My family, my friends and new people I meet at the local coffee shop ask me how I did it....

How did I build a successful online advertising agency working from home?

A Little Clarification Needed First

SpotWorks Radio Production is an online business operating out of a couple of locations. We have a day studio where my producer works. Some of our voice talents stop by that studio as well.

I do all of my work at home, including staying close by the phone to take calls from clients. I do all my writing from home, as well as voicing and production.

We also have voice talents and writers who work from remote locations including their own home. All in all, we get a premium job done for our clients. Flexibility means I can keep pricing at a minimum.

Work at Home Success... or I could say - "Online Business Success"

The truth is, you don't have to work from home to operate an online business. Location is not the issue. What is important is HOW you operate your online business.

Here are a few things I found to be essential for anyone operating an online "service based business". Service based businesses are not fully automated like selling a product or making money on advertising through your website. Once you gain a visitor to your website and they buy your service, you've still got a job to do to provide the service.

After starting my service based business, an online radio advertising agency, I ventured out into products and information, including offering tips on how to make money online. For now, my tips will be directly related to how I have grown this website (although the last point is universal).

Here is what you need to succeed with any online "service based" venture, whether you work at home or from an office..

Accessibility!

You need to be by your phone and on top of your email. The fact is, the phone doesn't ring that much for me. Most people looking for services online are happy with email. Which brings me to perhaps one of the most important things you can do to succeed online.

Quick Response to Every Email:

I have learned that if you don't get back to most people within an hour or two at the most, it communicates to them that "nobody's home". Some will go elsewhere. To make matters even more competitive, often clients are sending out requests for quotes to multiple online agencies. The first one back often gets the best chance of getting the job.

I also get requests from existing agencies who don't have a means to deliver the radio advertising portion of their client's campaign. I beleive I WIN online because most people don't respond quickly.

Before I started working full time at home, I worked a day job. I built my online business up by operating a second email program on my computer at work. This way I was able to instantly respond to leads and quotes as they came in. I didn't do the work during the day, I simply let potential clients know that they would be taken care of.

If find in my own business now, if I am dealing with voice talents who don't get back to me via email within an hour, I tend to move towards relying on voice talents I know will respond quickly. Sometimes within minutes.

Flexibility!

Operating an online business means convenience for everyone. For me, for the client, for those who work for me.

That convenience needs to translate into the ability to be flexible.

Some voice talents have a set a minimum rate for voicing a radio commercial. That's fine. But their rate is the same when they work from home as when they have to drive downtown to a studio. Charging the same price will not result in online success.

When at home, I can voice a script in 10 minutes and send off to the client. Why should I charge him the same as when I need to drive 30 minutes and sit in a studio with a bunch of agency big wigs? (one reason why I quit my day job).

A note to voice talents:
There is nothing wrong with setting your price based on your talent, regardless of the time invested. But if you want to succeed online, then the price for online work needs to be lower. Otherwise, just stick with the local agency jobs.

What If You Don't Want to Operate an Online "Service Based" Business?

 Learn the 5 Things You Need to Start Making Money Online!

For those reading this article with a desire to build a service based business, keep reading below.  But if you want to work at home and earn money online through other avenues, there is a method to fulfilling your work at home dream.

Web Traffic - Web Traffic - and More Web Traffic

You can't run an online business without a website. And you cannot be successful without a website that gets free traffic. Since I started my online advertising agency back in 1997, and more recently since I quit my day job in 2004, I have never stopped developing my online business presence.

Of course, no web traffic is free. At the very least it takes time and energy to create content for your site. But you won't survive if you have to pay hard earned dollars in online advertising. You need free traffic in Google and the other top search engines.

The Methods to get a High Page Rank are Always Changing:

What "Google wants" changes every 2 to 3 years. Mostly because people abuse perfectly good techniques to get a higher page rank. People are always trying to trick the search engines into listing their site on page one of Google.

Google doesn't like to be tricked, nor do they like a good technique being diluted or abused. So when they find out about it, they change the ranking criteria for everyone. That doesn't mean older sites like mine get bumped off, it simply means new comers to online marketing need to learn the new methods.

... and older sites like mine need to still keep on top of things to be effective as one of the top online selling sites doing business on the internet.

Remember reciprocal links? Pretty much useless now. Today, it's all about one way "back links" to your site from high ranking websites. Just one example of something Google changed because most people overdid it.

In the last 2 years I have had a number of Linking Agencies pay me to post links on my site for various clients they represent. And not just for my production sites, but my other product based and information based websites as well.

 Read Tips for Building an Effective Website!

For people just starting, I recommend www.onlinesitesell.com which is a great step by step process that walks you though the building of a high traffic website for your online business. Visit Work at Home Stories to watch videos of people who have started online business websites using Site Build It!

Another great resource is the Chris Farrell Membership Site. I have learned a lot from him.  

Or sign up for an email training course at www.myworkathomemoney.com.

My Work at Home Blog

I recently started a work at home website to get people thinking about their own Work at Home Dreams and help get them started online. I focus on all kinds of business opportunities that can be explored through a website that is effective.

Only Legitimate Work at Home Opportunities:

• service based businesses
• product based websites
• information based websites
• work at home internet businesses
• affiliate marketing and how to develop your own product
• how to use a website to draw clients to your offline business

Check it out at www.WorkatHomeDreams.com

Site Build It! Reviews and Resources

If you have no clue how to build a high traffic website for your online home business, then consider using Site Build It! The cost us much less than hiring a consultant, but there is still great online support.

Watch these videos on Site Build It Research and the Site Build It Process.

Now back to serving my clients...

Check out the demo page for commercial samples or visit our recent works page.
Learn more about direct response radio and to hear audio samples as well as read tips on writing effective direct response copy.


Music ReProduction of Popular Songs

Radio Commercials for Jewelry Stores

What is Effective Radio Copywriting?

Stream Your Radio Station


For a price quote on any of our services, please call or email.