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Loading...- Online sales in 2020 - why moving your business online is a good idea?
- What to keep in mind when moving your business online?
- Moving your business online - what marketing activities to perform?
- What’s the cost of moving a business online?
Online sales in 2020 - why moving your business online is a good idea?
- Increase brand recognition,
- Reach new recipients,
- Improve sales,
- Offer products or services 24/7.
What to keep in mind when moving your business online?
- Register your domain - you’ll need to set up a website. Of course, you can use a free subdomain provided by the hosting company, however, we wouldn’t recommend this solution. In such a situation your website address may look in the following way: companyname.hostingcompanyname.com. It’s not appealing, it’s much better to have your own, paid URL that you can advertise online and anywhere you wish.
- Choose hosting - meaning the server your page is published on. Consider buying this service and registering your domain in one place. Thanks to it, you may get a free year of your online activity or the costs may be reduced to a symbolic price. Depending on the kind of your website, you may need different hosting. If your website is supposed to be your business card, then one of the affordable accounts should be enough, however, if you plan to run a sizable, popular store, you may need a VPS or even a dedicated server. Nevertheless, it’s advisable to make such investments only if it turns out that the cheap hosting services actually don’t suffice.
- Set up a website - if you’ve registered your domain and chosen a hosting company, it’s time to set up your website. One of the ways to do it is to use the application provided by the hosting company. With its help, you can easily install one of the popular CMS systems such as WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla! You can also set up a store like PrestaShop, Open Cart, Zen Cart, or Magento. Although this specific activity doesn’t require any technical expertise, the installation itself isn’t enough - you also need to complement the site with content and images. Another easy and relatively cheap solution that allows you to set up a website is the use of a special creator. You can choose one of the templates and add the necessary elements. However, the best way to adjust the website to your expectations is to commission its creation to a company that specializes in web development. Although this solution is the most expensive, it ensures that the effect will meet your expectations and satisfy website visitors.
- Create a company email - if you already have a domain and hosting, you can create an email address on your own domain e.g. office@yourcompany.com. With time, you may need more and more emails, especially if you hire employees.
- Manage social media profiles - there’s no business activity in case of which a Facebook fan page wouldn’t be helpful. However, social media isn’t only about this particular platform. Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Youtube are also helpful for many businesses. Each of these portals requires various activities but they have one thing in common - they help you reach millions of users who can become your potential customers. Obviously, these channels need to be tailored to the nature of your business.
- Create Google My Business listing - to do it, enter Google My Business, and provide information about your company. It’s a great recipe for advertising your business in local search results and attracting new recipients. Thanks to it, Google may display info about your company in response to local queries. Below you can see the search results for the “used cars Jersey” phrase. Such results can be shown in various places, they’re frequently under sponsored ads but they may also appear among organic search results.
What to remember about when creating a website?
An extensive description of the offered services is also a must. Dedicate a separate tab for each category and make sure that the content is in line with SEO principles. A price list is also a good idea. Thanks to it, you won’t need to address numerous inquiries from people who may not be interested in your offer due to its price. Remember to precisely describe which elements affect the amount. Don’t mislead users because they may decide to leave your store.
If you’ve any concerns about whether the recipients will be able to properly understand your pricing, encourage them to contact you (e.g. with the use of a CTA button) in order to get an individual quote. In the case of many services, such as SEO, it’s impossible to provide a specific price without website and competitor analysis.
2. Store - in this case, only a modern CMS system can be used. However, you can choose the SaaS (Software as a service) model, use OpenSource or have your own store created. The last solution is the most expensive and it’s chosen mainly in case of projects whose investor has special requirements concerning the store's functionality. The remaining two options are more popular.
- In the case of SaaS, you get a ready-made store, which you have to customize. You don’t need to look for a hosting company or install the software yourself. The company that provides the service is responsible for updates and operations of the server. In return, you pay a monthly or quarterly subscription fee. It’s an extremely convenient solution that allows to set up an online store without having any technical expertise.
- In the case of OpenSource, installation can also be relatively easy - just use the application installer mentioned above. However, you’re responsible for updating the script or making modifications. Of course, you can have it done by a specialist.
Check out our article: SSL certificate installation - the most common errors
If you decide to open a store, you’ll definitely have much more work than in the case of a business card website. Among other things, you need to select payment methods or make agreements with courier companies responsible for delivering your goods. You should also work out the order process and adjust the store to the users to maximize the chances of conversion.
Moving your business online - what marketing activities to perform?
- Social media - activities on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.
- SEO - which stands for Search Engine Optimization and means activities aiming at making sure that the website is in line with all Google guidelines. Thanks to it, you’ll reach high positions in the search results.
- SEM - standing for Search Engine Marketing. This means sponsored Google Ads in the search engine.
- Display Ads - this point is mainly about using the Google Advertising network that reaches more than 90% of Internet users.
- Video marketing - why don’t you create a YouTube channel?
- Email marketing - create a newsletter or send ads to users who have consented to it.
- Content marketing - it’s a set of marketing activities revolving around the creation of valuable content. Content marketing helps to increase website visibility, supports relationships with recipients, and improves conversion. To learn more, go to our blog entry: Content marketing from the outset - what to keep in mind when creating content?
- Influencer marketing - meaning cooperation with opinion leaders. These activities are based on the recognition and position of a given person such as a popular blogger or a social media user with a lot of followers.
- Google My Business listing - create the abovementioned Google My Business profile. If you optimize your listing properly, you’ve great chances for attracting new recipients. Reaching high positions in local search results, especially in the case of competitive industries, is quite a complex issue. Customer reviews, your offer’s content optimization, and NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) cards are some of the most relevant elements. In the case of local businesses, they may be the most abundant source of clients.
- Facebook Ads - this solution allows you to reach a very specific group of recipients. You can determine many elements such as the location of users the ad is displayed to. Another way to attract people potentially interested in your offer is to set up a Facebook fan page.
- Google Ads - you can advertise your business on Google and the offer can be shown only to users who live in designated areas. This is another effective way to reach local customers.
