How to Start a Business Online

7 tried and true steps for attracting visitors to your site--and getting them to buy.

There is a proven sequence of steps you can follow to guarantee your success when you're starting a small business online. I've seen thousands of people start and grow successful businesses by doing the following:

1. Find a need and fill it.
2. Write copy that sells.
3. Design and build an easy-to-use website.
4. Use search engines to drive traffic to your site.
5. Establish an expert reputation for yourself.
6. Follow up with your customers and subscribers with e-mail.
7. Increase your income through back-end sales and upselling.

Anyone, from newbie to seasoned online entrepreneur, can benefit from this process in learning how to start a business online.

Step 1: Find a need and fill it

Most people who are just starting out make the mistake of looking for a product first, and a market second.

To boost your chances of success, start with a market. The trick is to find a group of people who are searching for a solution to a problem, but not finding many results. The internet makes this kind of market research easy:

• Visit online forums to see what questions people ask and what problems they're trying to solve.
• Do keyword research to find keywords that a lot of people are searching, but for which not many sites are competing.
• Check out your potential competitors by visiting their sites and taking note of what they're doing to fill the demand. Then you can use what you've learned and create a product for a market that already exists--and do it better than the competition.

Step 2: Write copy that sells

There's a proven sales copy formula that takes visitors through the selling process from the moment they arrive to the moment they make a purchase:

1. Arouse interest with a compelling headline.
2. Describe the problem your product solves.
3. Establish your credibility as a solver of this problem.
4. Add testimonials from people who have used your product.
5. Talk about the product and how it benefits the user.
6. Make an offer.
7. Make a strong guarantee.
8. Create urgency.
9. Ask for the sale.

Throughout your copy, you need to focus on how your product or service is uniquely able solve people's problems or make their lives better. Think like a customer and ask "What's in it for me?"

Step 3: Design and build your website

Once you've got your market and product, and you've nailed down your selling process, now you're ready for your small-business web design. Remember to keep it simple. You have fewer than five seconds to grab someone's attention--otherwise they're gone, never to be seen again. Some important tips to keep in mind:

• Choose one or two plain fonts on a white background.
• Make your navigation clear and simple, and the same on every page.
• Only use graphics, audio or video if they enhance your message.
• Include an opt-in offer so you can collect e-mail addresses.
• Make it easy to buy--no more than two clicks between potential customer and checkout.
• Your website is your online storefront, so make it customer-friendly.

Step 4: Use search engines to drive targeted buyers to your site

Pay-per-click advertising is the easiest way to get traffic to a brand-new site. It has two advantages over waiting for the traffic to come to you organically. First, PPC ads show up on the search pages immediately, and second, PPC ads allow you to test different keywords, as well as headlines, prices and selling approaches. Not only do you get immediate traffic, but you can also use PPC ads to discover your best, highest-converting keywords. Then you can distribute the keywords throughout your site in your copy and code, which will help your rankings in the organic search results.

Step 5: Establish an expert reputation for yourself

People use the internet to find information. Provide that information for free to other sites, and you'll see more traffic and better search engine rankings. The secret is to always include a link to your site with each tidbit of information. 

• Give away free, expert content. Create articles, videos or any other content that people will find useful. Distribute that content through online article directories or social media sites.
• Include "send to a friend" links on valuable content on your website.
• Become an active expert in industry forums and social networking sites where your target market hangs out.

You'll reach new readers. But even better, every site that posts your content will link back to yours. Search engines love links from relevant sites and will reward you in the rankings.

Step 6: Use the power of e-mail marketing to turn visitors into buyers.

When you build an opt-in list, you're creating one of the most valuable assets of your online business. Your customers and subscribers have given you permission to send them e-mail. That means:

• You're giving them something they've asked for.
• You're developing lifetime relationships with them.
• The response is 100 percent measurable.
• E-mail marketing is cheaper and more effective than print, TV or radio because it's highly targeted.

Anyone who visits your site and opts in to your list is a very hot lead. And there's no better tool than e-mail for following up with those leads.

Step 7: Increase your income through back-end sales and upselling 

One of the most important internet marketing strategies is to develop every customer's lifetime value. At least 36 percent of people who have purchased from you once will buy from you again if you follow up with them. Closing that first sale is by far the most difficult part--not to mention the most expensive. So use back-end selling and upselling to get them to buy again:

• Offer products that complement their original purchase.
• Send out electronic loyalty coupons they can redeem on their next visit.
• Offer related products on your "Thank You" page after they purchase.

Reward your customers for their loyalty and they'll become even more loyal.

The internet changes so fast that one year online equals about five years in the real world. But the principles of how to start and grow a successful online business haven't changed at all. If you're just starting a small business online, stick to this sequence. If you've been online awhile, do a quick review and see if there's a step you're neglecting, or never got around to doing in the first place. You can't go wrong with the basics.

Sourced from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/175242

7 Terrible Naming Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make

Your company name will get used more and last longer than any other investment you make in your business. It’s important that you get it right the first time.

Here are some of the biggest naming mistakes I’ve seen entrepreneurs make and why you should avoid them.

1. You believe your domain name has to match your business name.

Tesla doesn’t own the domain name Tesla.com. Do you think someone wanting to buy a Tesla gives up if they go there and don’t find the website? Of course not! They type “Tesla cars” into a search engine and find it in no time flat. And they don’t even notice what the domain name is, which by the way is TeslaMotors.com. If Tesla doesn’t have to have an exact match domain name, neither do you.

Related: How I Finally Snagged My Dream Domain Name

2. You spell your name “creatively.”

This is by far the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when naming their company. The problem with having a name like Naymz, Takkle, Flickr, or Speesees is that you will forever have to spell it when you say it, because it isn’t spelled how people hear it. (Think about how often you have to spell your own first and last name. Why would you want to have to do this with your brand name, too?)

Plus, Siri and other voice recognition software do not understand names that are not spelled naturally. And if you and your employees have to spell your name out loud for people, you are wasting everyone’s time and apologizing for it, over and over again. Resist the temptation of getting one of these domains just because it’s available for $9.95.

3. You use an obscure domain extension to spell your name.

While it’s tempting to create a domain name using a country code such as .me for Montenegro, .it for Italy, .us for United States, and .io for Indian Ocean Territory, those names are tru.ly troubleso.me. In addition to being difficult to spell, these domain names can be hard to pronounce, especially when unaided by a visual identity. How do you pronounce Copio.us? Is it “Copio dot U-S” or “Copious?” Equally troublesome is that the human eye is trained to stop when it reads a period. So a name like Copio.us causes people to stop reading (for all the wrong reasons).

Related: How to Name Your Startup

4. You business name is too niche.

You don’t want to outgrow your business name. What if Amazon had been named Bookstore.com? They would be limited to selling books.

One name that outgrew itself is Burlington Coat Factory. When they were naming their store, they didn’t think far enough into the future. When they expanded their product offering, they had to change their tagline to, “We’re more than just coats.” (They also always have to have a legal disclaimer in their ads that says, “Not affiliated with Burlington Industries.” Ouch.)

5. Your name pronunciation is not güd.

Your name should be approachable and intuitive to pronounce in your brand’s country of origin. Don’t rely on punctuation marks or letters in different colors to aid in pronunciation. Your name will not appear in color in the press or in search-engine results and people go batty trying to find accent marks and umlauts on their keyboard.

6. You invent a clunky coined name.  

If you invent a new “word” for your name, be careful that it doesn’t sound unnatural. Mashing two words together or mixing up a bunch of letters to form a new word rarely appears or sounds smooth. And be cautious using trendy suffixes to make up a new word. Sprayology, Teaosophy and Perfumania are all train wrecks. 

7. You try to be mysterious.

A sure-fire way to annoy people is to choose a name that’s completely random and seemingly meaningless. One I wonder about a lot is Vungle. I have no idea what this company does, and I don't want to know. Likewise, can you guess what companies Qdoba, Magoosh, Iggli, Kiip, Zippil, or Zumper do?

Blindly following naming trends will lead to nothing but trouble down the road. But don’t just take my word for it. Ask the founders of Xobni, Svbtle, anddel.icio.us.

Article sourced from:- http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238068

8 Writing Strategies for People Who Say They Can't Write

Image credit: Shutterstock

If you want to launch and grow a business, chances are you're going to have to put words on the page. Probably many words on many pages. Which means there's no room for saying you "hate writing" or "can't write."

In many cases, the more important the writing task, the more the would-be writer freezes up. The result can be something of a Mobius strip of anxiety turned into fear turned into more anxiety, and what you're left with is a blank page.

To help you work through writer's block, consider the strategies below. (These tips were compiled by this reporter through an informal survey of her own writerfriends and colleagues.)

1. Lose the “I'm just not a writer” syndrome.Everyone has the potential to be a writer. Continuing to tell yourself otherwise is nothing more than an empty excuse. Reverse the energy. You can be a writer. Tell yourself, “I am absolutely capable of writing.”

2. Don’t wait for perfect words. If every sentence has to be a flawless work of art, then you will sit in fear. The sweat might pour, but the words won’t come. Just start writing words on the page. Know that once you have started, you can go back and revise what you have. But until you start, you will never know where you are trying to go. If you are writing on a tight deadline, it is even more critical that you let go of the notion of immediate perfection. One writer friend of mine offered the analogy that writing is like cleaning a messy room: the only way a large mess gets cleaned up is to start tidying one small corner at a time.

Related: Most Content Marketing Fails, So Keep These 3 Tactics in Mind

3. Talk to yourself -- out loud. It’s less stressful for most people to chat with a friend over a beer than to write a grant proposal (even if the content of the conversation is the grant proposal in question). In conversation, it’s generally accepted that we might have to stop, correct ourselves and continue speaking. Allow yourself that same freedom in your writing process. If that’s hard to do, talk out loud to yourself to get the thoughts flowing.

4. Move words, sentences, paragraphs around the page like pieces of a puzzle. The beauty of writing on a computer is that you can move words and groups of words effortlessly. Just reminding yourself of that tends to make it easier to find your writing flow. If you get your mind set that the words will be seen by the audience exactly as they flow onto the page, it can be paralyzing.

For those overwhelmed by the amount of ideas banging around in their head, jot the ideas down, one by one, in a loose cross between thought-notes and an organizational outline. Then, you can slowly work your way down your list, flushing out concepts into sentences and paragraphs without worrying that you might forget something critical.

5. Crystallize your point into a few words. When you sit down to write a business pitch, a grant proposal or a speech, be sure that you have done your research and know precisely what you mean to communicate. If you're struggling to write, it may be a sign that you are confused about what you want to say. Condense the main nugget of what you are trying to say into just a short phrase or sentence and you'll have a better shot at composing a tight, organized piece.

Related: How Not to Be a Boring Blogger: Write Like You Eat (Infographic)

6. Rid yourself of the Internet. Scores of very smart people spend all day long every day trying to grab your attention on the Internet. They’re pretty good at it, too. Eliminate distractions by going offline and opening a document that only allows you to write on your computer desktop. One writing friend recommended using the Freedom app when trying to write. When you install the application, it blocks all of your connections to the Internet for an allotted time.

Also, having a very specific physical routine associated with writing helps some people get into the writing groove. Perhaps there is a seat at a particular desk that you associate with writing. Perhaps you write best at a certain time of day. Perhaps you need to have a tall glass of ice water when you write.

7. Don’t get stuck by letting yourself think that you have to start at the beginning. Just because they call it the introduction does not mean that you have to start at the beginning. If you know what you want the middle paragraph to be, then start there. Write the portion that you know best first and then work out from there.

8. Set deadlines for yourself. Even if you don’t need to write on a deadline, set deadlines for yourself. And stick to them. One writing friend I talked to said she has friends and family follow up with her to make sure she's keeping to her time goals.

Related: Turning Content from 'Meh' to Wow With Storytelling

Article sourced from - http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233264

Richard Branson Says He Writes His Own Blog Posts, And He's Read Your Comments

Image credit: guccio@ | Flickr

Each week, Richard Branson answers Entrepreneur.com readers' questions by drawing from his own business experience. Recent blog posts have discussed multitasking, why entrepreneurs sometimes struggle with formal education and how to increase employee engagement.

Branson is a notoriously busy man (look out for our upcoming print issue, which hits newsstands on September 23, for an update on his most recent exploits), so it's not unsurprising that readers often wonder if he actually writes the numerous columns and blog posts attributed to him.

Related: Richard Branson Gets Into Carpooling

The serial entrepreneur and LinkedIn Influencer took to the platform to address this very question in, appropriately, a blog post. "As tempting as it is to reply to each person with a resounding ‘yes!’, I hope that what my posts actually say is enough to prove it is yours truly behind these words," he wrote. The post was published as part of LinkedIn's Behind the Scenes series, in which more than 60 influential business leaders revealed the details involved in one aspect of their work.

Here are a few of Branson's favorite writing tips.

Use conversations with friends and co-workers as inspiration for potential topics. Writer's block can happen to anyone. If you're truly stuck, Branson recommends simply paying attention to the conversations taking place around you: "What do you talk to your friends about? What was that interesting article you read the other day? What was everyone chatting about in the office at lunch? Could there be a blog in that? More than likely, yes."

Related: Richard Branson on Common Misconceptions About Becoming an Entrepreneur

Write your observations down to use for later. Documentation is key. "I keep a notebook with me at all times, and write down every thought that might come in handy later," Branson writes. "I also note any intriguing links on my iPad. If you don’t write it down, it could soon be gone forever. Lots of the scribbles end up as blogs at some time or another."

Keep it personal. Inauthenticity is easy to sniff out. "If it wasn’t really me writing on LinkedIn or posting my virgin.com blogs, people would spot it a mile off. There are more – how shall I put this – 'corporate' blogs out there, which is all well and good. But if you’re going to do something, it is worth doing it right…I love sharing what is happening in my world, the latest happenings at Virgin, and my views on the wider universe," he writes. "What better way to do it than in real time, online?"

Related: Struggling to Write? Take a Break from Modern Tech, Like These Famous Writers Do (Infographic)

Delegate. "As ever, I wholeheartedly encourage the art of delegation," Branson writes, although delegating isn't the same thing as finding a ghost-writer. Instead, "it means finding people to help you write more efficiently and effectively. I work with Virgin’s head of content and team on ideas for blogs every day, firing ideas back and forth and collaborating on the best angle to take. Then, once a theme is decided upon (like this one, for instance!), we work it up into a blog."

Interact with your audience. Writing is just the beginning. "The whole point is to start a debate and provoke a conversation. While I sometimes struggle for time, I try to read as many replies as possible, and reply to at least a few people every day," Branson writes, noting that he often comes across comments saying 'Richard Branson doesn’t really read this.'

His reaction? "The temptation to jump in and wave a big digital hello is sometimes too much."

Related: 8 Writing Strategies for People Who Say They Can't Write

Article sourced from - http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237537

One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day - by Becky Koyle

The great motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar was raised during the depression.  His mother did her best to provide for their needs. She would milk the cows and sell the surplus milk and butter to provide some extra money for the family.  Cows with higher milk production were much more expensive to purchase than a lower producing cow.  Zig’s mother would purchase one of the less expensive cows, and then she tried to figure out a way to increase the milk production out of her little dairy herd.

You might be surprised how Mrs. Ziglar was able to accomplish this amazing feat.  Zig Ziglar recounts that she “loved” it out of them.  She didn’t have the money to buy a lot high quality feed for her animals, which is what most dairy farmers do to increase milk production, though she gave them as much as she could afford.  Then, every single day, as she went out in the early morning to milk them, she would stroke each cow, and praise and compliment them. She would shower each of her five cows with positive words and affirmations.

She would tell them they were the most beautiful, wonderful cows in the world.  She said they had an abundance of milk so rich and creamy that all other cows would be envious.  Every day, without fail, these cows would be loved, stroked, and told how incredible they were.

Amazingly, her method of positive thoughts and words worked.  The cows gradually began to produce more and more milk.  As time passed, some of the cows on the Ziglar family farm increased milk production significantly from a few gallons a day to as much as 7 gallons of milk in a single day.  This was a major benefit to this family who was struggling during such difficult economic times.  Mrs. Ziglar understood a fundamental truth that too many fail to realize.  Positive words and thinking really do create positive energy that can have a major impact and affect on your desired outcome.

 “One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.”

 The cows got the message.  Though the animals did not necessarily understand the words she was saying, they could most definitely feel the positive energy that emanated from her through the positive thoughts and words she was delivering to them. Over time, this positive energy resulted in an outcome that would have not been realized otherwise.  The human mind works the same way, and we should take some advice from the late Ziglar who says we should treat people like cows…including ourselves.

Here are three things you can do each morning to ensure that you start your day with positive thoughts and energy.

•   Go to bed at a decent hour so that you can arise early and refreshed  in the morning.

You’ve heard the old adage, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise.”  Harvard biologist Christoph Randler discovered in 2010 that early risers tend to be more proactive.  His study also revealed that early risers are more optimistic and are able to anticipate problems more successfully minimize them.  If at all possible, try to get up early enough in the morning that you can watch the sunrise.  Maybe snap a quick picture of the of it each day and observe how beautiful and unique each sunrise is.  If you are feeling down during the day, look at that picture of the beautiful sunrise to help push out any negative thoughts you may have that day.

•  Focus on the positive and eliminate the negative.

Just as Mrs. Ziglar spent a little time each day nurturing those cows with positive thoughts and strokes of encouragement, you must do the same with yourself. During the early hours of the morning before anyone else is up, close your eyes and visualize your future self as though you have already achieved whatever goal it is you are trying to accomplish. Get that picture in your mind of the person you wish to become, and daily reaffirm to yourself that you are that person, as if it were a reality today.  When a negative thought enters your mind, flush it out quickly. Do NOT allow negative thoughts to poison your powerful mind.  Do whatever you have to do to rid yourself of those toxic thoughts, whether it be to remove yourself from a negative environment, turn on some uplifting music, read some articles on this site (hint, hint), exercise, say a prayer, or call your mom. Whatever method works for you, harbor the positive thoughts and eliminate the negative ones as quickly as you possibly can.

• Make a Daily Checklist.

Studies show that people who utilize checklists for goals and tasks are notably more productive and self-confident. Use whatever method is most comfortable for you. If you are old school, just grab a paper and pen or pencil and write down your daily tasks. Or, there are many phone apps that work great too.  As you complete each task on your list, check it off.  You will be amazed at how good it feels to see all the things you have accomplished in a day.  Once you have started on this path, you must continue this daily habit of positive thinking.  The Abundance Project is here to encourage you along the way.  Please let us know what helps you stay positive.  We’d love to hear from you.

Article sourced from - http://www.theabundanceproject.com/2014/09/one-small-positive-thought-in-the-morning-can-change-your-whole-day/