7 steps to success when starting your online business journey
If you are new to the digital world and don’t know where to start in terms of your online presence, then follow the 7 steps below.
Create a Google My Business page
It’s important that potential customers are able to find you online. That’s where Google My Business comes in. If someone Googles ‘Hairdresser in Central London’ or ‘Family Lawyer near me’ and your Google My Business page contains those keywords, as well as being local to that customer’s location, you will be more likely to appear on their Google Search.
The more time you put into your Google My Business page, the better you’ll perform. If you update it regularly with your company’s services, products or information, the higher Google is likely to rank you on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
Get on Social Media
It’s common to believe that you need to be found on every single social media platform, but most of the time quality is going to be far better than quantity. Spend some time researching your competitors both in your area but also in other locations and see where they are getting great engagement. Do they have lots of views on TikTok, plenty of comments on LinkedIn or maybe more shares on Facebook? Take note of what type of content works well for your industry and then make yours better and have your own spin on it. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Know your brand
Before starting your online business journey, think about how you want your brand to be perceived. Simple brand guidelines from the beginning can make building your brand online much easier. Selecting 3 or 4 colours that represent your brand and having a logo are a great start.
Think about your brand’s tone of voice, does your brand look simplistic or are there a lot of patterns or florals? Once you have chosen your brand’s look and feel, make sure to stick to it so that your customers know what to expect when they engage with your business.
Top tip: Canva is a great tool for creating social media posts for your business.
Stay relevant
Making your content relevant to industry, local or world news can be an added booster when it comes to being seen. If you want to keep up to date with news stories, try Google News Alerts. This tool notifies you if news stories come out that are relevant to your business, industry, area and more. You’ll then have the advantage of being one of the first to know and can address it/solve it/talk about it on your social media platforms.
Take a look at IKEA’s new summer collection campaign in which they have been creative to stay relevant to the seasons, not just in their products but in their marketing.
Keep active by engaging with your audience
There is a lot of competition online, so focusing on high engagement on your social media platforms will help to indicate whether you are targeting the right audience, an audience that cares about what you do and will hopefully become loyal customers. However, this is a two-way street – make sure to reach out and engage with your customers to help build your brand’s reputation and to let them know how your product/service can improve their lives.
Make a plan
Like most things in life, maintaining an online presence can take more time than you first thought. To help manage this workload, create a plan of action.
Creating a list of relevant dates on which you think your business should be posting content, what kind of content and the message you want to send out, is a great first step.
Think about what action you want potential customers to take from the post and follow their journey to ensure it is seamless. Your plan of action doesn’t have to be a fully comprehensive content calendar but it’s great to have a rough idea so you have time to produce relevant content and avoid last-minute panics.
Find a social partner
Building a business online has become a skill in its own right and is something you need to constantly nurture in order to reap the rewards. It can be difficult to get the most out of it without putting the time in and learning a lot of new skills, however, this is where an agency can get involved. An agency can be there to provide you with the support you need as you embark on your online journey… or they can even take the entire online presence off your shoulders altogether.
Finding the right agency can sometimes be a challenge but it’s well worth the effort.
PS: GIANT is always on hand to help if you need us. Get in touch with us to get started today!
Marketing Manager at All Things Management