A recurring theme in success manuals—for life, for online business, for traditional business, for anything—is that appearances matter.  You can attach a value judgment to this statement, and insist that it’s not fair and it’s not right (and it isn’t), but there it is: appearances matter.  It’s something that seems to be hard-wired into human nature.  And that means it can affect your sales in ways you may not be aware of. Read the rest of this entry »

Even a cheap web hosting package often includes an email autoresponder.  Shortly after setting up your new online business, you are poised and ready to dive into email marketing.  Before you do, though, take some time to consider the image you want to present.  Both what you say, and what you don’t say, in your marketing speaks volumes to your customers about what kind of business you’re running. Read the rest of this entry »

There are ways in which being an online merchant is similar to being a brick-and-mortar merchant.  But there are many more ways in which running a successful home Internet business is nothing like running a traditional shop.  If you’re starting out as an online entrepreneur, and especially if you’re expanding your brick-and-mortar business into the online environment, don’t get trapped in a business model that may work in a shop, but won’t work on the Web. Read the rest of this entry »

Privacy concerns in the online environment have been a hot topic for a long time.  Credit card scams, phishing, and other crimes are in the backs of a lot of peoples’ minds when they’re online.  It doesn’t seem to be affecting their willingness to shop online, but being proactive about your customers’ privacy concerns will make you look good and help build customer relationships. Read the rest of this entry »

However much fun you may have running your own business, at the end of the day, you’re hoping for some cold, hard, cash.  That consideration is probably foremost in your thoughts about how to start online business.  If you want to make money online, one of the best ways is through an affiliate marketing program—but which affiliate marketing program?  Picking the right program can make or break your home based business! Read the rest of this entry »

If you think building a website is fun, wait until you try building two, three, four, or more!  Between templates, cheap web hosting, and all the other tools at your disposal, you’re in an excellent position to do so.  But what’s the payoff?  Why bother doing such a thing, when maintaining a single website may already be seen by you as a chore?  Easy!  Multiple websites an help build traffic to your homepage, and that can equal more sales. Read the rest of this entry »

As a smart shopper, you probably don’t spend a lot of money or invest a lot of time into something you haven’t looked at.  You may be reading an affiliate marketing book, following press stories about Google’s developments in advertising, and more.  It’s important to do the same when choosing an autoresponder, and to review your choice of autoresponders periodically through the life of your business. Read the rest of this entry »