How to Start a Successful Home-based Online Business by Marketing

As of April 30, 2008 the number of Internet users in the world surpassed 1.4 Billion people.  This amazing growth, coupled with the simplicity of online shopping and financial transactions has created a vast opportunity for a new breed of commerce:  The Home-Based Online Business.

You have no doubt come across several, if not hundreds of these websites as you surf.  Simply Google “money” and you’ll be bombarded with website after website – all promising that their system generates thousands of dollars overnight.  While it’s difficult to determine which offers are real business opportunities and which are fraudulent scams, some really do have the potential to turn into simple to operate cash cows.

In this guide I will first detail what to look for in a potential home business opportunity.  Second, I will show you excellent methods to turn your business into an independent profit center using tested marketing methods that won’t cost you anything.

Part One - Choosing the right business

The first thing I always tell people before they start a home based business is to ignore any offers that guarantee success.  There is no such thing as guaranteed success and anything promising to make you rich without any effort is a flat out lie.  I’ve also seen several offers which are nothing more than a book or CD-Rom filled with poorly written idea’s on how to make money. 

Any legitimate online business should be internet version of a franchise.  By this I mean you should be provided with a REAL product to sell; software, eBooks, a reseller website etc.  They should also offer you comprehensive training on how to setup your online business and market the product.

Things to look for:

1)  Professional reseller website that grabs attention and screams “BUY ME”

2)  Software packages with reseller right to supplement the reseller website

3)  Step-by-step training to assist you with your setup and marketing campaigns

4)  Telephone support – If a company doesn’t give a # it’s probably a scam

Ignore:

1)  Offers that guarantee success – This isn’t practical

2)  Offers that only supply a book or CD-Rom

3)  Pyramid-Scheme Marketing – They simply don’t work

4)  Any offer that doesn’t supply a valid telephone number

Important Info:  A reseller website is the most important aspect of your online business.  The reseller website is your way to market the online business program to other individuals looking to create their own business.  This has the absolute greatest potential for profits, for example:  My reseller website generates $200 profit for each person that signs up via my site, 1 signup per day = $6,000 per month in profit!

Part Two – Successful marketing tips

How successful a home based online business will be depends directly on the volume of traffic you are able to drive to your website.  No matter how convincing your reseller website is, sales simply won’t happen unless a steady stream of people are viewing the site. 

The marketing tactics and results described below are based on my experience marketing the RealityWealth.com IPC Program, and results will vary depending on your particular business.  With that said, here are several free marketing techniques I’ve used to build a successful home based online business.

-- Free Classified Ads:

Websites such as Craigslist.org and Backpage.com are a goldmine for high-quality targeted traffic.  These websites allow anyone to anonymously place classified ads which can be used to drive traffic to your website.  For example, if you were to place an ad for a sales job on Craigslist with a link to your reseller website you are winning in two ways.  First, you’re gaining high-quality traffic, by this I mean that since the visitors found your site by searching job classifieds, they are clearly looking for ways to make money.  Second, websites like Craigslist receive nearly a million visits per day!  With that amount of volume, sales will eventually happen based on the shear amount of people that stumble upon your reseller website.

It’s important to be clear that you are selling a business opportunity.  Falsely advertizing will be labeled as spam and you may find yourself getting banned from posting if you aren’t careful.

-- Write a Blog:

Blogging is a great way to let people know about your home based online business.  You can create a free blog at Blogger.com or any of the hundreds of free blog hosting websites.  Using a blog to describe your business and the success you’ve had is a great way to catch people’s interest and drive more traffic to your reseller website.  Again, if you join a company that provides a professional looking reseller site, then the more people that find the page the more sales will be generated.

-- Write Free Articles and eZines

Just like writing a blog, free articles are another great source for targeted traffic which leads to sales.  Google “free articles” and you will find hundreds of article and eZine directories to share your knowledge. 

-- Posting in Forums

This is a very simple way to generate traffic that many people overlook.  Simply place a link to your reseller website in your signature or at the bottom of each post and you will not only create a back link to your website (search engines love these) but you will be gaining traffic.

-- Social Networks & Video Sharing Websites

Websites such as MySpace and YouTube receive some of the highest traffic volumes on the internet.  In fact, 9 out of the top 25 busiest websites in the world are social or video sharing networks.  Create a MySpace profile and include some success stories about your home based online business with links.  Or if you’re really creative, post a few video’s on YouTube describing your business.

Part Three – Wrap up and conclusion

As I indicated earlier, the internet is a vast place with over 1.4 billion users.  The opportunity to make a living online today is a reality and can be accomplished if you chose a quality business and market it effectively.  The simple yet effective marketing techniques I’ve touched on are simply the tip of the iceberg.  There are literally thousands of free classifieds, blogs, article directories, forums, and social / video networks receiving millions of visitors daily.  Actively finding and adding content to these sources that relate to your business reseller website will dramatically drive traffic and boost sales in ways you didn’t think possible.

When combined these free marketing methods will create a snowball effect over time and you will not only see a gradual but steady rise in traffic volume, but a wonderful increase in sales.

I’ve based this article on my experience with the www.RealityWealth.com home based online business.  The ability for these techniques to work for you depends entirely on what work from home / home based online business you chose.