We live in a digital age. Smartphones have become our best friends, social media is our new family and online stores have become our favourite shopping place. We are still doing everything that we used to do a few decades back, however, they have just become digital. From growing up watching ‘Tom and Jerry’ show to ‘Netflix and chill’, we have grown up. To put it simply, everything sells online now, be it entertainment or your favourite pair of boots you have been longing to buy since long.
So, is it really that easy to sell online?
Well, the answer is no. It would have been much easier if you had considered selling online 4-5 year back. But now, the online selling landscape is witnessing fierce competition and consumers are demanding more than ever. Another factor that is making this competition even more fierce is the ongoing pandemic. Businesses have already suffered enough due to the lockdown and social distancing norms and they are migrating to online channels in large numbers.
However, even amidst such intense competition, you can get your product/service online successfully if you have the right strategy in place. Here’s how to get started:
The first and foremost requirement is to find yourself a unique business name that appeals to your target audience. While choosing a business name also consider future expansion plans and how your business will resonate in the marketplace once you have built a reputation for yourself.
Once you have a business name, then comes the important part of checking its availability. If available, you can buy a domain of the same name and a hosting service of the platform you want to host your website on(Wordpress, Joomla, Shopify, etc). Also, consider buying local domain that includes .co.uk as well as buy international domain that includes .com. This will help you grow your business in future growth plans.
Well now you have all the tools to get started; a business name and a business website. And now comes the most vital part which is obviously building your online presence. Start with targeting social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. If you are selling a service, then LinkedIN can be a great option to attract an audience. Remember that it isn’t just about creating your business profile on various social media platforms, you also need to engage with the audience in order to build trust and long-term relationships.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. ‘Selling online’ means that you have to be visible online. And the most common search engine around the world is Google. So optimizing your website and services you offer around keywords(search terms) is very crucial. How many times have you crawled to the 10th page of the google search just to find the perfect Say you are selling beauty products and someone searches for the term ’best face wash’ but you aren't amongst the top results for this search term. It is highly unlikely that the searcher would even crawl past the first two of three results let alone the second page. This is where Seo comes in very handy.
Ads are a good way to reach your target audience based on their intent. Ads can help you reach a potential customer based on what they search. ANother way that ads can be used is via Interruption Marketing which usually means an ad of your product or service when they aren’t actively searching for it. Facebook ads, Instagram ads, LinkedIN Inmails, Youtube ads are very good examples of interruption marketing.
Who doesn’t love discount offers. Discounts and referrals are a great way to attract new customers as well as build stronger relationships with your existing customers. Discounts and referrals is a way to leverage your existing customers to expand your business by reaching out to new customers. Discounts can get you the spotlight if you are offering quality services/products and referrals can turn your existing customers into your loyal customers.
That were some of the basic steps to get you started with selling online. However, as you know the competition is fierce and going by the rules may or may not work for your business since everyone is doing the same thing and some are there even before you had the idea. So, the first thing you need to do is to be unique.
Also See: Best Digital Marketing Blogs To Follow