Online Business Strategy
In this article, we’ll talk about online business strategy and why it’s imperative that you have one.
Whether you’re running an affiliate marketing business or you’re selling your own products online:
You need a strategy for your online business.
Here’s why:
The “Gurus” Keep You Stupid - On Purpose
“This madness has to end - now!” -> These were my thoughts once I saw what was going on in the internet marketing “guru” space.
This is simply not ok.
They live off your desperation… And they keep you dumb on purpose!
Unfortunately, I’m not talking about politics.
I’m not talking about the government or a “higher power”.
Instead…
… I’m talking about 95% of the “business opportunity” scene, and huge parts of the “online business education” scene, and many of the vendors of best-selling products within the “Make Money Online” niche on Clickbank, JVZoo and WarriorPlus!
After reading this article, you will know exactly what is going on.
You will know what to look out for and how to avoid the trap.
Then, it’s up to you to do something about it - or to keep feeding them with your hard-earned cash.
Opportunity Seeking And Shiny Object Syndrome Keeps Feeding Them
The part of you that is seeking, that is opportunistic, and that is totally confused and overwhelmed - it’s literally feeding these people!
In fact, it’s feeding an entire industry.
People’s confusion is keeping this industry alive, and creates wealth - for them and them only!
Yes, some people get really rich because of…
… Your confusion and your desperation.
It’s playing into their cards.
You can see this madness for yourself every day in the “business opportunity” or “bizopp” niche.
This has to end.
Once and for all.
This Is Madness - And It’s Not Ok
But how can you ‘fight back’?
How can you become resilient against their powerful, enticing marketing message strikes?
Simple: You need a strategy.
Think, ponder and work on your online business strategy at least for a couple of days, or become lost in the world of opportunity seeking.
It’s your choice!
School’s Never Out - In Business Education
And that’s good.
There’s no “official graduation” or the end of learning for an entrepreneur.
Because I’m operating a business that other people rely on, it’s particularly important to stay up-to-date and be aware of any developments.
The world of online marketing is constantly in motion and evolving.
We need to know what is going on.
But that doesn’t mean that we should neglect business fundamentals or buy every new, shiny product under the sun that’s launching and promosing riches.
Instead…
Business Strategy Rules Everything
That’s what drives our daily routine and behaviors - when it comes to business.
It’s behind every business decision we make throughout the day.
That’s why it’s called a business strategy.
No one book or one course or one mentor should ever dictate your entire business strategy.
Instead, you want to find and learn everything about what worked for other people and business best practices.
And then apply your strategy, every day.
Become Great At Something
I get it: Your goal with this whole “online business thing” is to make money.
Yep, that’s why I went into business as well.
And while it wasn’t the only reason - on my about page I talk about why it was predominantly about freedom for me personally - we’re not here for fun.
In the end, you only have a business if you’re making money from it, right?
The key to making money online is to become great at something you truly enjoy doing, and that is helping your target market with their biggest issues - every day.
Here’s the catch:
“Chasing The Bag” 💰 Is NOT Enough
Almost everyone could set up a quick blog and create a few posts - quickly.
Everyone could start a YouTube channel and publish a few videos - once.
Almost everyone could get a few leads on a list - one-time.
And while most people wouldn’t see any results from these single, “one-shot marketing actions”, a very few lucky ones would make a quick buck from it.
But in order to get repeatedly through the noise and consistently make money online, this is simply not enough!
A few blog posts, a few videos now and then, or a few leads every couple of weeks are simply not good enough to achieve our goal:
Create a sustainable online business that spits out money like an ATM - consistently.
But What Should We Focus On?
Excellent question! 😉
Every person and every business is different.
But as I stated above:
What worked well for other people (before you) and what worked really well for other businesses - in terms of business fundamentals and best practices - is a very good starting point.
Coming back to running an affiliate marketing online business, you clearly want to integrate the following points into your own business strategy:
- Traffic generation - getting the attention of (more) potential clients
- Content creation - even if it’s not your primary traffic source
- Product creation - after you’ve mastered the basics as an affiliate
- Lead capture & list building/lead generation - keep in mind the list is at the core of your online business
- Email marketing - to build a valuable relationship with your list
- Creation of irresistible offers - and improving existing, affiliate offers
- Working on your personal USP - what differentiates you from all the other options in the crowded, noisy marketplace?
In other words:
To make money online and run a successful online business, you need
- traffic,
- leads/subscribers,
- and (affiliate) offers.
And therefore, these three parts should be - at the very minimum - part of your strategy.
Is This List Complete?
No, of course not.
I could easily come up with plenty of other terms and sub-topics that are important to master as well…
… like “autoresponders”, “opt-in pages”, “lead magnets”, “conversion rate optimization”, “open rates”, “delivery”, “offers”, “permission”, “bounce rates”, “white/black lists”, “list management”, “list segmentation”, “call to action”, “tracking”, “building trust and rapport”, “providing value”, “personalization”, “subject lines”, “click-thru rates”, “targeting methods”, “scaling stretegies”, “unique clicks”, “hard and soft bounces”, “demographics/audience/target market/ideal client avatar”, “marketing systems, automations, and assets”, “marketing campaigns”, and “copywriting”, along with a gazillion other terms and important topics.
You see, it’s very easy to see why so many people get lost in the process.
Obviously, mastering traffic, list-building, and email marketing alone can take years.
But instead of getting confused, overwhelmed, and inactive, or buying every new product under the sun, focus on the bold bullet points above.
Make a plan for how you want to generate traffic, and then work your plan.
Make a plan for how you want to capture leads (to build your list), and then work your plan.
Plan a few emails you want to send out (automatically) to new subscribers, and then get to work.
Will your plan suck at first?
Probably.
Will you change your plan over time?
For sure.
Will you become better over the months and change things or integrate new tactics?
Of course.
But don’t try to solve all at once by buying into the next “get rich quick”-scheme that promises the latest “push-button-riches-system”.
It doesn’t exist and we both know it.
Let’s get to work.
But Where Exactly Should I Start?
==> Start Here <==
Focus On Marketing
I could rand for hours on this topic, but here’s the gist of it:
We want to work most of the time on income producing activities.
That’s what moves our online businesses forward.
Whether you’re creating an entirely new product to launch, or you’re creating content, or you’re working on ads to attract new clients to your business, or you’re writing emails and helping your list, or you’re making offers:
Make marketing a priority.
Marketing is not everything. It’s the only thing.
- Brian Kurtz
Closing Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed this important article on business strategy and got something out of it.
Thank you for reading and stay awesome,
Tim for Online Business Dude
PS: Get this for a more step-by-step approach. It’s 100% free.