Starting An Internet Business

When I started my business earlier this year it was with a single mission in mind: to help people earn money online without falling prey to scams.

My home page says it all. Our disabled daughter tried to start an internet business and was scammed out of $6100.

I soon realized she was not alone. For every successful online business owner, there are hundreds more seeking the “inside” secret that will get them to the same place.

In fact, during the first six months of 2008 12 million new websites were added to the web.

I’ve responded by creating an information hub of free online resources for entrepreneur wannabes. Already approaching 100 pages, I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’m constantly making new discoveries and adding valuable content to my site.

To accomplish my goal takes research. And research has given me a perspective on today's internet business start ups.

Six years ago, it was easier for you to market an online business than it is today. Back then, although fewer than four out of 10 Americans were online, savvy business owners were in control. From SEO and well-crafted landing pages to paid ads, they temptingly described their products or services and waited for warm customers to visit their site and buy.

Now three quarters of Americans are online. Most venture into cyberspace to connect with friends, find information and avoid come-ons.

Something else is different today: web surfers have embraced social network sites. They congregate on public social sites like Facebook. They consume information from blogs. They share cool videos from sites like You Tube on social bookmarking sites like digg.

Corporate America took notice of these trends and markets to consumers in all of these areas. In fact, the 500 fastest growing companies in the U.S. all have established considerable presence within the cyber social network.

As I read the statistics, I wondered how their success in this new age was possible. From my own experience, I hate venturing onto MySpace to check messages. Someone is always trying to sell me something.

You’ve got to figure that if I am on MySpace and belong to various business-related groups there, I must have my own business. Why would you invite me to join yours?

Years ago I worked as an event planner for my newspaper. This required frequent meetings with representatives from various businesses and organizations providing food, local entertainment, professional entertainment, the trade show and so on. Not once did I ask one of those other representatives to quit their job to join my company! Yet that goes on daily in various social sites.

I’ve concluded the bad practice of spamming products and opportunities, which is rampant on Twitter and other sites boils down to lack of business skills.

So I added the goal of identifying best internet practices to that of finding trustworthy resources to my creation of this small business information hub.

As entrepreneurs we need to stand out from the crowd. We need something worthwhile to offer. In short, if we wish to succeed in business online we need business skills.

The guys who already carved out a profitable niche for themselves online have a distinct advantage over us newbies. They are already known for their accomplishments. Because people know these internet pioneers offer worthwhile products and services they don’t cringe when they read an announcement from them about a new product. Internet gurus earned their reputations. They are hugely successful. Most of us want to be just like them.

But when an unknown announces a product or opportunity it comes across as an intrusion.

Mike Dillard says in his video boot camp: to be successful you have to give away something of value. That is what I am striving for here. Mike says this is the surest path to creating an online presence so that in the future when you do offer something to sell; people will have heard of you and will be willing to buy from you—based on the usefulness of the things you gave away for free.

While my site contains lots of tried-and-true advice and links to free resources, I'm compiling an even bigger cache of resources which I hope to have published in the coming months.

What other things might we newbee business owners give away?

Since recommendations and votes are part of today’s social milieu, why not spend some time each day adding to your list on digg and delicious? This helps the authors of worthwhile content and makes you credible.

Visit niche-related forums and sites like Yahoo! Answers. Find questions relating to your service or product. In your answer post a link to free content on your site. Or link to an article you have written that gives a more complete solution to the person writing the question. These marketing tactics reward you with inbound links to your site and increases your ezine readership.

Use the compelling nature of Web 2.0. Create a video. Let people see the person behind the landing pages. Let them hear your voice on podcasts and webinars.

It is because the free flow of information on the internet impacts each of us at so many levels that I am convinced you and I are part of something huge. Like the Europeans living in squalor and without hope in the 17th century, it is up to each of us to decide if we are going to risk boarding a ship for the New World.

Let me leave you with this video to ponder. This video takes a look at the impact of the internet on our lives and the way we conduct business.