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If someone is serious about doing business on the web, the very least they should have is their own web site and E-mail address. Free web sites and affiliate pages which you have no control over, simply don't cut the mustard when trying to do business on the web.
While free E-mail accounts can be used for tracking purposes, they should only be used when someone is replying to an ad, and not the primary method of contact.
You can register your domain name with the Internic, and this is good for two years. You then need to find a web host. You can get web space for about a dollar a day with a lot of bells and whistles available.
One of those bells and whistles which is an absolute must, is a secure page where you can accept online checks and credit cards. In our case, we added online checks first. Our business doubled with this addition. We then added credit cards and it doubled again. You of course have to have the "back-end" software to process the checks and credit cards.
Why would there be such an increase? If someone has to mail you a check or money order, there is a "cooling off" period and you might never get the sale. The ability to immediately order from the web and pay online, takes advantage of "impulse" buying and eliminates that "cooling off" period.
Now you have your own domain name, have a good product or service for sale and can honor online payments, but you have no sales - nada, nothing, zilch. So what is your next step? Obviously to have sales, you have to have customers.
As I'm writing this, I recalled this morning, when I took my golden retriever "Bear", for his daily constitutional walk on the beach. Looking out over the water, I could see a number of "head boats" out in the ocean. A "head boat" is slang for a boat that charges by the head to go fishing. They were too far away to read the names on the side of the boat.
Your web site is like one of those "head boats", but there are millions of them out there. In order for people to fish from your boat, you have to let them know you are there. You have to take every opportunity available to advertise your site. While there are many ways to do this, your best bet is to advertise so as to target your market.
Yes, you can send out bulk E-mail (which is frowned on by the internet community, and can wind up hurting you more than helping) or place banner ads on every possible site that will accept you. This is referred to as the "scatter gun" approach. You hope that one of ads will hit a potential customer.
Like any advertising program, it takes time to develop. Probably the best place to start, is with ads in "Online Publications". Face it - people who receive online publications have asked to receive them. They are interested in the area covered by the publication. If your product or service is a fit, they are a natural target for your ads.
In order for you to do business on the web, you have to "Get Serious" and treat it like a business. Anything less is called a "hobby".
Bob publishes the free weekly "Your Business" Newsletter Visit his Web Site at Subscribe at adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm and place a Free Ad for your business.
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