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Internet marketing is a mystery to most would be entrepreneurs. They have no difficulty in starting a business, but when it comes to marketing it they find themselves up against a brick wall. Promoting your business is not as hard as you might think, it just takes a little planning and thought to get started.

Here are some steps to help you simplify your Internet marketing and get your business off to a good start:

Marketing analysis:

1. Before anything else, you should do a market analysis to find out who your public is, what products and services they need and what they are looking for to solve problems for themselves.

2. Secondly, do a prospect analysis. Work out who you most want to come to your site as far as prospects or visitors.

a. What are the ages, demographics, etc. In other words, who are they?

b. What sort of things interest them?

c. Their needs and wants-what are their problems and how can your products and services solve them?

d. Where can they be found? What websites and publications they will use.

Write up a brief thumbnail sketch of what you find.

Your basic business plan:

Next will be to do a business plan to get your goals set and keep you totally focused and moving in the right direction:

1. Set your goals: For 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. 2. Decide on what you are going to do to achieve them.

Educate yourself:

3. Read everything you can about marketing techniques and list out all the ones you can use, like newsletters free to subscribers or ebooks as bonuses, etc.

4. Once you have listed and noted all the marketing techniques work out which ones will fit into your budget and can be adapted to your business.

Then using your marketing analysis information and your list of marketing methods, you can make your marketing action plan.

Marketing action plan:

1. Decide which methods apply to your business

2. Decide which ones will fit your business

3. Knowing where your visitors are, seek them out and use direct marketing to reach them

4. Get keywords for your website and optimize your website content for the search engines. For a review of my favorite keyword research, go to: http://www.at-home-business-opportunity.com/keywords

5. There are 3 common categories of marketing: a. When your customer comes to you it is called Passive. b. When you seek customers and advertise to them when you find them, that is called direct marketing. Ezines are an example. c. Social marketing, Myspace, forums and discussion boards etc.

Once you have made your choices, about which method you will use, it is time to put your plan into action. Work on 1-2 methods at first, track and test them to be sure that they are cost effective and bringing in targeted visitors. Budget carefully, by starting small and working up. Always try promotions for at least 1-3 months. Track results and then you can avoid the pitfalls and concentrate on the things that win.

Make a success of yourself with these methods of marketing, and build your business like you have always dreamed.

Dan Farrell has a new ebook, "10 Essential Steps To Online Wealth" that is a must read for guaranteed success. He is offering it for only $7.00 Small Business Ideas