Starting a new business can come with a lot of unseen hiccups. Everyone has different formula to their success stories but some things are constant.
Of course, the most basic thing you need to do is to create a product or service that people have a need for. For the business to grow, you need to create awareness which may be done through different channels.
In the days before the internet, people relied on huge outdoor billboards, television commercials, radio jingles, newspaper pages and few other channels. Many of these channels were expensive and hard to sustain for a new business with limited funds.
However, a lot of challenges small businesses used to face have eased up as a result of the changing times. The internet happened to us and we have haven’t gotten over all the solutions that came with its explosion.
If there was ever a time to start a business, it is now. Gone are the days of physical offices and unaffordable advertisement rates. You can call your own shots and grow an enviable business empire through the effective use of your internet connected smart phone now.
How do I achieve this?
Thought you’d never ask. J
So many small businesses have taken advantage of the fairly new tools available but there are many more people struggling with understanding how and where to start.
Well, basic things first.
Get a website; this is basically you securing a digital office through which your products can be seen or your services can be requested. The best thing about websites is that you are able to reach many more people than you may have reached by just running a store situated at the corner of the street.
It is very easy getting one these days. If you do not know how to go about it, ask around or like we all say, ask Google‘’.
Your website needs to have the right theme to suit your brand so as to keep people visiting. If you run a confectionery store for instance, your background colour has to be inviting. Also you will have to upload pictures that will have even a fit buff ordering your product.
What next after securing your digital address aka website?
Make sure your ‘store’ visitors are impressed.
Give them a wonderful experience. Nobody forgets a great experience. Focus on creating a great experience when people visit your website.
There are several ways you can achieve this; one of such ways is making it easy for people to reach you. Incorporate a live chat app to provide answers to their enquiries. Blow their minds with quick response to their messages.
Also, large percentage of web users use mobile devices to access the web. Your website page needs to load fast on mobile devices. Make sure your website passes the mobiletest . The attention span of the average human is very short. You do not want to piss them off your website by having to deal with slow loading pages.
Now that your ‘virtual office’ is all set, how do people find you?
There is no point having a beautiful office or store if people do not know where to find you. To create awareness about your website, there are different options you can explore.
One of the cheapest ones is taking advantage of the social media. Facebook has very great packages for small business owners. You can tap into the millions of users on the Facebook by creating a Facebook page for your website. You may grow the page organically or sponsor the page at affordable rates to reach your targeted demography. You can also make use other platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and the other available options.
What is important is for you to understand what you may achieve through the different platforms as their audiences differ. YouTube and Instagram may walk better for you if you are a make-up artist while websites like Tumblr and Twitter would serve you better if you are a blogger. You can also collaborate with other businesses so as to tap into their fan base and further grow your own brand.
Another avenue through which people can get to know about you is through the search engines. Optimizing your page for search engine is absolutely important. Google is the biggest search engine; so many people turn to Google to find answers to even the most mundane things.
Your target has to be how to get your business on this powerful app. this can be achieved through various ways; you can work with an SEO expert who can work with your budget to see what options work for your business.
Above all, bear in mind that there is no greater marketing than having a satisfied customer/client. Your products and services should be top notch.
