Having an online presence has become essential for growing any business or entrepreneurial venture. Over the past year, digitalization has become the most urgent step to keep your business thriving and boost sales. That’s why we’re bringing you these four recommendations for starting online. Don’t just wait around—get moving, take action, and reach your business goals!
Grab a pen and paper, open a Word document or a notes app—you’re going to need it. Let’s get started.
1. Be Clear About What You Offer: What’s Your Product? What’s Your Service About?
I’m not kidding! To start a business, you need to know exactly what you’re offering—its features, benefits, pros, and cons. You need to know everything about your product or service. This is essential because many people have an idea, and they immediately create social media profiles, hire a designer, and make a logo, but… STOP! Your brand, services, or products need to be much more than just a logo.
Ask yourself key questions: What makes my product different? Why should someone choose my service over a competitor’s? What are my sales processes? Do I offer a return on investment? What’s my unique value proposition? You need to know your project inside and out. If you have an idea, develop it carefully, then take the step to launch online.
If you have an idea, take time to think it through and study it from different perspectives. Everything you communicate matters. Use this as a basic guide to help you cover the essentials before launching your business online.
2. To start a business online, you need to know who you’re selling to
Let’s dive into some key questions, because yes, they’re essential. Who would buy from you? Male or female? What’s their age? What are their interests? What do they like to do?
Be honest with yourself—you can’t sell to everyone, it just doesn’t work that way. To succeed online, you need a clear profile of your ideal customer or buyer. This will help you tailor your communication, choose colors and tones, and select the right words. Plus, it helps you manage your budget effectively.
Trying to reach everyone will drain your energy and make it harder to hit your goals. Simplifying is key: segment your audience and create a buyer persona. There are tools like Facebook Audience Insights that can help you build a suitable profile on social media.
3. Consider Your Sales Channels
It’s crucial to know if online sales will be the main income stream for your business or if you’ll also have physical stores. This decision helps you determine your budget and necessary investments. For example, if you’re planning a virtual store, it’s best to set up an eCommerce site, and from there, select the social media platforms that suit your target customers.
If your business sells to other businesses (B2B), LinkedIn is essential for your social media strategy. On the other hand, if you’re selling makeup directly to customers (B2C), Instagram, with its focus on visuals, would be ideal.
Every business has its own setup, which is why it’s so important to understand everything that influences your sales process, including your team and your customers.
4. Build Your Digital Marketing Strategy
The previous questions lay the groundwork for creating your online business with a clear focus, helping you understand how your process will work and ensuring that your return on investment is achievable.
Set your financial goals and map out your processes. Then, develop your digital strategy with SMART goals, projections, content pillars, sales channels, and—most importantly—the budget you’ll need to launch your business online.
Starting a business isn’t easy, but those of us who dare to try are the ones who build and transform the world.
Today, starting a business online is a necessity. Since the pandemic, it’s become a reality we can’t ignore. Is it easy? No. We know building, creating, and achieving goals is never simple, but you and I both know we’re going to make it.
Bonus Tip
Don’t stop. Keep going, make it happen, stay happy, and achieve your dreams. Start your journey online, believe in your idea, build it, and if you need us, we’re right here!
