One of the most important things you can do for your home business is be effective with your online marketing. You want to use your time and money effectively while bringing in customers. There are a few things that are important to keep in mind to make the most of your online marketing efforts.

1. Pay Attention to Current Customers

People who have bought from you before are more likely to buy from you again. You’ve gained their trust already. They’re a big part of why you need a mailing list, especially one focused on buying customers.  These buyers are easier to market to because you know a bit of what they’re interested in.

2. Focus on Conversions

Take a really good look at what’s converting for you and what isn’t. Traffic only means so much without conversions.

There are a few types of conversions to consider. There are the vital conversions to sales that you will want to know for all of your products. That doesn’t mean you should ignore other conversions your site can make for you, such as visitors to newsletter, RSS or Twitter subscribers. Each of those means you have a chance to make sales as well. Pay attention to conversions from those areas to know which is most effective for you.

3. Know Your ROI

For each type of marketing you do, you need to know your ROI. This keeps you from spending money or time on things that are wasting both.

A negative ROI doesn’t necessarily mean drop a particular marketing tactic, although that may be necessary. It definitely means you need to take a closer look at what’s happening in that area to see if it can be turned around.

4. Focus on What You Do Best

You know which kind of marketing you’re best at. It might be search engine optimization, social networking or other web 2.0 marketing tactics. Make the most of the things you’re good at.

5. Test Your Established Campaigns

You may have some campaigns that are steady producers. Even so, you should test them regularly. Little changes can make improvements, and what was best last month may not be best this month.

A bit of analysis is the best way to know what’s really getting you results. It may seem tedious at times, but when you get things set up well it’s not too difficult. Track your campaigns, know where your sales and subscribers are coming from, and you can figure out which marketing efforts are driving the results you need. It’s easier to grow your business when you know what’s working for you.

If there’s one thing that will help your online business get off to a good start or help you take it to the next level, it’s solid information about how to build a successful business. You can take your best guesses and try on your own, but legitimate information is a much faster way to go.

Solid, legitimate information is hard to find. You can’t even be certain of getting good information if you buy it. There are too many scams out there.

When you see a sales page that looks appealing, don’t buy right away. Take a really good look and make sure you have a good chance of getting what you think you’re getting.

What Kind of System Are They Promoting?

An amazing number of recent product launches have made very sure that you can’t tell from the sales page just how they’re going to suggest you promote products. The techniques is promoted as completely revolutionary, and it’s not article marketing, PPC, ad swaps, etc.!

There’s often talk of a loophole.

The trouble with buying a product that promises you a new system is that you don’t know if it’s something you’ll be comfortable doing. Sometimes they involve breaking the TOS of the site you’ll be promoting products on. Other times the trick doesn’t work anymore.

The Story is About a Person Who Was Poor Just X Months Ago

This is a big storyline used on product launches right now, overused in my opinion. Sometimes they say a mysterious millionaire gave them the secret; other times it’s something they discovered on their own.

These are often really great sales pitches that appeal to the emotions, but they often aren’t legitimate. They’re far more likely to be rehashed information you can find elsewhere for free or cheaper. But by pushing your emotional buttons and promising easy wealth they get your interest.

Use your common sense instead. If the income is ridiculous, the claims extraordinary, it’s probably not real.

Beware of Automation

Automating parts of your business is wonderful. If you can do it legitimately, great.

The trouble with automation is that too often it’s used as a spam tool. Whatever you automate may not be sustainable as a business practice.

I like automating my article distribution for many of my articles through Content Crooner, for example. I give them the information and they handle the distribution. It’s much easier for me than visiting each article website and submitting the articles myself.

It’s still work, however. I have to create quality articles, and Content Crooner reviews them before distribution. If I don’t do my part well, they aren’t going to help me. Their requirements aren’t too drastic, but they help to limit the rejections from article sites.

Leave the Site

Before you think about buying, leave the site. Often discounts will be offered.

If they offer over and over again, I’m inclined to say leave. If they’re trying that hard for the initial sale, offering discounts, etc., they’ll probably be at least as heavy on the upsells. Sometimes so heavy that the initial product is all but useless without a high priced upsel.

I’ve had sites interrupt my departure 5-7 times before letting me go wherever I was trying to get to when I clicked away. To me that’s not just annoying, it’s a sign that I don’t want to deal further with that site.

I’m sure it works well enough, as it’s such a common practice, but more than one, rarely two pops trying to keep me is just annoying.

Don’t Trust Testimonials Too Much

Testimonials, particularly in online marketing, are easy to get. There are people on Fiverr who are willing to write or create video testimonials for products. I’m not saying the testimonials would always be fake, but to really try a product would take longer than what $5 would probably pay for. I’d call that questionable at the very least. Paid testimonials aren’t exactly the same as spontaneous testimonials even when the person does try the product.

Not to mention how easily a written testimonial can be faked, FTC rules or no. Most people who fake it aren’t going to get caught, and they know it.

Don’t Trust Screenshots

Just as testimonials are easy to fake, so are screenshots. There are scripts that let screenshots of many popular sites be faked, or there’s your standard image manipulation. It’s all too easy to do and too many marketers have no problem with faking it.

Promises of Instant Success

Lots of products say in essence that if you do what they say, you’ll have instant success, just like the product’s creator! Even when you have a legitimately good product, that’s not likely to happen. You’re far more likely to have to work for your success.

Nothing wrong with that. You’ll understand better how you succeeded if you had to work for it. Succeed on your first attempt out of sheer luck, and you might not be able to repeat it.

What a good product can do is put you on the right path, help you speed things up some and avoid some of the pitfalls.

Product Isn’t Related to Your Focus

Don’t buy just any online marketing product. You want one that relates to how you want to do business or are doing business. Anything else is just a distraction from your current goals.

There’s a right time and a wrong time to change your focus. If you’re buying something that will take you in a new direction, know why you’re doing it. Otherwise you’re wasting your time and slowing your work down.

You”ve Bought Too Many Products You Haven’t Read or Used Yet

Lots of people buy marketing product after marketing product, and then never get around to using them. It’s a horrible habit caused by falling for slick salesletters, and many of us have that problem.

If a new product is tempting you, go back and refer to a product you’ve been meaning to read that you already own. Work on that instead.

Most products will still be there, unless they’re one of the highly limited products that may be too expensive for the budget of a new marketer anyhow. Don’t stress about getting it before the price goes up – you can save a lot of money by buying fewer products even after the price goes up rather than buying every product that catches your attention before really thinking about if you need it.

Rather than go for the big new products, I like the ones that have been around and been regularly updated for a while. No loopholes, just a push in the right direction. The Super Affiliate Handbook is one example of this. Rosalind earns a good living as an affiliate, and her book has been updated a few times to keep up with current affiliate marketing techniques. That’s more sustainable than the newest stealth tactic that probably won’t last.

I have to admit, these past few weeks have been just hammering me. Very challenging. It’s hard getting used to the demands of homeschooling a third grader. Especially since the K12 program is so demanding. The amount of work is pretty amazing some days.

It’s mostly good. But some days are really draining.

I have a love/hate thing for taking my daughter to Community Day classes. They’re classes she takes with a credentialed teacher with other students. Her class is a group in grades 3-5.

The break from teaching is great. I get to run errands with only my youngest along. Then I have to pick my son up from kindergarten, give the two kids a quick lunch, then pick my daughter up from her classes, and finish off her school day, as the Community Day only covers 3 subjects, and to keep up more has to be done.

That drive time really adds up fast. Messes with the daily routine pretty seriously, and so those days tend to be on the long side.

Her online teacher-led classes do much the same, but at least they only eat up an hour of the day. It’s just that it throws the routine off.

There’s some benefit to both, although it’s frustrating when they’re covering something we already did on our own. But I know my daughter isn’t always catching on to everything right away, so even if it’s review I consider it a benefit.

I’m learning a lot about my daughter’s learning style, and trying to teach her better study habits. She’s used to being able to skim through and get enough of an idea to do well in her classes. That isn’t working with this program. She’s having to make more of an effort than she’s used to.

When things are quiet, I work while she studies. When she needs something, I’m right there to help her. But things aren’t quiet too often with a toddler in the house.

The hardest part is when we have a rough day and I just feel exhausted in the evening, but still really need to get some of my work done. My productivity for my business is down, and I know it. I hope to get things into a better routine so that I’m not always struggling to find time and energy to work.

On the plus side, my daughter loves some of the advantages of homeschooling. When we remember, I turn on music for her to listen to as she studies. She loves that, and tends to be more cooperative. She also likes to stand while working at times, which never went over well at public school. The ability to fidget really is a help.

The ability to take breaks at need has been nice, although we have to be careful about how often they happen. I had to remind my daughter tonight that she can ask for a break when she thinks she needs to get outside and play for a little. Much better for her than sitting at her desk all day. She’s more focused if she can be physically active occasionally.

It will be interesting to see how she and I feel about this as the school year goes on. Homeschooling through an online public school is challenging because there are so many more rules to deal with than in traditional homeschooling, but it’s the style that appeals most to me and gets the least resistance from family members. We’ll see if I continue to enjoy it, which despite my complaints, I mostly enjoy tremendously.

There are times that it’s worthwhile to look back at your home business and think about how you could have done things differently. You can do the same for the rest of your life, but when you look back at how you started and ran your business you may be able to see things you should have done differently.

Some of them may be things you can change now.

The big thing I can’t change would have been to have started sooner. Yes, I would have loved to have known earlier on that this internet thing had such great potential as a source of income. I suspect that goes for many of us.

That said, if you’re considering getting started, get moving! Quit wondering if you can make it work and make the effort. That’s the only way you’ll ever know for sure.

Finding Ways to Work Harder on My Business Sooner

I really wish I had found more ways to work harder and more effectively (especially more effectively) on my business sooner. Frankly, I still need ways to work harder, doubly so now that I have to deal with homeschooling my daughter while working on my business.

This has to be done right. I use tools to automate things that are reasonable to automate. This has to be done right, as a lot of automation can mess you up, making you look like a spammer. You don’t want to be a spammer. It’s not the best business model.

Market Samurai is a fairly recent purchase for me that is already a big help. I’ve done some general keyword research for several of my sites, plus microniche research for smaller site ideas. It’s amazing what comes out of it, and they have a free trial. I’m glad I finally bought it after considering the matter rather longer than I should have.

Do More Blog Commenting

I do this one in spurts, but I wish I’d done it sooner and wish I would make time for it more regularly. It’s not great traffic, but it brings in some.

Don’t automate your blog commenting. You may be able to use software to find blogs to comment on, but make your comments appropriate, relevant and unique.

Don’t go nuts on keyword use, especially in the “Name” field. Lots of bloggers just delete keyword names, even if the comment is halfway decent.

Guest Post

Don’t save all your best stuff for your own blog. Spread some of it around to attract more visits to your blog.

Done right, this brings in more traffic than commenting. Pick a blog in a niche similar to yours that accepts guest posts and has better traffic, and offer to write a post for them. Not a rehashed post, but something to get attention to your site.

Don’t offer the same guest post to multiple sites. Most bloggers want guest posts to be unique content.

Don’t Be Afraid to Sell When It’s Appropriate

There will always be people who want you to give everything away on your site. I’ve had people email me after I’ve made an offer in my newsletter (which I don’t do often enough, I will admit), reaming me for daring to try to sell them something. They want me to not be one of those newsletters that’s nothing but ads. I’m not, but sometimes a single ad makes people think that.

Know what? Even when I send an offer, there’s more than just the ad. I have to make a living, and those who want me to give nothing but free information aren’t as good for me as those who might consider buying something.

Not that I really care which one you are. Just don’t chew me out for making an honest recommendation. I don’t stress over who’s making a purchase through one of my links and who’s just enjoying the info. The stuff I’m willing to give free is available free. If you buy something you like based on a recommendation of mine and we both get a benefit, that works out great too.

I’m bolder about making some of my newer sites more about sales. If that’s the focus from the start, it’s usually not such a problem.

Be Willing to Do Things Differently

Don’t keep doing things the same way just because that’s the comfortable way for you to work. We all do that to some degree, but when you recognize a problem, rethink what you’re doing!

Most of us procrastinate, at least from time to time. It’s a habit that’s hard to avoid. When you do too much of it, however, it seriously limits your progress.

When the procrastination impacts your home business, there may be a more direct financial impact. Just think how much better your business could be doing if you just cut out the procrastination.

Try Scheduling

One way to avoid procrastinating is to create a schedule for working. Pick times that you’re going to work and plan what you’re going to work on. This bit of time invested can help you get more done.

There are different ways to schedule. Some like having a physical planner to look at. Having things written down on paper is just that much more motivating. That one drives me nuts. I don’t do so well with schedules on paper.

Put it on the computer and keep it more general, and I’m content. My schedules are more general, with tasks and/or priorities and I’ll deal with it. I think it’s mostly that a schedule on the computer feels easier to change when things aren’t working out. My daily life is generally not that amenable to a strict schedule. Three kids will do that to you, especially when they’re young.

Your schedule can help you to limit the time you spend on activities that are good in moderation but can easily become a time suck. Schedule an adequate time for things such as checking email, blog commenting and social networking, and don’t let the time you spend on these activities become excessive. You may need to schedule multiple times throughout the day for these depending on how you’re using each.

Have an Overall Plan

Having an overall plan is a help in general. I plan not only what is most important to me, but have options for those times I have a mental block in one area or another. It really helps when writer’s block is driving me nuts to work on something else… so long as I don’t overdo it and avoid writing tasks for too long.

With a plan you can think both short and long term. You can see if you’re making the progress you’d like. It can be motivating to see if you’re approaching the goals you set up in your plan, whether you’re way behind and know it, or see the end in sight. Just don’t make short term goals so challenging that they’re frustrating rather than motivating.

Know What Encourages Procrastination for You

There are probably some things in your life that make you more or less likely to procrastinate. If you can spot the troublemakers, you may be able to avoid or control them.

That said, sometimes procrastination is worth it when you have kids. Time with them is usually well spent, even if it puts you a bit off schedule, so long as it’s not going to destroy the income your family needs to get by. You do need to be realistic about your financial needs and that the kids will usually be just fine if you tell them you need to work. But adding in a late night or early morning so that you have time during the day for the kids isn’t always a bad thing.