If you are considering starting an online business, the good news is that it is a relatively inexpensive venture with low start up costs and once launched, can be accessed by customers across the globe. However, it is also a highly saturated market that requires a good marketing strategy.
To help your online business succeed, here are 5 essential tips.
Simple Web Design
While you want to make your website memorable, some online businesses have a tendency to go overboard, with flashy colour schemes or large images that are hard to load. As the number of people accessing the internet from their mobile phones continues to increase, it is vital that your design is clear, coherent and optimised to perform on a variety of browsers and devices. To do this, keep your site simple, using dark text and light backgrounds.
Quick Customer Response
With increasing competition, it is imperative that you are able to stand out – to do so, offer faster shipping through the likes of TNT. One of the best and simplest ways to stand out is by providing excellent customer service. Delayed responses lead to a loss of clients and furthermore, bad word of mouth can quickly destroy the brand that you have worked hard to build. This key is to always respond quickly to emails, feedback and requests.
Use Social Media
For businesses, social media is not only a great communication tool, but if utilised correctly, can be a fantastic form of marketing. By using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, customers are able to interact with each other and with your business anywhere anytime, can choose to follow your pages for updates, and spread word of your company by liking and sharing products and/or services.
Know Your Competition
Just like any other business venture, it is vital that you know your competition. After finding out who your competitors are, browse their websites and social media to find out what they are offering and how they connect with customers. This will allow you to analyse why potential customers may choose a competing company over yours, then help you to implement necessary changes or improvements.
Take Safety Precautions
An online business faces cyber threats from viruses, hackers and fraudsters, all of which aim to source and exploit customer accounts. Owners of online businesses have a legal obligation to protect their customer’s information and there are a variety of strategies that can be implemented to increase security, including: outsourcing payment to an external client, penetration testing, and only storing necessary details.
