Marketing Works, Advertising Doesn't
There are two different terms in the sales game that many people mistakenly treat as synonyms. Advertising is when you try to "get the word out." It often employs methods that are untraceable in terms of their effectiveness. The theory behind advertising is like scattershot. If you throw enough paint at the wall, in other words, some of it will stick. Primetime commercials often use this logic. In fact, advertising is still the biggest and most expensive business practice there is. While it may work some of the time, it doesn't work nearly enough to deserve the fund expenditures that it receives. Marketing, on the other hand, takes the time to get to know a target audience before approaching them with sales driven messages. Marketing, when targeted properly, is much more effective because it actually solves a problem or fills a need for the intended audience.
What does any of this have to do with your website being a life long investment? Well, if you market effectively, you have a constant source of income that carries with it little overhead (virtually none compared to a brick and mortar business). At the same time, you can rest easy in knowing that your site never needs the TLC of a physical building. Its success is completely in your hands. And there is never any danger of falling behind on the rent and losing your business for good. As long as you make the cheap hosting payments each month, you've got a place to touch base with your clients or customers.
As you consider starting a site, it is important that you choose something you can feel passionate about, and then do the following two things: 1) Find your audience; and 2) Find a way to monetize it. Luckily, through social media and the Internet, there is a wealth of information for how to do both at your disposal, all free of charge. Do the research and enact a plan, and you've got an earner for life.
