5 Business Models For Internet Marketers In Arkansas

Yesterday I focused your attention on determining an actual business model for your online business. Many assume that doing business on the internet is like doing business in a more traditional "brick and mortar" store, but that just isn't true. There are many factors which make this sort of assumption detrimental to your success online.

First it's important to note that marketing in general has changed. Those who get this are restructuring their business to continue playing. Those who don't understand this or underestimate it's impact will be taking their marbles home, mumbling under their breath. I know, you are probably thinking that I am bound to write such things because I am in this line of work - but the truth is as plain as the nose on your face. Look around. The internet has changed everything. It's a new playing field altogether. Those who get on board, like those innovative thinkers when both radio and tv hit the scene, will position themselves for long term success in this media. Those who are stodgy and well-seated in their old-foggy thrones, will be ousted.

So how is marketing different? Well, quite simply put, we are marketing to a new breed of customers. They are not content to sit on the sidelines and be marketed to by those that be with their wide eyes and opened mouths, ready at a moments notice to run out and buy. We wish they were - and in many respects they used to be.

The world was a different place this time last century. Wide-eyed wonder led the gullible masses to buy into whatever was touted, hook, line and sinker.

Today, in contrast, our customers question what we tell them and publicly challenge our claims. They demand more value for their money and their time - no more crappy, plastic, decoder rings for them! They believed marketers before, and now they are disillusioned. They feel gypped. They want the good stuff. They've become accustomed to it for one. And for another, there are countless other merchants, and for that matter markets, clamoring for their dollars. They are empowered. A role-reversal has taken place. They have become critical consumers.

We MUST consider this in any marketing or business venture we pursue, be it online or offline.

And then, we must simply put, give them what they want. We must provide good, no, great, customer service. We must be responsive to their requests. We must offer them choices. We must provide real value.

We'll discuss this more in coming posts concerning social marketing, but for now I want to turn our attention to a sampling of business models for internet marketers in Arkansas to consider.

1. Affiliate Marketing
2. Drop Shipping
3. Product Provider
4. Service Provider
5. Adsense Marketer

There are others, but for now, for getting started, these are the ones I want to discuss first. All of these involve various factors and skills which can be arranged in different sequences to help your business profit. We'll talk about these as well on this blog. For now, let me simply define these five internet business models so you can begin to evaluate your business.

Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is promoting products or services for someone else and making commissions.

Drop Shipping
In this case you get people to your site and when they buy you transfer that sell to another company where they store the products. Essentially you are selling someone else's products and marking it up. Your profit is the difference between what you sold the product for and what it cost you.

Product Provider
Product providers are more like what people typically think of when you say you have a website - an online version of a brick and mortar store which sells goods.

Service Provider
Service providers are again, what you would typically think of when you say you have a website - an online version of your service, generating leads. However, the internet opens up all sorts of new services that can be provided. This is where new business opportunities lie.

Adsense Marketer
This sort of marketer marketer creates websites, and fills them with content so that others will come and click on ads. Every click of those ads makes that marketer money.

Next time we'll discuss online auctions as a business model and get more in depth about affiliate marketing.