First, it needs to be said that there is necessarily a right way or a wrong way to start an online business. In fact, entrepreneurship generally has a lot of grey area that depends on a number of things such as location, business type, and business structure. However, there is a commonly used and proven order of steps that can to be taken that will guarantee success when starting a business online.
Find a Problem. Become the Solution
Many beginning entrepreneurs make the mistake of looking for or creating a product first. Then, they proceed to find a target market to sell their product or service to. However, while this tactic isn’t necessarily wrong, an individual can find much more success in finding a market with a need and finding a way to cater to it.
Write Irresistible Sales Copy
Sales copy is referred to as the text you use to persuade your readers to take a desired action. This is an extremely important part of advertising for your business. Here is a step by step formula for attracting customers to your product:
- Use an attention-grabbing headline to excite interest in readers
- Make the reader aware of the solution that your products or services solve
- Use credibility to make the reader aware of your ability to solve problem
- Discuss the product and its benefits
- Make an offer and a guarantee
- Create a sense of urgency
- Proceed to ask for the sale
Create a Website
Now it’s time to actually create the platform from which products will be sold, which, in this case, will be a website. However, you must remember the rules of sales copy – you only have a few seconds to catch the readers’ attention. Here are a few tips:
- Choose a white background with just one or two simple fonts
- Make navigation easy, clear, and consistent on all web pages
- Graphics, video, and audio should only be used if they enhance the message
- Include opt-in offer in order to collect email addresses
- Simplify the checkout process. No more than two clicks from the home page
- The webpage act as online storefronts. Make the customer-friendly
Take Advantage of Search Engines
Pay-per-click advertising is extremely beneficial for a new business. It is one of the fast ways to create traffic for your website. First of all, PPC advertisements always show up on search engines immediately. Secondly, they allow an individual to see which keywords are most searched.
Create an Expert Reputation for yourself
Although we may get lost in the functions of the World Wide Web, its overall function is to provide information for people and that is what users search for. This is a relationship that an entrepreneur can use to their advantage. Becoming an expert in a certain field allows an individual to become a reliable and credible source of info. An entrepreneur can use this to write articles loosely pertaining to their goods and/ or services while also providing links to their web pages as a “reference”, etc. Google search also rewards webpages that are linked to others with higher ranking.
Use Email Marketing
After building an opt-in list, entrepreneurs have created one of the most beneficial tools in their arsenal. Customers and subscribers have already given permission to be emailed. Now, the only thing left to do is convert these strong leads into sales.
Use Back-End Sales and Upselling to Increase Revenue
It is very important to make an effort to develop every customer’s lifetime value. Approximately thirty-six percent of customers will purchase from you again after a follow up. Closing initial sales is important and difficult, but follow up sales are typically easier and very beneficial.
In today’s fast-paced world, time and trends on the internet pass by about five times faster than they do in the physical world. However, these trends on starting online businesses have changed very little if at all. Therefore, following the steps in this guide will ensure success in the world of online business.
