e-Business-Formula Internet Marketing Discussion Forum

[rafeeqibrahim]

I have recently joined your discussion forum and it's great. This is the first time i have used a discussion forum and it works similar to email when sending messages and there are quite a few good tools and articles.

But the main reason i chose to contact you was to ask for a little help. You see i am fairly new to online marketing and even though i have done 2 years worth of research i plan to start a business online selling informational products but i have not made any money online so far. First i am reading corey rudl's insiders secrets to marketing your business on the internet 2005.

Now as you have a lot of experience online i just wanted to ask how to find a problem with a particular market?

Once i have this information i can then focus to build a product to focus on a niche market. This is what i learned from the course by corey rudl.

Thanks

Rafeeq

[Steve MacLellan]

Hi Rafeeq,

I haven't read Corey's course, but understand it is good.

[quote] i just wanted to ask how to find a problem with a particular market?[/quote]

I think you found a problem; new marketers wondering what to sell

All you need to do is look around and see what people in a particular niche are buying, and then get your offer in front of some targeted traffic.

For example. A lot of people new computers and the Internet are looking for a crash course on how to build a website. I solve this problem [url=http://homebusiness-websites.com/1st-homebusiness-website.html]with this toolkit[/url] that I created.

Then I offer web development services to a slightly different niche of more experienced marketers, but ones who focus their time on running their businesses rather than learning how to develop websites.

There are literally thousands of niche markets and thousands of solutions being offered. I would suggest trying to focus on an area that you have a good working knowledge of... something you can speak of with some expertise. This will make your marketing experience seem more like a hobby than a second job.

Best Regards,
Steve MacLellan

[rafeeqibrahim]

Hi Steve

I just wanted to thank you for your reply and i checked out your website, looks great.

Did you do any programming or HTML or did you just use a software package like dreamweaver?

Now i am happy i seem to have found a solution to a problem in my chosen market, so the next question i guess is how to beat the competition.

i just wanted to ask if you submit to search engines using the free submission icons on search engine websites with your chosen keywords suited to your particular niche market do you think we would get decent results.

Have you had any success with your website or had your first customer. I mean how did that come about?

Rafeeq

[Kevin Robb]

Hi Rafeeq,

Did you receive my email response to your initial questions ?

It appears in your post above that you have made a decision in terms of the path you wish to follow so the question now is this.

To help determine how you may beat the competition we first need to know a few things...what is it you intend to market ?

In general terms only, Is it an eBook, A piece of software or hard goods ?

A brief explanation without telling us exactly what the product is would help us in providing you with some advice.

Pleae advise.

Cheers

Kevin Robb

[Steve MacLellan]

Hi Rafeeq,

[quote]Did you do any programming or HTML or did you just use a software package like dreamweaver?[/quote]

If you are talking about the "First Business Website Toolkit" the tutorials are based on using a WYSIWYG editor called [url=http://www.nvu.com/download.html]Nvu[/url], which is easy for folks that don't have any experience writing web pages.

When I first started writing web pages, Netscape 2 was the "new kid on the block" and there wasn't the as much choice for software to write web pages. I started out with Notepad.

I use a text editor now. It allows me to record macros and has some other advanced editing features. I use the editor for html, Javascript, SSI, Perl/Cgi and Php/MySQL. You can see a list of features [url=http://www.40tude.com/html/]here[/url]. This editor speeds up my coding a great deal, but in order to be able to use it well, you have to know code.

But it isn't just the web editor, that makes sites like mine. My website started out as a graphic image I created in [url=http://www.ulead.com/pi/runme.htm]PhotoImpact[/url]. I built the images from scratch, and then sliced them up to create a web template. You have probably heard people talk about PSD templates. PhotoImpact is compatible with PSD files, but the native format you save images in, that has numerous layers, is a UFO file format. Both Photoshop and PhotoImpact allow you to build complex images by layering objects upon other images and objects. Then when you have things the way you want your site to look, you save the file, cut up the image and turn it into a web template.

But if you're new to all of this kind of stuff, if you are hosted on a Linux Cpanel hosting account with Fantastico installed, you will have access to a program called "Template Express" where you can install a web template onto your hosting account with a click of a button. You can see some thumbnails of these templates from my blog post [url=http://www.homebusiness-websites.com/myarchives/2005/07/extra_templates.html]here[/url].

[quote]i just wanted to ask if you submit to search engines using the free submission icons on search engine websites with your chosen keywords suited to your particular niche market do you think we would get decent results.[/quote]

I don't pretend to be any type of search engine guru but if you go to Google, Yahoo, or the new MSN Search and type in the keyword "Homebusiness" my site comes up close to the top of the first page of results. If you try this, also note the URL...

Right now there is a fierce competition between these three. Each one wants to be the best. One of the ways they are doing this is by seeing who can index and return the freshest content. So the first links they show for my site, is either the link to my discussion forum or my blog. Adding a forum or a blog can really help your listing, as well as drive a lot more people to your site.

But the main ingredients in getting listed well, (I think) is a combination of fresh content with a domain name that contains one or two of your main keywords in it. Good use of header tags, file names and directories (with additional keywords) Meta tags, and the keywords mentioned in your body content, should be enough to get you a good listing in the search engines.

Good content is a plus too. For me, I've always found it easier to get a content site listed well then a one page sales letter.

[quote]Have you had any success with your website or had your first customer. I mean how did that come about?[/quote]

I've had a bit of luck with my website. My first client came in from a free report I had written in 1997. In 1998 I quit my job to be a self employed web developer and run my own business. I've been doing it ever since.

Best Regards,
Steve MacLellan

[rafeeqibrahim]

Hi Kevin

Thanks for the reply.

Now i got a message from steve about my message i posted on the forum and i discovered a problem with the market that is people don't know what to sell.

My solution would be to create some informational product whether it be an ebook or a website. I am just sorting out a business plan and trying to keep things organised as i go along.

Cheers

Rafeeq

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Rafeeq - Nice to meet you!

Market research is a very important aspect of developing an online business. First you need to know what people are searching for... then you need to be the one to put it in front of them.

I have two resources that you may find helpful:

[url=http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/ebiz/market-research.htm][b]Market Research[/b][/url]

[url=http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/ebiz/keyword-analysis.htm][b]Keyword Analysis[/b][/url]

Really, it's all about [u]keywords[/u]. You want to use keywords people are searching, and you want to show up in the search engines under those keywords. That is the way that your target market will find [u]you[/u].

Submitting your site to the search engines isnt the strategy to use anymore. This used to work, along with using "meta tags" in your html code. But the game has changed, as that made it too easy for people to manipulate the search results.

Now it is more about content & inbound links. How many people link to your web page(s)... and HOW they link to them... tell the search engines what your site is about and how important it is. They use that data to order their results.

Check out the two links above and let me know if that sparks any new questions

[Dan Reinhold]

The one piece of advice I've heard most often ssince surviving the junk online and discovering people who know what they're doing is: [b]narrow[/b].

Target a narrow niche, cater to them as much as possible and the rest will take care of itself.

Better yet, there's more than one way to market to your chosen niche. You just need to learn the methods you prefer to use.

[philrr]

The one bit of advice I would give you is get your own product or site and promote that not other peoples sites as an affiliate.

You will make some money as an affiliate, but unless you get your own site and product or products you won't make much money.