Here are 4 things you must do to build a strong foundation as you grow your online company. Skip one of these and you simply won't be able to create a long-term sustainable online business.

 

1. You Must Find Your Ideal Target Market

    

   When someone visits your website or reads your marketing materials, one of the very first things they think is: "Is this service or product for me?" They want to know if your business or your services are designed for people like them and they want to know if you understand them, if you’ve worked with people like them before, and if you appreciate their situation and problems. This is huge!

   To define your ideal target market, here are some questions that you can ask yourself--it's kind of a fun way to do it and what I find is that a lot of business owners in the start-up phase don't think about who they love being around. They think about who they're going to sell to, who is going to want this, instead of thinking more about who they would actually serve well.

   So here are some questions to ask yourself about your potential target market:

    

   • What type of people do you love being around?
   • What do they like to do?
   • What do they talk about?
   • Who do these types of people associate with?
   • Are they smiling, are they outgoing, are they creative?

    

2. You Must Create a Community

    

   You have to create a reason for your ideal clients to visit your website and purchase your products and services over and over again. That reason is a community. Solid businesses are built on relationships. Creating a community in your business (through blogs, forums, e-zine interviews and Q & A, physical events, and so on) allows you to build long-term relationships with your customers and it helps them to get to know you. This is especially important on the Internet.

   Online communities also encourage your customers to get to know each other. Many times they will form beneficial partnerships and support each other too. A community gives your customers a place to communicate with one another and to refer others to. And membership-based communities can generate substantial revenues for your business as well. Membership-based communities will also encourage customers to plug back in to your business year after year as long as you are still focusing on their needs/problems.

3. You Must Create a Database

    

   You must have a mechanism in place to store all your potential customers' contact information. Intimidated by the thought of creating a database? Please don’t be, just go to your nearest office supply store and you can purchase a database program for less than $50. Some website providers even have this function built straight into their website.

   Keeping track of your customers' basic information is crucial to the success of your long and short-term sales. At the very least, you must capture (enter) their name, address, and e-mail. You will use this database to quickly and efficiently communicate with your customers through future e-mailings and direct mailings. Add customers to your database by networking (and speaking!) at conferences by simply saying… "I have this free (report, booklet, etc.--something you created that is what every conference attendee would want to read) and I would love to send it to you with my free weekly newsletter." Just grab their card and put a little check by their e-mail address so that you know you got their permission.

   Another faster and easier way to build your database is by doing it online. Have a sign-up box on every page of your website for new potential customers. And there are many online services now too that allow you to build a community and build your database at the same time, such as www.memberclicks.com. It doesn’t matter how you build your database, just do it!

4. You Must Have a Call to Action

    

   Busy people need a reason to act now. Whatever your form of communication is with your customer (e-mail, postcards, brochures, website, etc.), it must have a call to action somewhere in it if you want them to stop what they are doing and make purchasing your product or service a priority. Include wording that says 'act now' implying that if they don't they will miss an important opportunity. And even better is to not imply but be straightforward and tell them exactly what they will miss. The best calls to action include date expirations, liquidation sales, early-bird sales, etc. You can also appeal to them with seasonal calls to action. Taking advantage of New Year's resolutions is one example. Using a call to action is a simple technique, but a very powerful one!

Have you ever been to Sam's Club or maybe Costco or another one of the warehouse shopping clubs? These are the leading shops where you can save some serious money when you buy in bulk. This is a bit of a new phenomenon. I have to admit it's rather handy to pick up large quantities of things, as opposed to heading out every week to restock. If this is a new concept to you, then I have something to share with you, it's a great way to shop efficiently. It's great because you can efficiently pick up the things you need and you can do it while saving a substantial amount of money. Simply said, when you buy in bulk you are going to save some serious time and money.

I recall back in the 90s when I first spotted a Sam's store. I had no idea what it was. I actually thought this was a supplier for other retail stores like Wal-Mart and Target. Well, needless to say, I was wrong. Anyone who belongs to these club by paying a minimal membership can go in and buy in bulk.

Now, I have to admit, there are specific products that I prefer to buy in bulk. Now we all need staples such as toothpaste, a paper and laundry detergent, but who wants to have to keep running out to the store every week to pick these things up? It's so much easier to buy a gargantuan pack of these babies at the local Costco. One thing that you should know about if you've never ventured out to one of these superstores before is the membership. You are not allowed to just freely walk in and begin buying. It is necessary to purchase a membership card, which can be had for a small fee. I suggest to anyone who has even considered buying in bulk, to check out the store and what it has to offer to see it that suit your needs.

When you buy in bulk at Sam's or Costco, you will find that there is a mass of selection of goods sold there. These super-stores are more or less like supermarkets on steroids. That's why so many people love them. You can find just about anything under the sun in one place, one very large place that is. You can step inside and purchase a huge box of breakfast bars or maybe a large quantity of cheese if you desire. They are laid out so that items are generally easy to find.

I was in awe of the 2 gallon tub of gummy worms I once found in Sam's. Ah, it's always those little things. Of course I didn't buy the gummy worms because they are nasty. Anyway, if you do not buy in bulk yet, maybe you should give it a shot, even if it's only for the minor household items. You can even go online and effectively buy in bulk for substantial savings. You can find just about anything that you want on the Internet. You can find it all from bulk coffee beans to bulk bacon. Do yourself a favor and save yourself some money, buy in bulk.