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Will You Add? - Does Your Business Really Need a Website?
If you have non-physical products (such as e-books) to sell and you do not have as much money to spend on a big advertising campaign, then you should consider using affiliate marketing. Here is a short 101 on what affiliate marketing is and how you can use it to your advantage.What is affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing is essentially letting other people sell you non-physical products for you, and in turn paying them a certain commission. You let interested ‘agents’ sign up to become your affiliate partner, explain how your commission system work, and let them go off to advertise and promote your product. You may want to supply them with marketing materials or codes that they can add to their websites so that people they refer can quickly get to your page.Why should I use affiliate marketing to sell my non-physical products? Many online business owners and merchants find affiliate marketing to be a very effective model of advertising and marketing. You only have to pay your affiliate partner when they actually ‘perform’ by way of giving you traffic, sign ups, or sales.Many companies have used affiliate marketing to grow their businesses. There are more and more opportunities to make substantial profit from affiliate marketing because millions of people now buy online, and there are now a lot more internet publishers ready to become your partner. Used correctly, affiliate marketing may just be your ticket to getting noticed amidst thousands of competitors.How do I set up an affiliate program? If you have solid programming experience, you can set up your own affiliate programs. This may take time and require you to put together a customer service team, though (assuming you cannot do the job by yourself). In order to run a successful affiliate marketing program, you need to put in a lot of maintenance work. This may cost you money.So if you are just starting out, it may better to instead use third parties that act as ‘intermediaries’ – simply sign up as a merchant, pay a certain fee, and let them do the hard work
QUESTION 2: What is the cost involved?
Having a website involves three basic costs: The development of the site itself, hosting the site, and registering the domain name.
The development of the site is the actual "building" or putting the graphics, text, links and codes all together so you have web pages that look good and are informative when you see the site on the computer. This is the largest of the three costs and can ranch in price from $500 to $2000 typically. However, the cost of getting a functioning website is generally the same as putting
Those of you who know me most likely know I've been a big fan of PayPal for a long time. I've been using them and recommending them for six years now and, for the most part, they've been a wonderful alternative to a costly merchant account.Today, I have a different story to tell. One which you will certainly want to hear if you use PayPal and plan to continue using them as your business grows.A couple of months ago, I met a Chinese supplier of designer clothing. He seemed very nice and was looking for people to help him sell his wares on E-Bay. He had a web site to display his stock and he guaranteed $600 per month or more for sales agents. "Ok," I said, "I'll give it a try." I had a friend who was working with him already and making more like $600 per week for what amounted to a couple hours work per day.I started listing sales. Being the gung ho kind of person I am, I listed many sales. When I sent in my orders, I was shocked to hear, "I don't have these items in stock." OMG! His web site said they were in stock! What to do?! I looked for other suppliers who might have what I needed. It took a little time, but I found some. I quickly sent all the orders and cash I had collected in the hope that these new suppliers would be able to get the merchandise to my customers within the time frame I had promised.Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of a long list of trials and tribulations associated with my first full scale E-Bay venture. Many orders were delayed for an unreasonably long time in Chinese customs. Another significant chunk of orders were placed with an unscrupulous supplier who took my money, but never sent any products.As you can imagine, customers were not happy. Every day I had to face 30 or more angry messages from E-Bay buyers who had not received their items. I spent weeks explaining about backorders and customs delays. Then, once I realized I was scammed, I had to explain that to a lot of people, too. Believe it or not, many people were understanding and remarkably patient. Others got angry and submitted PayPal claims against me and that's where the real
- Does my company really need a web site?
- What is the cost involved?
- I already have a web page on someone else's website. Why do I need two?
- I don’t sell merchandise on-line. Why would I need a web site?
- I don’t even use a computer. I can't maintain a web site.
- Our customers like the personal touch and most aren’t computer users.
- I have a cousin who can make web sites. I’ve promised him that he can do ours.
- Our upcoming advertising commitments will use all our marketing money.
- A website seems so sterile and impersonal. It won’t add to “our kind" of customer base that was built on personal relationship.
- I wouldn’t know what to do with a web site if I had one.
The answer to this question could be “yes” or could be “no.” Only the business owner can answer it.
Recently I went to a popular restaurant in a tiny Virginia town to try and sell the owners a website. The restaurant was located right on the waterfront overlooking Chincoteague Bay. I went just before lunchtime in the dead of winter on a weekday. I figured business would be slow and I could chat briefly with the owner.
The owner was gracious and allowed me to run through the basic benefits giving me her full attention – even taking a few notes. I figured I had a good chance of closing this deal. I finally said, “Do you think a website is something you’d be interested in hearing more about?”
This was her reply: “We opened this place as a bait and tackle shop. Then people wanted coffee so we provided that. Then some asked for sandwiches, so we provided that. Later they wanted a few tables where they could sit and chat while they ate their sandwiches, so we got tables and chairs and began doing lunches. That led to dinners. Then we didn’t have enough room so we added the screened in porch for the summer. People loved the porch so much that we winterized for the colder months. Now that it’s January, we thought we might be able to close one day a week and get some time off. But we can’t. We’re too busy. We’ve never advertised and we’re tired. If a website is going to bring more people in here – no thanks!”
This business does not need a website.
Only you can determine if your company needs a web site. While making the determination, you want to consider that a web site is multi-functional, and is a communication tool – not an advertisement. If your business is organized, all of your clientele is local, and you have a back-log of customers waiting to be serviced –and you can handle that service effectively – you may not need a website.
If you often wish you could communicate effectively with a broader range of clients / customers, publicly post answers to frequently asked questions, attract new customers, break in to new markets and take the market share from your competitors – then a website is a MUST!
A web site is like your giant public bulletin board where people can get information on how to find you, where you are located, what you have to offer, why your service is unique, and what’s new in your company. It also is easily updated and changed frequently, and is a communication forum through which your customers can communicate back to you with questions, concerns and feedback on their needs.
QUESTION 2: What is the cost involved?
Having a website involves three basic costs: The development of the site itself, hosting the site, and registering the domain name.
The development of the site is the actual "building" or putting the graphics, text, links and codes all together so you have web pages that look good and are informative when you see the site on the computer. This is the largest of the three costs and can ranch in price from $500 to $2000 typically. However, the cost of getting a functioning website is generally the same as putting
I always wanted to start my own business on the Internet. A couple of weeks ago I came across this cool book on Internet techniques and ideas. One of the more interesting things that I read was being able to make money by promoting someone else’s site. This technique is referred to as being an Affiliate. The steps are outlines briefly below:1) You sign up for an account2) You get an affiliate link3) You get people to click on your affiliate link4) Then, the people who click on your link are redirected to the website you are promoting5) When they make a purchase (at that time or anytime later) you get a commissionIf done properly you can make a very good income. Affiliates are paid anywhere from 1% to 100% of the products sale price.The advantages of being an affiliate far outnumber the disadvantages .One advantage is that you start making money pretty fast. All you need to worry about is promoting it. In addition, you don’t have to develop the product. Nor do you have to be an authority on the product; the developer has that end covered. There are no worries about upkeep of the website, accepting payment, what niche product to use …etc. The site will even have banners, text links and free e-books that you can brand for free. When the sale is made you just wait for your check to come in the mail. Getting a check for something that’s working while your busy with something else. I think that’s pretty cool.As I said earlier, though there are disadvantages there are not many. If the niche market is swamped there will be plenty of others competing to get sales, however a little creative marketing can fix that. Another is that some of them may not be honest. They would keep all the money you generated for them, however this would be stupid on there part because affiliates would stop promoting them and above all they would be committing fraud. Becoming an affiliate is fun, creative and best of all profitable.Well that’s all for now. Good Luck and many wishes.
The answer to this question could be “yes” or could be “no.” Only the business owner can answer it.
Recently I went to a popular restaurant in a tiny Virginia town to try and sell the owners a website. The restaurant was located right on the waterfront overlooking Chincoteague Bay. I went just before lunchtime in the dead of winter on a weekday. I figured business would be slow and I could chat briefly with the owner.
The owner was gracious and allowed me to run through the basic benefits giving me her full attention – even taking a few notes. I figured I had a good chance of closing this deal. I finally said, “Do you think a website is something you’d be interested in hearing more about?”
This was her reply: “We opened this place as a bait and tackle shop. Then people wanted coffee so we provided that. Then some asked for sandwiches, so we provided that. Later they wanted a few tables where they could sit and chat while they ate their sandwiches, so we got tables and chairs and began doing lunches. That led to dinners. Then we didn’t have enough room so we added the screened in porch for the summer. People loved the porch so much that we winterized for the colder months. Now that it’s January, we thought we might be able to close one day a week and get some time off. But we can’t. We’re too busy. We’ve never advertised and we’re tired. If a website is going to bring more people in here – no thanks!”
This business does not need a website.
Only you can determine if your company needs a web site. While making the determination, you want to consider that a web site is multi-functional, and is a communication tool – not an advertisement. If your business is organized, all of your clientele is local, and you have a back-log of customers waiting to be serviced –and you can handle that service effectively – you may not need a website.
If you often wish you could communicate effectively with a broader range of clients / customers, publicly post answers to frequently asked questions, attract new customers, break in to new markets and take the market share from your competitors – then a website is a MUST!
A web site is like your giant public bulletin board where people can get information on how to find you, where you are located, what you have to offer, why your service is unique, and what’s new in your company. It also is easily updated and changed frequently, and is a communication forum through which your customers can communicate back to you with questions, concerns and feedback on their needs.
QUESTION 2: What is the cost involved?
Having a website involves three basic costs: The development of the site itself, hosting the site, and registering the domain name.
The development of the site is the actual "building" or putting the graphics, text, links and codes all together so you have web pages that look good and are informative when you see the site on the computer. This is the largest of the three costs and can ranch in price from $500 to $2000 typically. However, the cost of getting a functioning website is generally the same as putting
FTP Hosting – An OverviewLooking for an efficient and secure mode of transferring information over the Internet? File Transfer Protocol (FTP) comes with necessary features to facilitate large files from one computer to another through Internet connection. FTP hosting service allows the users to upload copy of the files in a FTP server (commonly known as FTP Site). People who are authorized to access that FTP server and have valid user names and passwords can download the copies of the uploaded files from the FTP server. This is the way in which information are exchanged through FTP hosting.Necessary security measures come with FTP hosting to protect the information and restrict unwanted users to access the files. Each FTP users (end clients as well as vendors) will have unique FTP account with separate user name and password. Thanks to the design of File Transfer Protocol, now you can exchange information between two nodes (computers) irrespective of operating system and hardware configuration. FTP protocol provides two programs – Server Program and Client Program. FTP Server application that runs on the host computer supports remote users to transfer files between client and host computers. FTP Client on the other end allows clients to upload or download files from FTP server.Registering for FTP ServiceThe first step is to apply and register for an FTP service. You can easily find several FTP Service providers in the Internet. It is recommended to make through research on FTP services, features and their values. After selecting a FTP service provider you need to apply for a service. In the registration form you have to mention contact information, billing information, User Name and Password for FTP admin control panel, payment terms and FTP Hosting package.The service provider will allocate a separate space for you in the FTP server and allow you to activate the your FTP profile. FTP profile has four major parts: Name of FTP Server FTP User Name FTP Password FTP Server Sub-directory Configurin
This was her reply: “We opened this place as a bait and tackle shop. Then people wanted coffee so we provided that. Then some asked for sandwiches, so we provided that. Later they wanted a few tables where they could sit and chat while they ate their sandwiches, so we got tables and chairs and began doing lunches. That led to dinners. Then we didn’t have enough room so we added the screened in porch for the summer. People loved the porch so much that we winterized for the colder months. Now that it’s January, we thought we might be able to close one day a week and get some time off. But we can’t. We’re too busy. We’ve never advertised and we’re tired. If a website is going to bring more people in here – no thanks!”
This business does not need a website.
Only you can determine if your company needs a web site. While making the determination, you want to consider that a web site is multi-functional, and is a communication tool – not an advertisement. If your business is organized, all of your clientele is local, and you have a back-log of customers waiting to be serviced –and you can handle that service effectively – you may not need a website.
If you often wish you could communicate effectively with a broader range of clients / customers, publicly post answers to frequently asked questions, attract new customers, break in to new markets and take the market share from your competitors – then a website is a MUST!
A web site is like your giant public bulletin board where people can get information on how to find you, where you are located, what you have to offer, why your service is unique, and what’s new in your company. It also is easily updated and changed frequently, and is a communication forum through which your customers can communicate back to you with questions, concerns and feedback on their needs.
QUESTION 2: What is the cost involved?
Having a website involves three basic costs: The development of the site itself, hosting the site, and registering the domain name.
The development of the site is the actual "building" or putting the graphics, text, links and codes all together so you have web pages that look good and are informative when you see the site on the computer. This is the largest of the three costs and can ranch in price from $500 to $2000 typically. However, the cost of getting a functioning website is generally the same as putting
He sounded like the typical arch rival, but when Bill Gates announced to the world that “the honeymoon with Google will only last a couple more years”, did he have a point?The world certainly has gone Google-Ga-Ga, with search, Gmail, Adwords, Analytics, Adsense and Toolbar causing a riotous storm. I have read countless news items and blogs proclaiming the march of Google onto the desktop as a curtain call for Microsoft. Google can now search within the local machine, will eventually power internet boxes as a replacement to Windows, and will eventually take control of the world!Now, I’m certainly not Google bashing, but this kind of talk strikes me as crazy. Google have a powerful and technologically advanced search application. They have constructed beautiful search architecture and packaged it into a winning business model. The launch of Adwords and Adsense was pure genius in a cost-per-click market that was staid and unconvincing, but I for one have serious doubts about the immediate impact of Google on Microsoft’s monopoly.I use Adwords, Analytics and Adsense on a daily basis. All my email is combined into a Gmail account, which I read through Google Desktop Toolbar. Google is my search engine of choice, and all in all I’m happy with my Google package.But there are gripes, and they’re growing.The Google interface is plain. Of course it is I hear you cry – why would you want to clutter up such great technology with a cheap veneer? Well, for us technical minded folk maybe, but I know plenty of non-technical people (and, lets face it, there are billions of them) that find this very plain approach to be extremely counter-intuitive. Take Gmail for instance. Apart from a powerful search function, Gmail scores pretty low on the usability stakes. Most of the non-techie people I come into contact with (I’m talking solicitors, teachers, middle managers – fairly intelligent people) have ditched Gmail for the familiarity and usability of Hotmail. In Hotmail Microsoft supply an integrated and highly polished product that takes a novice by the hand and walks them up the g
Only you can determine if your company needs a web site. While making the determination, you want to consider that a web site is multi-functional, and is a communication tool – not an advertisement. If your business is organized, all of your clientele is local, and you have a back-log of customers waiting to be serviced –and you can handle that service effectively – you may not need a website.
If you often wish you could communicate effectively with a broader range of clients / customers, publicly post answers to frequently asked questions, attract new customers, break in to new markets and take the market share from your competitors – then a website is a MUST!
A web site is like your giant public bulletin board where people can get information on how to find you, where you are located, what you have to offer, why your service is unique, and what’s new in your company. It also is easily updated and changed frequently, and is a communication forum through which your customers can communicate back to you with questions, concerns and feedback on their needs.
QUESTION 2: What is the cost involved?
Having a website involves three basic costs: The development of the site itself, hosting the site, and registering the domain name.
The development of the site is the actual "building" or putting the graphics, text, links and codes all together so you have web pages that look good and are informative when you see the site on the computer. This is the largest of the three costs and can ranch in price from $500 to $2000 typically. However, the cost of getting a functioning website is generally the same as putting
Today I received a cold call from a telemarketer to sell me a newspaper subscription. I found his sales script quite amusing. Here's how it went:"Good morning Mr. Buntic, I'm calling from the Toronto Star. Today I would like to ask you, when you start your new subscription to the Toronto Star would you prefer it delivered to the front door or the back door?"My reply:"Hmmm, the Toronto Star? Never heard of it. Tell me more about your newspaper."Of course I was kidding. Anybody that lives in Toronto knows what the Toronto Star is. It is one of the two major Toronto dailies. This telemarketer from the newspaper decided to use sales closes and trial closing questions right off the bat so in return I played around with him. People that use sales closing techniques assume that they can outsmart the prospect. Really, that's all that sales closes are, a way to try to outsmart your target. That’s what this telemarketer believed he could do to me.Reading this, you can see how absurd this telemarketer's techniques were. So, if you are a salesperson, would you use these techniques? Would it not worry you that your prospect might see through you just like you see through this telemarketer? Do you think it’s possible that your prospect may think you’re just absurd as you think this telemarketer is?Assume that the prospects you sell to know the exact same techniques that you use. Would you use these techniques then? Since all of the sales closing techniques that you know probably come from a bestselling sales book that millions of other business professionals have read, then it's quite likely that they will know exactly what you’re trying to do and your techniques will be rendered meaningless.So, if you are in sales, don't try to outsmart your prospects. Trial closing questions and sales closes are meaningless.By the way, who gets their paper delivered to the back door? What’s that all about?
QUESTION 2: What is the cost involved?
Having a website involves three basic costs: The development of the site itself, hosting the site, and registering the domain name.
The development of the site is the actual "building" or putting the graphics, text, links and codes all together so you have web pages that look good and are informative when you see the site on the computer. This is the largest of the three costs and can ranch in price from $500 to $2000 typically. However, the cost of getting a functioning website is generally the same as putting a color ad insert into your local paper once or twice a year. That ad is seen and then gone. The cost of your website is a one-time investment for a tool you own and can continue to use for communication and marketing indefinitely. It is always up - and always accessible.
Hosting the site means the website files are put on a large server so the general public can access your site by clicking through the Internet. Hosting costs vary but average around $20 to $50 per month, based on the website functionality and the hosting provider. Service varies widely as well. The ideal host will offer several services bundled together for one affordable price. Look for these services in a hosting package:
- The space provided for your site on the server should have ample room for high traffic (bandwidth). When a site doesn’t have enough bandwidth, the web visitor finds the site slow loading and difficult to access.
- The hosting package should have at least one email address that can be accessed through the web.
- The Hosting package should have a reliable track record of maintaining high dependability. When your server goes down, your web site and associated email is unavailable. Registering the domain name involves reserving a unique web address where users find your web site - such as www.writingthevision.com. This is done through a public registry service and the cost is typically $35 per year.
- Email services with multiple email accounts.
- Internet marketing services – researching how best to promote your site and get the maximum visibility, drawing more visitors to your site.
- Maintenance services – updating the site continually, making changes, adding pages, delivering web statistic reports, and more.
If you have a web page with your Chamber of Commerce or with a listing service in your industry or parent company, that is a GOOD thing! However, that is not a web site. It more than likely only offers contact information and a brief description of what your offer. It lumps you into a wide category that generally includes your competitors, and in many cases, it doesn’t offer the interaction with the public that your own website would offer. Finally – you don’t own the site or have control over it.
Your web site brands you as unique and reveals your identity. The good news is that having that page with the Chamber or other listing service will enhance and empower your new website. It will drive more traffic to your site and put you one step ahead of the marketing game.
Think about it. If a visitor is looking for a florist on Teleflora and finds five listings close to home – and one of the listings has a link to its own website – th
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