Internet Marketing /  Where Do I Begin?

"I want to pursue internet marketing, but where do I begin ?" This is a question we all ask ourselves and one that needs to be answered before any real action can take place.

If you are like most of us you have already trudged through a seemingly endless barrage of Get Rich Quick schemes and Too Good to Be True deals of a lifetime. Promotions that promise to reveal the best kept secrets of the master Gurus but deliver little more than some sales copy dribble and and up-sells that dig deeper into your pocket. Although there are some legitimate and quite costly training and coaching programs offered by top end marketers, most of what you see is hype and fluff promotions with rehashed content. And truthfully, most of the content they promote can be found free with a little searching. Sadly, the internet is saturated with those type promotions. It is a disturbing trend that has cast an overall bad light on what is actually a noble profession.

Now I am going to share a secret with you, one that those Gurus don’t want you to know. There is NO get rich quick way to earn a living online. Internet marketing, just like any other business takes work, determination, knowledge, and focused action. However, there are tools, techniques and strategies that are easily followed, basically free (they will require a time commitment) and have a track record of proven long term financial rewards. As this blog progresses we will look deeper into the workings of internet marketing, but for now I am just going to cover a few of the basic necessities you will need to begin your business.

Most of us when we first start our business, like you may be, are on a limited budget. So, I am going to cut to the chase right here! It is possible to start and grow a very successful online business on a shoe string budget, but, YES, some monetary investment is required for essential business functions. The good news is you can set up a business online for less than a $150 dollar initial investment. That’s a drop in the bucket when compared to the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars required to set up a traditional brick and mortar business.

When starting your online business the most important thing you are going to need is online real estate. This is commonly referred to as your domain. Your domain is like your store front banner online, so it is very important to choose a domain that is relevant to the product or service you wish to promote. A domain can be purchased for less than $ 15 dollars in most cases and sometimes as little as $ 8 dollars. A .com domain is the most recognized type of domain and the type I would recommend for business purposes. With your domain you will be able to set up blogs and web pages that cater to what ever your individual business maybe, there are literally 100's of ways people use domains to make money online.

There are several companies that sell domains and a quick Google search should pull them up.

I purchase all my domains at Go Daddy, however you should choose a company you feel comfortable with. In addition to a domain you will need web hosting. Web hosting provides the actual space your domain will occupy on the internet. HostGator is a reasonably priced web hosting service, but you can host your domain at Go Daddy if you purchased it there.

When it comes to actually finding and marketing a product or service, research is without a doubt the most important element to your success. When you know what your market wants and can provide that for them success is practically assured. The key is knowing your market, what they need and what their concerns are. In simple terms it works like this, I am going to use the affiliate marketing model for this example, however there are many other ways to market online, which is subject matter for a later post lest I digress.

The flow in affiliate marketing is as follows

• Your market has a need or a problem

• You lead them to a source that meets their need/problem (a vendor)

• They make a purchase

• You earn a commission

Of course there is a bit more to it than that, however, that is the core idea from which everything else expands.

If you feel more in depth information is what you need at this time, you may be interested in  The Wealthy Affiliate University. WAU is a virtual online campus that greatly reduces the time spent in the learning curve associated with internet marketing. WAU will provide you with all the training needed to operate a successful business, as well as web hosting, keyword search tools, an awesome forum, one on one support, and much more plus an outstanding community of marketers from the most seasoned and successful in IM to brand new marketers just beginning their IM journey.

I believe the quality of learning and the caring community at WAU make it second to none in this industry. If you feel a sense of urgency to move forward with your venture in online marketing. I would highly suggest you take a look at what WAU has to offer you. It can literally save you months if not years of trial and error and put you on the fast track to marketing success. Another really great thing about the Wealthy Affiliate University is it is affordable, with two pricing plans to fit into even the tightest budget.

To sum up what we've covered, the basics to starting on online business are your domain, a web page and/or blog, web hosting and research, research, research. These beginnings are the fundamental building blocks to creating a solid foundation in internet marketing. In future posts we will look into various marketing techniques, such as article submissions, blogging and PCC  marketing techniques.

OK so this maybe this is my first live effort at reaching out beyond the halls of WAU to embrace a future generation of marketers, 

more to come