If your intention is to work on the Internet from home, you are probably considering Internet Marketing. Before you hang up your virtual “tile” (your website!), remember that the four P’s of selling still apply:
First, PRODUCT: You need to have a product that people want to buy, not something you like or think is cool, something people will buy. How do you find that? The Internet makes research so much easier!
You can start with the most popular searches: people use the Internet for information, what information are they looking for? Farts? Health & Beauty? Get your “broad category” ideas, consider what interests you (if you’re going to be your own boss, you should want to show up for work!) marketing actions.
Some valuable sources:
Google AdWords: You can use the AdWords tool without an account and see search traffic from the general categories you’re considering, as well as synonyms and related categories you might have missed. Here, you will have to decide: do you want to focus on a niche within a popular category or try to get a small piece of a really big pie?
With these ideas in hand, take a look at the competition. Go to Amazon and write down your ideas, see what are the best sellers. Be sure to Google the specific “keywords”—the main description—of the ideas you’re considering to see who’s out there and what they’re marketing.
These are general ideas to get you started, but most importantly, invest in some great research before you begin your online work-from-home adventure. Your choice of product will drive the rest of the “P’s” (I’m not kidding, if you haven’t heard them, they are Price, Place, and Promotion), and will largely determine your success.
Once you’ve decided on a market to test drive (and want a low-cost test drive!), your next decision is affiliate marketing or your own product. Google (again!) your keyword description plus affiliate marketing, and you’ll have more research to do: marketing someone else’s products or doing it on your own?
One last thought, don’t be afraid to dip your toe in the water. Trading is buying and selling, and sellers of goods and services are increasingly looking to people like you to be their online internet marketing presence. It doesn’t take a lot of capital to get started, you can have a web presence for less than ten dollars! And in these times, wouldn’t you rather take steps to secure your financial future than wait and see?