Starting an online business is not as difficult at all. What is challengig in an online business as with businesses in general is the ability to convince clients to buy you products and services.
We should then rename this article to: "How to get clients to buy your products and services" or "Sell your products Online"
With our new title we will be in a better position to discuss the online business withing the context of the business model.
You would have gathered that we are a hosting company and sell hosting and related services to clients globally. Our business is in its 22nd year and healthy. My name is Abraham Devar and I am a technical writer for Host Direct and its parent company, Global Sense Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
The article will discuss:
Advertising your products and services - what do you need?
1] WhatsApp Business
Groups ,Catalogues and branding are some of the interesting features, among others
2] Social Media Accounts such as:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn other local media
These portals provide advanced opportunities to reach your target market
3] Website
Landing page, Shopping Cart, Blog, Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media Integration, Optimised Meta information, e-mail subscriptions and mailing utilities, a merchant account to collect the proceeds from sales, Analytics for analysis of traffic, Encryption technology for your website and mail traffic, enabling secure mail with DMARC, DKIM, SPF, and RDns
4] Graphics Editing program
We use Adobe products because they are easy to use and very quick when we need graphics for advertising and webdesign
We can search for the recommended graphic size depending on the portal we are posting on to ensure that our posts appear correctly on social media.
There are several portals where free pictures are available for use in advertising or websites.
5] Search Engine Optimisation
A study of the most important keywords and phrases that you will be using in your website copy and the specific keywords that you will use for products and services.
Google's keyword manager will be able to help with this.
6] Common Sense
Some general business sense about the operation of a business, such as inventory, and the delivery of such to your clients. Are you offering free delivery or are you charging for delivery based on your courier's fees, or zones. Pricing against the competition and margins are important for liquidity.
Many 'experts' will claim that one does not need a website to run a business. We at Host Direct believe that it is crucial to have your own website or online home, where clients will be able to communicate with you and your unique brand. Clients will be able to ascertain that the business actually exits and it is contactable. Your website adds credibility to your business. There are all sorts of tools that will help with orders, invoicing and order fulfillment. A high level of automation is required to compete in today's market.
Some of the problems with social media pages is that they can and are used to scam visitors. Some of these people disappear after they have raked in the revenue from unsuspecting clients.
You will need to show your potential customers that you are a legitimate business that operates from an identifiable location. Its owners and workers must be contactable when needed. This interaction stimulates trust between the business and the client.
This is not a blog, but a knowledgebase, we therefore will avoid any redundant rhetoric and get straight to the point.
Our solution.... See Part 2
