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Every Important Detail You Need To Know About Building An Online Business

Doing business online requires all the acumen of managing a real-world enterprise combined with technical and digital marketing savvy. In case you’re wondering, this isn’t as hard as it sounds. Even if your current business is brick and mortar, chances are, to remain competitive, you’ve had to offer services online. If you don’t own a business yet, but you are thinking about it, you’re not alone. There are 7.9 million online retailers, 2.1 million of them in the US alone.

COVID 19 has demonstrated that the future of business lies on the Internet and through e-commerce. US retail eCommerce sales were estimated to be $684 billion in 2020.

As a prospective business owner, your best bet would be starting and building your business online. Let’s take you through the steps to do this.

1) What’s your Business Idea?

What is a need you see yourself being able to fill for others? If you can find one and bring this solution online, a large part of your battle is over. The sky is the limit.

You can start an online marketplace to sell the art you create as a hobby. Or you can start an online grocery and deliver to those currently bound to their homes. Services are some of the easiest businesses to start. You can become a copywriter, a graphic artist, or a digital marketing consultant.

A bit of market research may be in order here. This will give you a better idea of whether your product or service is financially viable, whether there are niches in the industry that are still underserved, and the competition you’re up against.

2) Make Sure You Are Legally Compliant

Even though your business exists online, you still have to comply with real-world laws. If you choose to incorporate, there are online business formation companies that can help you. Swyft Filings is one of these. According to this business owner on fatstacksblog.com/swyft-filings-review they offer flexible and affordable packages for those wanting to set up their businesses legally. They also offer several complimentary services to assist you after the process. Please note in certain aspects of setting up, advice from a lawyer or accountant might be best.

3) Get Online

You can’t have an online business if you’re not online. You are going to need a website and/or social media presence. Make sure your design is user-friendly, with a simple interface, and pleasing to the eye.

4) Sell Yourself

With your website and social media up, you need a compelling story to encourage customers to buy your product or use your service. Don’t worry if you’re not a salesman. There are several sales copy formulas you can follow to get your message across. Most of them have a basic pattern:

– An attention-grabbing headline
– Tell them what you sell/the problem you solve
– Let them know that you are an expert at solving this problem
– Show them that others agree through customer testimonials
– Show the benefits of your product
– Make the potential customer an offer he can’t refuse
– Back up your offer with a guarantee
– Let them know that the offer ends soon
– Include a strong call to action

5) Create Free Material That People Can Use

People go to the Internet to research EVERYTHING. Why not become the go-to guy for your industry by giving them lots of quality, free material that they can use. One, it makes them more likely to use your paid services, since you’ve positioned yourself as an expert and they are already at your site. Two, you can improve your SEO rankings this way by driving more traffic to your site.

6) Comment Regularly On Industry Forums Online

Not only does this seal your reputation as an expert, but it also directs attention to your business and website.

7) Create Email Lists

When people visit your site, there should also be a prompt asking them to enter their email info. They’ll usually provide this in exchange for an offer of free or discounted products or services. You can use this email address to contact them with future offers.

Starting an online business isn’t easy. But fear not, use these tips as a starting point, and you will be up and running in no time.

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