Effective ways to make money online - Online Marketing using Social Media

  There are a lot of scams out there. Be really careful. There is no magic bullet that will make you rich over night. Unless you come up with a product or service that has a high demand. Even then it takes a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work. And above all.... time.

  So I would like to share with you some words of wisdom along with some research I did on ways to make money online that are effective and over time can be profitable. Just beware that as with any other job you need to be a good fit. I advise you to stick with what you know and what you love to do.


  1- Online Marketing using Social Media

  In the beginning of Facebook and Twitter, there was a good chance that anyone could start an online marketing business using Social Media tolls and be successful. Nowadays with all the competition out there it is a lot harder to get clients without a great portfolio and years of experience. But if you are witty, a great communicator, and have a knack for getting positive attention from your friends and strangers on the Social Media sites, you are halfway there.

  My advice is to start with your close friends that are business owners. Offer to manage their business page or revamp them for a day. Maybe a quick guerrilla marketing (if you already have lots of followers and friends). Keep a snapshot of before and after. That will show the results of your hard work. Ask your friend for feedback and if you can add the experience to your resume. And maybe your friend might be able to pay you next time he or she needs new clients or when they need to promote some more.

  Beware:
    -  There are lots of professional 'haters' out there. Always keep your cool, be polite, and avoid confrontations.
    -  You need to be responsible and consistent.  
    -  Don't be overbearing. Try not to exhaust your own friends and followers with propaganda. Best advice is to keep a separate page or accounts for marketing and let people have the choice to listen to your business.


  The objective of this post is to help people that are trying to start an e-business. English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes. This post is based on personal experiences and my own opinion of what would be a good way to start an e-business. I am not trying to tell you what to do, it is all just friendly advice. 

ONLINE BUSINESS WHERE TO START...

  Wouldn't it be nice to be in charge? To be able to make your own hours? To make money for yourself and not just for 'the company'?
  Here are a few steps you can take to make your dream came true.


1ST STEP  -  KNOW YOURSELF

• Are you well organized?
• Do you follow thru on your own? 
• Are you GREAT at customer service?

If you failed at any of the questions above.. Don't fret! Those are skills that can be acquired. 

2nd STEP  - HAVE AN IDEA

• YES, you will need something that people would want to spend money on it.
• It can be a service tailored to the online community
• It can be something that can be downloaded
• It can be anything (legal) that can be shipped in a box

If nothing comes to mind at the moment, you can search the internet for success stories and inspiration.

3rd STEP  -  HAVE A PLAN

• Put it all on paper.. your vision, your future
• Make a step by step to do list of how to get there
• Include the WHY (for motivation)

If you have a hard time with this step… Go back to step 1!!!!

GOOD LUCK!! AND KEEP READING 

Before you start your entrepreneurial adventure

Organize your personal life!


  The first step in entrepreneurship is to evaluate yourself.


Your strengths and weaknesses.
 
   Do I finish my personal projects?
   Have I ever achieved any goals I set for myself?
   Do I have control over my finances?
   Am I always struggling to find time for myself?
   Is my desk a complete mess?
  Can I easily express my point of view?
   Do I know any aspects of customer service?


Exercise your strengths and deal with your weaknesses.


  Address any personal issues before starting a business venture.


 Take time to work on small achievable goals at first.
 Work with one problem at the time.
 Give yourself a time frame to make sure you can keep up with the new routine.
 Once it becomes a habit, tackle the next one.


  Use leverage to keep going and reward yourself when you get there.


  After you shape up your personal life, you will feel like there is nothing you can't conquer.




 Next, we will explore THE BUSINESS PLAN.
 

About www.aboutebusiness.com

I decided to explain www.aboutebusisness.com a little better. Why would I go to the trouble of creating www.aboutebusiness.com you might ask? I did it because I am going to start my own online business. I figured that it would be nice to follow someone’s journey and with that learn the how-to and troubles. So here is www.aboutebusiness.com.

My goal with www.aboutebusiness.com is to provide information on starting an online business and effective ways of running it. I also want to provide information on web design, marketing, and social networking. Slowly –it’s a lot of work- I am gathering useful knowledge that I can post here.

I do not charge for access or information and I do not willingly direct people toward sites that do charge. It is actually a pet peeve of mine. I dislike websites that offer information on how to become successful and rich ‘for a small amount’. Of course they are rich; it is your money that makes them rich! You go ahead and get their package only to find out it ends up being a ‘do what I did to you’ sham.

I do respect the legit sites that charge for their hard work and connections. That is a business service, but hopefully you will be paying not only for important content but also for support on understanding it. When in doubt always check with www.bbb.org (Better Business Bureau). You will find valuable resources there like: BBB accredited business and charities, complaints, programs and services, etc. It works for U.S. and Canada.


I conduct my research mostly online thru my twitter account (@aboutebusiness). It is a very interesting world at www.twitter.com. I highly recommend it as a way of marketing your business and yourself. I also read books about business, marketing, and computers. To give information on those is a tricky because I don’t want to infringe on any copyrights. I usually refer to the book’s page on www.amazon.com, or to their website.

My next step on research will be to actually interview and gather information directly from business owners. There is no better way to have a clear picture on how to own a business than from a real business owner.

I felt I had to clear up my definition of www.aboutebusiness.com. This is a personal journey on starting an online business. I hope to provide you with useful information along the way.

About eBusiness

I had a brilliant idea for a website. I really believed that it would be successful and that people would take interest. With affiliate programs I could make some money. In the past I had built a website for the small business I managed. I did some research on the subject, looked around for competitors, checked out the market. Then I purchased the domain and web hosting. I wrote “terms and conditions” and my “privacy policy”. Everything was going smoothly. When I tried to check what I needed legally to open an eBusiness I hit my first wall. Everything was related to real (not that eBusiness isn’t real) businesses - where you need an office and customers physically coming to see you. Seriously, with my laptop I can work from home or any location that offers free Wi-Fi. This doesn’t mean I’m less committed.
This is when the questions started piling up. I stumbled upon all types of sites trying to sell me information and services I could get or do on my own with a little more research and putting the pen to the paper. Ex: “how to get a business license, pay us and we’ll do it for you”, or “want to have a successful business like us? Pay $$ and we tell you how we did it! (Don’t you just love that one? They are still out there…)” That was all the information available back in 2005, it completely stumped me. I was confused and felt stuck. I had no idea what to do. Life goes on, time passes… I started questioning my own availability. Was this really worth the trouble?