What Should I Promote and How Should I Promote It?

by John M. Hanevy

Published on this site: February 12th, 2004

One of the biggest problems people who are starting a new business face is which one? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of opportunities that you can join, or products that you can promote. How do you sort them out and find out which one is right for you? Do you just join a bunch of programs and "try" them out and hope that something works?

Or do you do a little soul-searching and some research to narrow it down to the opportunity that fits you best? A lot of people don't have the patience to really check out the opportunity before they join it--this can be hazardous to your financial health! There are many questions you should answer before starting a home business.

One question you should probably answer is--what's the right business for me? Do I want to sell books, software, something else? Do I want to promote a variety of products?

Next, is there a specific niche within this business that I want to position myself in? If you can find a niche that is not overpopulated, and that you enjoy, you have the makings of a very good business. If you're not sure what you want to promote, then you may be better off going with an opportunity that has a broad range of products. This is usually a good idea even in a niche, since you always want to have more than one "hot seller"-- products do cool off after a while!

Another thing to consider before deciding on your product--is it a "one-shot" sale or will it generate repeat sales? An ebook, for example, is usually a "one-shot" sale, while a product such as multivitamins will normally generate repeat sales as the customer must replenish their supply. You can base your business on either type of product, but be aware that you will need to have more "back-end" products to sell with a "one-shot" than with a repeat sales product.

"Back-end" products are products that you sell to your customers after your first offer. For example, you might sell, or give away, an ebook and then "back-end" an ecourse product to your customer. The ebook gives them an introduction to what the ecourse contains. You might also sell them a product and "back-end" your business opportunity--giving them an opportunity to make money off a product that they know is good because they use it!

"Back-ending" is very powerful and is the reason why there are so many internet successes today.

Another question, once you have decided on your business is--how will I make money with this opportunity? What will I sell? How will I promote it? What is my "cut"? How will I fund my business, what's my budget? As the saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.". You should know the answers to these questions before you begin--particularly when it comes to your budget. You must be prepared to take a loss initially, most businesses do not succeed overnight--it takes time, perseverance, patience, and yes,money to succeed. You must decide how much you are willing to invest per month, or per year, to grow your business.

Once you have decided on your budget you need to decide how best to spend that money to promote your business. Will you use only free ads? Ezine ads? Website ads? Email or direct mail campaigns? Targeted or non-targeted ads, or both? Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages.

Free ads have an obvious advantage--they're free. However, they may not produce the results you want in a timely manner. The problem with free ads is that, in most cases, they are "non-targeted"--they are put in front of the general public at large, in the hope that someone will respond. They may, or may not, be classified by categories.

Free ads are similar to placing an ad in your local free shopping paper--it may get read, but chances are very good it won't be. Most people who visit free ad sites are looking to post *their* ads, not to look at yours! Some people do have success with free ads, but they must post their ads continuously before people take notice. If you have time to wait, then you may eventually get some response from your free ads. A better way to go though is "targeted" paid ads.

Targeted paid ads are placed in areas that are specific to the customers you are looking for. For example, you would place your ad for a business opportunity on a website that caters to people interested in starting their own business--not on a site that caters to people looking for cars, food, couches, trucks, puppies, kittens, clothes, stereo equipment, and *maybe* business opportunities.

Instead of reaching thousands of people who probably have no interest in your opportunity, you will be reaching hundreds, or thousands, of people who have a specific interest in business opportunities--they wouldn't be at the site otherwise! You have a much better chance of selling your opportunity to these targeted customers, than you do with the people looking for general merchandise. You should do a search and find those ezines, newsletters, or websites that have a "targeted" customer base *already in place* for you.

Ezines or websites-which should you advertise in? This is not so easily answered, it depends on how targeted their audience is, and how many subscribers, or unique visitors, they have. In general though, websites are a better value. Websites are a better value simply because, in most cases, your ad is displayed longer than with an ezine or newsletter. Most website ads that you purchase will be for a month, some may be less, some may be more. Ezines and newsletters usually only publish your ad once--your ad is seen once by their subscriber base and that's it!

However, some ezines have websites where they archive old issues and/or post your ads--this is worth finding out about before purchasing your ad. You may then decide the ezine is a better value--it may have a larger customer base than the website you are looking at. One way to compare is how much are you paying per subscriber? Keep in mind how "targetted" the customer base is--there may be a reason for a very low cost! A good rule of thumb--subscribe to the ezine or newsletter before advertising in it, make sure its customer base matches what you are looking for.

Direct mail and email campaigns both have the same problem--they are for the most part "non-targeted" campaigns. You will run across companies that will sell you "targeted" lists--but do you have any way of checking these lists before you buy? No, you don't, you must take it on faith that these are "fresh" addresses of people who are indeed interested in your product or opportunity. If you do decide to purchase a list, make sure you use a reputable company.

Email campaigns are probably not the best way to go, although they can be much cheaper than direct mail. The problem with email campaigns is you must now be very careful that your list "opts-in" to receive your email. If they haven't "opted-in", then you run the risk of being accused of spamming--not a good thing. Spam complaints can lead to cancellation of your ISP services, loss of your business, and may even result in fines against you! Don't do it!

You can build an opt-in list by publishing your own ezine or newsletter, setting up a subscription website, or by offering a free report via autoresponder (as long as you tell them this). Being known as a "spammer" can severely damage your business reputation. Build your list legitimately, or purchase it from a reputable source. If you do manage to build a sizable, legitimate list then email marketing may turn out to be very profitable for you. The key is to make sure you are emailing "opt-in" and "targeted" customers.

OK, you've decided on your business, you know what your budget is, and you know how you are going to promote it--what's left? The final piece is what's your motivation? What's the main reason you want to get into this business? To make money? To help people solve a problem? To provide a valuable service? To give yourself a creative outlet? Knowing this will help keep you motivated when things don't go your way, and will also help you with your promotional campaigns. Starting a business is a struggle at times, often it is the little things that keep us going!

John M. Hanevy is an affiliate of SFI, Strong Future International. SFI markets many products for business and personal use. Join their affiliate program, sign-up is free, no fees, no obligation. http://www.ezinfocenter.com/8386234.400/FREE.