five secrets of successful online businesses five secrets of successful online businesses preface...

Exclusive eBook

MemberPress Presents

BY BLAIR WILLIAMS

FIVE SECRETS OFSUCCESSFUL ONLINE

BUSINESSES

CONTENTS3

PREFACE

4 INTRODUCTION

5 CHAPTER ONE

Pick the Right Niche

12 CHAPTER TWO

Take Your Business Seriously

16 CHAPTER THREE

Get People in the Door

22 CHAPTER FOUR

Experiment, Analyze, and Refine

25 CHAPTER FIVE

Automate and Leverage Off-the Shelf Software

30 CONCLUSION

3 Five Secrets of Successful Online Businesses

PREFACE

You may be wondering if this book is for you. It is.

THE SOON-TO-BE ENTREPRENEURPerhaps you’re thinking about starting your own online business. You’re tired of working for

someone else and are ready to take charge.

THE START-UPMaybe you’ve already started an online business, but it isn’t generating the income you thought

it would.

THE VETERANYou’ve been in the trenches for a while but are looking for innovations to take your online busi-

ness to the next level.

No matter where you fall on this spectrum, this free e-book will help you unleash the full power

of membership marketing on your website. It can fully ignite your revenue potential and help

you build a wildly successful online business.

Sound good? Then let’s begin!

Blair Williams


INTRODUCTION

Building an online enterprise is perhaps the best way to create a sustainable business with a limited amount of upfront capital. And with the five powerful secrets contained in this book, you’ll have the right tools to create unprecedented freedom, indepen-dence, and prosperity for you and your business.

FIELD TESTED, ENTREPRENEUR APPROVEDThis isn’t some late-night, infomercial pipe dream. This is based on experience. These secrets

have worked for me and for thousands of other people. Like any business endeavor, it will require

hard work. However, these five secrets will show you how you can make money and create a

viable business so that you can work on your own terms, just as I have.

FIVE TO THRIVEWithout further ado, here are the five secrets of highly successful online businesses. I’ll explain

each in greater detail in the chapters that follow.

1. Pick the right niche

2. Take your business seriously

3. Get people in the door

4. Experiment, analyze, and refine

5. Automate and leverage off-the-shelf software

Introducing Five Secrets to a Successful Online Business


CHAPTER ONE

Your niche. It’s the sweet spot for your online business, the point where your skills, talent, and passion intersect with commerce. When you harness your niche, you unleash some serious mojo.

Now you just have to find that niche.

THREE KEY INGREDIENTSThe recipe to the perfect niche is simple, actually. It should be something that 1) you have exper-

tise in, 2) you love, and 3) has the possibility to make money.

EXPERTISEThis is absolutely critical. Why? Because your expertise will create a market; the valuable content

you provide is what will keep customers coming back for more.

LOVEChoosing a niche in an area you love makes your job more rewarding and enjoyable. Every aspect

of your membership site will be infused with your enthusiasm and invite your customers to

become deeply engaged.

PROFITIf something you love and have expertise in generates cash flow, it’s a truly magical thing. What

could be better?

Pick the Right Niche


NICHE LITMUS TESTSUnfortunately, not all niches are created equal. Some are profitable; others are a complete waste

of time. So the question is, how do you test the waters to determine if your niche has the power

to create income? Here are some ideas on how to get your feet wet:

KEYWORD RESEARCHYou can use a keyword research tool (such as Google Keyword Tool) or simply conduct Internet

searches on words related to your niche. Look to see how many competitors are in your space

and how many of them are actually spending money on pay-per-click (PPC) ads. If there are com-

petitors and they’re making enough money to buy ads consistently, it’s a good indication there’s

money to be made in your niche.

BUILD AND TRACK A PROTOTYPECreate a website landing page where you’ll give (or sell) just a taste of your product, or even an

explanation of it, and then drive traffic to it with PPC ads on Google and/or Facebook. Your PPC

ad dashboard will likely include a host of analytics to help you see how your prototype is perfor-

ming, but combine that with a free Google Analytics account for additional metrics, and you’ll

get a pretty accurate idea of your prospects. If people respond to your idea, you can be more

confident investing the time it will take to build the final website.

COLLECT EMAILS AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPSThe number-one thing you’ll want to do on your prototype—beyond analyzing traffic—is collect

the email addresses of interested people. Be sure to connect your prototype website to a service

like MailChimp, AWeber, or ActiveCampaign. When a user gives you their email address, it’s like

they’re voting for your business. It shows they find value in your product and have confidence in

the source. It’s an endorsement, a stamp of approval.

MARKET RESEARCHTake advantage of other market-research resources. Some of the top-notch tools you can use for

additional insights are HubSpot.com, Moz.com, or MightyInsights.com.


THE SHAPE OF AN ONLINE BUSINESSThere are myriad ways to build an online business, and all have their pros and cons. Let’s look at

four business models and how they work.

SELLING PHYSICAL PRODUCTSMaybe you’re selling gelatin molds shaped like Shakespeare’s head. Or sweaters featuring Mo-

unt Rushmore—with the presidents wearing sunglasses. (This is your niche; we are not here to

judge it.) For an online business, you have two options: 1) selling the products through a third-

-party website, or 2) selling them through your own.

THIRD-PARTYThis includes selling on ecommerce platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and Zulily.


OWN WEBSITEYou create and run your own website on your own domain.

DIGITAL PRODUCTSPerhaps you’ve written a science-fiction e-book about giant mutated broccoli plants trying to

storm the White House (it could happen). Or you’ve created a webinar about how to meditate in

the middle of an airport. For digital products, you have two options: nonrecurring and recurring.

NONRECURRINGThis includes selling e-books, online courses, and other information-based products on a nonre-

curring basis.


RECURRINGThis is the holy grail of online business models! You sell electronic, recurring, subscription-based

products; your customers pay for a continuous stream of content, access to a proprietary softwa-

re service, or software updates. You can start this type of business and be highly successful if

you’re willing to work hard and be committed to your customers.

Can you imagine a more stable business model that generates a dynamic source of income now

and for years to come? I can’t.


NICHE + MEMBERSHIP SITE = IMMENSE OPPORTUNITY

Want to realize your dream of recurring income? Create a membership site! A membership site is

a normal website (many times based on self-hosted WordPress) with a paywall component built

in. A good membership site will consist of both free marketing and in-depth, premium content.

Membership sites must also allow users to use a credit card or PayPal account to pay for pre-

mium content (preferably on a recurring basis).

You may already have a basic site, along with social-media marketing, that provides free

“The future of content & eCommerce is interactive content.” Chris Lema, CTO and Chief Strategist at Crowd Favorite


content. As long as it’s built on WordPress (or another platform that has membership capabili-

ties), you can quickly and easily start accepting credit cards and create a “members-only” section

for your site.


CHAPTER TWOTake Your Business Seriously

Congratulations. You’ve found a profitable niche.Now it’s time to shift into business mode. Some entrepreneurs treat their online ventures like a hobby. Not you. You realize that this is an actual business with potential for significant growth. Your next step? Fill out the paperwork and set up the accounts that make your business an actual entity.

CREATE A REAL CORPORATIONIf you don’t already have a business entity you’re building your online enterprise on, you’ll want

to do that ASAP. Setting up an actual business entity is about more than the “now” of your bu-

siness. It’s about the vision of the enterprise: How successful do you see it becoming? Sure, you

may be starting small, but it’s time to build a solid foundation upon which your business will

rise.

TYPES OF CORPORATIONSAs outlined below, there are several types of entities to consider. We strongly recommend you

consult with both an attorney and an accountant. If you want to keep costs down, you can

download your incorporation forms online or use a service like LegalZoom, where you print the

forms you need to incorporate. But it really is best to consult with the pros. Each state has its own

requirements and regulations, and you’ll want to get it right.

SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP (NO CORPORATION)PAPERWORK: Easy

No paperwork. No corporate income taxes. No payroll. Just include a schedule C with your

personal income taxes.


LIABILITY RISK: High

If you get sued, your personal assets are on the line.

GROWTH POTENTIAL: Low

It can be difficult to obtain long-term financing if you need it. You can’t issue stock. You can

upgrade to an LLC.

LIMITED LIABILITY CORPORATION (LLC)PAPERWORK: Medium

More applications and forms than a sole proprietorship; fewer than an incorporated business.

This is usually the best way to get started if you live in the USA.

LIABILITY RISK: Medium-Low

You have the unlimited liability of a full-fledged corporation.

GROWTH POTENTIAL: Medium-High

There are no constraints on the number of owners or their roles within the company. Most states

set a specific limit on the lifespan of your LLC.

GENERAL PARTNERSHIPPAPERWORK: Easy-Medium

As the name implies, this entity is for two or more persons who agree to run a business together.

LIABILITY RISK: High

The risk resides with the partners; each partner’s personal assets are at stake. Each partner bears

liability for the actions of the other.


GROWTH POTENTIAL: Low

You’ve got a slight edge over sole proprietorships in obtaining capital or financing to fund your

business.

C CORPORATIONPAPERWORK: Complex

As you may imagine, there are several bureaucratic hoops you have to jump through to start

a C corp—fees, applications, and possibly stock certificates. Also, C corps are separate taxable

entities. They file a corporate tax return and pay taxes at the corporate level. They also face the

possibility of double taxation if corporate income is distributed to business owners as dividends,

which are considered personal income. Tax on corporate income is paid first at the corporate

level and again at the individual level on dividends.

LIABILITY RISK: None

Because the owners (stockholders) remain separated from the day-to-day operation of the com-

pany itself, their personal assets are untouchable.

GROWTH POTENTIAL: High

Lending institutions and investors provide more capital for C corps. Also, they can issue multiple

classes of stock, which provides flexibility when starting a business if you plan to grow, expand

the ownership, or sell your corporation.

ESTABLISH A BUSINESS BANK ACCOUNTYou may not think you need to open a business account, but here’s why you should consider it:

It’s a great way to 1) keep your business expenses and income separate from your personal spen-

ding—this is a HUGE plus at tax time; 2) reduce your personal liability—if an incorporated


business is using personal accounts for business purposes, all personal assets can be targeted by

creditors; 3) accept credit and debit card payments; 4) create a key relationship with your bank—

not only for advice and services but also for networking.

GO TO THE PROSWe mentioned it once, and we’ll do it again. From day one, get your business set up right: consult

with a knowledgeable accountant and a business lawyer and use their services as your business

grows. They’ll help you with strategy, contracts, paperwork, and those little details you may be

overlooking. It’s an investment that’ll save you money in the long run.

HANG OUT YOUR SHINGLEIn both the virtual and real worlds, you’ll want to create a place for your business to exist. You’ll

need to register and set up your company domain for your website and email. You’ll also want

to get a dedicated business cell phone. If that’s not an option right now, then get a Google Voice

phone number specifically for your business.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COMEYou may be hyperventilating right now. Yes, there’s a lot of groundwork in starting up a business,

but if you do it right, it will pay off. Now that you’ve got an idea of how to go about building a

solid structure, it’s time to talk about how to invite people in. That’s what we’ll tackle in the next

chapter.


CHAPTER THREETake Your Business Seriously

Attracting customers to your online business requires a strategic, multifaceted approach.

SOCIAL MEDIAIf you don’t already have a business entity you’re building your online enterprise on, you’ll want

to do that ASAP. Setting up an actual business entity is about more than the “now” of your bu-

siness. It’s about the vision of the enterprise: How successful do you see it becoming? Sure, you

may be starting small, but it’s time to build a solid foundation upon which your business will

rise.

SEOYou’ve no doubt heard of search engine optimization. Perhaps you’ve even dabbled in it. If you’re

already an SEO guru, the following tips will be a great review, but here are the basics of SEO for

you fledgling entrepreneurs.

FLUIDITYIf you think you have your optimal SEO keywords figured out, you don’t. They will change. Gu-

aranteed. SEO is fluid. Google and other search engines run complex

“Social Media is not about the one time hits. It’s about building a loyal following over time.” — Syed Balkhi


algorithms that evaluate an ever-morphing set of criteria. So your initial SEO efforts are just the

beginning of ongoing research.

QUALITY AND RELEVANCESearch engines assess the quality and relevance of your pages in relation to the search query.

Their web-crawl programs analyze several components: keywords, the number and quality of

websites linked to your site, mobile compatibility, click engagement, load speed, whether or not

you have an SSL certificate installed, and the volume of unique content you publish on your site.

AUDIENCEKeywords can get tricky. If you’re selling lightbulbs, focusing only on the keywords lightbulb,

and electricity won’t drive customers your way, and neither will a general keyword phrase like

“lightbulb.” What you want are some high-quality, large keyword phrases (also known as “long-

-tail” keyword phrases), because they typically convert better. A good way to start brainstorming

a list of possible keywords and keyword phrases is to consider your niche. Who is your audience?

What are they into? Where are they buying things? (This isn’t just about competitors, although

that comes into play. What types of related things might they buy?) What’s their language?

(What specific words and phrases mark their dialect?) What types of problems are they seeking

answers to?

CHECK AND CROSS-CHECKOnce you have a list of keywords and keyword phrases customers use to refer to your niche and

things related to it, you can check these keywords with tools like Google’s Adwords Keyword

Planner (available when you have a Google AdWords account) or tools like Uber Suggest or

WordStream’s keyword tool.

WEB PAGESWhen you have a good feel for which long tail keywords are critical to your online


business, be sure to use them as you build your business website. Each page should make use of

these keywords (in headlines, in your URL, in how you label your images, in title tags and other

metadata, as well as throughout the body copy).

CONTENT-WEBThe actual content of your business web page is critical. For optimal SEO considerations, it’s

not enough just to sprinkle keywords onto the page and cut and paste that content to the other

pages on your website. You want to create unique and substantial content for each page. Experts

call it having “thick” content. If you’re using self-hosted WordPress, you can also install plugins

like All In One SEO Pack or Yoast SEO to help guide you as you create the pages of your website.

ENGAGEMENTSearch engines are looking at the data of user experience as they encounter your website. How

long does someone stay on your page, and how much do they click on your content? Think of

your specific audience. Create pages that will quickly and cleanly answer the questions they

have. You can find the answer to many of these questions by diving into your Google Analytics.

This will bump up your engagement and, in turn, boost your SEO.

CONTENT MARKETINGThe algorithms search engines use to generate results listings are based in large part on the

number of high-quality links to your site. One way to help build this is by generating and promo-

ting content that 1) has directly related and tangentially related keywords, 2) gets linked back to

your website, and 3) earns you social shares. You can do this by producing content on separate

blogs you create.

“SEO is a race, not a sprint.” — Neil Patel


PAY-PER-CLICK (PPC) ADVERTISINGThis is where you use something like Google AdWords. Your ad is tied to your SEO keywords and

will pop up when one of those keywords is searched. Each time someone clicks on your ad, you

pay for the advertising. It’s important to take the time to create relevant PPC ad campaigns that

link to well-constructed landing pages. These pages should offer a positive user experience and

provide useful content and services. PPC services reward high-quality campaigns by charging

less per click. It’s important to know that since you’re paying per click, you can lose your shorts if

you’re not careful. Start with a small amount of money per day and experiment with your key-

words (also start with exact-match keywords and phrases), ads, and landing pages until you get

your conversion rate up. Once you’ve got your PPC campaign dialed in (i.e., you’re making more

money on it than you’re spending), you can start ratcheting up the amount of money you spend

per day.

EMAIL MARKETINGAs you provide free content and capture prospective emails, you’ll want to incorporate email

marketing in your online business. As mentioned previously, some great options to consider are

MailChimp, AWeber, and ActiveCampaign. What does this mean for getting people in the door?

Here are some eye-opening stats to consider: (see infographic on next page)


WHY EMAIL MARKETING WORKS

ref 1. “View from the Digital Inbox,” Whitepaper by Merkle, February 23, 2011, http://www.merkleinc.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2011/merkle-publishes-view-digital-inbox-whitepaper#.VKL2XMAA0.

ref 2. Jay Baer, “15 Email Statistics That Are Shaping The Future,” accessed April 29, 2016, http://www.convinceandconvert.com/convince-convert/15-email-statistics-that-are-shaping-the-future/.

ref 3. Kissmetrics, accessed April 29, 2016, https://blog.kissmetrics.com/shocking-social-media-facts/.

74%

138%

4,300%

of consumers prefer to receive com-mercial communications through email. ~ref.1

more is spent by customers receiving email offers than those who do not. ~ref. 2

the return email marketing delivers.~ref.3

X 4.3


If this all sounds a bit overwhelming, take heart! The nature of starting a business is this: You

won’t get it all right the first time. Or the second. As every great entrepreneur knows, the key to

ongoing success is to experiment, analyze, and refine. And that’s exactly what we’ll cover in the

next chapter.


CHAPTER FOURExperiment, analyze, and refine

Any idea how many prototypes of the lightbulb Thomas Edi-son went through before finally engineering one that worked? More than 10,000. That’s not a typo. I didn’t misplace the comma. About his thousands of attempts, Edison said, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.” He experimented, analyzed, and refined his way to success. That’s what all successful entrepreneurs do.

A LIVING LABYou may not like to think of your online business as a lab test for what works and what doesn’t.

But, frankly, that’s what every business is: a petri dish of commerce. As Eric T. Anderson and Dun-

can Simester advise in “A Step-by-Step Guide to Smart Business Experiments” (Harvard Business

Review), “Think like a scientist.”

CONDUCT EXPERIMENTSTry tweaking variables in your online business and see how it affects your web traffic and sales

conversions. Below are some ideas on how to do this.

CONTENT WATCHCreate a variety of content for your website and see which draws the most traffic and which

draws the least. Probably the best way to do this is to consistently blog on your site. Based on

what you find, spend your time developing the content that draws the biggest crowd—and

profits.


WORD SWAPAfter you’ve created your initial list of keywords to drive your SEO, you’ll get a baseline of analy-

tics from the search engine you’re using. That baseline will then function as your control group.

Now adjust your keywords and see what effect that has on the stats. Try new keywords or va-

riations. If the numbers drop, go back to the originals. If they rise, keep those to establish a new

baseline before experimenting further.

CROSS-PLATFORM ANALYSISBe sure to monitor the various social-media accounts tied to your business. Which has the big-

gest or fastest-growing audience of subscribers? What’s different about that channel? Can you

replicate those elements on your website and on social media for the same effect?

META MIX AND MATCHTry altering the meta tags on your website and see how that affects your traffic. Make one chan-

ge at a time and monitor the results.

FIRST IMPRESSIONSExperiment with the landing page, including the images, headlines, and layout.

EMAIL CAMPAIGNSWhen you begin email campaigns, you’ll again create a baseline set of statistics. Once that’s

established, you can alter frequency, subject lines, headlines, imagery, and calls to action.

STAY ON BRANDAs you make changes to keywords, images, and other elements, remember to keep the look, feel,

and messaging consistent with the brand you have established.


ANALYZELike any good scientist, adhere to the scientific method for your experiments: keep accurate

records of what you changed, when you changed it, the duration of that change, and the results.

REFINEAs you conduct experiments and get results, the numbers will begin to talk to you. They’ll tell

you what to do. Don’t be afraid to make changes, whether they be small changes, big changes, or

even shutting down your site if it’s not working. Many online business ideas just don’t work. As

Thomas Edison taught, this is not failure. It’s eliminating what doesn’t work in order to find what

does. Don’t become wedded to unprofitable ideas.

Once you’ve got what works nailed down, it’s time to take things to the next level. In our next

chapter we’ll look at ways to automate and leverage off-the-shelf software to make your job

easier and your work more efficient.

“An experiment is never a failure solely because it fails to achieve predicted results. An experiment is a failure only when it also fails adequately to test the hypothe-sis in question, when the data it produces don’t prove anything one way or another.” — Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values


CHAPTER FIVEAutomate and Leverage Off-the Shelf Software

Leverage. It’s the exertion of force through the use of a lever. Using a lever dramatically increases your efficiency and strength and thus enables you to do more.

In the case of your online business, off-the-shelf software, including plugins, is your lever.

In adopting these tools for your business, remember to use them from the ground up. Build

them into the architecture of your business from the get-go. When you take the time to build a

strong foundation, it will effectively support your business as it grows.

The following are recommendations for software that can help you with every phase of your

business.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

STRIPEEnables you integrate payment processing into your website and builds in safeguards to protect

against potential fraud.

“Don’t reinvent the wheel, just realign it.” — Anthony J. D’Angelo, Founder of Colle- giate EmPowerment


PAYPALProcesses online money transfers.

FRESHBOOKSAccounting software for small businesses that makes invoicing and accounting easier and more

secure.

XERO OR GODADDY BOOKKEEPINGCloud-based accounting services that now track PayPal and Stripe transactions.

PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

EVERNOTELets you stay organized across all devices and harness productivity.

ZOOMGives you powerful video- and web-conferencing capabilities.

FLOWDOCKA team collaboration app for desktop, mobile, and web. The chat and inbox features enable

teams to work and solve problems transparently.

SIGN ONLINE

WP-E-SIGNATURELets you create and accept secure, legally binding e-signatures on your own WordPress-based

website.


SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT CHANGE MANAGEMENT

GITHUBOpen-source platform for building customized software.

WORDPRESS HOSTING PLATFORMS

PAGELYA secure WordPress hosting platform that allows for flexible scalability.

WPENGINEAlso an option for a secure WordPress hosting platform that allows for flexible scalability.

LINODECloud hosting for the technically inclined.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

HELPSCOUTCustomer-support software that enhances and personalizes your customers’ experience.

MARKETING

COSCHEDULEAn editorial calendar that enables you to coordinate and plan your blog, content marketing, and

social media in a synchronized marketing schedule.


MAILCHIMPThis email marketing service allows you create customized email campaigns, automate helpful

follow-ups, and track data critical to improving each campaign as you go.

ACTIVE CAMPAIGN OR DRIPAutomated marketing services that help you manage contacts and tasks to convert leads.

BUSINESS WEBSITE CREATION

WORDPRESSCreates a website for your blog or business using a variety of helpful plugins that will catalyze

your ability to grow.

WORDPRESS PLUGINS

MEMBERPRESSMakes it easy to build a membership site, accept payments from your websites, control access to

your content, and sell digital products securely.

AFFILIATE ROYALEUse Affiliate Royale to launch an affiliate program in a matter of minutes, monitor affiliate

clicks, maintain your own brand, drive more traffic to your site from affiliates, and increase reve-

nue.

PRETTY LINKPretty Link enables you to shorten links using your own domain name (as opposed to using

tinyurl.com, bit.ly, or any other link-shrinking service) while tracking each hit on your URL and

providing a report of where the hit came from—browser, OS, and host.


BEAVER BUILDER (PLUGIN & THEME)A drag-and-drop utility that helps you build a more visually appealing website without having

to write code.

OPTINMONSTERHelps you convert more visitors into subscribers by creating and testing lead-capture forms. This

software detects when a customer is about to leave the site, then sends them a targeted campa-

ign to retain them.

BBPRESSEasily set up discussion forums within your WordPress site.

GOOGLE ANALYTICATORAutomatically configures your WordPress website to work with your Google Analytics account.

Can also support any advanced tracking codes Google provides as well as google sitemaps.

ALL IN ONE SEOHelps you optimize your site for search engines.

Putting all this software to work for you is like hiring several departments of staff for your busi-

ness. Only now it’s all automated. (The only disturbing thing about all this is that it signals that

machines are close to becoming sentient and will soon rise up and try to destroy humanity. But

until that day comes, why not? These machines will help you build an amazing online business.)


A FINAL WORDWe’re at the end

I have some hopes for you:

1. I hope this book acts as a catalyst and inspires you to build a highly successful online

business.

2. I hope the tips and secrets I’ve shared put you ahead of the curve when it comes to

starting a business.

3. I hope as you earn success you’ll find a way to mentor others on the same path.

It would be great to hear from you. I’d love to hear stories about your journey. How did you apply

the tips in this book? How did they work for you? What new tips would you add to those who are

following in your footsteps?

Drop me a line anytime.

[email protected]

I look forward to hearing about your successful online business ventures!

Blair

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