One of the quickest and easiest ways to start an online business is to get set up online. You may think that having your own site will end up costing you an arm and a leg before you’ve even made your first sale but it doesn’t have to be this way.
There are a lot of options out there to help you set up your own successful online business and here at EKM, we specialise in doing just that. Whichever ecommerce solution you choose, there are a few things you’ll want to do to help ensure your business’ success.
Get ready for selling
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Before launching your brand new business, it may seem simple but you’ll want to ensure that you have a finished website and product to sell before launch. The worst thing for a new customer to see is an unfinished and unpolished site – it will probably give them a bad impression of your new business and they’ll likely not buy from you.
You’ll want to ensure that all your products are uploaded to your site and that they all have a good solid description of each item. Your product descriptions are arguably the most important part of your website; they tell the customer exactly what they need to know including the finer details that may make or break a sale. You’ll want to avoid using duplicate descriptions as Google will mark down your product on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings. This also allows you to put your own branding and tone of voice in the description rather than the manufacturers standard description.
You’ll also want to ensure that your product images are not only high quality but there are multiple views and colour variations for visitors to view. The images you receive from your supplier or manufacturer might not be the best quality and it’s strongly recommended that you take your own high-quality product images. This will allow you to stand out from your competitors who may be using the same images provided by the supplier or manufacturer. Having good product images can help increase your chances of a sale dramatically.
Create your social presence
One of the most important tools for new businesses to utilise is social media. There are many reasons why social media is an important tool to use but if you’re completely new to social media and you’re not sure how to get started, you can read our handy Social Media Guide to help you get set up.
Your social media accounts will work alongside your online shop, store or website and provide other platforms and different types of content for customers and potential customers to interact with you on. Social media can also indirectly help your shops Google rankings which are also covered in our Social Media Guide mentioned earlier; helping you to increase the amount of organic traffic being sent to your shop and helping you to climb the Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings.
Social media can open up your new business to new audiences and can also be used to retarget customers or people that have visited your site, in order to encourage a sale. There are nearly endless opportunities when it comes to utilising social media and for most, it can also be seen as a trust factor during the consideration phase
Build your customer base
Once you’re all set up you’re going to need to build up your customer base. You could start with some social selling, sharing content and images on your business channels or asking friends and family to spread the word.
Another way to build a customer base is to create a weekly or bi-weekly newsletter where you can send updates and special offers to those who sign up. Encourage people to do this to receive exclusive offers or early access in order to obtain their information, such as their name and email address. You can then add these people to your ‘prospect’ list, and by sending them exclusive offers and content, build trust and confidence in purchasing from you.
Marketing
Marketing is also another strong tool to create some brand awareness, generate traffic to your site and help to increase sales. Marketing comes in many forms and deciding what works best for your business can depend on a few things.
If you’re willing to spend a little, you could look into Facebook Ads to help market your new business. Alternatively, we have a team of in-house experts that can help you get set up and manage your accounts for you. We’ve found that this can really help our customers get their business off the ground and create a name for themselves. There are also more traditional forms of marketing such as printed advertisements too, but these are hard to track your return on investment.
No matter what form of marketing you choose to do, one of the top reasons why small businesses fail within the first 18 months is not keeping an eye on their analytical data and performance. Using tools like Google Analytics on your site will help you gain a deeper understanding as to where your visitors are coming from, what they’re doing on your site and what product/page is most popular.
Even this top-level information can help you refine your business activities, for example, perhaps you found that most of your site traffic was coming from Facebook you can increase the number of times you post in a day and perhaps up your advertising spend if the return on investment is proving to be good.
Are you thinking outside of the box?
Most of us have a fear of the unknown. We many times assume that if we haven’t done something before it is simply out of reach. This carries over to the business world as well. We take our products or services and market them in the same way that we see other business owners using. However, it can be much more effective to find new and innovative ways to market. One home-based business owner I know sells stuffable toy kits. Instead of using the usual home parties and birthday party events, she works almost exclusively with children’s hospitals doing fundraisers. She makes a great living and helps not only the hospitals, but the children as well. She is a great example of unique marketing and overcoming the mundane marketing methods that so many business owners resign themselves to.
Your home-based business should be unique to you. It should make you want to get up each morning excited about the possibilities of the day ahead. Take the time to thoroughly think through the questions above and you’ll be on your way to making a great, well thought out decision that has your name written all over it!
5 things to consider before you choose an online business
- Know yourself well so you choose the best model of business to suit your strengths, skills and what you enjoy doing. This is the key to fulfillment in business.
- Explore the different business models thoroughly. Will the one that appeals to you the most have the potential to make the money you want to make. This is the key to success in business.
- Don’t jump in immediately to an offer you see online because it sounds good. It’s supposed to sound good…That is the purpose of marketing.
- Get as much education as you can without committing to anything yet. Read books. Listen to podcasts. Talk to people who work in this business. Attend a workshop (but if it is a free workshop expect to be “sold” to throughout the event).
- Understand that you don’t have to know how to do everything. You can hire virtual assistants at affordable rates so that you can leverage your time.
- Plan your business idea thoroughly, based on your new education and research, before proceeding.
Choosing the Right Type of Website
Many entrepreneurs are saying I want a website for my business, but they don’t know what type of website they exactly need. As you have a plethora of options in front of you, choosing a precise one might be difficult. For this, you should first decide your business niche and goals. Accordingly, you should pick the right type of website to build. You can also take expert suggestions to decide the functionality and features of your website.
Still, if you are doubting how can I create website for my business? Then we are here to assist you with the best possible solution. We can offer you the best WordPress website design and development solutions that will meet your specific requirements. Moreover, if you have any sketch design or PSD for your dream website, we can help you to convert them into WordPress. Our WordPress experts are in a continuous effort to deliver effective solutions and results to the clients to aid them to achieve their respective goals.
