Cresta Norris - Blog, Podcast, Google, Sell: The Complete Guide to Making Online Profit

This ebook published in 2011 by

Kogan Page Limited

120 Pentonville Road

London N1 9JN

UK

www.koganpage.com

Cresta Norris, 2012

E-ISBN 978 0 7494 6384 7

CONTENTS

N o one doubts that the internet is the place to make money, but how can you do it for yourself, starting from scratch? This book will take you from only knowing how to switch on the computer to making so much money online that you can sell your company and buy a private plane. All the key points are illustrated by stories from business people, just like you, who have done it themselves and are honest about the problems they have faced.

Lets be realistic here: you are not going to sit down and read this book cover to cover. You want to get going! So the first three chapters have a quick start section that shows you what to do if you only have 20 minutes to get going, and there are numerous action bullet points to remind you what to do next. Sadly there is no quick start to finding investors, which is covered in it would be wrong to pretend that you can write a business plan in 20 minutes, but there is some good advice to follow from a successful multimillionaire.

In a worldwide recession everyone understands that selling online is potentially a fantastic opportunity: all you need is the information about what to do. This book falls into four chapters, each containing individual sections that take you from starting out to selling up and retiring! There is no need to start at the beginning: you can go straight to the chapter that interests you most and then work forward (or back) from that point.

It may be cheap to create an internet start-up, but it still requires work. To be a successful internet entrepreneur you need dedication, flexibility, 24/7 hard work and all the secrets shared in this book. Good luck!

I n this chapter you are going to learn how to pull together the basic materials that will make your business successful online. I am going to take you step by step through the process of taking the business idea in your head into the real and immediate world of broadband communications. If you have a project that you want to start or a business that you want to expand, this is the chapter that shows you how to take the first steps. You will discover how to:

write for websites and blogs (online diary/newsletter that will help market your ideas);

put together your own website with an appropriate hosting company and URL;

create marketing material including podcasts sound or video linked to your website to explain more about your business;

ensure your podcasts are available for everyone who wants them.

But if you need a quick start the first few pages of this chapter will show you how to create a simple web page. First you need to write it; then you need to get technical.

What is your big idea? The first thing to do is work out what you are going to have on your web page or the page that introduces your blog. Before you jump straight in and upload a quickly typed idea you should be aware that this is a part of the process that shouldnt be rushed. You need to devote time and thought to determine exactly how to describe your business your web or blog opening page is the online brand that presents your ideas to the world. In other words, you need to capture the essence of your business. This is certainly not something to dash through, because it is the most crucial part of the whole exercise: everything that follows depends on it. It is worth taking time over your first description, because it will serve you over and over again in different contexts such as a more detailed website, on your weekly blog, and your sales and marketing activities through audio and video podcasts.

The content you need at this stage consists of your own company information. What you write will demonstrate why your business is moving online. If it is because you want readers to buy your product or service, you must tell them why. If you expect to find other people with similar ideas who will be interested by your blog, you must sum up your vision for the project and encourage them to follow you. If your idea is campaigning you need to explain why you feel so strongly about your cause. If you are hoping to attract a financial backer for an entrepreneurial idea, it will sum up both your vision for your project and what is driving you to make it succeed.

This is not easy. Whatever you write will probably be slightly wrong for the first version and second and third. Even if you are an exp erienced copy writer it is still bafflingly difficult to explain your business aspirations in just one page. Take a tip from professional writers who carry a note book with them and write down the ideas as they occur to them. Alternatively, talk through the idea with friends, and capture the conversation in a written note sometimes a friend has better descriptive language, even if he or she does not fully understand your business idea. Work towards writing a couple of paragraphs. Assume that it will take at least a couple of days and maybe a couple of weeks. This is not wasted time: the longer you spend thinking about your idea the more likely you are to get it right. Print out your paragraphs and ask friends to read them for you.

There are four rules to writing your company or business information lets call it your content. These rules apply to a blog as well: learn them now and they will help you write all your digital material:

be accurate;

be straightforward;

keep it brief;

think about how it reads.

Rule 1: Be accurate

Online reputation is of great importance. If a business exaggerates t he service it can provide or the quality of the goods it is selling, the users will respond and you will have negative feedback on your website. For example, if you are selling second-hand shoes, dont pretend they are new! If you are a sole trader with a consultancy business, dont suggest that you are the managing director of a large team. If you a planning to build a community of followers to your blog, you must not make mistakes. Honesty is always the best policy online. Inventing something about yourself because you hope it will help you win a job or make you appear more attractive to the people you want to reach will easily be exposed, because online everything tends to link.

Rule 2: Be straightforward

This seems easy. Its not. Write what you want to say in as few words as you can; try not to explain with lots of detail. Dont use a long word if a short one will say the same thing. Online readers are time-poor: they want to grasp your core idea in one glance.

Rule 3: Keep it brief

Imagine the different screens that your words are going to be read on. Perhaps the blog or web page will be viewed on an iPhone or a tiny portable computer; even a large monitor screen has a cut-off point. Your words need to be on one page, so keep it brief.

Rule 4: Think about how it reads

However certain you are that what you have written is perfect, there is always room for a second opinion. Ask your friends and family what they think. Better still, ask your business colleagues. If you are planning to write something every week, arrange for a friend to be available to check it for you on a weekly basis.