So, you've reached the decision to build an online business. Working from home seems like an attainable dream, but where do you actually start? There are so many different venues, and you don't even know what half of them are yet. Rest assured, there are plenty of methods that can take even a complete newbie to a professional marketer in no time flat. Here are 3 of those strategies that you can use right now:
1.) Promote other people's products by becoming an affiliate
Becoming an affiliate is pretty much the quickest way to start an online business. Think about it. You don't even need your own website, you don't have to create your own products, and you don't have to provide customer support. The sellers of the product do all of that work for you.
You'll usually earn between 50%-60% of every sale you make, depending on the vendor. And with the help of the promotional tools supplied by the vendors specifically for their own affiliates, you can get going in almost no time.
What you need to do is locate high-quality products that fix a problem that people will gladly pay to have solved. The more specific, the more targeted your traffic will be. Then, you help the vendor promote their product by signing up for their affiliate program, and directing targeted, pre-sold traffic to their products through your affiliate links. Yep, that's pretty much it!
2.) Create a coaching program or membership site
This is another effective method to starting a home based business on the internet. The best part about creating a coaching program or membership site is that you can create a residual income for yourself. If you provide great quality, many of your clients will stick with your program, and you'll receive ongoing payments from the same clients. This also means that you don't have to put as much effort into acquiring more and more new clients.
The content of a membership site doesn't necessarily have to be in a written format, either. Heck, it doesn't even have to provide any education at all. Of course, many do, in the form of coaching programs, a video series, etc. However, an alternative could be a paid forum where members gather together, network, provide support for each other, etc. Many online marketers either provide forums for free, or for a nominal monthly fee. A good idea might also be to give your clients a month or so for free, to give them a taste of what you have to offer without any extra effort on your part.
3.) Take the plunge and create your own product
One of the best ways you can catapult your home based business on the internet is to just grit your teeth and create your own product. It can be in any format: an audio interview, an e-book, a video, a short report, etc. If it provides a solution to a specific problem that you're customers are dying to have solved, then how you deliver that content is up to you.
Oh, but a quick word of advice: it always helps to ASK your customers what they would prefer, if you're not sure. If you have a list, this can be done with surveys. This will get your customers more involved, and if you actually ask them what kind of content they want and then GIVE it to them, they'll love you for it.
If this is your first time creating your own product, then your first one might take a little time to get right. Don't be a procrastinating perfectionist, but still do the very best you can. The advantage of selling your own product compared to being an affiliate is that you can sell your product and keep all of the profits...and you'll also be creating a business asset that, in the long run, will be much more profitable for you. If you take the time to create a high-quality product that leaves your fans raving, then you also build your reputation and create a repeat-customer base.
And think about it: would you rather be one of dozens, hundreds, or thousands of affiliates promoting a product that belongs to someone else...or would your rather have dozens, hundreds, or thousands of affiliates promoting YOUR product?
Those are three of the most effective ways of starting your own online business. Experiment a bit with different methods, and really dive in when you find ones that suit you. There are no easy buttons, but there are plenty of easy methods that will help you build your own home based business quicker than you ever thought possible!