Janet Beckers Tells You How to Build and Internet Business

Janet Beckers is the host and founder of Wonderful Web Women, an award-winning on-line community recognized for generous and honest marketing advice for women on the internet.  So when she writes an article entitled, “How to Build an Internet Business that Will Last” you have to sit up and take a little notice over that wonderful mocha cappuccino you are savoring.  She’s got some interesting thoughts that are worthy of consideration.  Here’s an outline:

1. Start with a Blog:  Basically, start to get your presence on the internet; your “spot” so to speak.  Here at Beck’s Cafe we’ve found that focusing on an area of your specialty or that you might be passionate about helps that blog be more alive and compelling to visitors; like a cute specialty shop in Cambridge you might visit regularly because it has just what you want.
2. Collect Emai Addresses:  Janet notes that only 1% of everyone who visits your fledgling business will purchase anything.  So telling people, in a respectful and hopefully engaging manner, what’s going on with your new baby business is important.  In my experience with internet marketing, this has to be opt-in, in other words, let visitors decide if they want in or not to your mail list.
3. Give before you receive:  Janet reminds us that when someone provides you their email address they are generally trusting  you not to spam them.  So give your new followers something of value.  In other words, enhance their life somehow.  On the internet, reputation is the coin of the realm
4. Ask your subscribers what they want: Do a simple survey in other words.  Tools like Survey Monkey are free or low cost and do a good job.
5. Dazzle them with your knowledge:  Janet tells us that now that you know who your readers are (from their email addresses) and what they need (from the survey) start to directly answer those needs and add value to your visitors
6. Keep In Touch:  You don’t want to spam your readers, but  you do want to let them know what’s cooking at your site.   Just as Kohl’s or Target keeps you in the know with their weekly circulars about their stores, so too you can let others know what’s happening with yours.
7. The 80/20 Rule:  For every 20% of the time you pitch your wares or knowledge on-line, 80% of the time give value for no charge.  Enhance people’s lives regularly.  We all only go around once after all!
8. Encourage a 2-way relationship:  You may not realize it, but, even as you read this, you and I are engaging in a 2-way relationship.  Your thinking this article is really rubbish whilst you sip your coffee or you the germ of a new idea for a new business is taking shape.  In either case, it’s two way.   And that’s what you want in your business.  Note a faceless entity but a two way street of conversation.

Janet has more to share and so we’d encourage you to click on over to her article at MarketLikeAChick.com by clicking to her article, “8 Steps to Build an Internet Business That Will Last“