Online Marketing is a form of communication that requires both skill and talent. Students across America spend 4-6 years mastering these techniques in oder to produce quality adds for bis name corporations. Why then do most people think they can spend a few dollars and learn it all in 5-10 pages? Can a PDF file really teach you all there is to know about Online Marketing?

Probably the most common mistake that investors make is thinking that they can start an online business with less then 500 dollars. It is possible to start up some quick affiliate marketing companies in under 500 dollars, but to truly start your own online business, you need roughly around 5 grand!

With this in mind, many people go searching the net for the "Quick Fix" to online marketing and typically end up empty handed. The old adage of "You get what you pay for," holds concrete in the marketing world. When you buy a higher education for pennies on the thousand dollars, your get pennies of info in return. If you believe that you can create a turn-key system with only a one time purchase fee of 36 dollars or less, you're in for a rude awakening!

Most of the ebooks available online simply explain what is required to get an online business going. They never truely take you step by step through the process. They go over the basics of marketing and the important of following the typical principles of marketing. In my nearly 10 years of marketing, these 6 simple principles have always remained true, whether you're doing affiliate marketing or selling your own product. In order to help you in your marketing endeavors, I will explain the most basic principles of marketing.

Principle 1: Base of Operations

As with any battle, you need a base of operations to work from. This, of course, is the website from which you sell your product. In order to achieve maximum return for your investment, ensure you add things like; video, voice, virtual actors, and LARGE BOLD PRINT. Sometimes the worst products sell because of the website it is found on.

Principle 2: Creating Buzz

You have a website, now you need to generate traffic to your product. You can do this via ads, web enhancers, word of mouth, articles, anything and everything that you can attach your name to.

Principle 3: List or Die

Many people in online marketing have an understanding of the "List or Die" principle. It simply means, you need a list to constantly market to or you will inevitably die out. There are many List Generators and people willing to sell you the secrets of generating lists for as little as 39 dollars.

Principle 4: Managing Clients

Now that you have product traffic, you need a way to stay in touch with all of your clients and prospects, without spending 5-6 hours a day online. Auto responders are email accounts that automatically handle most of the grunt work. Look into getting a good auto responder or your clients will quickly walk away.

Principle 5: Meeting Client Needs

The absolute best way to meet your client's needs and generate interest in your product is to give them something for free. It's not that hard to do. Look online and find an article that is relevant to your sales. i.e. Sports article for a muscle enhancer. Send them the article and let them know that you have the solutions to their Sports needs!

Principle 6: Follow Up

This is probably the most important principle. Once you have made a client, make sure you keep them. Constantly send them personalized emails letting them know that you appreciate their business. Make sure you send them special offers that are geared towards their specific needs.

Anyone can work a successful marketing campaign by following these 6 principles of online marketing. For more information on becoming a better business owner, read Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad's Cash Flow Quadrant".

Copyright (c) 2008 John Tanner