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This is an excerpt from Jim Daniels Blog of 01-13-2009 about getting started cheaply in Internet Marketing. I recreate
it here so we don't lose this wonderful resource list.
Step 1: Put Up a Website
The first thing you'll need when starting a business online is a website or a blog. Whether you
plan to make money selling your own products and services or selling as an affiliate, you need a "home base" to direct your
prospects to. Fortunately, there are many low-cost and no-cost resources for building your own website.
Cheapskate
Resources:
NVU.com - This is one of the best website design programs on the web. With it you can design your entire website. You can start from
scratch or use a pre-designed website template. This program rivals programs costing hundreds of dollars.
Cost: $0
EZMinisites.com - A great source for pre-designed website templates. But not just "pretty" templates -- these professional templates contain
all the sales components of top selling websites. BizWeb eGazette subscribers get 10 free templates...
Cost: $0
WordPress.com - If you like to write then you may prefer to go the blog route instead building a website. Using this web-based blog building
platform you can get started in less than an hour.
Cost: $0
Blogger.com - Another top-notch blog builder.
Cost: $0
Step 2: Grow Your Own Email List
At your site or blog, your number one priority should be to give something of value away, such
as an ebook, so you can collect opt-in email addresses. This will grow a growing pool of prospects that can be contacted regularly.
I n order to get started with this task,
you need two things... a giveaway such as an ebook you write yourself, or acquire master rights to. And a service that will
help you grow and manage your list.
Cheapskate Resources:
OpenOffice.org - With this tool you can create your ebook. This awesome program rivals Microsoft Office, but without the high price tag.
Plus, the word processing program called OpenOffice Writer, (looks like Word) has something really neat built in. I call it
an instant ebook creator. In a nutshell, you can write content in the word processor then when you're done, click File, Export
as PDF. You have an instant ebook! Now that's a great feature. Especially considering how much you pay for this entire suite
of tools...
Cost: $0
ThirdSphere - Once you have a site designed, you need a web host.
This host gets great reviews from their customers and businesses. Plus, you get quite a list of features you'd normally pay
separately for, including all-important followup autoresponders. If I were on a very tight budget and just starting out, this
is the host I would use. (While you can find free business hosting on the web, most include 3rd party ads on your site
- a big no-no.)
Cost: Less than $1 per day
FTP Commander - If you're going to build a website you need a way to upload the files to your web host. This tool is easy to use and comes
with the perfect price tag.
Cost: $0
Step 3: Take Credit Card Payments
If you're selling products and services as an affiliate, you can skip this step, as the merchants
will handle all customer payments then pay you a commission. But if you plan to sell products or services of your own, then
you'll need a way to take payments. Years ago I'd tell people to get a merchant account for this. But with an average cost
of $500 or so, this is really not the best choice for small and home web businesses, at least during the start-up phase. That's
because other options are now mainstream and far cheaper.
Cheapskate
Resources:
PayPal - Millions of people use this payment solution online now. It is so universally accepted I increased my sales by 20% overnight,
simply by adding paypal as an option for my customers. And there's nothing wrong with having paypal as your only payment option
ether. As far as costs go, unlike standard merchant accounts, you don't pay unless you make sales -- that alone makes it a
nice fit for new businesses.
Cost $0 setup and per transaction fees
ClickBank - Similar to paypal, this site lets you accept credit card payments for your goods -- as long as they are digital, such as
ebooks and other downloadable products. Clickbank has an added advantage though -- they have a network of more than 100,000
affiliates you can tap into instantly. They charge more per transaction than paypal, but their vast network of affiliates
can more than offset the extra costs.
Cost $0 setup and per transaction fees
Let's wrap it up for today...
A bit of quick math show us that we're at about $7 a week. The coffee I buy at Dunkin Donuts is $1.93 a cup. Do the math.
Who says a web business has to be expensive? So what are you waiting for. Money is not an obstacle. All you really need are
some ideas and some time.
 See ya in a few weeks...
Jim Daniels
JDD Publishing Co.
P.S. Do you want to earn a full-time income from the web, in your spare
time? Download the exact Work At Home Plan I Used.
To bypass the
$97 order form, just click the Gold Key at the site. It will bring you right to the
download area.
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