by Marie J Kelley

Created on: May 06, 2008

You've started an online business selling handmade t-shirts with your favorite catchphrases, but now what? Everyone who starts an online business started in the same boat you are currently in and those who went into it with no knowledge of how to correctly market their product had to learn the basics of internet marketing before they could successfully earn money. It takes time, but there are a few rules and ways to market online that can boost your website views and your sales!

The first thing you need to know to successfully market your product is what demographic are you aiming towards. Do you want females who are aged 13-42 to purchase your shirts? Do you want geeks who love computers to purchase your shirts? In a notebook, write down the ages and types of people you think would be purchasing your product. This information will be the most important information you need to have to have so make sure to keep it in a place you won't lose it or misplace it. Your demographics may change as you develop your product line and keeping track of the changes will help you track your product and it's development.

Once you know who you should market towards, the next question you have to answer is where you should market your product at. If you've decided that mainly females who are 13 to 42 years of age will be the people who buy your shirts, you'll need to find where they are on the internet and start creating banners and ads at those locations. All it takes is one flashy ad to get people to click through and view your site. The more who view it, the better chance you'll have at selling your products.

If you are still aren't for sure how to market your product towards the people who are going to be purchasing it, you can take advantage of sites that will market it for you. Google Adwords may be an option for you. You can sign up and let Google market your site for you. They'll place ads on sites they feel are relevant for your product, and on their own search engine pages. The downside is you'll have to pay for this service, but the plus side is you can set a budget each month so you don't have to worry about spending too much, and you'll reach more customers!

It's important to be patient. Once you start an online marketing ad, the results won't be overnight and you can't give up simply because you don't see purchases being made right away. Keep track of what you are doing and what works and what doesn't. If newsletters work to bring people to your online store, then focus more on those than placing ads on forums. If you stick to it, you will see results.

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