There are some important guidelines before starting a business online to sell your products or services on the internet. Here is a step by step guide for you to ensure your business is successful online:
1) Find a Niche That You are Familiar With: Find a niche that is something which relates to your passion & experience. Conduct in-depth market research to fill a void that is based on your niche. Online marketing is the best option which includes Google insights, trends, forums and Facebook. It is crucial to do competitive analysis & research to get a better understanding of your competition. Conduct research gather information about your the target audience demographics, their preferences, the manner in which this audience can be served by your online business. Create your unique selling proposition (USP) to differentiate yourself from the competition. Also, define a strategy with short term and long term goals that you can achieve to measure success.
2) Create an Ad Copy that Sells and Add Testimonials: You can impress your visitors with an exciting Ad copy. You need to arouse interest in your customers with persuasive headline followed by description for which visors are actually searching for. To make it more compelling, talk about the product benefits, offer deals & coupons to your customers with urgency, add testimonials & so on.
3) Website Design: The first and foremost need is to have a website. How it looks? How it works? Even what it’s called, could really make the difference between success and failure. This is not something you should rush or skimp on. So, consider the following factors :
- The website architecture and navigation is key to the success of your online business.
- It should be user friendly and reflect your brand in every way.
- Find a website designer and developer can help you get your business online.
4) Run Paid Search advertising (PPC) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to get Traffic to your Website: SEO and PPC are two of the most important internet marketing techniques for getting visitor traffic & exposure for your online business. The key differences in Paid Search & Search Engine Optimization are that SEO is organic which requires a longer time to gain traffic based on Google SEO algorithms and PPC uses paid keywords on Google Adwords & Bing ads to gain immediate traffic based on bids, site content and adcopy. Also, the use of Social media marketing on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Youtube (Video marketing) and more will help boost your brand overall.
5) Establish an Expert Reputation for Yourself: Be an expert to provide web surfers essential information that might be searching for. Provide them with engaging fresh content, videos, articles, blogs and more to build your online profile as an authority on your subject. You can also become an expert on social media networks and forums to build trust among your targeted consumers.
6) Email Marketing & Retargeting: Use the power of Email marketing & Retargeting to turn visitors into buyers. Retargeting is one of the most effective online marketing methods for serving ads based on prior engagement. Retargeting can be effective for both B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business) websites. Ecommerce companies can get advantage of retargeting by bringing back bounced traffic and online shoppers who have discarded their carts. Email marketing on the other hand are created and sent out to specifically target members of your email list, providing them with a personalized email detailing information that they are interested in or have requested. This helps promote trust and loyalty to a company while also increasing sales.
7) Supplement Your Online Sales with Related Products & Up Selling: Partner with ecommerce retailers and suppliers that complement your online business to boost your revenue by selling related products and services. You can now create a online marketplace for your audience to not only sell them your brand but provide them with additional products/services from your ecommerce storefront to boost their appreciation for your store.
