There are pros and cons to starting and sustaining your own online business. While there is no overhead, no storefront upkeep, no face-to-face confrontation with customers, there is also no mall-type foot traffic. You have to rely entirely on your own creativity to bring people into your virtual store.
One way an entrepreneur can improve business is to present himself or herself as an expert in the field through self-publishing. This form of publishing can be wildly beneficial to business owners. Not only can it publicize the business and its products and services, but it can also be profitable in itself.
Self-publishing can be as casual as a blog post or as formal as an e-book. Either way, the point is to show prospective clients that you are knowledgeable and willing to share what you may have spent years learning. Whatever effort you put into this project has the potential to pay dividends for years. Because of the nature of the internet, what with posting and re-posting and sharing and re-sharing, these articles can take on a life of their own.
E-Books and Articles
Writing to Publish
The first question everyone has is, “Where do I start?” You should begin by analyzing what you do know and what you can share and who you are sharing with. And always keep an eye on the prize, which is good search engine placement.
1 – Consider a topic: What information is relevant to a particular product or service? What is a question that comes up often when speaking with customers? Is there a shortage in information about a particular aspect of your business? What do you think a customer needs to know? What subject has your business made you an expert in?
2 – Consider your audience: Are they likely to skim through a short but succinct article? Or are they likely to be interested in a longer and more detailed e-book?
3 – Consider the degree of specialization: How specific should the information in the article be? Remember, you can always start with a broad subject and then focus on smaller points in new articles.
4 – Consider the search engines: What words or combinations of words will people most likely use when searching for the information you are offering.
Publishing Through Amazon
When you’re ready to publish, consider using the Kindle format so you can become part of the Amazon library of e-books. Though some people publish through Amazon specifically for profit, there may be more value in it for you if you don’t expect to make money on it immediately. Even if you were to give away the article or e-book you meticulously crafted, you have the advantage of being found within the Kindle directory.
Don’t be intimidated by the idea of writing a Kindle e-book. One of the benefits of publishing through Amazon and Kindle is that the format is very basic and undemanding. It’s essentially a stripped down version comprised of words only. Because it’s not in color, it doesn’t need to be as pretty as a designed PDF. It’s very easy to write for this format.
Publishing Through Other Platforms
But don’t stop at Kindle. You can extend your articles to other platforms. Having your information available to various devices will only increase your reach. You can create a webpage or a downloadable PDF file, for example. Both of these options will work on many platforms and will be more available for people to share them.
For iPads and similar tablets, a flashier format would serve you well. Include graphics, playful layouts, and maybe even video to make your article more aesthetically pleasing and thus impressive.
Benefits
Credibility
Because people don’t meet face to face on the internet, the ability to exude credibility is particularly important. Customers have to rely solely on whether or not they trust the business and the information the business is communicating. If you address concerns customers may have, they’re likely to feel more comfortable buying your product or service.
The benefits to you are cumulative. The more you publish, the more your name gets around, and the more your name gets around, the more likely your name will be trusted in your field. An important aspect of sharing your expertise is that if people trust what you’re saying, they will also share your articles with others.
Marketing
Google’s algorithms value your articles. Superior content will be rewarded with better placement in searches. In the early days, Google was tricked by webmasters who simply loaded the web pages with key words but limited content. But Google has learned what people want out of the internet: real information rather than sales pitches.
A crucial advantage to writing and publishing expert information is that Google will weigh your quality content highly in search engine results. By supplying people with informative details in well-constructed articles, you are giving your online business a fighting chance to come out on top. Providing the best products and services means nothing if you can’t be found on the internet.
Don’t stop with one article, though. And make sure that you capture e-mail addresses of your readers so that you can build a base of people who are looking for the latest news on a particular subject. Encourage your readership to share your articles with like-minded individuals. This can potentially increase foot traffic exponentially.
Profit
While we’ve been discussing how articles and e-books can get people to your website and hopefully interested in your product or service, this is not the only way to profit from your writing and publishing. Articles and e-books can be sold for money just like a printed book. Depending on the demand and quality, you can put a price on your writing. Even if you sell an e-book for only a dollar each, that is almost entirely profit. Unlike physical books, there are little to no costs incurred. Many people have reported seven figure incomes by sharing how-to information.
Go Out and Self-Publish
Addressing a recurring issue or relevant information in a well-thought out article will only help your business.
Don’t be afraid to give away information for free. There are some who worry about providing a prospective customer with information and having them go elsewhere. This greedy mindset only thwarts your success, though. Anybody who buys from somebody else after talking to you was never going to buy from you anyway.
Remember, the consumer who has actually done research can be your best customer. When a well-informed customer makes a decision, he or she tends to be happier rather than feeling ripped off and is less likely to experience buyer’s remorse. Providing people with detailed and honest information generates loyalty and confidence and turns them into repeat customers.
