This really isn't as hard as it sounds, and can be
extremely profitable. Let's start by sorting out all those
things that you probably think are hard to do. If you can't
(or don't want to) design and construct a website from
scratch, you can get desktop publishing software that makes
it easier, or go to www.nvu.com where you can download free
open source web authoring software. I use this myself and
can tell you it's pretty much as good as dreamweaver or
frontpage, with a few less bells ad whistles, which you
don't need anyway.
Or you can have your website designed by a professional.
They don't have to cost the earth, and furthermore you will
have guarantees that your website will do what you want it
to and not suddenly develope unwanted glitches.
The first thing you need to do is to determine just what
kind of instruction you will give in your website. You
should theme your website to your topic of instruction. For
example, if you have a website instructing mechanics then
you could have some pictures of tools, or maybe a tire
included in the background wallpaper or in the video
instruction section of your site.
Next, of course, you will need those instructional videos
for your customers. Begin by writing a script. Divide your
script into the stages, or levels, of your instruction
topic. Don't worry, if you are not happy with writing just
go to www.elance.com where you will find dozens of writers
who will do this for very little cost.
Determine the price you are going to charge for your
educational video service. You can research this on the net
and decide where you want to fit in with your competition.
Beware of going in too cheaply. Pitch yourself in the top
half of what others are charging. Don't undervalue yourself
and others wont either. Once you are done you can embed the
video into your website and check the final product.
If you are happy with what you have, you can then search
for a website hosting provider/service. Some providers will
design your site for a fee if you wish. As well as hosting
fees you will have to pay for your domain name, and maybe
incidental fees. Ask your prospective host provider about
bandwidth. The higher the better when streaming video on
your site. Shop around, I use www.dreamhost.com and find
them helpful and reliable. Check out several and find one
that suits you.
Now you are ready to sell, you need a means of receiving
your payments. There are several ways to do this, one is to
open a merchant account with your bank and have the hosting
provider configure your website so payments are forwarded
to that. Or you can use services such as PayPal or
WorldPay. Again, shop around and find what's good for you.
Don't panic, yes, this will cost a few dollars, but not as
much as you might think, and we have to speculate to
accumulate right? And if your business does not perform as
you want, you can research, adjust, apply various
advertising strategies with little effort.
Don't think of this as a pioneering venture. Video
streaming for education and instruction on the net has been
in use for a while now. Even so, most instructional
websites do not have video in their pages. The great
advantage of using video is that people can see the action
as they hear the words. Far better than just reading a
manual.
It is commonly said that our future lies with our children.
Well, we need to educate them first. What better way to
teach than to have instructional videos ready for them to
learn from and enjoy in the process. There, I think I've
just given you an idea for another business!
----------------------------------------------------
Chris Haycock is an information publisher specialising in
helping people start their own home based business. You can
get an absolutely no cost two hour video on how to create
your own information products in one day, without writing a
single word, and start your own niche ebook business, by
going to:
http://www.easyebizz.com
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