The fast-growing digital age is making it unwise for business owners to remain offline. This is because the internet is reaching the far ends of the earth, and many people can now order for products and services right from the comfort of their homes. So, it is better to move your business online if you want to enjoy a massive sales conversion and expansion in no time. However, some things are essential to consider when moving your market online; some of them include:
MARKET RESEARCH
You have been selling your products offline and making good sales does not automatically translate to making good sales online. It is likely for you not to make any sales in the first few months of starting online. This is because the game is slightly different. While some of your offline customers can continue to patronize you online, getting a new audience might be quite difficult, especially if you do not know where to look and what to do.
This is why doing in-depth market research is essential. Several businesses selling products similar to yours are already present online. This does not mean that you will not find your customers in the long run. Instead, you can leverage this and study your competitors.
You should check out what they are offering and where they are generating their traffic. This knowledge will help you to know how to approach moving online. You will also learn how to outrank your competitors in no time if you do proper market research.
CREATE A WEBSITE
A website is an important digital asset to have if you intend to move your business online, as this is going to be the place to showcase what you have to offer. However, creating a website goes beyond buying a domain name and looking for the best designer or developer to create your website. You need to make several decisions and take some key steps if you want your website to get quality engagement and help generate leads online for business.
Write ENGAGING WEB PAGE CONTENT
Content creation is key to making any difference on your website. After you might have gotten the best design, you need to decide which pages you want, and all of these pages will require content. It is best you have a home page, about us page, product/services page, contact us page, blog, etc.
The home page will contain catchy and short sentences to attract your customers. It could also be your landing page, which is the first page your audience will get to see when they visit your website. Whatever is going to be on that page must be catchy enough to keep your audience scrolling and taking the next action.
The about us page gives detailed information about your business. This is where you will tell the world about yourself and what stands you out from the other similar businesses. You do not necessarily have to give in-depth information about your services on this page, but you must talk more about your qualifications. The content on this page must showcase you as an authority in your niche. Hence, making your audience trust you better.
The product/services page is where you will inform your audience about your offerings. This is where you will need to give in-depth details about every part of your business. The content on this page matters a lot, as this is what will determine whether your audience will stay or just bounce. It is important to tell them exactly what you offer. This will help build trust when they eventually become leads and customers.
WRITE RELEVANT BLOG POSTS
The blog post is quite essential for two main reasons. The first is for educating your audience. Your web pages will not contain topics similar to your niche, but your blog post can help you get this done. This means your audience can even learn more on your website. This will definitely keep them coming. The other reason is for the search engines.
If you want to rank quickly on Google, Bing, and the other search engines, your blog posts are important. More importantly, a well-optimized blog post is even better. These search engines consider certain keywords that can help the crawler identify your website early enough and rank it. (Read more on how to create good marketing content for your business.)
ANNOUNCE YOUR PRESENCE
After you have been able to successfully move your business online, you will need to announce it to the world. This will help to increase your customer base and expand your brand quickly. You can get this done using the following strategies:
Social Media
Create accounts on the top social media channels where your target audience congregates. This could be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Quora, or others. Once you have done this, you can create announcements on any of these platforms and link them back to your website. This can be in the form of ads to reach a massive audience within a short time.
You can also grow your business on social media by creating engaging and educational content on these platforms while including links to your website or the products you are offering. This is a slower but more effective way to get to your audience and convert them to leads and returning customers in no time. (Read more on how to create an optimized profile for your business via social media.)
EMAIL MARKETING
Sending simple emails to announce your presence is another strategy that you can use to increase your brand awareness. It is important to point out that you do not have to start spamming everyone and violating rules because you want to reach out to your audience early enough. This will only paint you as a nuisance and cause your business to crash out of the online marketplace in no time. I can help you build and maintain your audience list via email marketing.
INFLUENCERS
Influencers are also a great tool in increasing your online presence. This can be in the form of guest posting, where you post your content on a website with higher authority and more audience. It could also be in the form of promotion as you partner with the influencer to help tell their followers and audience about your business.
CONCLUSION
You will realize that content creation is important in every one of the steps listed to move your business online. This is why you need to take it into serious consideration. Also, social media platforms are not that easy to navigate, and they can take the whole day from you. This will prevent you from focusing on the other aspects of your business.
This is why you need a seasoned content creator and certified social media analyst to get it done for you. This is where I come in. My experience as a content creator and in-depth knowledge of SEO and social media will help your business grow massively online. Contact me today, and let’s get started.
ABOUT THE WRITER
I am John Oladokun Opeyemi. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to get access to several updates on Business, Work, Marketing, Freelancing, and How to Build a Reputable/Profitable Brand or Business on the Internet.