I think number 1 should be to choose a theme or even a product to base your business around. I'm hearing a lot about niche blogs which seems to equate to cornering the market. So I guess the best description would be to find, locate or develop a need, something people require. No.2 might be to locate or find access to a source. It's no good trying to market something if it's not readily available. But then maybe all of the above relates to market research in which case I've jumped the gun a little. Let me know what you think? Tim

Hi Tim; =========================================== I think number 1 should be to choose a theme or even a product to base your business around. I'm hearing a lot about niche blogs which seems to equate to cornering the market. =========================================== Wow. Your first post and you ace the number one item on the list! Yes indeed, the first thing we need to do is choose our market theme or niche. When you choose a market theme, everything starts to fall into place. See, a lot of people just pick things to sell at random, and their offerings begin to look like a flea market. When I see a website that sells dog collars and health drink and internet marketing programs, I can often tell that the person isn't an expert at any of them. There is a way to sell in many different category areas, but it's probably beyond the marketing scope of a beginner. It's not the place to start. For most people, picking a "theme" or "niche" allows them to have a focus that many others lack. : ) Linda

Hi Arthur; ========================================= Looks like I have been missing step 4. This is the first I have heard about a conversion plan. I always thought that either the website converts or it doesn't, then you fix it so it does. You can plan this? Please tell me more! ========================================= Yes, indeed, you can plan and monitor your conversion. Most people think that either your website converts or it doesn't... but I don't fault anyone for thinking that. Marketing online is really quite new in the whole scope of marketing. It's not even 20 years old yet. Once we get the whole plan in place, I'll explain each step, so keep checking back. I think you'll enjoy it a great deal. : ) Linda

Linda, With all the posts so far, just how close are we to having the complete list now? I could add a couple of things but they would really only be a sub-title to what I see here now.

Hey Winston; ======================================== With all the posts so far, just how close are we to having the complete list now? ======================================== This is what we have so far; 1) Choose a market theme/niche (Joakim & Tim both got this) 2) -?- 3) Market Research (Arthur) 4) Determine A Conversion Plan (Angela) 5) -?- 6) -?- 7) -?- : ) Linda