Google's Free Tools for Business: How to Make a Good Living by Teaching Businessmen How to Use Them
Nov. 18, 2009
You can make a good living by piggybacking on Google and by copying Google's business model. Here's how. This example can be applied to any on-line business. I use a variation of it.
Google makes money -- lots of money -- by encouraging businesses to advertise on Google pages.
Google must persuade businesses to become familiar with the power of the Web for business. Next, Google must show what tools are available. Here are some examples:
Google's business strategy is to offer most of its services for free. Why? To build its base of heavy Google users: Web searchers and businesses. It charges businesses to advertise narrowly focused ads that may find buyers in Google's enormous base of users. It is a great business model.
Anyone in business should be using some of Google's tools. This is because every business should be on-line. But to do this, the businessman must understand how to use these tools. Comparatively few businessmen understand this.
Here is an opportunity for a site designer with the ability to show businessmen how to install these tools and interpret them. Here is my recommended strategy.
1. Copy Google's business model. Offer some things for free, and then charge for the money-generating side of the deal. (This strategy can be used by many on-line businesses.)2. If you are a site designer or a Google business tools guru, you can create a YouTube channel on how to use these tools. These should be short videos: 3 minutes maximum. Then you should post longer explanatory videos (up to 10 minutes) on YouTube.
3. You should create a website that puts pairs of these embedded videos on specific pages in specific departments. Each department is devoted to a Google tool. Each page handles one application. Embed both videos: 3-minute and 10-minute.
At the end of each YouTube video, you should add a TinyUrl link to the page on your site that covers the topic. Use YouTube to drive viewers to specific pages of the site.
4. You should make the training and set-up sections of your site free: tool by tool. You should sell an annual membership on how to interpret the figures and grow the business. The first section gets the businessman up to speed on what is available: "What." Once up and running, he will want advice on how to apply the tool to his specific situation: "How."
5. The site should offer closed forums to paid subscribers, the way www.GaryNorth.com does.
This would be a very nice niche market. It could generate a lot of income.
To narrow it, you can specialize in a specific industry. If you are already in this industry, create a marketing program like this. It will help make you a name. This will help your career. You may get a much better job offer.
6. If you run the site, you could also offer highly detailed consultation at (say) $100/hour. That would be a nice side business.
This is the way to think about growing an on-line business. (1) Find something free that requires instruction to get people up and running. (2) Sell the instruction that is related directly to how to make money.
Time is valuable. Businessmen have more money than time. Show them how to cut their investment of time.
People hate to climb learning curves. Make these curves easier to climb. People will pay you.
There are additional avenues for creating revenue streams.
7. If you were to hook up with an expert in direct-response marketing, you could work out an affiliate arrangement. You direct users to the ad writer and get 50% of the first assignment. After that, the ad writer keeps 100%.8. You could create a general site on using Google's tools. Then direct subscribers to specialized sites that apply these tools to a specific industry. Do this on an affiliate basis. Ask for at least 40% of the membership revenues on a permanent basis. He keeps 100% of the consultation revenues.
9. You could do a joint venture with the ad writer with Web ad experience. You jointly own the site. Don't give up more than 49%.
10. You could learn direct-response marketing and create the on-line ads. You would then retain a share of the revenue from each ad. That would be a cash cow that could continue for years!
What would it cost to get started? Not much. Here is what you need.
Video editing software. Microsoft Movie Maker 2 is free.A lapel mic. Radio Shack sells one for under $30.
Screencast software. CamStudio is free.
A YouTube account.
A blog site or Website. The simplest way is with www.blogger.com.
It is best to get a domain name from the beginning. Use Google to search for "coupons" and "domain hosting." You will find a paid link at the top of the page for GoDaddy: 30% off. Then get a site-hosting service such as Hostgator (which hosts unlimited domains for a flat fee of $8 to $10 per year). Use blog software to create the site. Here is a review of software:
The great advantage here is that your Web address will stay constant for your videos.
You can set up a membership site later on. First, see how much traffic your site gets. Give it six months.
Create a dozen videos (x2) on one Google business tool. This gets you started. Getting started is the main barrier to entry. Then it gets easier.
Create a page for each video on your site.Create a short link with www.tinyurl.com.
Append this link to the end of the appropriate video. Ask people to come to this page for more information.
Post these videos (two per lesson) on YouTube (preferably on your own channel)
Post the two videos as embedded videos on the appropriate page of your site.
Write a summary of the video on the page.
Ideally, you would also post each video on Blip.tv. Then post the Blip videos on your Website's pages. Why Blip.tv? Because they won't put a pop-up ad for a product on your videos. You retain control over what appears on your site. YouTube's pop-up ads are the price you pay to drive strangers to your site. Don't pay it once they come directly to your site.
Set up an RSS feed. You want to keep regular visited updated. For a great video on RSS feeds, watch this. If the guy had used a lapel mic, it would be close to perfect. The stick-figure pictures really work.
I have secured the domain name, GoogleToolsForBusiness.com. I may decide to do something with it. Or maybe not. It's $10 a year to keep it in reserve. That's cheap. Maybe I'll find a Google guru who needs a direct-response ad man as a partner.