In the click & mortar model, you combine your offline business with an online presence to increase exposure and expand your market. What you do with your Web site will depend on the type of offline business you've already established. Your online venture could be anything from a site that mainly functions as a marketing tool for your offline business to a fully e-commerce- enabled electronic store. Here are some of the profit streams you should consider when taking your existing small business online:



If your offline business involves selling products, you should consider online sales. Your two channels (online and offline) can share resources, including marketing dollars, fulfillment systems, and inventory. Adding the online channel allows you to expand your geographic and product market, while keeping your business small.

If you sell an offline service, think about ways you could promote your service online. This can be effective no matter what service you offer. Whether you're a real estate agent, a doctor, a dentist, a lawyer, a landscaper or a hairdresser, you can use your Web site to sell your service. For example, you could take appointments through your site or create a promotional campaign online that directs visitors to your physical location.

You could sell ad space to other local businesses. For example, let's say you're a real estate agent. You could sell ad space to a cleaning company since people might be interested in having their homes professionally cleaned before moving in.

You could create a joint venture with other local businesses. For your real estate business, you could create a "Welcome to the Neighborhood" package filled with helpful information and coupons for local businesses, including a pizza place, a video rental store, a plumber, a electrician and a beauty shop. Then make joint venture arrangements with all these businesses so that you profit every time one of your coupons is used. Offer this package both online and offline to increase your profits.

And, as usual, I suggest you start an affiliate program. Think about it--your affiliates could send visitors to your site, where you promote your offline service. Or you could provide your affiliates with a printable coupon campaign that they could use to send people to your physical location.

Remember that both of these business models are most effective when you combine profit streams to maximize revenue. For example, if you wanted to work with your sales model site to diversify your profit streams, you could sell your own product, while also recommending affiliate or joint venture products that would appeal to your audience and complement your offer. You could investigate drop-shipping options to even further diversify your product line. Then you could create a service that your product users would need, and send them an offer in a follow-up e-mail promotion. Plus, you can make more sales on all of these fronts by enlisting an army of affiliates to sell for you.