Internet Marketing - The Pre-Launch Stage

Before setting the internet world on fire with our amazing website or blog, we need to ensure that we have everything in place and ready to go. I refer to this as the 'pre-launch stage' and potential internet marketers should develop their own check-list of resources and other materials that will be needed during the subsequent stages of their web business journey.

When we launch we want to be sure that we have everything in place. You will have decided upon your chosen niche, purchased a suitable domain name, and then signed up with a hosting company.

You will then have made a decision to go for a blog or a website. Are you going to develop it yourself, or will you be seeking professional help? Remember, your site needs to look good, and at this stage it's worth spending a few extra dollars to get the professional touch. The same goes for any graphics you might be using - don't cut corners at this stage!

How are you going to entice customers to your site? Presumably once on your site you will be encouraging them to leave their details in return for a free gift - what kinds of free gift will you be offering? You could consider an ebook, or a short report, or possibly an e-course, or even a series of newsletters. How will you develop your free gift? Perhaps you could get some suitable content by looking in the public domain, or using an existing PLR product.

As potential customers leave their details on your list you will need to start building the necessary relationships. To achieve this you will have produced a series of autoresponder messages, and have the release of these carefully planned. Linked in to your autoresponder messages you will have the offer for your back-end product. Is this something you will have developed yourself, or will you become an affiliate marketer and offer somebody else's product?

The pre-launch stage really is about preparation. Once your site is launched there will be no time for going back and putting in place things that you have missed. Following launch you will be kept very busy trying to market your site, with blog posts, articles, videos, hub pages, etc. You must be prepared to put the hours into your preparation - "the will to prepare to win is more important than the will to win". So many would-be internet marketers give up at this stage because it suddenly dawns on them that a lot of effort is required to fulfil their dreams!

The pre-launch stage can last between one and four months, and there are no short cuts. Beware the offers of instant riches - they just do not happen! Anybody who has ever been a success in internet marketing has put in the necessary effort, and will have dedicated countless hours to their quest.

Confucius said that "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Are you willing to take that step, being aware of the long journey ahead? The brave will be rewarded, so have courage and go for it. Put in the hours, look to the long term, and eventually you will succeed!


------

Graham Bray is an enthusiastic internet marketer, and for nearly five years he has been developing websites as part of his Multiple Income Pathways. To learn more about internet marketing and how you can download a *free report* visit his blog at http://www.easierinternetmarketing.com