How to Start An Internet Business For Free

Step 1 - Understand what your prospects are searching for
Step 2 - Discover who your customers are and what they really want
Step 3 - Prove it: did people buy your product?

The Internet makes this kind of research a piece of cake - if you know where to find the tools.

Step 1 - Understand what your prospects are searching for...

It also tells you how many web sites are found for each keyword, so you can see exactly how much competition you will have.

Wordtracker is the most mind bogglingly useful internet marketing research tool I've ever seen. It helps you understand the exact words people think of before they buy. And that means you can show them just what they want to see.

For more details, including practical examples, see the article:
Internet Marketing Research Paper - Understand What People Want To Buy

WordTracker has a free trial version that doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the paid service. But unlike most paid subscriptions, WordTracker is available for as little as US$6 for a one day subscription.
So your complete research can be done for peanuts.

Click here to try Word Tracker for free.

Step 2 - Discover who your customers are and what they really want...

If people want to buy your product then they're probably talking about it in the newsgroups. Hop on to groups.google.com and search for the keywords you identified in step 1.

Look for people asking for advice on where they can find certain products. Pay attention to the details - that's how you'll find out if your product needs adjusting.
Remember that this is a small representation of your target market. For every person posting questions in newsgroups about products they can't find, there could be:

• 10 people searching newsgroups for answers to those questions
• 100 people searching the Internet for that product
• 1000 people looking for that product off the Internet.

If you get thousands of results you'll need to filter out the useless discussions. Try things like:

• add "wanted", "can't find" or "looking for" to your search
• read through the rubbish until you figure out how to exclude it.

If you don't get enough results there are three possibilities:

1. you have not found the right search keywords - keep looking!
2. people who would buy your product don't use newsgroups (ask yourself if you think your potential customers are internet users)
3. nobody wants to buy your product.

Step 3 - Prove it: did people buy your product?

You've probably heard of Internet auctions. They're not just for selling second hand goods.
If your product will sell, it will sell in an online auction.
You can evaluate the demand for your product, and get a good idea of what people are willing to pay.

All you need is a product that can be delivered by mail (preferably anywhere in the world). Go ahead now, list your product on www.ebay.com.

What Next?

Too Busy?

If you can't spare the time to do it your self call me.
Together we'll ensure that you sell the right products to people that want them.

About the Author
Since 1998, Phil Donaldson has helped hundreds of business owners understand, in plain English, how their web sites can help their businesses grow, and find the simplest solutions to do it.
If you'd like to apply this system to your business, but don't have the time or inclination to complete all the steps yourself then we can help. Contact www.anyware.co.nz for professional web design and search engine marketing services in Wellington, New Zealand.
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