Getting Started Online – Online Business Ideas For Beginners – Part I

There are many business models for an Online Business. It is often the Internet Business beginner’s daunting task to find these various business ideas, understand how they work, and learn ways to profit with them. It is also difficult to decide which model will work best for YOU.

In this first article I will explain 2 of the most popular online business types. I think they are a good starting point for online business newbies. The models I chose here are well-known, easy to learn, and there is an abundance of information that you can find, for little or no cost, to help you get started. These models are ideal if you are starting out with little or no start up money and limited internet experience.

FREELANCING

The first of this type is Freelancing. Once thought to be available only to the writers and artists of the world, freelancing is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to make money online. Sites like Elance, oDesk, Guru, and Rent-A-Coder have made it extremely easy to get started to get up and running with a freelancer profile in less than a few hours. Some of the most popular freelance openings are:

Writers – These include article and report writers, eBook writers, blog posters, forum posters, copy writers, review writers and much more.

Researchers – Web researchers have grown in popularity to become one of the most sought after freelancers. Research takes time and today’s online marketers would rather spend that time on other tasks and outsource the research tasks to others. This area of freelance requires no more than internet access, a computer, and time.

Graphic Artist – Logo design, banner creation and web page design is a great way to get started in freelancing. Perhaps your background and education is in this area OR you just enjoy it as a hobby. Either way, graphic artists do very well in freelance.

Programmers – This includes every aspect of programming. It seems this area is a mystery to many and those who need this service are willing to pay very good money for a good programmer.

Freelancing jobs are abundant. Check out the sites listed above and for more information about getting started. You can also check out Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams
by Pamela Skillings. Skillings is an author and career coach who writes about her escape from the corporate world and discussed how others can do the same.

AFFILIATE MARKETING

In a nutshell Affiliate Marketing can be defined as commissioned sales online. The difference with Affiliate Marketing is that you do not need to have a sales background to get started and you do not have to do any of that dreaded cold calling or the face to face sales pitch.

Affiliate Marketers are promoters of other people’s products and services. They make a commission based on the type of product or service and that company’s affiliate program. Many of these programs are very generous offering up to 75% commission per sale.

So what types of products or services can you promote? Just about anything! eBooks, websites, dog grooming products, electronics, outdoor furniture and many consumer products that you probably use yourself have affiliate programs available. You can look for affiliate programs on some of your favorite sites. Just look in the headers, footers, or sidebars of these sites for links called AFFILIATES, AFFILIATE PROGRAMS, or PROMOTE.

Another way to find these programs is through Affiliate Retail Outlets like Clickbank and Commission Junction. These sites offer Marketplaces where you an locate 100s of products and services to promote.

How do you promote these products once you find them? There are many ways to promote as an Affiliate. If you have a website or blog you can post banner ads on your site or you can promote through list building and email marketing. Review sites are another great way to promote products. You can create a brief review and then offer the product you are promoting within the article. You can even promote products without a website through Pay-Per-Click advertising or Article Marketing.

Affiliate Marketing is one of my favorite online business models because you can get started for very little money and with limited experience. If this seems like it might interest you then I recommend you check out Rosalind Gardner’s “The Super Affiliate Handbook”. It was the first book I read on Affiliate Marketing and it is one of the most comprehensive guides on the market today. Rosalind just updated her handbook in September 2009 with the most up-to-date techniques for Affiliate Marketers. It is required reading for any new affiliate.

Freelancing and Affiliate Marketing are two great ways to get started making money online. They are very appealing to the beginner because they require little or no money to get started and are suited for individuals with a variety of experience levels.

In the next article I will discuss more online business ideas including creating your own saleable product, micro sites, and pay-per-click. Check back soon!

Ancora Imparo!