Categories
Digital Presence & Marketing Strategy

Tuesday Tutorial: Starting an Online Business – 7 Must-Ask Questions

finding-your-dream-jobAre you considering starting an online business?

Does making money on the internet catch your attention?

When you see infomercials on late-night TV, does your heart begin pounding with anticipation?

Do you know someone who is already running a successful online business?

WHAT’S HOLDING YOU BACK?

One of my favorite quotes about success is from Abraham Lincoln:

That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.

So why are you hem-hawing around about starting a business online?

Or even a more straightforward question,

Why are you dragging your feet with the decision you made to start an online business?

If you are always looking back and second guessing your decision,  you’re not going to be successful and need to keep working for someone else.

Many of the readers at Moller Marketing are in the process of starting their online business.  The information I share today will help you assess what you are doing, review the direction you are headed, and hopefully confirm why you chose the path you are currently on with your online business.

This information will also help people who are just getting started.  Brainstorming is one of the first steps all entrepreneurs take.  Asking yourself important questions will help open the doors of opportunity as you take necessary steps to online success!

7 Must-Ask Questions For Starting an Online Business

1: What makes me happy?

As you think about this question, OPEN YOUR MIND!  Avoid the “…that won’t make me any money” mindset or the “Oh, that market is already saturated with competitors online – I could never do that…”  BULL CRAP!  You can be successful in ANY ENDEAVOR if you love what you are doing and find a way to differentiate.  What are your hobbies, interests, skill sets, etc.?  Write all these down on a piece of paper and dig deep!

2: What do I find easy to do? or What am I good at?

You know, like num-chuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills… Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills. – Napoleon Dynamite

So what are YOUR “skills”?  One of the main reasons I started a clogging shoes website as my first online business was because I’d been in that industry since I was six years old.  I had “clogging skills” :).  Plus, I knew a lot of people in the industry.

Had I ever sold anything clogging related? No.  Did I know exactly where to find clogging shoe suppliers? No.  But I knew that, once I did find some of those answers, I would have some people I could contact to start making sales online.

Remember, you don’t have to re-invent the wheel and come up with something totally new and unique if you want to be successful online.  As Napoleon Dynamite told Pedro:

Pedro, just listen to your heart. That’s what I do. – Napoleon Dynamite

3: What sparks my creativity?

I read a quote from Donald Trump the other day in en eBook about industry specialization.  Donald said this:

…you better chose what you love or you will never work hard enough to be successful.

In every start up business, there will be road blocks, speed bumps, and things you have to work around.  If you don’t have any creativity for what you’re doing, those hurdles will probably hold you back.

4: What do I like to do for free in my spare time?

You might as well start making money doing something you already do in your spare time :).  One of the things I like to do in my “spare time” is eat at restaurants in Utah County.  So, I created a website that does reviews on Utah County restaurants. We monetize this website with sponsors, coupons, etc.

Creating an online business is as much about lifestyle as it is about just making money.

5: What do I like to talk about with friends or family?

Most likely, if you talk about a certain topic with friends and family, you have some knowledge in that arena.  Why not turn that knowledge in to something profitable?  There are e-books all over the internet that share knowledge and make money doing it!

6: What would I do if I knew I wouldn’t fail?

This question is all about mindset and self-motivation.  “If you think you can, or you think you can’t…you’re right!”  Failure isn’t an option.  Think more about how and when you are going to succeed.

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. – Henry David Thoreau

7: What would I regret not having ever tried?

My uncle-in-law recently started a business selling a video camera stand that attaches to your golf cart so you can record your golf swing.  Honestly, I don’t know how many of them he’s actually sold nor do I know what type of research he did before jumping in to the endeavor.  But the point is, who cares?  He’s doing something he would have regretted having never tried and most likely he will be successful because he’s determined and he loves what he’s doing.  Will the final product be what he initially envisioned?  Probably not.  But I know that most successful businesses, online and offline, are adaptable and adjust as their market changes.

How have these questions helped you determine what you are selling online!

Categories
Digital Presence & Marketing Strategy

Tuesday Tutorial: How to Create a Facebook Page and Why

facebook-pageFacebook, What’s that?

Isn’t Facebook just for kids?

If you don’t admit that you too have asked these questions, you’re probably lying! The great news is that Facebook is an excellent way to connect with your target audience; it’s way beyond a “just for kids” atmosphere too.

Facebook has been a great tool that I use all the time for networking and building business relationships online.  Not only is it easy to find people interested in the same things I am, but it’s also easy to form groups, pages and other applications that really help promote what I’m trying to accomplish on and offline.

What’s a Facebook Page?

Today’s Tuesday Tutorial is about setting up a Facebook Page for your online business.  First off, here’s what a Facebook page is:

Facebook Pages is a Facebook Product, built by Facebook engineers. Facebook Pages, which launched in November 2007, allow local businesses, sports teams, artists, films, brands, public figures, non-profits and other business organizations to have a presence on Facebook. Today, hundreds of thousands of businesses are leveraging Facebook Pages to reach consumers.
Through Facebook Pages we hope businesses have a more powerful tool to build a consumer base, sell products, run promotions, schedule appointments or reservations, share information, and interact with customers.

Users can add themselves to your Facebook Page as fans, write on your Wall, purchase products, learn about special promotions, upload photos, and join other users in discussion groups. You can send Updates to all your fans whenever you like. And you can add applications to your Page and engage Facebook users with videos, notes, links, Flash content, and more.

There are three reasons this can be awesome for your online marketing campaign:

  1. Yet another way to connect with your target audience: I look at Facebook this way – millions upon millions of people are using Facebook.  They are sharing their interests, where they’re from, their birthdays, pictures, even their favorite songs (all this is protected – you have to “approve” to let others see your information by accepting them as friends).  So, if I can connect with the right people and be in front of them almost every day when they come to their Facebook page, why NOT?
  2. FREE, FREE, FREE: I can’t say it any clearer than that.  Currently Facebook and most of its services are FREE.  There have been rumors floating around that they are going to start charging but I highly doubt that – they’ll lose tons of traffic and usage.  So, TAKE ADVANTAGE of the FREE Marketing while it’s available!
  3. Brand & Reputation Management: In the online marketing industry, this topic makes marketing consultants a lot of money.  Helping small, medium, and large sized businesses protect their brand and reputation is a huge endeavor.  Not only does it help clients maintain a positive perception to potential clients, but it also helps them land huge contracts that they would have never signed if, when a prospect Googled their business name, they found tons of negative press.  Facebook is one more way even start-up businesses can protect their name and reputation – it’s never too early to start!  Example: If I Google Nate Moller – notice where my Facebook account is:facebook-branding1

Now that you have a better understanding of WHY FACEBOOK PAGES, let’s talk about How to Set Up a Facebook Page.

Step 1: Login to Facebook!

(If you haven’t even set up a Facebook account, you can probably stop reading right now and go set one up at www.Facebook.com)

facebook-page-1

Step 2: Go to this web address: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

You’ll see this page:
facebook-page-2
It’s important for you to determine which category you plan to focus on.  I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer, but I lean toward the Brand or Product category.
Here’s the category I selected for MollerMarketing.com:
facebook-page-3

Step 3: Enter your Business Name (branding purposes):

facebook-page-4
Then click this button:
facebook-page-5

Step 4: Congratulations, you now have a Branded Facebook Page:

facebook-page-6

A few cool SEO things:

  • The domain name has “Moller Marketing” in it which is great for brand management and search engine friendliness.

facebook-page-7

facebook-page-8

After a few tweaks, here’s what your Facebook Page can look like:

facebook-page-final

Now go and do likewise! Join my Moller Marketing Page too!

Categories
Strategic Business Networking

Why Twitter – Nate Moller Shares Tips (Video)

twitter
If you have never heard of Twitter, this post is for you.

If you’ve heard of Twitter but don’t really know what it is, read on!

If you are a pro at Twitter and think you know all there is to know about it, make a comment and tell us all more 🙂

Follow Nate Moller on Twitter!

Here are other video links to the Orem Utah Tweetup! Special thanks to CoWork Utah for the great panel!

Ash Buckles at Orem Utah Tweetup!
Newspapergrl (Janet Meiners Thaeler) talks about Twitter
Jesse Stay at TweetUp
Mick Hagen at Orem Utah Tweetup

UPDATE: I met @h0neyb follow her! (0 is a zero, not an o) at the Orem Utah Tweetup.  Talk about passion for Twitter!  Here’s a great pic she recently shared:

Categories
Customer Engagement & Retention

Tuesday Tutorial: Adding an Image to a Blog Post on WordPress

why pictures in blog postsDid the picture peak your curiosity?

Did the picture make you want to investigate more?

Would you have read a long essay post without the picture?

These are important questions to ask yourself as you start an online business.

Welcome to the Tuesday Tutorial!  Each week we aim to share something with our readers that will help them improve their chances of making money with an online business.

Five years ago, if a company didn’t have a website, they were leaving a lot of money on the table.  Now, if a company doesn’t have a blog in conjunction with their website, they are missing a big segment of their market share.

Why is blogging important? Not only does a blog encourage client interaction, but it also shows that a business is aware of their clients needs.  Blogs are also an integral part of search engine optimization and brand management.

One important part of blog success is images.  Images “spice up” an article, they add variety, and help capture the attention of blog readers.  Think about it, if a magazine didn’t have pictures in conjunction with it’s articles, would anyone EVER read the magazine?

Here’s a tutorial on how to add images to your wordpress blog:

Step 1: Login to your wordpress account

www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin.  On the first page (known as the Dashboard) you’ll see this image:

If you are writing a Blog Post, click on “Write a New Post”.  Pages are fine to create too but for now let’s focus on one thing at a time :).

Step 2: Locate the Add Media Icon below the Title section

If you put your cursor on the small box, the phrase “Add an Image” will appear.  Click on that small box.

Step 3: Upload pictures from your computer.

This step can be a bit tricky depending on what brower (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) you are using and depending on your computer.  Here’s what the screen will look like:

If you are using a Mac, clicking on the “Choose files to upload” will work fine (proceed to Step 5).

If you click on the “Choose files to upload” icon but nothing happens, see Step 4.

Step 4: Click on the “Browser uploader” link

Here’s a screen shot of that section – found right below “Choose files to upload”:

After clicking on “Browser uploader” the top portion of the screen will change and look like this:

Click on Browse, find the picture(s) you want to upload, and click Upload.

(Unfortunately, I think you can only upload one picture at a time this way.  If the prior step works, I know you can select multiple pictures at a time by holding down CTRL while selecting the pictures.)

Here’s a big picture of what the page will look like:

Step 5: Make necessary adjustments

After uploading your first picture, the screen will look like this.

There are a few adjustments I recommend making:

  1. Give your pictures a name. If you haven’t already named the image with a keyword phrase, adjust it here in the Title Box. Giving your images a keyword phrase title will help search engines “see” the picture.  Here’s an example:
  2. Click NONE on the Link URL. This is just a personal preference: I don’t want people clicking on the image and it taking them to a new screen of just the image.
  3. Select the Full Size button.  At the bottom of this picture you’ll see Size with buttons for Thumbnail, Medium, or Full Size.  Again, a personal preference but I recommend the Full Size.  If it is HUGE, you’ll need to make adjustments again 🙂

Step 6: Insert the Picture into your Blog Post

Click this button at the bottom of the screen and you’re done (sort of)

Coming soon – How to Align Images Correctly in WordPress

Stay Tune!

Was this Tuesday Tutorial helpful?

Categories
Digital Presence & Marketing Strategy

Are You Afraid to Ask for Success Online?

fear of failure - starting an online business

What is FEAR?

(pardon the picture, I couldn’t resist 🙂 )

Why do you have FEAR of Success (or is that even possible)?

One of my favorite quotes was from a client I work with. He said the following:

NO is the first two letters of ‘Not Yet!’

Now how does this apply to making money on the internet?

If you always let fear hold you back from making important contacts, talking to suppliers, interviewing the big names in your industry, etc. you’ll never see the results you are hoping for – GUARANTEED!

Do I need to state that again for clarification?  If you don’t Step Out of Your Comfort Zone and ask for success, it won’t come!

Here’s an excerpt from a client who has stepped out of her comfort zone again and again:

Nate,
I just went out and got 6 local businesses to let me look at their websites and make recommendations, in return they will give me ringing endorsements and testimonials so I can [get] started… I also posted on craigslist, I also applied for my local Rotary…Nate when I started I was shaking in my shoes! By the end of my trip down main street with my 6 yes and 2 no’s, I was singing!! I gave out my business cards to everyone and I now remember how good all this feels!! (bold added for emphasis)

Fear is defined by Wikipedia as:

…an emotional response to threats and danger. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of pain…

Fear should be distinguished from the related emotional state of anxiety, which typically occurs without any external threat. Additionally, fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is the result of threats which are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable. (bold added for emphasis)

Recently I was given the opportunity to Guest Post for Darren Rowse, the famous blogger at ProBlogger.net and the new TwiTip.com.  I guest posted on How to Set Up a Twitter Account.  Here’s a portion of that post:

Step 1: Go to Twitter.com – You’ll see this page

Read the rest of the article and please comment!

I truly feel this is one of those “Small Successes” that is leading to “Big Success!”

  • Was I a bit reluctant to ask about the opportunity, absolutely – What if he says NO?
  • Was I afraid my content wouldn’t be good enough? For sure…

But the bottom line is, I asked, and it worked!  If you never ask for what you want, you’ll never get it!

What experiences have YOU had where you stepped out of your comfort zone and saw direct results from overcoming your fear?

Categories
Website How To's

The Number One Reason to Start an Online Business

make money onlineAre you thinking about starting an online business?

Have you been considering making money online for quite some time?

Is the fear of failure getting in your way of success with an online business?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, find the Number One Reason to Start an Online Business