Fair warning – my reviews are kinda different. I pull out the bits I LOVED from each module, analyze them, then talk about why they are so cool.

This doesn’t suit all people – and nor will Naomi’s products. But don’t ignore Online Business School based on your perception of my review. If you’d rather a traditional type, check out the one by Ali Hale. She loved it as much as I did.

What is Online Business School

Online Business School is a course by marketing expert, Naomi Dunford. It consists of  modules that are designed to give you a broad overview of the main methods of creating a real business online.

The modules are:

• Affilliate Marketing
• Ebooks and downloads
• Coaching and Consulting
• Physical Products
• Niche Sites
• Service Business.

 Each module consists of two seperate points of information. Naomi provides an audio talking about the main concepts. This is accompanied by a transcript for people like me. The videos were by her husband Jamie and elaborated on the main ideas. Some of my friends found this too basic but they were very high quality.

I only listened to the audios or rather, read the transcripts. I don’t watch videos and found that the audios more than sufficed. However, I do like having the option to watch the videos at a later date.

 Affiliate Module

For all practical purposes, affiliate marketing is an online version of commission sales. I find something cool, I tell you about it. If you buy it, I get a cut of the price. This can be an extremely lucrative way to make money on the internet if you know how to do it right.

I love Naomis explanation of this. When I try to explain to people how I’m making so much money via affiliate marketing, they look at me as if I’m doing something wrong. It took me a long time to get over the guilt of getting a commission from reccomending products to others. I’ve since learnt that its not unethical at all.

This is my favourite module – hence this portion of the review is very indepth. The other modules have just as much information, but they didn’t resonate with my at this stage of my business.

Naomi made the comparision between one store that sells on a commission, and one that doesn’t. She said that it was best to find a method that fit between the two extremes – don’t be pushy just to get a cut, but don’t be indifferent either.

I’ve found a place between them and its comfortable. Most of my money is made via email – people will come to me asking my honest opinion for their situation and I’ll give it. I’ve made a couple of thousand this way and I know I’m helping people in the process.

Know if you’re writing a review or a recommendation. A review is where you’re giving an in-depth analysis of the pros. and the cons. A recommendation is “I bought this and you should, too.

This was the concept that really confused me when I first started reviewing products. I checked out a lot of ‘product reviews’ on other leading blogs, but it didn’t seem like a review at all. You could tell the blogger – even the really trustworthy ones – were basing their recommendations on how well they knew the person, rather than the content itself. There is nothing wrong with that method but it means that you are relying on how much your readership trusts you. This may not work as well if you are a beginner blogger.

Based on my experience, a recommendation often converts better. However this is because those that provide a simple recommendation are usually busy bloggers with a decent audience.

I prefer to do comprehensive reviews. I find people seek out my blog when they are really confused about a decision. I also get a lot of traffic, and sales, when the product creator is having some kind of promotion.

Knowing the difference between a review and a recommendation is vital. Its also important that you study the methods that are working well for people who are successful at both types of promotion.

Email converts 5-6 times better than a blog.

I am not the best person to ask about this. I don’t have an email list and I don’t include affiliate links in emails unless they are requested. People will ask my advice and I will tell them that a certain product will be able to help them more than I could. Alternately, I will go out of my way to let someone know when I think a new product release would help them improve their business.

Rarely, I get replies asking me for an affiliate link. I don’t mind – but its really teaching me the power of email.

If your product is very, very cheap – say, less than $20 – you’ll attract the kind of people who buy info products that cost less than $20, and this is a very demanding group of people. If you’re thinking of making your product roughly ten bucks you might as well making it free and potentially going viral.

I’ve put up with some of the demanding people when I’ve done reviews on other sites. Its frustrating and just not worth it. I am doing some entry level products and am going to give them away for free rather than deal with the demands. I’ll be pricing the majority of my products above $50 because I find the business audience is more appreciative.

Ebooks and downloads

If you see your product showing up on torrent sites, be flattered that somebody thought it was so good that lots of people would want it and move on. It’s not really worth the administrative hassle.

Here is a little secret – the filesharing industry has moved far beyond torrents. People now upload the content to sites like rapidshare and megaupload and share the content via private communities. Whenever you try and delete the content, it just spreads wider. People will upload it to more sources. People will realize that its popular and spread it across more sites.

It takes more time to report the link than it would take for someone to reupload it. Just let it me. There are a bunch of reasons why people download illegally. They may become your true fans down the track when their circumstances change.

I wouldn’t try to make my entire business model based on ebooks. At the same time, an entire business model based on ebooks, audio downloads, teleseminars and video tutorials probably has a pretty good chance of success. But you can make a decent amount of money at this, as long as you pay attention and treat it like a business.

I now work with a number of high profile product creators. People do read ebooks, but they like consuming the information in the method that suits them both. Just look at this – I didn’t watch the videos and I just read the transcripts. The transcripts are about 10 pages long – so thats 60  pages of information. But, by making it so darn convenient, Naomi improved the value and the price she can charge.

I have several friends that are making big money. They do this by having a business model based off a variety of information products delivered using different methods.

Coaching and consulting

While there isn’t too big of a difference, generally speaking, coaching is something that is done for customers – as in, real people – and consulting is something done for businesses.

I wasn’t aware of this distinction – it will help me when it comes to marketing my services. I appreciated learning this and is it will help me phrase my sales page better.

Remember, coaching is a business and any business that is based on selling your time for an hourly rate is a recipe for burnout. I would NEVER recommend someone becomes a coach and just a coach. It’s simply not sustainable.

I agree with this. I’m feeling burnt out simply by focusing of services. I much prefer charging by task.

In my own business, I try to set my prices at a point where I can comfortably discount services under certain circumstances.

I know this works for her. Many people I know will wait until one of her cool sales to book her for marketing advice. She is totally worth her current rate, but holding a promotion makes her more accessible to those with financial constraints.

Service business

A service business is one in which people pay you for your time. Sometimes there’s a product that comes out at the end, sometimes there isn’t, but essentially you’re hiring yourself and your skills out.

This was an important distinction for me to make. I thought that services basically revolved around consulting via different methods. Knowing this helped me to change my service range and target the prospective buyers in a more effective manner.

Answer questions on LinkedIn, Yahoo Answers and so on. You’d be surprised by how often this can get you on someone’s radar, even if they’re not currently interested in your service.

Two useful methods for me have been providing help on twitter and by commenting on peoples facebook pages. I liken it to leaving a lot of little breadcrumbs – those who like the taste will hunt you down to get the bread.

Get involved in offline networking.

Offline networking has been the most effective method for me. I get a lot of leads, a lot of people talking about me and a lot of feedback on what I’m doing. Many of the great opportunities I’ve had have directly come from offline networking. Its underestimated but it also has the side benefit of leading to great friendships.

Physical Products

This section had little relevance to me. I have no intention of selling physical products and if I did, I would most likely market them via offline methods. However, I did pick up a number of tips in this module that I could apply to my online business.

Add a personal note that says thank you.

This works awesomely offline. I know because it always turns me into a real evangliest of their product. Paul included a short note when I bought a pair of Injinji socks. I already raved about these (they DO stop blisters) but I now feel emotionally connected to the brand.

This worked similar when I got a review copy of Brand New Day. The assistant sent a nice little note. It was on branded stationary and told me to let her know if she could help. This took no effort from the author but it made me

Here are a few ways you can apply this online:

• Send a personal thank you card in the mail. This may require some hunting to get their address, but is something that
• Send a personal message after point of sale
• Find a way to thank them via their favourite social media platform. This may take more effort, but its also seen by a lot more people.

Take as many form of payments as you can.

This also applies to selling your products and services.

I love paypal. Many times, I will refuse to purchase something because it doesn’t have a paypal option. I get paid a lot via paypal and it can be a hassle transferring it back to my bank, only to just transfer it out again.

Make it easy

I buy most things online. There have been many times though when I’ve been in the shopping cart and gave up because there was too many steps. I don’t like creating an account. I don’t want to do more then 3 or 4 steps. If you make it difficult, I will take my money to a physical store where the transaction is easier.

Niche sites

I don’t dabble in niche sites. There was a lot of useful information, but it just wasn’t relevant to my current business goals. This is the module I can see being the most useful to those new to creating an online business.

Most of us – including myself – start out in niche starts. This is where we learn the basics. We figure what we like, what resonates with us and  figure out what direction we want to go in. It is an important part of our learning transition.

Naomi suggested four types of content for niche sites:

• Affiliate marketing
• Contextual advertising, most commonly Google AdSense
• Paid advertising
• Info products and physical products

If you want further information about niche sites, I recommend checking out Cloud Living. This resource is far more comprehensive. However, Online Business School provides a solid overview, as well as really useful information, to compliment what you’ll be learning in other modules.

Who is this for?

This is for anyone who is interested in earning an income online. I was worried that I was too advanced, but I was gladly mistaken. I learnt so much.

If the idea of spending $400 on a product scares you, this product is not for you. You may not be in the right mindset to implement many of the things she recommends. I was like this and it is perfectly fine. She has other entry level products as well as a lot of free information. She also does consulting which may provide you with information targeted towards your situation.

Is it worth the price?

I understand that $397 is a lot of money to pay. I’ve been so broke that I could barely afford to feed myself, so I understand the fear.

I’ve spent a lot of money online. This could have saved me a lot more then $400 because of the mistakes I’ve made. Naomi will give you the rights tips on how to market on a budget. She is really cool like that. Her advice wont lead you astray, nor will it involve spending a lot more money.

The skills you learn will earn considerably more than $400. The material is top notch. It is hard to find information this comprehensive within this price range. Trust me - I’ve bought and reviewed a lot of products.

Don’t hesitate – this product will help you create a thriving online business. 

If you want to make more money, check out Online Business School.