Running a Home Based Internet Marketing Business: Advice & Common Mistakes

Running a Home Based Internet Marketing Business:  Advice & Common Mistakes
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Equipping a Home Based Internet Marketing Business for Success

An Internet marketing business is an online venture that requires little in the way of home office equipment. As home businesses go, this one makes do with little more than a computer, printer, speedy Internet connection and up to date spreadsheet programs (for record keeping). Commonly these are the only requirements for launching a venture dedicated to Internet marketing.

It is important to remember that for online businesses with only virtual storefronts, the promotional efforts signify the difference between success and failure. This makes it crucial for the entrepreneur to become familiar with website design, auto-responders, lead generation as well as marketing differences for on- and off-line ventures.

Depending on the start-up funds, the Internet marketer may consider outsourcing the initial website and auto-responder designs to get a feel for the best setup options. Entrepreneurs with little start-up money may have to do this work themselves.

Nuts and Bolts of Online Advertising: Business Internet Marketing

A common form of the home based Internet marketing business may be found among affiliate marketing Internet business programs and sales opportunities found on make money from home blogs. Although the products, niche clientele and broad consumer appeal vary, there are three assets that are common to virtually all successful Internet marketing businesses:

  1. An initial online landing page for interested clients. Frequently referred to as a ‘squeeze page,’ it is a very brief synopsis of the business and an opportunity for interested parties to sign up with an email address.
  2. An auto-responder with multiple messages. The auto-responder initiates upon client sign-up and sends an initial welcome message and subsequent reminders. Since the entrepreneur determines the verbiage of the messages, it is an excellent vehicle for making the pitch in a number of different ways.
  3. A busy social networking presence. An Internet marketing business thrives in the social networking environment. Entrepreneurs must be visible on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and niche-specific social networking sites. For examples, entrepreneurs with a target audience that consists mainly of moms should consider a presence on the CafeMom site a must. Environmentally driven marketers benefit from becoming active on Care2.

Why Internet Marketing for Online Businesses Fails

When doing advertising, business Internet-marketing and engaging in activities that are ancillary, the risk of burnout is enormous. It takes time to develop a productive home based Internet marketing business. Trial and error are common. Outsourcing the website and auto-responder creation takes money; when doing it in-house, the learning curve may be time-consuming. It is tempting to finally discount an online business as a scam, merely because the money does not follow the initial setup quickly enough.

In short, a lack of determined stick-to-itiveness dooms fledgling affiliate marketing internet business programs to failure before they even have a chance to get off the ground.

A second reason that may explain the failure of so many a home based Internet marketing business is an inability to think outside the box. Marketing efforts encompass e-zines, article marketing, online newsletters, giveaways and contests, but even though there is precious little that is new within the field of marketing, it nonetheless needs to have the look and feel of something original.

A post on bNet(1) underscored this line of thought when it questioned the efficacy of doing business like everyone else, when it is the stand-out competitor that attracts attention. Moreover, big business marketing techniques do not translate into the realm of small business and the entrepreneur will do well to avoid this trap.

The third – and most damning – reason for failure is a lack of consistency. A home based Internet marketing business is affected by the day to day operations of the family; that being so, there still needs to be a reliable schedule for e-zine publication, creating an article marketing blitz and also seasonal changes to the marketing messages.

Source

(1)bNet. “Why ‘Best Practices’ Aren’t Best” (accessed March 23, 2010)