Make Money Online: Guaranteed

Several years ago, I worked for a company that taught people how to make money online. While I love to teach, what I did not enjoy was how the training was sold.

Almost every new client had the expectation that they would be making huge amounts of money with little work within a short time.

In any case, I became a student and mentor of Internet marketing. In fact, that was when I started this blog, See Me Remember Me Buy Me. The name comes from a different job I had, but that’s another story.

Content Based Online Revenue

I often asked myself if there was any truth at all to the possibility of making money online. Specifically, I mean the strategy we taught:

• Choose an Interest
• Build a Website
• Attract Visitors
• Earn Revenue

Does this strategy work?

I think it does, however, it takes a lot more work and a lot more time that most people I taught expected.  

It is creating and building a business. It takes more time and effort than any salesman might tell you when selling you courses that teach this strategy. 

How to Make Money Online, Guaranteed

As to the question for this post: How do I make money online, guaranteed?

To have a guarantee, you need a strategy that is as realistic as starting a new job. For example, if you are hired for a job in a factory or an in office, you are guaranteed income based on the hours you work. Even if they fire you or lay you off, you be paid for the hours you work.

Here are some ways that you can earn money online with this kind of guarantee or close to it:

Get a Remote Job 

Along with the idea of making money online is the idea of working from home.

Almost every student who wants to make money online has the goal of working from home as a primary motivation.

Telecommuting is much more realistic now than it was 15 years ago.

Refer People

Many merchants have affiliate or referral programs. 

An affiliate program is where you put a link on your blog or website (or in an email) to purchase goods or services online. If someone uses your link to make the purchase, you get a fee. This is the basis of the “Interest – Website – Traffic – Revenue” strategy I mentioned above.

The difference here would be instead of counting on visitors finding your affiliate link from searching for information, you are sending a person to that link to buy something you suggested to them yourself.

For example, often in my freelance business I talk to people who are looking for a business phone service. I tell them, “The one I use is RingCentral. Check out my blog post about it.” I then send them an email with the link to that post.

So, yes, I still made a blog. I did choose an interest and make a website. But instead of counting on visitors arriving through searches to then hopefully click on my affiliate link, I sent someone there after they decided they needed the service and asked me for a suggestion.

Doing this you can make a little money here and there. It will not huge amounts. Little amounts add up over time. 

Caveat: Be aware that there are a lot of scams based on this idea. Multi-level-marketing is based on this idea of being paid for referring people (usually friends and family) and getting paid for it. Look for affiliate and referral programs that do not have a cost to participate.

Everything Is Marketing

No matter what your business is, you are a marketer. Marketing is a lot more than advertising. It includes how you design your product, your packaging, your customer service. It's all related.

Everything your business does affects your place in the market. The goal of marketing is a concept called "Top of Mind." This can be described by saying that you want your potential customers to think of you / your company immediately when they realize or decide they need what you have to offer.

Virtual Phone Services

As a small business owner, what do you need in your phone system or service?

I recommend Ring Central's virtual phone services. Here's why:

Reliability: When someone wants to call you, you've got to get that call. Toll-Free Number: Although land line and mobile phones have diminished the cost of long distance, a toll-free number still sends the message that you want to talk to your customers, and you'll do it on your own dime. Local Number: Having both a local number and a toll-free number is the standard. Voicemail: If you can't pick up, having voicemail is expected. It lets the customer know you can handle their needs. Fax: Sending and receiving faxes may at first seem unneeded with all the other forms of communication available. You need it. You need it so you can offer and sign contracts. You need it because some customer's needs will be met better if you have a fax. Extensions: Even a small business of 10 to 20 employees needs extensions. People buy people, not stuff. Much of your business will happen because of the relationships you and your employees develop one-on-one with customers. If you've got more than one person, give your customers the ability to reach the person they need.

Marketing Strategy
Your phone system is part of your marketing strategy. Marketing is the entire image your company presents. Your phone system is part of that presentation. You do so much work to get customers to call you, a bad impression cannot be afforded. When a customer calls you with new business, there is one thing on their mind: Are you the right one to meet their need? If your phone doesn't give the impression of a professional, you will lose credibility. It could cost you a sale.

Customer Service
What is the most important phone call that you will ever receive? When a customer has a problem. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising, even in this technology age. It works both ways, more so when it is negative. If a customer has a problem, you've got to get that call or that message. Customer service is also part of your marketing strategy.

Why Virtual?
Virtual phone services do not require any system hardware; they can be activated instantly with your existing phones. Best of all, RingCentral gives you all this for free during your trial. This way you can test it out before making the final decision for meeting your virtual phone service need.