How to run an internet business without a website

11 Jan

Posted by Rosli M Hanip as copywriting

All great marketers are saying that blogging is a great tool for marketing. Why? Because Blogs are a two-way conversation between blogger and bloggee (plus all the readers in between). Through commenting and cross-linking, you can share feedback. You can build your network. You can become, dare I say it, an Internet celebrity!

Today I would like to share with you about an interesting article from my online friend. It is about “How to run an internet business without a website!” Sounds interesting huh! Stay tune.

Here is Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero article from her awesome “Red Hot Copy” blog.

My website www.red-hot-copy.com has been down for three long days now. That means no online sales. That means no email. That means brand, spanking new web surfers looking for information about copywriting pull up a “Page Not Found” when they Google my website.

I am not a happy camper.

But life goes on. It has to. So how can an Internet marketer run an Internet business without a website? Here are a few workarounds to keep you in business while things get straightened out.

Keep an alternate email address in your back pocket. Sure it looks more professional to have your email address with part of your URL or website listed as the root. But having a free email address is also handy if your website isn’t working. I recommend either Hotmail, www.hotmail.com, Yahoo, www.yahoo.com, or Google, www.google.com. (Yes, AOL is an option in the event of an emergency but I just despise them for working so hard to dumb down their subscribers and make them juvenilely dependent).

Invest in a shopping cart. My shopping cart at my website is my most valued piece of Internet marketing real estate. It is the reason I am able to contact you today, regardless of the fact that my site is down. You can use a shopping cart to send up a flare in the form of autoresponders, emails, and ezines letting them know you’re still alive and well. You can even do promotions and make sales directly through the cart (if you have good copy).

Do direct mail, voice broadcasts, or faxes. I feel like I’m time-traveling back to the dinosaur days but sometimes a postcard or an actual hard copy of a sales letter can cut through the clutter when an email cannot. Of course you can’t send them to a website if yours is down. Have them call a phone number. I use www.ureach.com to receive my toll-free number and faxes. If you’re looking to send them or do a voice broadcast, contact my friend Ron Romano at www.findmeleads.com. Fortunately I have detailed information for many (not all) of my subscribers. If you haven’t been collecting addresses, phone numbers, and/or fax numbers I suggest you begin.

Find joint venture partners. Even if you don’t have a website, you can find someone else who is selling a product related to your field. In the carrot-growing business? Why not joint venture with someone in the tomato business? If you have a database you can still survive a website crisis. I wouldn’t advise going to your list too often to sell or you will lose many subscribers and a lot of good will.

Back ‘er up. You must have a back up copy of your website or you will be in a world of hurt when it comes time to rebuild that puppy. I work with people who have lost months just trying to get their site staked out online. My webmaster, my virtual assistant and I all have a backup copy of my website. Wanna see? I wish I could show you but my @#! server is having issues. So no site for me.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, President of Red Hot Communications, Inc. is among a handful of the most highly sought after copywriters in the industry. Having studied with the leading gurus like Dan Kennedy, John Carlton, and Gary Halbert, Lorrie’s passion is teaching both entrepreneurs and copywriters how to master their own marketing through powerful copy. Her award-winning home study course, “Red Hot Copy to Woo Your Target Market” is a staple in marketing libraries. Annually she conducts an international online copywriting school, (“Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp”), teaches a live workshop (“The Speed Copywriting Workshop”), and is a frequent guest speaker for other events. Lorrie’s ezine, “Copywriting TNT”, reaches over 15,000 subscribers in 74 countries worldwide. Learn more at www.red-hot-copy.com.