Tools and Resources for Micro Web Business
September 21, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
What do you need to run a very solid micro web business? Here are the basic tools I recommend:
1. A Blog
Free blog services include Blogger and WordPress. Or buy a domain name, host it, and in your CPanel dashboard choose “Fantastico”. Then upload WordPress to your hosted site. This is what runs Hobopoet and my business blog. I recommend HostGator.com for hosting.
2. A Flip Camera
These are beyond cool, and super-simple to use. You can get a standard one for about $129. You’ll use this to shoot your teaching and promotional videos.
3. A YouTube Account
Host all your videos in your YouTube account, for free. Since they own it, Google is friendly to YouTube hosted vids. Just keep your videos under 10 minutes each.
4. An Email Auto Service
When people come to your site, you’ll want to give them the option of joining your email course or newsletter. By using an email auto-service… people who join will automatically get a series of emails from you (in addition to any broadcasts you want to do). I recommend AWeber.com as the best one to start with. 1ShoppingCart also provides this, but is less intuitive in my opinion.
5. A Digital File/Product Delivery System
When you start, I recommend selling a digital product (pdf booklets, audio, &/or video). Yes, there are ways to automate delivery of physical products, but its a more complex (and expensive) process. If you’re new to this, start with digital. I recommend either E-Junkie.com or 1ShoppingCart.com If you’ll be doing audio or video, use E-Junkie, because 1ShoppingCart has a small file size limit.
6. A PayPal Account (or Google Checkout)
You’ll need a way to process credit card orders. The easiest way to start is with PayPal or Google Checkout or both. Both of these will integrate with your Delivery System (number 5. above) to ensure automated processing and delivery to your happy customers 
7. A Product That Adds Real Value
Forget the advice of some “internet marketing gurus” about making cheap crappy products. That’s not a sustainable way to live… and it’s bad karma too. Instead, “find the pain” in your customer’s market. In other words, what problems are really causing your prospective customers pain, frustration, and/or difficulty. Solve one of those problems, then create a product (text, audio, and/or video) that TEACHES THEM how to solve the problem. They will LOVE you and you’ll feel good too… knowing you are contributing and helping people.
And you don’t need to be the number 1 super-expert in your field (though that may come with time)… you just need to genuinely solve a real problem that causes frustration and pain… and teach other people how to solve it too.
Tools: Use Audacity (PC) or Garageband (Apple) to record Audio. Adobe Acrobat or Apple Pages can create .pdf files from documents. Use your flip camera to make videos.
8. A Promotion Campaign
This one is vital… and often forgotten. For some reason, a lot of people think that a cool website is all that’s necessary… but as this very Hobopoet website shows… without promotion there is rarely an audience.
How to promote your site? Google Adwords ads are the simplest but also most dangerous method. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can lose money quickly…. so read lots of books about this before doing an Adwords campaign. Also, start with a tiny daily budget until you test and prove that you’re making more than you’re spending.
Another way to promote your site… slowly but sustainably… is through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Open a Facebook Pages account for your business (ie. a “fan page”). Then just chat and add pictures and link to videos and articles on your blog. DO NOT TRY TO SELL ANYTHING ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE (same goes for Twitter). You’ll only annoy people.
I’ll do more posts about promotion in the future, since it’s an important topic.
And that’s it….
Todd The Guinea Pig
The above system is, in fact, exactly what I’m setting up for my good friend Todd.
Todd is absolutely NOT tech savvy. He doesn’t understand any of the technical computer stuff…. and all of the above is new to him.
So I’m helping him slowly build a simple and direct micro web business.
We started yesterday with the first few pieces: a Blog, a Flip Camera, a PayPal account, and a Youtube account.
His first job is to do an ongoing video diary… chronicling his adventures as he builds a small bungalow business on a beach on Koh Phayam island in Thailand.
He’ll shoot short videos, post them to YouTube, then embed them on his blog. His goals now are very simple… become comfortable with the technology and process, have fun, and start building an audience.
Next Steps For Todd
When I arrive in Thailand this Winter, I’ll help Todd with the next steps. We’ll create a simple (but valuable) product. Then we’ll sign him up for the AWeber email service and put an email signup box on his blog.
And then we’ll get him started with a Facebook fan page and Twitter… to increase his audience building potential.
Towards the end of my trip, I’ll teach him more promotional methods…. until his email fan list is large enough to justify a launch of his product.
And then he’ll be on his way to financial (and temporal) freedom… especially because he’ll be living in Thailand where expenses are low.
More on Todd’s case study coming soon…..
Useful information and helpfull. Thanks a lot.
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Hi AJ
Thank you very much, great stuff, but I have a question to you, can you tell me if I need to write any codes to creat a website like yours (efforltess…)? many thanks
Thank you AJ. Let me tell you that nowadays I am studying your course Business English Success Course (and also Power English) . These lessons are so great. They give me other points of view how to shape and build a business. I love them. Formerly I watched your videos: Business English Success, Business Success Step 1, Reluctant Businessman, Your Business Blog, etc. At this time, I have my business blog, my Clickbank account, my PayPal account, my YouTube account. Next I am going to adquire the rest of my “survival gear” in my business project. My goal is to is to build and run my own Small Business and become an independent entrepreneur doing something that would allow me to combine my skills in Internet, Logistics, Management, my former career on Electrical Engineering, and my hobbies, In other words, mainly as a Infopreneur then as Affiliate Marketer, Selling E-goods, and as Referrer/Finder.
Recently, I have had some interesting information from http://www.sitesell.com/upwardspiralbusiness.html but I need (I feel that) some tips or recomendatios from you.
Thanks a bunch AJ.
excellent advice but I don’t know from where to start
Thanks AJ.
It’s very interesting and useful. I like it.
Hi Iam Rajpal Chauhan Iam doing one year diploma in Computer Application.
I have Three brothere Iam the youngest of them.
I want to learn usa fluent english. Because I am Going To go there after couples of years. So I want to learn.
he he after your web troubles, I have found you again. good job to help everybody to find simplicity in this crazy world. i like you idea of the “finantial liberation”.
ok, follow this path.
thank you.
JL
spain
thank you mr hoge for this valuable information about life , you know i thought many times about your life how can you do all these things of responsibilities and enjoy at the same time,really i benefited a lot from you,you are my ideal person because you help people alot .
Thank you very much for your information and your explanations.
You are full of energy and it spreads to other members of your club.
I know what it is like to struggle – but with the power and knowledge – taken from you – struggling will be more and more easier…
Helloi AJ This is FATIMA your English student.Aj you are helping me a lot with your motivation!! I always wanted to spread informatios about TO TAKE CARE OF OUR MOUNTH, TO TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO HAVE CONFIDENCE WITH THEIR SMILES ( NOW GRIMM!! ).tO TEACH THEM HOW TO IMPROVE A LOT THEIR MOUNTH HEALTH!
You know, the mounth is the door for our body!!!
I am creating a information site what do you think ?
You know I am Dentist and I love to teach people how to improve their mounth health, their Gum´s Health. And you are teaching us to make things we never imagine or I never dare to imagine!
AJ thank you , you are welcome always !!! Help US!
KISSES from Brasil FatimaZ
Living in USA, English is very important, but a good idea is more important, everyone wants to success, the point is how I can do, and what I can do, Even if your lesson teach me the method to build the business, I still have no ideas what I can do. That’s the my problem. Maybe this is my fate, work hard all life, just enough to make a life and no extra money.
Hi Mr Hoge , I really like to watch your videos,you are inspiring,and motivational,I am unemployed,having a very,very hard time right now,financially,but I always try to keep my mood up,choosing good thoughts.even though It is very hard because a have a family under my shoulders,my wife does not work,that’s why I am always hearing and reading motivational books,I think that they are helping me,because I know that I won’t be bad financially for so long, It will change,also, I am healhthy,doing some jogging with my kids every day,you know that the most important things in life are FREE,you just can’t buy them,I am grateful for that,also I am planning on attending a votech or something like that,well, do you really think that I can also learn how to do business online,without experience?There are so many scam sites,it’s very hard to trust them,I don’t have money to get ripped,That is why I would like to know your answer,Thanks in advance,and also like your videos and audios in Effortless english site,also,this is one of my goals,improve my english,THANKS for that also.
thank you very much for your infomation and explanations.i like listenning to you