The 3 Biggest Questions You Need To Ask Before Marketing On A Website

Here's a case in point: IBM ran a television commercial for over a year that featured two young ladies who were sitting on the beach. One accidentally sat on her sunglasses, which prompted her to invent a pair of flexible sunglasses that were sit-on-proof. After a few unsuccessful attempts to sell the wonder product through traditional retail distribution, the two enterprising young ladies set up a website to sell the glasses, and — presumably with IBM's help — the pair lived happily, wealthily ever after. And the whole drama unfolded in a mere 30 seconds!

That's a prime example of the media exaggerating the ease of setting up shop on the Internet and making money quickly, easily and inexpensively. How much time and work do you think it would take to successfully set up a website that sells sunglasses online? How much money do you think it would cost to build a website that actually looks professional, handles online transactions, and generates enough traffic to build a loyal customer following? How much would it cost if IBM helped you build it?

Setting Up a Professional Website is Not That Easy

In the real world — where you conduct business — the answer is a lot. A lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of work. While it is true that the Internet is definitely integral to your survival in business, the reality of getting up and going and making money on the Internet is much different than the hype. Unfortunately, the kind of Internet hype just mentioned leads many entrepreneurs to frantically start e-commerce operations without taking the time to seriously consider the possible problems and difficulties involved.