How to Get Off on the Right Foot with Your Online Marketing

The biggest question most people have about online marketing is: Where do I start?!

The simple answer is to start wherever you are. By that I mean you have to understand that "online marketing" isn't just one thing; it encompasses a variety of elements and you'll be most successful if you focus on one at a time. I always say to pick what's easiest for you to do first.

Ultimately, you'll want what I call the "Online Love Triangle" - a website (so prospective clients can find you), a free giveaway (so they can get to know you) and an ezine (so they can stay connected with you). With those in place, you can add in email campaigns when you've got a specific offer to share.

Here's the reality most people don't recognize: What you need to get started with your online marketing is different from what you need to sustain it.

Getting started is largely a matter of practical information - finding a web host, a site designer, a contact management service and the like. These nuts-and-bolts aspects can offer a rather steep learning curve for some of us but in general they're pretty cut and dried choices.

[Here's a hot tip: My recommendation is to ask 3 friends for suggestions, do 23 minutes of research (no more) and then make a decision and be done with it. Throwing yourself into angst and overwhelm doesn't bring in clients. Getting your site up and your ezine sent out does. And you can always make a change 6 months down the road if things aren't working the way you want.]

Once the "technical" phase is completed, the real work can begin.

Because, in my experience, a website is not the end goal (even with a Free Taste and an ezine). Generating profits online (or anywhere in your business, for that matter) is all about connection. This is where so many well-intentioned independent entrepreneurs miss the mark. Without the connection between you and your audience -which stems from the connection you build between your marketing elements- your online efforts will likely result in bupkus. Nada, zero, zilch.

Leveraging the three cornerstones of the Online Love Triangle into an interconnected system that authentically presents you and your services in a clear, appealing way gives your audience the information they need to make a decision about spending money with you.

Your online marketing becomes a streamlined, automatic structure for educating and enrolling enthusiastic clients. And the glue that holds this structure together is a generous, sincere blend of your passion and expertise.

So to get started with your online marketing, you'll need to dive briefly into the "technical" pool to set up the framework for your relationship-building. But to sustain that relationship -and more importantly, to turn it into cash- you'll need to spend time exploring and sharing the depths of your heart. That's what nourishes the relationship over time.