Because of the internet we all have the opportunity to make our own success and live the life of our dreams. But this does not mean that building a thriving internet business is easy or a way to “get rich quick”.Starting and building an established online business takes commitment, persistence, hard work, and the drive to make it succeed. Unfortunately many people are led to believe it is as simple as putting up a website, placing a few ads and watching the money pour in.That is exactly what I thought over 16 years ago when I first started online. I learned fast that building an online business would be much more than I ever imagined. While teaching myself how to make my business successful I made many mistakes. But I persisted and worked very hard. Then a very exciting thing happened. I started experiencing the benefits of success – both financially and personally. I find this work to be very rewarding in many ways and would recommend to anyone to stick with it and make it happen for yourself!Mistakes are a very valuable part of building a business if you learn from them. Use your mistakes to your advantage. Below are some of the most common mistakes we can make when developing an online business.1. Not Choosing Your Passion – In order to build a successful business you have to do something you are passionate about. It is hard to work 16 hours a day on something in which you are not interested. What do you love? What can you see yourself doing that you would not consider a “job”? I have always been a lover of books and wanted to own my own bookstore. The internet allowed me the opportunity to make this dream come true!2. Unrealistic Expectations – As I mentioned earlier, so many people are misguided into believing that making money online is quick and easy. Please do not fall into this trap! Make sure you are ready and able to put the time and effort into your business. Be prepared to work months or even years before reaping the benefits of success. Expecting unrealistic success is one of the main reasons people give up too quickly.3. Too Much Preparing, Not Enough Doing – It is a good idea to plan for your business but at some point you actually have to start doing something to get your business going. I know one lady who spent years going to seminars, paying money for complete business packages, buying books, etc. In all this learning, listening and paying out money, she never did start a business. This is also an easy trap to fall into. Yes, you do need to do research and learn but don’t make that your business.4. Too Much Flash – A business website should be clean, sharp, easy to navigate and professional. Don’t buy into the idea that you need music, flashing lights, or excessive clutter on your site. If you do offer music or a video give people the choice to listen or watch. Don’t have it automatically play when a visitor arrives. Don’t put too many banners, ads or flashy graphics on your site either. This will only result in slow loading time and losing visitors.5. Being Too Personal – Although a small personal touch added to your business is a good thing, don’t fill your site with pictures of friends, family vacations, or your life in general. Don’t overdo on telling of family stories, get-togethers, etc. Business and personal life must maintain a degree of separation. Create a personal bond with your customers but don’t overload them with your own personal life.6. No Online Support – Don’t try to go it alone. Contact other online entrepreneurs. Join groups. Network and obtain support from business associates. When I first started I knew a lady online who encouraged me to start my own newsletter. I had many doubts but she convinced me I could do it and that was a big step towards my success. I will never forget her or the help she gave me when I needed it. You can find many more experienced online business owners who will gladly help beginners and other business owners.7. Treating Your Business Like a Hobby – I have seen this so many times. People mistakenly start an online business thinking they can work it when they have the time. They say their family comes first and will get to it when they can. This is definitely not true. Your business needs your full attention and you must give it the time it needs to flourish. Yes, my family came first as well which is exactly why I started online. You cannot treat your business as a, “I’ll get to it when I can” project.8. Doing Too Much – Another unfortunate trap I have seen many people get caught in is signing up for multiple business opportunities and thinking they can make them all work. I have seen people trying to run as many as five different businesses. Spreading yourself too thin will accomplish nothing. You should decide on one business at which you will work your hardest and focus your complete attention on making it a success.9. Not Keeping Up to Date – Running a business is an ongoing process. You need to always be learning, studying new marketing techniques, watching your competitors, etc. Don’t fall into the “if it works, don’t fix it” routine. Just because your methods are working now, doesn’t mean they always will. You have to keep on top of things!10. Grammar and Spelling – This is an oldie but a goodie! Over the years I have seen some grievous errors in spelling and grammar. Please be sure to proofread and correct any mistakes made. If necessary, have someone else proofread for you. Fresh eyes can catch mistakes you may have missed. I have made some of these mistakes as well so I regularly have someone proofread my work. If you are not sure of the spelling of a word or proper use of grammar, look it up. Your business and your reputation are certainly worth the extra effort!I have made several of these errors and have definitely learned from them. Developing an online business can certainly be overwhelming and frustrating at times but if we commit to it, we can do it. Do not give up! Make your dream come true!
10 Common Online Business Blunders
Online Health Care Schools and the Training Possibilities
When pursuing a professional career you can begin by learning about online health care schools and the training possibilities. Accredited higher education and distance learning programs can provide the training that is needed for you to pursue your dream occupation. Before selecting an online school to enroll in, you should make sure that you have obtained all the information necessary to choose the correct career training path. There are numerous possibilities when it comes to preparing for a future in health care.Option 1Associate degrees can be obtained through accredited online health care schools to help you pursue an entry level career. This level of training can be completed to help you enter into areas like health education, sciences, and more. Choosing to obtain an associate degree will help you learn a number of specialized skills by providing training in a number of topics. You can obtain this degree by completing two years of accredited schooling, or further your education by pursuing a higher degree.Option 2The second option that is available through online learning is a bachelor level degree. You can spend approximately four years training at this level. Accredited online health care schools can prepare you for work as a health information technician, physician assistant, and other occupations. The coursework that will be provided will depend on the path you choose to follow and the profession you decide to enter. Training can be continued at the master degree level if you wish.Option 3Pursuing a master degree in health care through an online school will provide you with a number of career prospects. You can learn to work in health information, physician assisting, public health, health sciences, and much more. In order to receive a degree at this level, you will need to complete a total of six years of training. Online training will cover different topics that are relevant to the career you will be entering into. You can study at the doctoral degree level once you receive a master level degree.Option 4The fourth option that is available to you in health care is to obtain an online doctorates degree. This can be done by choosing an accredited school or college and completing the required training. Training typically takes eight years for completion and can help you enter a career as a health information technician, educator, and medical professional, or other occupation. Accredited training through distance learning can help you gain the skills for success by allowing you to study various coursework at your convenience.The coursework that will be covered through online training can vary depending on the career and degree that you wish to pursue. There are a number of areas that must be covered for all levels of training and careers. You can study online for behavioral sciences, environmental health, nutrition, anatomy, and more. In the health care field some programs may require hands on training in addition to online schooling, due to the depth of the subject. Some hands on training may include the study of physical therapy, exercise, wound care, and more.When looking to receive a higher education you can enroll in an accredited online health care school or college. It is important to enroll in a program that is fully accredited by an agency like the Distance and Education Training Council ( http://www.detc.org/ ), to ensure that a quality education will be obtained. You can begin by looking into the different opportunities and learning more from the schools that offer training.DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.
What Are the Main Concerns With Digital Marketing to the Mass Market?
Having a good marketing and advertising strategy in place means that businesses get the right exposure of services or products there are offering consumers. In the past this proved to be a very expensive operation which involved a lot of planning. Digital marketing came along and offered businesses an affordable option that is proving to be very effective and the mass market is now aware of the benefits they can gain from it.With the advent of agencies and consultants who now specialise in this field of work, online companies soon realised that these agencies offered them a way of getting their products or services noticed by consumers. They were able to instil the desire to purchase their products which meant they became valued customers.Digital marketing works very effectively for online businesses but the effect on the mass market is having a somewhat peculiar effect and the reason for this is that it is governed by DRM (Digital Rights Management). This exists in the form of copy protections, online verifications and encryptions which protect and check revenues that are generated by items being sold.There are two sides to the story though, and many think the DRM measures that are in place results in the consumer suffering the consequences of all the registration and verification processes that people legally own items in the first place have to go through, this being the software or digital media in question.The measures that are in place are supposed to protect copyright and are there to target pirates who do break copyright laws. These people it would appear are not really affected by the measures whatsoever, which makes the whole system fall apart and become rather meaningless.Digital marketing on the Internet is big business but this form of marketing is used through television, radio and other media platforms. The advent of social media becoming such a strong marketing platform has meant that consumers gained an enormous amount of power over how they are sold items they are interested in. This has led to a complete rethink on how marketing is conceived by marketers, who lost control to a certain extent, on how they presented products and services to potential customers.Search engines play a vital role in digital marketing so planning a strategy yourself means you need to be aware of what digital marketing really involves and what techniques you can use to your advantage. Banner ads, web blogs and having an advert and your website listed in a search engine are favourite methods of digital advertising. The fact that interactive actions are now very much in evidence results in consumers having more control over how they act when they are visiting websites.Many companies and businesses have realised the benefits of taking the process of digital marketing into their own hands and many have achieved great results by doing so. But a complete understanding of how SEO actually works is critical to the success you achieve. It is also vital to understand and set in place a system which allows consumers and therefore the mass market who visit your website to believe that they are in charge of the situation.Social media digital marketing platforms have bought the whole concept of advertising into the twenty first century in a rather positive way. This giant leap has meant that mass media digital marketing has had to be totally rethought and re-evaluated with the effects it has on the mass market very much in mind.