One of the reasons so many people join internet marketing is the desire for financial freedom as well as the ability to set your own schedule and be your own boss. But the reality of an internet business is that if you’re going to be successful and profitable, it is going to be hard work.
Some successful marketers find that they spend more time on their internet business than a full-time job. But it’s often a labour of love and when you wake up excited to see what sits in your email inbox rather than dreading it, you don’t typically count the hours you work.
For work-life balance, and to enjoy the fruits of your labour, you should have a way to put your online business on autopilot from time to time, without fearing that any time away will result in a drop in income. Here are some tips to help you keep your online profits coming in, even when you’re away from your computer for more than five minutes.
Automation Tools
There are some automation tools that enable you to keep working at your business, even when you’re not at your office. Plenty of scheduling tools exist that can help you market, such as:
Autoresponders – Autoresponder emails allow you to schedule a series of messages that will go out to your email marketing list at scheduled intervals. Those emails can have a call to action in them that allow you to generate sales by slotting list members into a sales funnel that operates on its own
Blogs – allow you to schedule your posts. If you’re going on holiday, you can schedule blog posts in advance so that you can keep entertaining your site visitors
Article Marketing – Some article marketing accounts also allow you to schedule posts in advance.
Social Media Tools – like SocialOomph (previously known as Tweet Later) can enable you to schedule Twitter updates in advance so that you can be interacting with your followers even when you’re away.
Outsourcing
You may decide to have someone help you whilst you’re away to keep your online profits rolling in. Having a virtual assistant respond to your emails, or hiring a call center to field support requests can enable you to continue to serve your customers without being at your desk.
Mobile Access
You can run many aspects of your online business temporarily, on a mobile basis. You can bring your laptop on holiday with you or set up your emails to come to your mobile phone. You don’t have to feel like you’re abandoning your business when you step away from your desk.
Beware that your time away isn’t monopolized by your business, either. Work-life balance is vital to every entrepreneur – even when you love your job.
Not only will these tools and tips help keep your online profits coming in while you are away, but utilising them even when you’re not away can help you have more work-life balance as well.
See you at the top of Google!
Sean Rasmussen
SEO Australia Pacific
AussieSEO.com © 2007 - 2010
Hi Sean,
I think this is the most exciting aspect of building an internet marketing business. The fact that you can earn money in your sleep and while you’re on holidays is exciting.
I really like how I can schedule so many things in advance but if I could, I’d rather have a virtual assistant watch over things while I’m away. Thanks for the list of tools to keep my business running smoothly while I take a break.
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Learn and Earn – It’s a Marathon Not a Sprint =-.
Hi Sean
I have to agree with Jazz about IM being an exciting vocation due to having a business in a briefcase where I can make money anywhere and at anytime.
Being able to automate my business online is exactly what I would need for a hands free business at times when I want to take a holiday.
It is these two points that made me decide to follow this path.
Thanks for this great information Sean.
Blessings
Elly
.-= Elly´s last blog .. =-.
Hi Elly,
The other big attraction for me to internet marketing is that I get to decide how much I’m worth. I’ll get paid in direct proportion to how much effort I put into learning and applying the information and strategies.
I can decide how much I want to earn. I love this and having the freedom to travel anywhere, anytime.
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Finding Your Passion =-.
I was wondering what you do when your on holidays. The idea of being able to still ‘tweek’ things via iphone while away is very appealing to me. I admire greatly what you have been able to achieve and one day hope to do something similar.
A dream of mine is to some day travel for several months around Australia with my family in a caravan and do affiliate marketing ‘on the go”.
With the right information and plenty of hard work I believe anything is possible with internet marketing!
.-= David Pearse´s last blog ..Targeted Internet Marketing-Market Samurai =-.
It’s one of the beauties of online business David, you can take holidays etc. and still keep up with business quite easily if need be