ÓCopyright, 2005 Words - 818

"The trick to developing a product that is guaranteed to sell like crazy is to offer a solution to a problem. If you can save people time, money, or hassle, they'll be willing to pay for your solution!" - Corey Rudl

If someone offered to help you make a million dollars, why would you say, "no?" This very thing goes on all the time to thousands of people all over the world. You may have never imagined you could make a six-seven figure income, yet it's happening all the time on the internet. This is the result of internet marketing. It is a viable business and has made many millionaires. Even 19-year-old billionaires!

On the internet, there are millions upon millions of transactions taking place every day, every hour, every minute and every second. This was not possible fifteen to twenty years ago. Now, with access to the internet, you have the capability of reaching many thousands of potential customers at the touch of a button. And - you are only limited by your imagination.

Internet marketing sounds easy to do, yet most businesses that currently use the internet to market their business online lose money. When taking your business online, there are three important steps that will make you feel confident. They include:

1. Targeting your audience. 2. Automating your business, and 3. Testing and adjusting your offer.

Your target audience depends upon the type of service or product you are offering. A little homework is required here. If you wish to sell hair and beauty products, you wouldn't send your announcements to farmers. You can find out where your customers are by searching the web and tracking what they are interested in when they visit your website. You also find out by asking. Do market surveys. Send out questionnaires. Query friends, acquaintances, neighbors and find out what interests them.

Automate your online business so that your valuable time and attention is directed to the more important act of creating more products or services. There are now hundreds of web sources that offer business automation services. They can send out your announcements or advertisements to thousands of potential buyers at a time. They can notify your customers when their order is ready to ship. They can do your bookkeeping and track of your customer's order.

You can easily find out what your customers like and don't like by testing your products and services, then make adjustments before spending lots of money on a product or service that the market won't support. By testing new products, ideas, or your advertising message on a small target audience first, saves you time, effort, and money. You discover your product or services marketability by adjusting your website or your advertisement to meet the needs of your customer. Internet marketing can be as easy as you make it, and it can be fun. Thinking up products and services that meet the needs of customers and getting them to the customer in a manner that is convenient and appropriate is rewarding in itself. Three other benefits of selling your product or service online are:

1. You have access to a global market at the touch of a finger. 2. Your investment of time is small. 3. You can start an online business with little cost. Compared to the cost of offline marketing - newspaper, radio, and TV ads, you can set up a website at a low cost and start offering your product or service and even see the results in a matter of days. You can test your ads, sales offers, website design, and send it out to thousands of potential customers in a matter of days - and sometimes receive an order within hours - and almost at no cost.

Using the internet to reach a global market cost much less than using the old or traditional methods. With access to the internet, you can quickly change your marketing plan and be ready to send out your marketing message in a matter of hours. Whereas, with the old ways of selecting the media and waiting for your ad to be scheduled, printed, and then distributed, the cost and the delay in time is monumental.

For internet marketing to work for you, you must set your business to run on automatic so you can put your attention on developing more products and better services. You must target your advertising message, consistently get it out to as many potential buyers as possible, and be ready to test, test, and test again to make certain your offer is what your customers wish to buy. These key secrets are a small part of what makes for a successful online business. It's up to you to find your passion, your faith, and your will to increase your sales, and - to give back.

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About the Author

Gerri D Smith is publisher and host of multiple Gateways to inspiration, motivation, and information for individuals, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. Sign up for a Free Monthly Newsletter at: http://www.distinctivebusinesswomen.com