It seems for each day that passes, yet another monetize your website or blog article becomes available online. If only the concept were that simple, “if you build it, they will come”. Unfortunately I would suggest that quick riches online are few and far between, only available for the true innovators, not the wannabes.

Traditional “Get Rich Quick” schemes have been around for a long time, and whilst a few people at the top can make some real money, it is the people underneath them that often fail miserably, all in the hope of chasing extra dollars to live a more fulfilled life.

In recent years the web has become victim to such scams, and has also allowed people to believe, that if they build it, they will get rich. Again only the people who bring real innovation will benefit from this. A website will not instantly generate money, in fact it will not generate any money at all on its own. If you want your website to pay for itself, then you have to dedicate time and resources to make that happen.

Blogging seems to be one of the biggest things on the web at the moment, some people are making good money whilst doing it. Check out http://perezhilton.com/ as a great example of a website which has a niche and by all accounts makes some serious money! Using the Perez Hilton site as an example, it has a niche, it has an audience, it offers a product (sort of ) and it brings in a lot of traffic each month, making it easy to capitalize on advertising. First and foremost though, from what I have read, the guy who manages this site, enjoys doing it, he enjoys writing about celebrities, and it is this enjoyment, and love which no doubt has helped create a successful site, which makes money!

How can you make money from your website?

1. Firstly do not think about making money from your website. Do not pin your hopes of raking in millions of dollars, just by blogging or by building a site. Instead, start a website about something you are interested in. If you are passionate about something, you will find creating new content fun and enjoyable. Plus you will have a better insight into that subject matter.
2. Build traffic first, learn about search engines, social networking, article submission, digg and stumbledupon (to name a few). Get your name out there, get yourself known. If your content is good, the better known you become, the more people will respond to your content. By leveraging the networking effect of the internet, your site will have a nice stream of good traffic.
3. Keep your users happy! Linked to point 1, if your users are happy visitors, they will no doubt become regular visitors, ensuring your site continues to grow. If your site is product focused, ensure you communicate with your customers, get their feedback, feed it into your systems and improve problematic areas.
4. Once you website receives good levels of traffic, you can then realistically consider making some money from advertising. There are various programs out there which you could benefit from using. Google Adsense, Adbrite and affiliate schemes can offer easy money making opportunities, however in order to make good money from these alone you will need to be generating a lot of traffic, and have a massive site with lots of good content.
5. Selling products directly online, without doubt, the easiest way to make money online, is to actually sell products! If your site has no products, then you have nothing on your site that someone will actually want to buy. How can you then expect to make money from your site? Online advertising costs are so cheap that you will be lucky to bring in enough money to cover your hosting costs in year 1. I am still waiting to reach my first $100 from Google adsense after 18 months of low advertising.

Taking the above points into consideration, and using the Perez Hilton site as a good example, what websites need to do is find their niche. Focus the content on a product you can openly talk about. Ensure your site is different from the competition. Build traffic to your site first, and sure enough sales or advertising revenue will increase. However, don’t give up your day job.

You won’t make millions instantly with a website, well not unless you are lucky! But spend time blogging, apply a networking mentality and in time you may have a website which generates some income. Better yet, sell products direct from your website, blog about your products, get other people to blog about your products, if possible blog about other peoples products, compare them to yours.

The web offers endless opportunities for promotion and potential monetization. Building an audience is the first step, it opens the door to a wealth of opportunities.

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This article, like the previous one, was written whilst I worked for Concise Services. It is written with an element of humour, but with some true relevance about businesses I had worked with previously. Regardless of the medium of communication, first impressions often last the longest, and where business is concerned perhaps we do not always consider what the tinest detail could do to us, for your enjoyment:

First Impressions still count

Even in today’s “fast paced business world” the business card, one of the oldest forms of marketing, is still mis-understood, and, in some cases has become a dreaded eyesore!

Picture the scene; you have spent months trying to pitch your products at a very large distributor, a few phonecalls and emails, this is your first, and last chance, to impress the distributor you are hoping will sign “THE DEAL”. You know that this deal will make your business, it’s a massive contract which will catipult your business to a national level. Your company has potential, your products are unique, staff are highly talented and there is a huge demand, all that stands between you and the deal is their Managing Director.

The meeting begins with polite introductions, business cards are exchanged, their MD frowns, then a moment of silence…The meeting begins, you’re asked questions you weren’t prepared for relating to your business, not your product, whilst you tried to bluff your way through it, it didn’t go quite as you’d planned.

The next day you anxiously wait for the dreaded phone call, in comes in, you didn’t get the contract, instead it went to your closest rival. You sit there and contemplate the meeting in your head, going over what you had said and what you could have gone wrong, then it hits you…it was the exchange of business cards.

What was wrong with the business cards? It had your name, position and contact details? What else does a business card need? They were designed in powerpoint and printed on the laserjet to save the company about $300, as an efficient business it made good fiscal sense. It only needs to convey contact information right? WRONG!

In the business world, first impressions count. Your business card may be the first opportunity for an organisation to interact with your brand. As with your branding, your business card needs to inspire confidence, whilst appealing to the senses. Your business card needs to be memorable, it must stand out
in people’s minds. If you spend enough time and effort on your business cards, people will believe you apply the same level of care to your business.

When you have a great business card, always hand out 2-3 cards at a time, one is for them, the others are your next referral business. If you are serious about your business, then be serious about your business cards. Rather than focusing on the cost of new business cards, focus instead on their quality, your cards represent your business. Business cards are one of the cheapest forms of marketing, they’re highly personal, easily retained and often referred to. First Impressions count, don’t let your business card become your businesses weakness.

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Whilst working for Concise Services in Mandurah I wrote the following article about the importance of setting website objectives. The article was featured in their client newsletter, which gives information about the company in addition to helpful tips for smaller businesses, it is also featured on their website and can be viewed here.

Concise Services continue to offer great value marketing solutions, and since my departure have added some very talented young professionals. Please excuse any errors contained within the article as it was quickly written, and not properly proof read very professional of me! Anyways, for your entertainment:

Is your website working? Setting Objectives, and avoiding pitfalls

Today most businesses have a web presence, with a range of reasons for building one. The single most common reason businesses invest in a web presence is simply because: “everyone else has one”.

Jumping on the website bandwagon can actually be detrimental to your business not to mention your brand. When building a website you need to identify key objectives as to why your business needs a website, these could include:

• Create an E-Commerce website
• Convert traditional sales to online
• Build a customer database
• Reduce costs of traditional marketing
• Build brand awareness online
• Distribute Information
• Gather Market Research
• Build relationships online

As you can see, those examples are business or marketing objectives. The objectives listed above will influence the design/layout of a website and need to be considered before the design process
begins. A website may have one or more objectives it needs to fulfil. For instance; a company may build an online presence purely to convert customers to buying online, this in turn should decrease traditional marketing costs, whilst building relationships online.

Once the site is up and running we can track key metrics to evaluate its success. By creating an E-Commerce website, one metric would be the amount of sales generated online. If the site needed to build
a customer database, another metric would be the amount of site sign-ups/registrations. Not to mention how many people visited your website, where they came from, how long they stayed, what is the most popular page, how many people are returning to your site and where the visitors are located geographically.

That is just a handful of information used to measure your websites success, helping you identify its strengths and weaknesses. It can be the difference between promoting your product on a national/international scale or instead promoting your business at a local/regional level.

By setting achievable objectives before the start of your website project, it will be easier to assess its effectiveness. Your website can do more than stagnate online, it gives your business a good reason for investing in your online presence. Your brand needs to reflected in your website, ensuring that
the quality of service delivered offline is matched or exceeded online.

A website is often considered a luxury, and more often than not, businesses cannot justify spending thousands on a long term marketing project, and a website is a long term investment. However the benefits
of investing now, outweigh the costs. With a structured digital marketing plan, your site will assist your business to reach a larger audience. It can be integrated into traditional marketing, enabling you to
track how effective your Radio or Press advertising actually is. Because websites can automate manual processes, they can improve business efficiency by reducing staffing costs, helping increase profit margins.

Not every business is ready for a web presence. Prematurely investing in a website may result in your website failing to meet expectations, reflecting negatively on your brand. Invest when the time is right, when you have considered what your website needs to achieve, and ensure there are real business objectives for your website.

The internet is rapidly changing the way we think and behave. Google is used by millions of people
worldwide. It is replacing traditional printed directories which people used to find information, its faster, relevant and at peoples finger tips. A quick search enables you to access information within seconds.

The word “Mandurah” is searched extensively each month, with barely a handful of websites set-up to benefit from this traffic. People are looking for your business/products and are more receptive to your
online messages. Take your time to research why you need to build a website, but remember, for everyday
you delay, your competitor may beat you to the prize.

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