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According to Statista, a total of 1.8 billion people around the world made online purchases in 2018. The same year saw e-retail sales soar to $2.8 trillion. By 2021, the sales are expected to hit a staggering $4.8 trillion.
From these figures, you can see why starting an online business is lucrative. Nevertheless, not many people know how to start one, which is why in this article, we’ll take a look at some of the important steps you can follow when starting an online business.
1. Research the Market
Without a market, you don’t have a chance of making any sales. Therefore, it’s important to first understand your audience. This you can do by asking your friends and family or even the colleagues at your workplace.
Even better, why not seek expert advice from industry veterans. Besides helping you out with your market research, they can point out flaws in your strategies. What you must keep in mind, however, is there’s no perfect in this world, especially with startups.
2. Get a Website
You’re starting an online business, this it’s only right that you have an online presence in the form of a website. In fact, having a website adds credibility to your business and allows you to build trust between the business and the customers.
Don’t worry if you aren’t tech savvy, you can always outsource the service to a tech firm. In addition to building the website for you, they’ll also ensure the site runs smoothly.
Having a website is only the first step. You must also ensure you have quality content for your consumers. By outsourcing IT services to an experienced firm, you don’t have to worry about the content, SEO, or security. If you are looking for the best Virginia PEO options checkout digitalexits.com
3. Monitor Other Businesses in the Same Space
All businesses have some form of competition. Understanding their strategies and mode of operation will give you an edge over them. One way to do this is to have customized alerts on search engines which will keep you posted on the latest trends in your industry.
Also, just because someone else is doing it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. In business, it’s all about presentation and creativity. How else will you deliver the same product? Do you have new and creative ways to improve the existing product or service? Such questions will guide you through the initial stages of your startup.
4. Marketing is Important
Marketing your business allows people to know about its existence. If people have no clue you exist, then you won’t make any sales. Therefore, set aside a certain amount for marketing purposes. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money, especially now that technology is proving to be extremely effective.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are the leading social media platforms you can take advantage of to get the word out. This will be in addition to your existing website which can attract more customers through the power of SEO.
The term online can be a discourager for anyone looking to start an online business. However, with the tips highlighted in this article, you have a great chance of joining the online community making money through the internet.
- Like
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- VKontakte
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- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
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- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link