Starting an online business might seem like a very difficult process for many people. There are numerous factors to take into account and many skills to acquire in order to be successful. Web development, web design, digital marketing are just some of the aspects needed. To get started, it appears that you need a lot of professionals and a lot of money. But things have recently become easier, so you don’t need a large number of employees. You can start from scratch and do all the needed parts by yourself. Things don’t have to be difficult if you do it step by step and concentrate on one thing at a time.
First and foremost, consider why you want to start an online business:
- Do you really need it and what is your goal with it?
- Do you need a simple website, a complex one, a blog, or an online shop?
- Do you want to promote your existing offline business or do you want to start a new digital business?
Don’t worry! You are not alone. This is your new favorite place where you can learn everything you want to know about starting your digital business.
We are a team of experienced digital marketing experts with fantastic results in e-commerce, Affiliate Marketing, Dropshipping, Blog Creating, SEO, and Social Media Marketing. We are here to share our knowledge and experience with you and help you create your digital business from scratch all by yourself.
What platform to use for your online business?
There are different platforms available for your internet business, and one of your first decisions is to choose which one to use. Determine the type of website you require: a company website with one or more pages promoting your service, a blog (which is an informational website with posts and articles updated on a regular basis), an online store, a mobile app, etc.
But before you create your online business you need to be well-prepared:
Analyze Your Product And Your Competition
Think about your product or service and analyze its value comparing it to your competition. It is necessary to believe in your product/service in order to promote it the way people trust you. You must recognize its actual benefits and how it can address people’s issues. Don’t worry if there’s a lot of competition; there is always something you can offer that can make you step out of the crowd. Sometimes it is just the way you present your business and people will love that more and choose you.
You may always find something valuable for your business by evaluating your competition. You can study what they missed and how they went wrong so you know what to avoid and how to do things better. You can observe how people react to their service and prices in order to provide your customers with something that will make them want to come back to you. A loyal and satisfied customer is incredibly useful to you since they not only spend money on your products or services on a regular basis, but they also recommend you to their friends and family, thus giving you free publicity.
How To Choose Your Niche And Create An Ideal Avatar?
You cannot reach the clients/customers if you don’t know who they are. This is a very important step you need to take at the very beginning of your business planning. It will help you realize what are the further steps you need to take in order to get to them.
What is a customer avatar?
Create an AVATAR – your ideal customer. Give them the name, age, gender, marital status, kids, the place they live. Imagine their language, habits, income, education, profession. What are the things they like and what do they enjoy? What they don’t like? Think more about their personality. What is their biggest challenge? What are their objections to not fulfilling their dreams? Do they use social networks and which ones? Think of their WHY: why do they do what they do? And the most important: WHY DO THEY NEED YOU?
It is of huge importance to answer all these questions and make a story out of them. For example: it is Susan, a 43-year-old married woman and a mom of 2 kids. She lives in the suburbs of Boston and runs her own company. Her biggest challenge is to find some time for herself, exercise, or go to the beauty salon, etc. Make a story out of her average workday, from the morning till night, and then about how she spends her weekends, etc.
When you finish all this, only then you can move further with planning your future steps. Now you know what kind of platform you need for your online presence, what kind of design, and what kind of language to use. It will be much clearer about which social network to use for your promotion: Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest, etc.
How to create a website?
Now, when you know your ideal customer, and your competition, you can finally move further to creating your website, blog, online shop, or app.
Let’s talk about websites, blogs, and online shops from the beginning. The things that are inevitable for creating them are:
- Domain – it is what people type in order to get to your website. Choosing the right domain name for your website is crucial for your success. If you choose the wrong domain name, then it can be a hassle to switch later on without hurting your brand and search rankings.
- Hosting – Your website files are stored on web hosting servers. It’s the online home of your website. Every website needs the use of web hosting.
- Wireframe – This is a two-dimensional illustration of your web pages. It focuses on space allocation and prioritization of content. It does not include any styling, color, or graphics.
- Platform – There are many ways to create a website: you can install a WordPress, Wix, or hire a web developer to create a website from scratch by choosing a program language ideal for your business. For e-commerce you can choose between Shopify of Woo Commerce.
How to Drive Traffic to Your Website?
Once you got your store/website/blog up and running, learn the leading organic traffic driving tactics to get visitors to your store. There are several ways to send people to your platform: optimizing your website, blog, or online shop to take high positions on Google, Bing, Yandex, etc;
Use SEO for Driving Traffic to Your Site
Improving your site to be visible on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines is very important for your business. If you are not present in the search results when people search for a specific product or a service, it automatically means that you are invisible to them, and you lose your customers/clients. Learn how to use SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Keep in mind that it doesn’t give instant results, but when it is done well it can bring a lot of people to your platform. SEO is a long-term investment, worth every penny.
How to use social networks for your promotion?
Make online communities on social networks. Find people interested in your business and present them your products or service in the best possible way. Give value to your posts, don’t just use them to sell. Make your profile worth following. Let the content and the design up to date. Don’t worry if you don’t have graphic design skills, there are easy-to-use applications like Canva where you can find everything already set for you.
