We sometimes forget that despite its influence and popularity, the Internet is barely 20 years old, not even legal to drink in the US. We have only scratched the surface seeing what it's capable of and the opportunity for businesses and startups is truly awe-inspiring.
And yet millions of small businesses and hundreds of thousands of Internet startups don't respect what I have outlined below. Ready them carefully and review these tips often, as these are the rules I've lived by which have grown my company's revenues to $10+ million per year along with several million dollars in annual profits too:
1. Be Real
You can now express yourself and present your company's products and/or services like never before and the more honest you are, the more your customers and potential customers will understand you and even help you spread your message. You don't need to hire an advertising agency or marketing staff -- know who you are and tell the world via website designs, product launches, blog posts, Tweets, Facebook status updates, Youtube videos and Instagram photos. The more diverse ways you convey your messages, the better odds of success you will have.
2. Be Consistent
It does no good to update your website and social media networks only during key product launches or specific seasons & then nothing in between. That's what lazy people and companies do and it shows.
Trust on the Internet is built gradually over time as far too many people and companies are fly-by-night. Every day I post something on my website and via company's social media channels whether it applies to myself, my company, my industry or even if I just have something provocative or conversation-worthy on my mind.
3. You Probably Won't Go Viral
Everyone wants to "go viral" and have their life's work spread to all corners of the globe in an instant. Newsflash, in the 7 years of working my butt off every single day spreading my company's messages, nothing I have ever done has ever gone truly viral. My 2nd millionaire student who started with just $1,500 of his own money three years prior to learning from me got close -- but still not truly viral. And yet despite this failure, we will still do $10+ million this year after starting with nothing just a few years ago.
Sure, sure, everyone has dreams of building the next Facebook or Instagram, but understand the odds of that happening are worse than the lotto and there is a great deal of money to be made and satisfaction to be had simply by working hard and providing products and services that are useful to others.
4. Be Useful & Helpful
My expertise is stock trading and I have documented to a T how I have turned $12,415 into $4 million via stock trading, but my business is based on teaching my strategy and rules to others. It does me no good to make money trading on my own and to have my students confused or not making money themselves.
Do not be confused in thinking that an internet-based business is about your success alone; to truly grow, profit and achieve your goals you must always place your customers first. That's not to say you must suck up to them and be fake, it's okay to be yourself, just remember that they pay you or use your site/app for a reason -- make sure they're satisfied with their relationship with you.
5. You're In A Relationship Now
Ah yes, single people don't freak out -- once you start a business on the internet and interact with your customers using this new technology, you're in a relationship with them. To sustain a healthy relationship you must be real, consistent, helpful, useful, but most of all you must remember that a relationship is a living-breathing thing.
Sometimes you must go above and beyond to keep your relationship healthy and that may mean anything from pulling an all-nighter in order to provide timely and comprehensive information to little things like wishing customers a happy birthday.
These is no one right or wrong way to maintain healthy relationships and conduct business properly on the Internet, be willing to adapt to your customers' demands and preferences in the pursuit of success.