Picture this: You have moved to a new city and you need to find a new hairdresser. Do you walk around the local streets entering hair salons and watching every customer that leaves the salon? No. You simply Google local hairdressers and view their portfolio online, until you find the one that matches your style and you book in using their online booking system 👏🏼 And that is how you run a successful business online.
Customer expectations are that your business has a stand-out online presence. That you are active on social media platforms and that that can book or buy with you anytime from anywhere in the world.
If you a struggling to find ways to build a successful business online here are my top tips:
- Organise your online assets
This extends much further than just organising your business. Your online business assets are everything from your website to your social media profiles to your web hosting account. You might be wondering why these assets should be organised…and it isn’t until something goes wrong with one of your assets that you wish you did.
It is your responsibility as the business owner to be in charge of all of your assets. Ensure that all of your online assets are set up under your business name and under your own account – not an agencies or friend who is helping out. When it comes time to move on from this agency or support person you will already have access and control to move it without any awkward conversations or losing your entire asset all together (yes I have seen this time and time again).
All relevant assets should be optimised for your brand. And they should be completely updated with the latest information about your company. When something in your business changes be sure to update your assets even if it is just an email address or contact person.
2. Maintain Customer Records Safely
Did you know that you are liable for every single persons personal information who enters it on your website or digital form? One problem business owners have is that they need to be able to keep records safely. You have a legal obligation to protect any customer information obtained online. For example, you should store information on separate devices and have a number of secure backups.
Your systems must be kept updated and controls should be implemented and access should be restricted only to specific employees. This is an obligation we have as an online business and without the correct procedures in place your business could be liable for leaked data. This is why we always ensure our clients have the right security software and data storage software up to date and working accordingly.
3. Get an online business strategy
An online business strategy is important to have to ensure the success of your business online. Without an online business strategy your business is merely existing online without purpose or direction.
Understanding what assets are best used for your business to get the results you desire is important for your business growth and success. The thing is there is A LOT of platforms out there for your business to be on, but yet some of them could be doing more harm to your business than good. For example, if you are a social media manager and your main online asset is your Instagram page, you are only focusing on Instagram and therefore missing out on a wide audience on Linkedin and driving organic traffic through your website. Instagram is a saturated market and despite being a social media manager you have no way to stand out from your competition without utilising your other online assets.
An online business strategy ensures you the business owner are confident in showing up online and in all the right places. It will also align your business with the right tools, resources and systems your business needs to be successful. Book in your online business strategy with us today.
4. Know your competition
Any good business owner will know its competition. You need to know who you’re competing against so that you know why customers choose you over others, or vice versa. Nowhere is this more important than in the online world.
You should be aware of social media channels your competition is using. And you should inspect keyword usage from all your competitors using the variety of tools Google provides.
5. Build your brand identity
Brand identity is more than just a logo and colours, it is why we do what we do and our promise to our community. When we are clear on our brand identity we show up every day with confidence, we know exactly who we can help and how, we are confident to sell our offers and we stay aligned with our mission and values. It is through defining our brand identity that our business idea is transformed from just that, to a brand built with purpose.
Our brand identity is how we build lasting connections with our audience. When they resonate with our mission and values, they too want to become an integral member of our community and begin to trust in our work. Through this trust is when our brand starts to grow.
Brand identity is unique. It is curated by you alone, which makes it special from the start. Only you can uncover what values your brand represents and how your want your business to be portrayed by your community. Use this power to gain your clarity on your mission, values and community. Download our Build Your Brand Identity E-book to get started.
6. Automation is key
There are hundreds of systems out there that will do tasks for you. They can be as simple as sending a customer an abandoned cart email or as intricate as running your business for you.
If there is a task you are doing right now, it is more than likely it can be automated. Out favourite automation tool is our Email Marketing System. This is a system that send out emails when triggered or composed and scheduled at specific times. An EDM system is critical for businesses with online assets as it will not only ease communication expectations but it will drive revenue and community growth.
If you are struggling to find the right email marketing system or want to know how you can automate tasks to ease your workload get in touch with us today for a free consultation.
7. Be persistent
Few businesses become overnight success stories! And just by launching a new website does not mean you will be set up for success from the get-go. It takes time and consistent to show up online to build trust and brand awareness. This is something you’ll have to accept if you want to enter the online business world. Persistence will pay off in the end if you continue to do all the right things. You need to be consistent and stay focused on your goals.
Conclusion
Starting your own business is risky and does not always lead to success, but with the right strategy, clearly defined values and persistency anything is possible. To give your business the best chance of being a success follow our tips to building a successful business online.
