The pandemic changed the pattern of our lives. One of the biggest shifts in behaviour noticed was in the way people shop and work, which also highlighted the fact that WFM or the ability to remote work – is now crucial to businesses. And ‘digital’ is the new norm, so businesses are trying to join the ‘digital’ bandwagon.
Whether your small business is just taking off or well-established, many factors come into the picture. For one, having a dedicated website is a must. Why is this so necessary? How can you grow your business online? Do you need to check out the competition? Do you need to establish an online reputation?
Consider some tips that can help you successfully digitise your business.
- Start a business that fills a need
Most importantly, to boost your chances of success – while starting a business, make it a point to study and access how your product or service will fit in the market and fill a need. Using the internet can be easy for doing market research; so you could visit online forums to see what questions people ask and what problems they’re trying to solve or do keyword research to find keywords that a lot of people are searching, or even check out your potential competitors by checking out what they are doing to fill the demand. After this, you can use the learnings to create a product for a market that already exists, and even try and outdo competition!!
- Create a website
First and foremost, the obvious step is to realise how important it is to need a website and work out the journey for users that approach you online. Are you looking for leads? Are you looking to sell directly to the customer? Or are you just looking to have a space where customers can find out more about you?
Besides, you may need specified skills do you need to get your website built. Like you may need a website designer, a web developer, a content writer as well. Other options such as a photographer or video editor might also be helpful if you’re looking to build a truly professional website with original visuals and/or high-quality product photography.
- Join social media
Since ‘digital’ rules, and social media impacts businesses today, setting up social media accounts can be a great way of engaging with existing clients. But, every channel of social media is different and needs different ways of engaging. Interestingly, social media doesn’t just need to be an engagement tool. There are also options such as Facebook and Instagram Shop that can help you convert sales directly through your social media account. Explore all the available options and build a social media strategy that can both engage and convert.
- Use the power of e-mail marketing to convert visitors into buyers
When you build an e-mail list, you’re creating one of the most valuable assets of your online business. Your customers and subscribers have given you permission to send them an e-mail. This implies that you’re also developing lifetime relationships with them. Moreover, the response is 100 per cent measurable and e-mail marketing is cheaper and more effective than print, TV or radio because it’s highly targeted; anyone who visits your site can be a vital lead. And, what better tool than e-mail for following up with those leads!!
- Use search engines to drive targeted buyers to your site
An easy way to get traffic to a new portal is – pay-per-click advertising. The advantages are that PPC ads show up on the search pages immediately, and additionally, PPC ads allow you to test different keywords, as well as headlines, prices and selling techniques. This not only brings in immediate traffic, but you can also use PPC ads to discover your best, maximum-converting keywords!! And, this can help your rankings in the organic search results too.
- Establish an expert reputation for yourself
We all know how people use the internet today, to search for all kinds of information. Make sure you provide that information (free) to other sites, and you’ll see more traffic and better search engine rankings. You can create content – like articles, videos or any other that people will find useful and distribute that content through online article directories or social media sites. The secret is to become an active expert in industry forums and social networking sites, where your target market can be found.
Avtar Madan
Himanshu
Shree Lahiri
