BellaOnline Forums Career Small Office/Home Office Businesses You'd like to Know More About

Here's the article on starting an online business: Sell your Products Online.

I have helped a couple of people start successful businesses this way. It's pretty cool--you work from home and still can take advantage of a huge audience.

Hi Deb,

I am always interested in how to partner with like home-baased businesses to share resources, etc., such as gift basket companies. How to approach someone to see if we can work together or at least make referrals to each other. U think my wrapped candy would work nicely in gift baskets.

Any thoughts you might have on this topic would be nost welcome.

Thank you!

Candy Wrapz
Personalized Candy Wrappers for any occasion
www.candywrapz.com
www.freewebs.com/candywrapz

Hi, Candy,

Nice to see you again! Hope business is going well.

I have a couple of ideas:

1--see if there are networking opportunities in your area for small/home-based businesses. Try the Chamber of Commerce but also meetup.com and craigslist. You might even want to start one yourself.

2--start a free newsletter and/or article marketing campaign for those businesses you want to target. With this, you'll educate your prospective customer on how to use your product. If your targets are local, you could spend a few dollars to mail a newsletter to them--small, but packed with great info that helps them.

I think we've discussed article ideas before, but here's one off the top of my head:

--Customized Products can make your Gift Basket Business Soar --not only with their own logo as a promotional tool, but also for special orders, to customize the wrappers with their client's logo or name. Also, they can do tons of wedding business with your products--wedding party gift packs, favors, etc. Ditto corporate business--motivational and rewards baskets for employees, elaborate baskets for clients, etc. Add more ideas as you come up with them. End with a "call to action" to have them contact you for more suggestions and/or to work on a referral program.)


Of course, you can do endless variations on this theme. Be sure to include how you can do small orders, making custom products affordable in any quantity. (most big co's have a minimum.)

If you leave off the date, you can send these to anyone you come across as a prospect. Add other interesting, related info to make it a great "keeper", too--statistics or something like what certain colors mean (maybe as a "how to pick colors for basket decor" thing) or even something that would help them market--100 reasons to send a gift basket.

Hope this helps!

Hi - I would like to research more about marketing as a business and gradually moving from writing only, to writing/marketing.
Interested to hear from those who have tried this? Different programs, courses etc.

Thanks Deb!!

Business is moving along--I've gotten a few orders since we last chatted. And a few possible prospects.

Your suggestions are always so thoughtful and on point.
I have tried the Chamber of Commerce route to no avail but had not thought of meetup or craigslist. This I will pursue right away.

And your free newsletter idea is brilliant!! I LOVE it!! I will definitely give it a try. I will post back on my progress.

Thank you so much!!

Candy

Deb, thank-you for two great articles (I read the one on Target Markets as well.)

Update on my business plan - I just joined a really supportive and informative internet marketing course which newbies might find very educational. I mostly concentrate on Article Marketing and selling books online, so any more great articles on those areas would be really helpful! Thanks!

I think I might be able to make a suggestion for you. There's a woman down the block who runs a very successful wedding favors and gifts business online and she has a warehouse now, so I know she's growing. You might want to offer your products for her to sell on her site. Her name is Donna and I know she sells other people's products too, basically bringing all kinds of unique favors and gifts together for customers. OK! now an old woman's going to try & make her first UBBCode thingy work. If there's no link I'll try and re-post.

wedding favors

Work at home marketing is one business I'd like to know more about - such as whether it's better to stick to one product, or whether internet marketers run several different unrelated lines?

One of the products I promote is books for example, but I'm wondering if it's a good marketing idea to try out lots of different things at once - and just see what gives?

I joined a very educational and supportive affiliate marketing training course to help me out with this. We learned that this idea is called 'trialing' so I will try expanding through DVD, CDs and related merchandising as well.

What do you mean by "work at home marketing"? Is it internet affiliate marketing you're talking about?

If so, I think my recommendation will be the same no matter what--that is, market/sell whatever you feel passionate about. Mabye more so--the best internet marketers love their products and so are able to keep creating content about them.

I totally hate spam marketers, though. So, anything that says go to random forums & post links or buy email lists or anything like that I hate & think is shabby business.

I would recommend one book that I found particularly helpful on affiliate marketing:

Here's my review of Make a Fortune Promoting Other People's Stuff Online

Thanks Deb - that book title sounds right on target - I will have a look!

I meant being a self-employed marketer based at home, rather than for a big company - yes, an internet marketer. I too hate spam, so what I am doing (or hope to do) is only recommend things that helped my own freelance businesses to grow, just the same as one would do for a friend.

Household budgets are tight for many people right now,including us - I dont spend out unless I really have to - and then I make jolly sure its a good product lol ! I like to share what I found!