Brainstorming – If you know what your target market wants/needs, then you’re already half way home. If you still havn’t figured this out, then I recommend you jump on this.

I’ve found the best way to brainstorm is to write your ideas, experiences, and knowledge down on a piece of paper, then do research to determine what people are looking for on the net.

Research – To determine if your product, idea, or info-knowledge will fly, you must do research. Go to Google Keyword Tool and see how many times people were searching related phrases on what you want to create your product around.

This will give you an idea if it is a viable product. Also do a straight search in Google and Yahoo for your keywords and see what turns up. Investigate some of the sites, you may be surprised that you have a completely unique method differing from your competitors – which is a good thing.

Visit forums, blogs, and even Yahoo Answers to see what people in your niche are asking. Obviously if you see 50 people asking the same thing, then you’ve stumbled upon something!

Writing – If you think your ebook or guide may fly, then it is time to get down and dirty and start creating it! It’s as simple as starting to write in a Word or other document file. I prefer Open Office. It’s 100% free not to mention it exports to PDF with one click, something Microsoft Word does not have built in.

Next, you can create an ebook cover. Yes, I know, you’re on a tight budget, so . . .
look to the Warrior Forum to find someone that can create an ebook cover for under $10.

So now you’re probably wondering… why in the world would you want to create your own product if you are just starting out?

Simple… it’s an 8 letter word…

LEVERAGE!

Once you create your own product, you can virtually do anything with it. Sell it, give it away as a bonus, or even give it away for an opt in. Product creation is some of the best time you can invest into your business as this product is something you can reuse over and over again. No one will be able to take that product away from you.

Let me know what you think guys. How many products have you created? What ways have you leveraged your older products?

1. First, make sure you put up a good landing page. Your landing page should only be asking for 1 simple action… to have your visitor supply an email address. An excess amount of buttons and page links will only take away from your subscribers.
2. Offer your visitors the opportunity to opt-in to your mailing list for something of value. This is niche specific. If you have a website for “weight loss” you can give away a specific workout or diet for an opt in. The process of opting in should be considered the same as any monetary transaction.
3. Make sure any freebies you give away are of the highest quality, because the subscribers on your list will judge the worthiness of your products and services based on the freebies they get.
4. Make sure you keep your lead’s information private. If you tell your leads you will not share his or her personal information, then don’t share it with anyone. You will ruin your reputation, and word spreads fast on the Internet.
5. Provide top-notch customer service. This is THE number one way to stay ahead of the game. If your customers are happy and you resolve their questions and complaints immediately, then you will win their loyalty and trust. I personally get 2-5 emails a day asking for additional information and help. I spend probably an hour each day providing this additional information.
6. Like the previous bullet, respond to your leads’s complaints or inquiries immediately. The goal in mind should always be to satisfy your potential customers. Obviously there will be people out there that complain about anything, but if enough people complain about the same thing, you know a greater problem exists.
7. When emailing your list, be sure to provide quality content. One of my biggest pet peeves are the self-proclaimed “gurus” promoting product after product to their list. This will make money, but you’ll also have no relationship with your subscribers. Always build a relationship with your leads. A blog is a great way to do this.
8. Remain truthful and honest in all you do. A customer will sniff out a scam faster than a dog will a bone. Don’t lie, don’t trick, and don’t steal.

If you are not building a list or collecting leads in your online business, whether as an affiliate or product owner, then you’re seriously leaving an unmeasurable amount of money on the table. Leads and traffic are the lifeblood of any business, so list-building should be one of your main priorities!

Leave me a comment below on what your major concerns are with list-building.

Just looking at many of the products on Clickbank or the Warrior Special Offers Forum, I notice that most of the products are trying to be the “end all, be all” product. Unfortunately, this type of mentality is extremely unsuccessful.

Okay, lets take a timeout to explain more about what your USP can include.

It doesn’t matter if you have your own product or an affiliate website. This thought process should be done no matter what business model you are using.

1. Identify your USP.

The first thing you must do is identify your unique selling point. Remember, you want your USP to be the best in the industry.

Are you offering the lowest price? Are you offering the most bonuses? (works extremely well for affiliate websites.) Do you have a better guarantee?

I can go on and on asking these questions, but identifying your USP doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Simply find that one specific area in which your offer is the best, and stress that area in all facets of your business.

2. Implement your USP on your sales page.

Okay, so now you have identified your USP. Now you have to implement it into your sales-page, sales-video, affiliate website, etc. You want every single person exposed to your offer to notice your USP. Mention it multiple times and make it a big deal.

3. Implement your USP in your advertising.

Many people have no problem implementing their USP into their sales-page, but one thing I’ve noticed is that many people and companies forget to use it in their advertising.

Whether you’re using PPC or free traffic methods such as article marketing, don’t be afraid to mention your USP.

For example, if you are running a banner ad on a targeted niche site, the ad could read something like this:

“We sell the same product as Company A – at 75% Less”

Short and simple.

Let me know your unique selling propositions in the comments area. I always love to hear how people are making their offers more unique!

1. You need the ability to determine the needs and wants of your target audience.

When checking many of the Internet marketing forums, I see question after question asking what niche is the best to enter. I find these threads quite humorous because I just do not understand how an entrepreneur/marketer can ask that question.

Every market usually has buyers located somewhere, and it is just your responsibility to find the appropriate angle to sell to them. By understanding your niche’s strongest needs and wants, you will have no problem finding that elusive angle.

Its so simple, give your target audience what they want, and they will give you cash for it in return.

2. You need to take baby steps to achieve giant results.

Yet another bane to us entrepreneurs. We all want huge results fast with the minimum amount of work.

Unfortunately, this attitude is what makes 95%+ of entrepreneurs online fail.

Understand that results will have a snowball effect. At the beginning, you might see your business taking the baby steps I mentioned above, but as the ball keeps rolling, these baby steps will be those of a giant.

Focus on achieving a small result, then expand on that success. Focus on the stuff that works.

3. You must create a product or service that will genuinely help your customers improve their life in some way.

Never, and I repeat, NEVER put out a product that you would not buy yourself.

When someone buys your product, they view that product in a way that represents your reputation as well.

Back in bullet one you should have determined the wants and needs of your target market. Provide the solution to those needs, and you will will have no problem providing a quality product.

4. You always need to maintain an honest business through every transaction.

“The customer is always right.”

This might seem obvious, but you truly need to follow this well-known mantra.

If someone wants a refund, give them one. If someone is unhappy, find a way to make them happy. Your customers are the lifeblood of your business. Do anything to make them pleased with your product.

Having strong customer support will keep your customers coming back to purchase from you year after year.

5. You need to develop perseverance for the days that your business might not be looking upward.

Failure is something everyone deals with at one point in their business career or another. The most successful people are the ones who overcame their failures and flourished because of them.

Not to sound all cliche, but when your back is against the wall, you will find out what you’re truly made of.

If something is bothering you, take care of it as soon as possible. I know there are tasks that all of us hate to do, but sometimes it’s better just to get them out of the way before they grow into something larger.

6. You must over-deliver with every product or service to keep your customers coming back for more.

Back in bullet number three, I mentioned that you should never put out a product that you wouldn’t buy yourself. In this bullet point, I want to take it one step further…

Over-deliver in everything area in which you will have communication with potential customers. Whether its a blog post or a bonus for a product; give your customers more than they expect. By giving more and providing your best information, your customers/leads will be happy to give you what you want.

7. You need to create a testing system to track every aspect of your business no matter what your experience level.

I see so many new marketers spread out way to thin. They want to be the master of everything before they start seeing results in any one particular area.

I must admit, I was the same way. When I first started out, I bought information product after information product hoping to find that magic bullet that connected all the dots. Fortunately, I realized that magic bullet doesn’t exist.

You should not and do not need to know everything to get started. Find something that has worked for another, and make it work yourself.

Obviously, make sure this task interests you. We all know article marketing works for traffic generation, but if you hate writing articles, then do not waste your time!

By testing, you’ll be able to see what technique is most worth your time. You can then focus more on that aspect of your business to increase your results dramatically.

8. You always should reinvest a certain amount of your revenue back into your business for growth.

This pretty much speaks for itself. I mentioned baby steps to get the snowball rolling above, but by reinvesting the money you already earned, that snowball will start rolling a hell of a lot faster.

Once you have some spare cash, I recommend you create a system and outsource that system. The more people you have focusing on the task you found that worked, the more money you’ll make.

I hope this post points you in the right direction and allows you to have the right mentality in this online marketing world.

I would love to know what you think. Leave me some comments below!