By CarolAnn Bailey-Lloyd. Follow her @CarolAnnB.
If you’re new to online business and are trying to surf through the sometimes murky waves of the Internet, then the first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and relax. Nothing can get you more worked up than your own nerves doing a hoodoo number on your mind. I’m going to offer you a few tricks of the trade I’ve learned along the way and hope that you’ll benefit in some small way.
1. Market Research and Analysis: This is where successful marketing plans spring to action. Justifiably, clients (or buyers) must want to achieve specific goals, so usability and receptiveness are crucial components that ultimately become the deciding factor for potential purchases. Analyze your products and/or services. Obviously, you must have a great product or service to offer your potential buyer.
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself:
- Consumer Demand: What is it about my product (or service) that makes it essential to consumers? What sets my product (or service) aside from other competitors or like products?
- Communication/Presentation: Do I inform my potential consumers with detailed accuracy? Is my product (or service) being presented in its best light? Can I improve its viewer-ability?
- Amenities: Do I offer any special tools or tips (e.g., videos, workshops, eBooks, etc.) that enhance my products and/or services?
- Accessibility: Is my product (or service) easily accessible and within reach?
- Branding: Do I have a memorable slogan/brand? (e.g., Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?”)
- Quality/Affordability: Is my product (or service) affordable, and does it offer quality? Are financing or other loan options available?
2. Strategic Planning and Implementation: Examine your current marketing and advertising campaign to determine the best way to meet and exceed consumer expectations and demand. Try to discern which tactics are working and which ones aren’t. That doesn’t mean you have to entirely abandon the processes that you are utilizing, but it does mean that you might need to take a second approach as to how you go about your day-to-day web operations. After you’ve explored trends, applications, and web 2.0 marketing strategies, it’s time to jot down a plan of action to create real sustainable wealth in your professional business. Remember too, that two heads are always better than one; so get a professional (or personal) opinion from a friend or colleague to get her reaction on your commercial appeal.
3. Website Development and Promotion: The most critical aspects of marketing your product or service online are to know the foundation of Internet marketing and how to successfully harness the power of the World Wide Web at the stroke of your fingertips. 
How? Since the conception and birth of the Internet, advertising has taken on dramatically new angles, and is steadily climbing to popular ranks among the masses.
While large audiences still prescribe to network and cable television programs, the Web audience is growing by leaps and bounds. Aside from being a vital instrument for student and professional research projects, the Internet has become an ever-expanding media outlet for entertainment, information, work and direct-advertising. By integrating all points of a strategic marketing campaign, virtual web advertising agencies are able to assist clients with interactive ad campaigns that help promote exposure to clients (services and/or products).
In addition to frugal facilitation of free online marketing tools like PR-Inside.com, Free-Press-Release.com, and various online article distribution sites, Web 2.0 technologies are reinventing the way online businesses and professionals perform and succeed in today’s tough economic environment.
* Emerging web 2.0 technologies (e.g.: Twitter, FaceBook MySpace, LinkedIn, VOX, Me2everyone; Google Reader, FriendFeed, Mixx, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Blip.fm, YouTube, HolisticTwitter, InSocialMedia, Wordpress, eBlogger, etc.) are excellent networking tools to help brand you and your services (or products). *Psst…Twitter is my personal favorite social networking site, but I’m not telling anyone!
Don’t forget to utilize Meta tags and basic hotmail coding including anchor text links and linked graphics to enhance your web presence and visibility. This means using keyword/keyword phrase-rich, original content as copy and as distributable articles to assorted article-hosts.
To your success!
@jeffreyftang
Affordability is good, but don’t forget about the psychological power of “premium” pricing. Not everyone wants to buy a bargain product; a lot of people are interested in getting the best of the best. Sometimes a low price point can actually decrease the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.
@CarolAnnB
I agree, Jeffrey…to a degree. Due to the current economic climate, it’s important to offer both quality and affordability. If you have a quality product or service, it will sell in high volume. Higher the volume of sales, the more readily available and affordable the product (or service) can be. I like the “Miracle on 34th Street” approach: Offer consumers lower prices to help the little guy on the totem pole; when businesses do, everyone wins — especially the reputation of the business owner.
@jaredotoole
Branding is so important in todays online world. There is so much stuff out there you have to stand out. Its so easy to browse through 20 sites in a day and forget them all.
i also agree to the above posts. we should balance economy and quality. Products with good quality that would suit the price. products which are not that cheap or expensive because what matters most is how effective and useful the product is.
@channychauncey
In this busy world, people tend to forget as they have lots of things to do. So, keep a reminder that will remind people about your product from time to time. This will help a lot to build up your sales and keep it going. There should be books given out that will give more details regarding the product and also is easy to transfer. You should grow your network and start out different kinds of programs that will promote your product. These are some ways that can lead you to get good sales figures.