Essential Steps to Grow Your Online Business
The pandemic has changed us in many ways, one of the biggest behavioral changes we've had has occurred in the way people shop and work through social media and the internet from anywhere.
For many people, the use of teleworking, which was crucial for companies, is one of the most significant changes we have had in the business and student world, students have had to adapt along with their colleges, universities, institutions faster than what they thought in order to continue advancing and growing and not being left behind in new technologies.
Working remotely is one thing, but figuring out how to grow your business online can be an intimidating process.
But don't worry, we've put together our top tips to help you successfully digitize your business. We will tell you right now:
1. Review your current business model
If you already have your business up and running and it works alone or mostly offline, you have to consider how the online service can help you and your customers.
Ask yourself the following questions: could I offer more services or products online than in person or in my physical store? If the answer is YES, you may be able to create a much more efficient prospecting machine online than the way you work now.
For example, if you are a business consultant, could you offer live webinars to groups of your target audience?
Could you then charge for 1-on-1 sessions delivered via video conferencing?
Or, could you move your retail store to an eCommerce platform?
Whatever it is, we encourage you to review your current business model. Find out how connecting online can help you deliver more work or products to your target audience.
2. Create your website
If you have already reviewed your business model, this could be the first step for you. Although it seems obvious, it is important to fully understand what you will need a website for and calculate the user journey, what is your website going to do for your users? You have doubts? Are you looking to sell directly to the customer? Or are you simply looking to have a space where customers can learn more about you? All of these reasons are valid.
What skills do you need to build your website?
Today there are many platforms that offer you with templates already made to create your website, you just need some creativity, a sense of aesthetics, empathy towards the user, prepare your budget, measure the scope and estimate of your website, self-management, resolution of problems, communication...
Not everyone is good at everything, although with hard work everything is possible, if you are one of those who prefer to hire a website designer and hire a web developer, and if you are not Shakespeare, you may also want to consider hiring a an advertising copywriter. Other options, such as a photographer or video editor, can also come in handy if you're looking to create a truly professional website with original images and/or high-quality product photography. Do not hesitate to ask us for a quote if you have already decided, remember, at Blue Management we are here to help you make your dreams come true.
For certain industries, it may be better to look for developers with specific skills. For example, if you're looking to set up a proper eCommerce site, you'll want a developer with experience on platforms like Shopify, Magento, or Woocommerce.
3. Join a platform
However, it's not just about your own website. There are platforms available for almost any type of industry where potential customers or clients can find you more easily. Some of the better known options are Deliveroo or Uber Eats for food delivery if you are a restaurant owner, or Amazon, eBay and Etsy for the retail industry.
There are many options in every industry, you just have to do your research and see what options are available to you.
4. Social Networks or Social Media
Setting up social media accounts can be a great way to engage with existing customers, but social media doesn't need to be just an engagement tool.
There are also options like Facebook and Instagram Shop that can help you convert sales directly through your social media account. Explore all the options available to you and create a social media strategy that can attract and convert into sales.
Do not think that it is easy to sell through social networks, yes there are great examples of successful sales through networks (especially from big brands and some influencers), but fortunately more and more people are encouraged in our country.
E-commerce is nothing new, it has been with us for more than 10 years when Mark Zuckerberg wanted social networks to serve as well as socialize with friends and colleagues so that we can publicize our products and be able to sell them online.
In 2021, it has skyrocketed and everything points to the fact that in five or ten years it will be more common and there will be more sales through networks since future generations are what they know and consume.
I am going to tell you a little about how the new Facebook stores are that are going to completely revolutionize how we understood electronic commerce.
For small companies and businesses, it means that they will be able to sell their products directly on social networks, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, because the stores will be integrated, and users will be able to complete the transaction and pay directly in these social networks.
We explain how they will work in the new stores:
It is accessed indistinctly from Facebook and Instagram, to enter one you just have to go to a profile and press the button see store that have this attractive look that you have seen and you have loved and you can browse through the different categories . You can also see the characteristics of each of the products. When one catches our attention, we can save it and then send it directly to our shopping cart. From the shopping basket we will make the payment if we have entered our bank details in our Instagram account.
If we want to create a store we will have to open a collection on Facebook, there we can upload the photos of our different products and add all kinds of information such as the price, the stock or other characteristics that make the user decide to buy it from Facebook.
Like Instagram, in our new stores when they are available, Facebook stores starting this summer will completely revolutionize the world of ecommerce. We will tell you in our BlueMg Blog the latest news about the universe of social networks and social media.
Don't want to spend your days managing social media accounts? You can always hire a social media manager at BlueMg so that you can focus on the big picture.
5. Create a My Business Google page
Setting up at Google, My Business page can be a great way for people to find you in their local area, even if they don't necessarily have to physically come to your office/store.
Your My Business Google page appears in the Google Maps app, and can also be found through normal Google search, so this is a great opportunity for you to share more information about your business, including opening hours and the services you offer.
6. Boost Reviews
Your customers exist, they know what provides high-quality service, so let them do the marketing for you. Across all industries, most potential customers will always check out reviews of your service before committing to purchase.
Ask your loyal customers to leave you a review on websites like Google or Trustpilot. This is the perfect way to build trust and help drive that crucial sale.
7. Create an SEO strategy
If you have followed the steps so far, you have probably done a good job of creating an online business, if not you already know that you can count on us.
Now it's about optimizing your online presence so potential customers can find you. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is crucial to help you achieve this.
A smart SEO strategy that takes advantage of gaps in content competition and includes the key elements of the SEO Technician can be a truly cost-effective way to send your brand to the top of Google and increase traffic to your site.
A good way to start is by doing keyword research. This involves compiling a database of keywords related to your brand that your target audience might be searching for.
One of the key data points here is "search volume," a metric used by a number of tools to indicate how many monthly searches there are for specific keywords, which can be filtered by region and device, among other things.
Make sure to focus on medium and long tail keyword strings that aren't flooded with competition. For example, if you own an online honey store, you're much better off using keywords like "homemade artisan honey" rather than just "honey."
Comprehensive keyword research informs you of a long-term content strategy as well as key on-page SEO marks such as page titles, header tags, alt tags, and general keyword usage throughout your content.
There are many tools out there to help you with this, many of them free, such as Wordtracker and Keyword Tool, although you may also consider hiring an SEO expert at BlueMg.
8. Digital advertising campaigns
Digital advertising can be a great way to introduce your brand to new customers. If you're willing to put a little budget behind your marketing activities, you can start seeing results very quickly.
The beauty of digital advertising is that, if set up correctly, you can track how well they are performing much more easily than offline marketing. There are multiple tools that help you measure interactions with your ad.
For starters, the best options are probably Google Search and Facebook. These are relatively simple to set up for a few basic campaigns and are often the most effective for conversion.
If you want to dig deeper, it might be worth taking some of the free courses that Google offers in their Skillshop.
Alternatively, you could consider hiring a digital marketing professional from BlueMg, we'll be happy to help.
9. Marketing by email or email marketing
Hopefully, by now, you should have a successful online business if you've followed our steps above.
Now you need to nurture the customers you already have. How? Well, email marketing can be a great way to do this and contribute to a positive ROI, especially for smaller businesses.
You keep your customers loyal and engaged with communications that are convenient, personal and relevant.
The first step is to choose the right email service provider to carry out your CRM communications.
Popular options for small businesses include Hubspot and Mailchimp. You can start by simply sending out a monthly newsletter with engaging content from your blog or social media pages.
To really increase your ROI through CRM, you may need to consider creating automated workflows. By segmenting your customers and learning about their behavior, you can help convert them into leads by serving them relevant content at the right time.
If this sounds a bit daunting, start small and work your way up. To create a truly streamlined CRM strategy, you should consider hiring a BlueMg CRM expert who can manage technical tasks and ensure best practices in your email marketing activities.
10. Explore retargeting methods
And lastly, retargeting is a smart way of trying to bring visitors back to your website.
For example, someone may have visited your site to see your products or services, but decided not to continue with the conversion. Retargeting allows you to serve ads related to the page they were previously viewing and invite them back to your website, where they can hopefully become customers.
Unsurprisingly, Google is the leader and pioneer in this field, so the Google Display Network is worth getting started with. However, there are plenty of other options available, so if you think it's worth exploring, investigate which formats might work best for you.
If you are now thinking that this development and administration of the website would be too much for you, do not worry because, from BlueMg, we can help you make the dream of having your e-commerce page in the market come true and grow your business.
Request more information in the BlueMg Digital Marketing department.
We will be delighted to be part of your company!
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