observed five areas that must exist for success to
occur. I call them the Five Firm Foundations.

1. You Need A Large Market Of People Who Have A Need And
Money To Buy Products

The key here is that *all three* factors must be in place or
you haven't found the right market.

The three factors are
1. A large market
2. A felt need.
3. And money.

Think this through with me.

Size - If the market is not large enough it won't support
your marketing. This is where you must be careful with niche
marketing. Sure, niches are nice, but how many left-handed
64-year-old dog groomers are there in the world? Too few for
you to sell to them, that's for sure.

Need - If the market doesn't feel the need, you won't sell
anything. You need a group of people who need what you offer
now.

Money - If the market can't afford what you offer, you're
sunk before you begin.

2. You Need A Product That Meets The Need Of The Market

You'll notice that I didn't say THE product, but a product.
Fortunes are made by people who do something now.

3. You Need A Way, Or Several Ways, To Get Your Message To
That Market.

Again, not hard if you focus on what really works. So, what
works online? Here are four ways that are proven.

* Ezine Advertising
* Building a list of loyal readers
* Joint Ventures
* Pay Per Click

Better to spend your time and money on these than on some
questionable traffic generation scheme or trying to trick
the search engines.

Focus on what is proven and you will do well. Leave
experimenting to the people who can afford to waste money.

4. You Need A Website That Makes The Sale.

Ah, but I'm not a writer you might be saying. And that's
okay. The thing to do is to do your best and improve that as
time goes by. No writer is born a great writer. All great
writers draw inspiration from others and learn with time.

5. You Need A Great Follow Up System To Sell Those Who Don't
Buy The First Time.

If your website is wildly successful it will convert about
2% of visitors to customers. But what about the other 98%,
the people who don't buy on the first visit?

They need more information. And you must remind them to come
back - that is called follow up.

Keeping things simple and concentrating on mastering the
basics are the keys to success online. After you make your
first million you'll have lots of time to try the new and
fancy gadgets that the marketers push your way.

But by then you will know what today's top marketers know
right now - it's far more important to do the basics well
than anything else you can choose to spend your time on.

So, how are you going to spend your time this year?

About the Author

Charlie Page is the owner of the Directory of Ezines, the first and most comprehensive list of quality ezines that accept advertising available on the Internet. Aside from the Directory of Ezines, he currently owns http://www.CharliePage.com
(copywriting), and http://www.InstantEzines.com , where he provides ready-made ezines for an affordable price.

Five Firm Foundations of Online Success

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