Online business success can be achieved by anyone. That is the message being echoed across the country by Shaun Stenning, an internet marketing sensation at just 24 years old. The creator of internet marketing business, Sure Fire Marketing, Stenning’s mission is to transform “beginners into experts, newbies into geeks and employees into entrepreneurs”, as they achieve financial freedom through the web. Here, he shares his tips for sure-fire online success.
A self-confessed geek, Stenning has spend years studying and mastering the skills and strategies needed to achieve online success, and to date has generated 112 web-based businesses, owned 2,600 domain names and tried “every available method to make money online” and is now making it his mission to share his knowledge with others, with his latest venture Geekversity.
Joining forces with Geekdom, an internet marketing company specialising in web development and the digital space, Stenning is taking his tried-and-tested method on the road with seminars across the country, educating everyday Australians on how they can create their own thriving business online for little cost, no outlay and no risk.
He teaches people how to make money from the web, how to rank highly on Google within 24 hours of launching a web product, and how to market a business without spending a cent.
To date, Stenning has helped more than 10,000 people get up and running with their own online business. Of those, more than one in four will see returns within the first week of start-up, and almost half will be making enough money to quit their day job after six months, Stenning claims.
“We have already helped literally hundreds of Australians to find their passion and make a living from it with their own online businesses. Take Neil Lee for example; he was able to quit his day job as a sales rep and forge a career from his love of food and wine. He has become one of Australia’s foremost food bloggers and is now working fewer hours, and making around $50,000 per year.
“The beauty of having an online presence is that everything can be tracked, and the technology to do this is completely free. It can help you to determine where the bulk of your business is coming from and concentrate on those areas.”
So what are his tips for online success?
1. Stay positive: Use your free time to think about what you really want to do. This is a real opportunity to re-engineer your future and consider starting up your own business.
2. Don’t let lack of capital stop you: If you want to go it alone, don’t be put off thinking you need lots of cash to set up. There are ways you can get started online with little or no outlay.
3. Identify something you are passionate about – you could make a living from it: If there’s something you love, whether it’s sport, food and wine or shoes, chances are you’ll stick with it to make it a success.
4. Research, research, research: Once you’ve identified your passion, you’ll need to spend some time looking into whether it is a viable online business option. This can be a lengthy process; however, on the Geekversity course, we teach students some clever shortcuts to online research, which will cut the time it takes to get you up and running.
5. Get a domain name and build your website: It doesn’t matter what technology you use, just make sure it looks clean and provides plenty of original content. Set aside time every week to put new content on the site and other general maintenance.
6. Network online and offline: Building a solid foundation of contacts is essential for any new business. In the online world this extends to social networking sites; start a Twitter feed, a blog, build a Myspace and Facebook page. Spend time getting familiar with these facilities and keep your accounts up to date. Make sure they’re all linked to your company website.
7. Generate traffic to your site: This is closely linked with the previous point. For success you need to direct as many people as you can to your site. Learn everything you can about search engine marketing and promote your site as much as you possibly can.
8. Join an affiliate network: Often overlooked by advertisers in favour of search engines, email and website syndication, affiliate networks turn visitors to your website into payment. You can earn commission for products that companies advertise on your site.
9. Attend a Geekversity course near you: Visit www.geekversity.com.au and you could be up-and-running with your own business after one weekend.
10. Get an accountant: You could start making money right away, and once things take off, get a professional to make sure you’ve got your financial housekeeping in order: taxes, superannuation etc.
As Stenning sees it, a website is like the “window shop for the 1.6 billion people on the web”, so by bringing your business online it’s a chance to increase your client base at a phenomenal rate, for a relatively small cost.
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