The reach of the Internet is staggering. Every second a new opportunity is generated on the Internet to build a business from scratch. With millions of people taking to the Internet to find answers to their queries and doubts, offering the right solutions can turn an online business into an overnight success.
When it comes to the digital world, the possibilities are endless. An online business holds immense potential in the rapidly evolving marketplace.
However, where there is opportunity, there will be competition. If you have a business idea, chances are, a host of entrepreneurs are already offering the same services and targeting the same market. The only way to thrive is by standing out.
Following are a few steps that can help you start a successful online business.
Have a Unique Business Idea
The first step to starting an online business is to find an area that corresponds best to your skills, preferences and what you identify with. The next step is to conduct a thorough research. Find out the profitability of your business idea. Also, find out how other entrepreneurs in the same domains are making the most of their business ideas.
Define the products and/or services that you wish to offer. It is important to identify your niche in order to get noticed. Keep in mind that expertise is an exceptional sales tool. You can make that the USP.
Perfect the Minor Details
You would need to pick a unique name and a catchy tagline for your online business. The next step is to register a domain name. Ensure to check its availability. Now choose a business structure that corresponds to yours and get it registered.
It is crucial to have an action plan for your business. Draw up one and identify the problem areas. These can turn out to be major constraints later. For example, not having a practical sales process, lack of products or personnel to provide the services, website maintenance issues and so on can be major setbacks.
Since most of the activities for your business will take place online, a reliable Internet connection paired with a good router for a strong WiFi signal is absolutely crucial.
Set up an Engaging Website
For your business to take off smoothly, you would need a clean and user-friendly website design. Your website should be simple and easy to navigate. With the attention span of human beings plummeting to 8 seconds, you only have a tiny window to keep them engaged.
Did you know that by 2018, the number of mobile Internet users is expected to grow to 61.2% of the global mobile phone population? To reach them, you would need to make your website responsive. In addition to that, Google prefers a responsive website since it makes it more efficient to bot crawl the site and index and organize the content.
Create a captivating ‘About’ page for your website. It should connect the reader to your mission. While writing the content for your website, always avoid jargons to improve readability. Keep in mind that you need to appeal to your client base, not your peers.
Advertise Well
Sure there are several prospects of growth online, but you would need to work really hard to achieve those. One of the ways to accomplish this is by effective marketing.
With the number of active social media users rising to 2.1 billion, chances are, your target audience is among them. Since the key to building your business’s prospects relies on awareness, you would need to reach out to your potential clients with a concrete marketing plan. Having an email marketing strategy for this purpose is also crucial.
You can consider sharing informative posts on social media. For example, how-to guides, infographics etc. are highly recommended.
Ensure that these strategies are compelling enough for conversion.
Test
Once you have everything ready, you need to test your website and business strategy. Find out what’s working and what isn’t. That being said, you should be willing to change your plan accordingly because that’s how you can expect your business to grow.
As your business grows, so will your plans for expansion. Keep in mind that patience and perseverance will fetch you the results you expect.
Steven Scheck is the Principal of Inspire WiFi, the nationwide leader of multifamily wifi and healthcare wifi. When he isn't bringing Wi-Fi to the masses, he enjoys spending time and traveling with his wife and 4 kids and occasionally gets in a round of golf. He is also very involved in philanthropic causes in Miami and nationally.
