Here's what you need to do to get started

1) Learn as much as you possibly can. But don't let this slow down your involvement

2) Create or find a product or service that you can promote wholeheartedly.

3) Jump in. Get yourself a solid Internet presence.

4) Get busy! Market that product.

Sounds rather simple doesn't it. In fact it requires a lot of effort, but steps are simple enough and rewards are certainly worth it.

Let's look at these four points in detail.

1) LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN

"The great breakthrough in your life comes when you realize that you can learn anything you need to learn to accomplish any goal that you set for yourself. This means there are no limits on what you can be, have, or do." --Brian Tracy

We can never know too much about marketing on Web. If you get to point where you think you've learned it all, just wait a couple of days and rules of Web will have changed sufficiently that you will need to relearn what you thought you already knew.

The basics can be learned by doing a lot of surfing and employing search engines. Do a search using words Internet Basics, marketing, Web knowledge, etc. An even better approach is to search specifically for area of your interest.

The public school systems offer great night school programs that will teach you not only basics but more advanced subjects on marketing, web design, advertising, html, scripts, forms, graphics, and much, much more. These courses are often priced quite reasonably and in some cases will even give you credits toward further education.

You can also get a good education in what's 'working on Web' right now by subscribing to some of thousands and thousands of ezines that are out there. Many of these electronic newsletters (like this one) offer tons of valuable information for FREE. You are also likely to see advertisements for latest and greatest innovations in marketing. That's okay too. You want to stay abreast of what's happening.

I must have subscribed to 50 or more ezines. While I certainly can't read them all I like to scan through them regularly to see what's new and to pick up on some marketing advice.

Find a mentor or buddy who won't mind helping you out in your efforts. These days many of domain providers or their representatives offer ongoing assistance to their customers. This is just good marketing sense. Chat rooms and newsgroups are also a great way to tap into other people's knowledge. Joining an affiliate program can also give you unexpected benefit of great marketing advice that can be universally applied.

There are certain subjects that you may have to reach into your pocketbook to acquire specific knowledge on. I offer two suggestions regarding this: 1) be careful, there are a lot of sharks out there, and 2) don't be afraid to spend a little money to save you a lot of time in learning.

This may seem slightly contradictory but what it really means is; if you need to know something and you've found a reputable source with whom you are comfortable then it does make sense to spend a couple of dollars. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”-- Jim Rohn

2) CREATE OR FIND A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THAT YOU CAN PROMOTE WHOLEHEARTEDLY

“Happiness lies in joy of achievement and thrill of creative effort.”-- Franklin D. Roosevelt It's a very good idea to have a keen interest in what ever it is that you are selling. It's really not advisable to jump into some affiliate program simply because of promise of riches. All of great marketers enjoyed what they were doing long before they achieved noteworthy success.

The best product or service to offer is one of your own creation or at least one that you personally had a hand in developing. If you are not able to do this then take program that you are with and make it personal to you. Try to be unique. Find a niche area that most people are not already covering.

1. Establish Your Credibility by Getting Your Own Domain Name

On Internet free sites abound, but you need YOUR OWN DOT COM to survive. It's relatively painless to register your own domain name. Many companies such as Registrars will guide you step by step through process. You can visit Registrars by going to and clicking on "Register your Domain Name" (4th bullet from top). But having your own domain is just beginning. It's extremely important to.....

2. Increase Profitability by Reaching Your Target Customers

On Internet, sales are made same as they are offline. Effective sales techniques are even more important on Web because your site is only contact you will have with visitor in most cases. Be as personal and direct as possible. Your visitor can't see you face to face.

Hint: Use hot buttons to sell benefits and .....

3. Design a Simple Site That Sells

You may be tempted to hire a fancy graphics designer to design your site and make site look "pretty or fancy" but, believe me, it's text that sells.

In GVU's 9th WWW User Survey, number one reason visitors gave for leaving a site was slow loading time. Having large, fancy graphics causes your site to load slow and also distracts your visitors, costing you customers and profits.

What matters on Internet is not how "good" or "fancy" your site looks, but what you have to offer to your target customers. So, you can see why you need to.....