Successful Internet Businesses

“When you woke up this morning, were you a master copywriter, direct marketing expert, search engine guru, and website designer?”

This is the question but forward by Dan Thies, and may seem like an exaggeration but actually illustrates an interesting point about the nature of electronic commerce. Many businesses that have thrived in their traditional realm have assumed that internet technology will allow them to self-operate all facets of their online public image.

While this is true to some extent, there are no guarantees that the quality of marketing output that individuals are producing for themselves will match the work of professional internet advertising consultants.

Like any media platform, mastering your company’s online presence requires time, commitment, and an understanding of the complexities of what works well in different market environments.

This is not to say that the internet should be ignored for the fantastic potential for business that it represents - but just that we should be not be overly idealistic about the power and potential of the internet for re-writing successful business strategies.

Dan offers the following tips for people contemplating their first foray into the exciting world of business on the net:

• Find a product or service to sell that’s worth buying, that can be profitably sold on the Internet.
• Reach out to people who are likely to need what you’re selling, and get them to visit your website.
• Through your website, convince them that they need what you’re selling, and elicit an appropriate response.
• Through your actions, demonstrate that they would be foolish to buy what you’re selling from anyone else.

Essentially, even though internet technology offers a powerful tool for expanding into new markets - you still need a quality service/product and business plan to make it all work.