Entries Tagged 'Domain Investing' ↓

Worried About Start-Up Costs for a Membership Site?

Starting a business is never free, but thankfully you can start a membership site on a small budget.

Here is a rough list of things you will need to budget for when setting up your site:

Domain Registration: Your domain name is the web address of your site. Domain names must be paid for on a yearly basis. Your cost here will range around $3 - $10, depending on what domain name registrar you work with and what domain type you buy (.com, .net, .biz etc.).

*Keep in mind that it may be worth spending the extra money to get a .com, as most people will automatically input a .com address. If your address ends in a .net, you could lose some visitors. You can pay for your domain name a year at a time, but many registrars will give you a discount if you purchase your domain for two or more years at a time.

Web Hosting: Your web host is the company you pay to have your site up on the web. This can be paid for on a monthly basis. It’s always a good idea to do some research and compare several providers before deciding on a hosting company. Monthly fees can vary widely and some sites will offer you a month or two free if you pay by the year. Depending on what host you go with and what additional services you utilize, you could spend from $40 - $250 per year.

Membership Manager: In order to keep your content exclusive to members, you will need membership managing software. This type of software will require members to enter a username and password in order to access your private member’s area.

Automation Tools: Automation tools make it easy to manage your membership site, and will definitely come in handy as your site grows. These tools include things such as an autoresponder and credit card processing service. The prices on these services will vary, and it is a good idea to compare several companies before you purchase any of these tools.

It is possible to find some of these tools for free, but be wary of them. When you subscribe to a free autoresponder service, the service will display ads from other companies on your messages. Some of your readers may not mind this, but some readers may feel that this looks unprofessional or cheap.

Marketing and Advertising: As you develop your membership site, take some time to think about what type of marketing you will participate in. There are lots of things you can do to market your business for free, but in order to achieve the fastest growth, you may want to buy some ad space on other people’s websites or ezines, or purchase pay per click advertising, such as Google Adwords. These things can be done on any budget. Keep an eye out for affordable advertising options and you will definitely find some.

Affiliate Program Manager: Although you certainly don’t have to have an affiliate program for your membership site, it certainly will help to bring in more visitors. Many membership sites even offer their members residual income on each new member they refer. Recurring monthly income is certainly an enticing incentive to help spread the word of your new membership site.

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A Few Worthy Home Business Resources:

Web hosting especially for moms in biz: 
 http://mommyrevenue.com/momwebhosting/

Online business automation center:
http://mommyrevenue.com/ebizcenter/

Are you thinking that there’s nothing  worth investing in online that could really make much money?  Think again!

 I just finished reading a story about two investers, Andrew Miller and Michael Zapolin, who purchased the domain name, Chocolate.com.   After only two years, the domain name has already brought in revenue of $2 million.   Miller and Zapolin expect the revenue potential to rise up to $100 million dollars.

Online Money Investment Equals Big Return…

Miller and Zapolin actually invested $300,000 dollars for the domain, Chocolate.com, but this was actually a fraction of what it could have cost them.  A little patience and negotiation won them the prized name at a much cheaper rate.  So, if you have some money to invest, domain names might be a worthy investment if done right.  The key to taking domain names to an even higher revenue potential would perhaps be to get a little more creative with your domain names.  Miller and Zapolin knew they could do much better with Chocolate.com than the current owner who had simply put up some ads and took in mere pocket change.  The key for these investors was finding an anchor partner through Chocolatier magazine which provides the site with worthy content of articles and recipes about chocolate.

Domain Name Investing as a Career…

Miller and Zapolin have made a career through their company,  Internet Real Estate Group, by buying  top domain names that are not being used to their full potential at much cheaper rates through negotiations.  Then, they turn these domain names into useful goldmines.

Create your Own Success Story…

So, consider domain names as a worthy investment if you have a little cash to invest and some time and energy to turn a squatting domain name into a potential “Cinderella” story.   Note:  Although millions of top dollar domain names have already been grabbed,  you can also watch trends that are here to stay for the long haul.  Grab some top keyword names related to these trends.  For instance, a few years ago we’ve never even heard of ipods, digital cameras, mp3 players, etc.  If you think online real estate might be your thing, take some time to educate yourself about domain name investing.

If you’d like to read the whole story about Miller and Zapolin, visit:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_26/b4040059.htm?chan=smallbiz_smallbiz+index+page_top+stories