Monday, January 27, 2014

The Best Web Tools And Properties For 2014


by Dawn Damico


With so many tools, bells, whistles, and one-click-wonders available for your online business, it's too simple to get overwhelmed. When that happens, you can a) throw money away on things you'll never use b) waste time on activities that drain your energy more than they increase your profits or c) keep you frozen with inaction for fear of choosing the wrong tool.

Well, sit back and relax. We have an app for that (sort of)! Every online success story today once was caught in the sea of overwhelm, just like you!

In the true spirit of Oz and "pulling back the curtain, James Wedmore, has just revealed some of his favorite websites and website properties you need to run your business successfully. Yes, these are those "keys" everyone is always talking about!

Build Upon What you Own: Your Blog

Free, Paid, and Social Platforms. There are no shortage of options so which one should you use as the foundation for your business? The answer is: Wherever you have the most control!

Just like in the real world, the more control you have in your business the better. There's always some risk when you build your online empire using on someone else's real estate. Sure, you can get a lease; however, when that lease ends or the contract is terminated, you have to leave. You could be out of business overnight unless you've established an active following that will follow you.

If your business is online, then this can happen as well. What's the solution? Be sure that you hold the keys and the deed to your online business "home." That means a blog, but not just any blog. This is a blog (ie...website) that you own, with a domain name you've purchased, and where you have paid for hosting.

Your Blog is your content platform. Here are the online tools you should be using -

Content Platform: Wordpress.org (not the free hosting version!)

Wordpress Themes: Themeforest.net

Hosting Solutions: Bluehost or Hostgator

Customers: Here's how to Build your List

It's not enough for your online business to get traffic to your site. Once your potential customers click away, you may be forgotten...no matter how awesome you and your content are...UNLESS...

You provide opt-in opportunity where site visitors can sign up for a compelling free offer.

This is your virtual guest book and it is a key component to building a business online versus having a really fun and time consuming blogging hobby. www.LeadPages.com is by far the best tool for this.

Build Your Monetization Options

Building your blog isn't the end of the work. Soon after your site it "pretty" you will wonder how you can actually make money online. The answer is: Selling SOMETHING online. But what?

How you make money depends on your business model and your niche. You may sell a product, a service, or a piece of software that's going to benefit your future customers in some way, shape or fashion.

Whatever it is, you need a sales page. This is your 24-hour virtual sales person and the best tools to use for that include:

And how to sell that "something" will involve a sales page. The tools you use for your virtual sales team include:

www.Leadpages.com, www.ThemeForest.net, www.Odesk.com

Yes, those same tools already mentioned also include options for Sales Pages and Marketing Landing Pages. They have templates to make your job easier and are already coded to function well on many devices, like mobile, and many browsers.

Once you invest in the templates don't get stuck because you don't know HTML! Don't be afraid to hire someone to help you that do this sort of thing for a living!

Build Continuity: Paid Content and Training

Many online businesses that are having super success are offering extra value on a paid or subscriber-only basis.

Wordpress.org

Themeforest.net

www.member.wishlistproducts.com

www.member.wishlistproducts.com

Next Step: Build It!

There it is...the best tools for your online business. It doesn't have to be complicated. These four web properties are used by many of the A-listers on the Online Business World.

These tools, a little assistance from a great freelancer, and your own talents can help you build your dreams online. Enjoy the journey.




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