Do You Have An Online Business Or A Hobby?

You've decided to promote your business online. That means building an online presence. When you start an online presence it means making a decision. Are you going to treat

your online activities as a hobby or a part of your business?

I know that sounds harsh but too many people jump online and do this thing or follow that hot idea to promote their business. They then wonder why their business isn't

having any positive buildup or sales from the online activities.

Starting an online presence means making a decision. Is being online a hobby or part of your business?

Now if being online is a hobby that's fine. You won't have to make any changes as long as you are having fun with your hobby.

But if you want to either start an online business or make an online presence for your business, you probably need to focus your efforts on some specific targets to reach.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1.  What do you expect as the result of your Internet activities? Do you want qualified leads, more phone calls to your store or  sales of a certain product?
2.  How will measure your goal? In other words, how will you know if your efforts are successful. Will you give special coupons to website visitors and track their use? Or will you use a website analystics program to check basic information.
3.  What is the timeline you have set to achieve your goal? A week, a month or longer?
4.  Finally do you know ways to reach your goal online? Are the tecniques you've chosen to use going to reach the customers you want for your business. Online marketing is not a one size fits all process.

When you look at your answers, are the activites supporting your efforts. Or maybe you're just not sure. Many people get stuck when trying to decide which online activities

support their online goals.

Think through your answers and consider what's working and what's not working. Build a plan that works and if you're not sure invest in your online education to learn more.
A successful online business presence begins with a plan.

Hobby or business is up to you. A hobby is generally easier, but it doesn't usually pay the bills. Building a business online or offline takes concentrated focused effort.

The results don't happen overnight, but focused effort can decrease the time needed to have a successful and visible online presence.

Graphic courtesy of Steve Woods