The Plan
Developing A System
There is an old saying that goes
“he who fails to plan: plans to fail”
In reality I have done all the hard work for you over there on the right. This is your business and marketing plan.
We know blogging works and we know people are making good money blogging so we need to get you to the place where you can share in this.
The first question isn’t “How can I make a million dollars on the Internet?” It’s, “What you’re good at?” That’s where your business begins.
If your just starting then you will need to find something that you love and are passionate about and then become the master of that area. So many people dash about from one program to another and miss all the benefits of a healthy base business.
Example - When the student is ready the teacher will turn up.
I spent 5 years of my Internet marketing career chasing deals and trying every program I could hoping one would work. I made a small amount of money but nothing to live on.
In 2003 I was retrenched from my job so I was forced to make a decision. Get another job or ramp up my internet business. I had fallen in love with streaming audio and had been using Real Audio for a long time however the plugin for that program became enormous and my listeners had dropped off a lot and so had my income.
At the same time an orphanage director had asked me to find something he could record and publish some updates online in streaming audio. This was my point of no return. I was committed to find a new system and worked with a guy in the UK and my son and his friends to develop a stand alone flash based streaming audio software that anyone could use.
So was born MP3 Sound Stream which is still one of my best sellers. I spent a whole year just promoting that product and looking for resources for my customers. I still get sales from articles etc I did way back then.
In the first year I equaled my wage I was getting in my job which then gave me some money to invest in other products. Hifi Streaming Audio, Web Video software, a streaming jukebox and many more.
The secret here is that I first built a foundation from which to springboard other products and services. Because I love the product and that side of the industry I will always stay involved.
Now I have discovered blogging I am applying the same principles and build blogs around things I either love to do or want to learn about.
So when working out your plan pick something you want to do and not around making money. Once you learn the basics you can then look at doing things you know nothing about. We will explain more in the brain Storming session.
So here is a basic plan as simple as I can make it for you .
Research your Passion - documenting things you do is the easiest way to start. The blog we are going to be using in the tutorials is MSI Photoshop. At the time of writing this course it is only a few days old.
I never used to be able to use Photoshop as I found it just to complicated and then one day I discovered Action Scripts and then video Tutorials. I have fallen in love with the product and so this blog is my journey and things I am trying.
Find some related products with affiliate programs. Developing your own is the best as they gives you 100% of profit. As you add posts and learn about your industry of choice you will start to find all sorts of opportunities. Your posts could be developed into your first product.
How do you like my latest picture.
Here is the tutorial for you. Will open in a new window
Build A System
To create an Blogging Empire that Makes money, you need a system
Buy a Domain Name
Buy some Hosting
Choose your products
Build a Blog
Set up online Payments
Organize some advertising and drive traffic
Go Live
Add a mini course or follow up system
Add some media.
Repeat the process
This may seem like a lot, and it is. But we’re going to walk you through it, so it’ll be easy. And once you have it set up, a lot of it runs on autopilot. Then all you have to do is market. At that point, you’re only job becomes getting people to your Web site, and the System does the rest - automatically!
Theory – The Next Big Trends
Every 18 sec for the next 18 years
someone will turn 59.
Baby Boomers are big spenders
What Business do you want to be in?
There is no substitute for knowledge. Here is a list of 6 questions that will lead you to decide how you can start making money with your own web site. It is not exhaustive: new ideas are being developed all the time, but it covers the bases:
- Do you want to sell hard products or digital products?
- Do you want to sell your own products, or someone else’s?
- Do you want to concentrate on selling one product hard, or spread over a wide range of products?
- Do you want to accept payments online, or let other people deal with the money?
- Do you want to capture email addresses so that you can sell to them later?
- Do you want to run an affiliate program
The secret here is Knowledge plus action = profits
Let’s look at these one at a time.
Hard products, or digital products?
You can pretty well sell anything on the Internet. However, if you are looking to run a business in your spare time, digital information products are the easiest to handle. Why? Simply because there is no inventory to worry about. Also, the products are delivered directly to your customer, instantly. If you have time then Tangible products can be an excellent income earner.
Inser audio John Reese.
Do you want to sell your own products, or someone else’s?
Your own products can be the most profitable. If you write an e-book and sell it for $25, who gets the $25? You do. All of it. Every last cent apart from a small commission to the credit card company. ‘But I can’t write an e-book,’ you say. Sure it can be difficult if you have not written anything before, and you may think you have nothing to say that people would pay good money for. You are wrong! You do have a book inside you. Almost everybody does.
Ken Evoy’s outstanding book, written with Monique Harris, *Make Your Knowledge Sell!*, will open your eyes and get you writing anything from a four-page report to a full sized book.
Do you want to concentrate on selling one product hard, or spread over a wide range of products?
This is a very personal choice, and depends somewhat on the target audience you will be aiming for and the expected profit-per-sale. If you have a product that is fairly high ticket, aimed at a niche audience, then you are probably best off building a web site devoted entirely to promoting that product.
Why waste your time diluting your efforts?
If, however, your audience is broad, and/or your profit margin is small, then by all means try to cross-sell them other products.
The choice has to be your own, but a lot of money is being made at the moment from both avenues so make your decision and then give it some time before moving onto the next venture.
Do you want to accept payments online, or let other people deal with the money?
If you are starting out in business and have no trading history, it will be difficult for you to persuade your bank to give you a merchant account and the accept credit cards online.
There are ways around this, but they will cost you a bigger percentage of your sale.
Don’t even think about asking customers to send you a check. This is the Internet: people just won’t do it. Having said this I have had occasion to send an invoice to a school or college who then sent me a check however it is very rare. If people do not have a CC a good alternative is Western Union. They pay at one side of the world and you withdraw the cash at your home town then just send the download.
We will cover the ways to collect money extensively in the beginners eCommerce section
Do you want to capture email addresses so that you can sell to them later?
An increasing acceptable business plan is based upon the idea of building a customer list and then selling to them at a later date. To make this work, your web site must be capable of generating a high traffic, and must have content that is of real value to its readers.
Once you have established that, invite visitors to opt in to your mailing list. This act gives you permission to email them without risk of spamming (sending out unsolicited email, which can get you into serious trouble with your ISP). Then you set about building a relationship with them through e-zines, newsletters, special offers, tips, recommendations, site update announcements and so on.
It can take up to seven communications before you make a sale, so perseverance is required.
This method is longer term, but virtually all the Internet gurus agree that it is the most effective way of making money online.
Do you want to run an affiliate program?
Like anything in life, the dream is alluring. But this dream can, with hard work and perseverance, become a reality. Then maybe you can think again about that day job!
“To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat
and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy.” Bette Davis (1908-1989), actress.
Once you have answered these questions go to the brain storming session and start the process.
How Much Should It Cost
NB: These figures are only to act as a guide and in no way should be taken as representative or comprehensive of any Internet Business. You should do your own cash flow analysis based on your own research.
|
Description |
Cost | Required |
|
Domain |
$9.00** | |
|
Hosting |
From $6.00* to 25.00* Mth | |
| Products | Variable | |
| 2 Checkout | $49.00* Once | ASAP |
| Clickbank | $49.00 Once | Any Time |
| Paypal | $0.00 | |
| Merchant Account | Variable | Any Time |
| eCommerce | $50.00* Mth | ASAP |
| Google Adwords | $30** + mth | |
So a minium set up would be $53.00* and ongoing
of $36.00* a month
An Optimal set up would be $163* and ongoing of $105.00* +
Cash Flow Projection
You should always do a cash flow projection and even a full business plan. Here is a sample of what it might look like. Always set some goals. It is better to aim at the moon and miss than to aim at a skunk and hit it. We want to find out what we need to get in sales to break even at the very least.
| Description | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 |
| Income | ||||
| Sales My product | 0.00 | 200.00 | 400.00 | 700.00 |
| Sales Affiliate | 77.00 | 144.00 | 221.00 | 298.00 |
| Sales Hosting | 10.00 | 20.00 | 30.00 | 60.00 |
| Total | 87.00 | 364.00 | 651.00 | 1058.00 |
| Expenses | ||||
| Initial Set up | 163.00 | |||
| Advertising | 30.00 | 40.00 | 50.00 | 60.00 |
| Hosting & Domains | 25.00 | 25.00 | 25.00 | 25.00 |
| 1SCart | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 |
| ISP | 40.00 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 60.00 |
| Bank Fees | 15.00 | 15.00 | 20.00 | 20.00 |
| Donation | 20.00 | 20.00 | 30.00 | 30.00 |
| Software | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 300.00 |
| Misc | 40.00 | 40.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 |
| Total | 383.00 | 230.00 | 265.00 | 595.00 |
| Balance | 296.00 | 134.00 | 386.00 | 463.00 |
| Gross Profit | 296.00 | 162.00 | 264.00 | 757.00 |
Notes to Cash Flow Spreadsheet:
Income: I have assumed we have a product worth $40 and we are selling this great CD/ebook and off course we can also sell some hosting to our friends, relatives and business associates.
Expenses: I have included the general expenses for most of the things associated with the business however I suggest you consult an accountant for a more complete list. Misc are courses I buy like for Google adwords or products to help me with my business. It is also for bits and pieces like stationary etc.
NB: In the fourth month I now have some excess funds so I can buy say Camtasia or other software which I can use to create more products. Always reinvest into your business. I also give to a charity as I believe in spreading my success.
Add more products, sell the systems you’re using as an affiliate and over time you can add a few zero’s to the above figures mainly in the income section as your expenses will not change that much unlike in a traditional business. You will buy new domains, upgrade your hosting and also increase your advertising budget but in proportion to your sales they will become minor additions.
Lets face it $7570.00 a months is a pretty good income and if you just keep at it then it could be yours. It might take a few months or a few years but however long it takes it will be some great additional income.
Here is a great site for doing a full business plan.
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Now that you have some products and a plan you simply design your blog and start selling. Don’t get to bogged down in managing your business to much. If you set up your systems and keep adequate records then spend your time developing products and promoting as this is where you make your money.
Remember that you want a selling site so there is probably one more product you will need. It is a book that turned my sales around from virtually nothing to thousands of dollars. You will also be able to sell the product and get commission. It is called Make Your Site Sell by Ken Envoy.
Time lapse to the future >>>>>>>>>
Finally you have now developed your own products and been successful at marketing and this is where the real money starts to pour in. People will want to know how you did it and also you can now help others to do the same. You can build blogs for others and set up programs for other businesses. After all you have now developed a whole range of skills that are in high demand.
I developed a blogging strategy for a company last month and received $2700 for my efforts. I also did a training session on Camtasia for another big corporate company and received $3000. All this from just getting to know my products and letting people know I was available. The competition was going to charge these customers almost double and not nearly as comprehensive as I was after all I do it every day so it wasn’t that hard.
It will probably take you a few months to absorb all the information depending on the time and effort you put into this project. It is a very steep learning curve but also very rewarding as all the information you learn will help you in the future. I actually did this part time for 5 years and was able to get a better job because of the skills I developed until finally I was able to run my Internet Marketing business full time.
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Your Unique Selling Proposition: Use it or lose it |
Just for Fun and so you can get to know me a bit These are some gardens just down from where I live.
