Today we will review how you can start an online business or move your existing business online. In today’s interconnected world, more and more businesses are operating online everyday. If you are not operating online you are missing out on huge sales potential. This alongside your ability to reach a global market and you can understand why more and more individuals are building a presence online. Today we will explore how to take your first steps to moving online. This article will not discuss the development of social media pages as we will be sure to make a separate article on this.
Create A Website To Get Your Business Online
Fundamentally there are three different methods to create your own business or personal website from scratch.
Let The Professionals Handle It
Before we go into technical jargon (we try to avoid it as best we can) I will say that if any of the below puts you off – you might be best taking a course or just paying a professional to build you a website. This might fit someone that has:
- Money.
- Limited time.
- Not enough knowledge (or willing to learn).
DIY Method – Templates And Website Builders
Gone are the days where you had to be a professional web designer and have knowledge of languages such as HTML and CSS. In the online world that we live in – you can now use online website builders or select from a range of templates for WordPress.
To name a few website builders these include Shopify, Wix and countless builders offered by hosting providers. These platforms are built specifically to make your website building experience as pain free as possible. They provide a user interface that is a simple drag and drop functionality. You can easily arrange elements on a your webpage with the touch of a few buttons. There will often be a large selection of templates that you can use as a starting point to create a website as quickly as possible.
Secondly we motioned WordPress. Not shockingly, this has been included as it powers 39.6% of the internet! We will not go into the detail of how to set up a WordPress website as this article would be far too long. However, what you need to know is that WordPress provides countless themes that you can use as templates for your website. These are very easy to set up as long as you are have a basic understanding of WordPress.
DIY Method – Good Old Fashion Method
If you have the technical knowhow and have made websites from scratch using HTML and CSS then I am sure you know what you are doing. However you may be interested in the use of an existing website that we explore next.
Get Your Business Online Through An Existing Platform
There are many advantages to owning your own website which we will cover in another article. But there are also advantages of using existing platforms that already have direct traffic running through them. Why pay for your own marketing when large companies like Amazon and Esty will do it for you. Now in my opinion, the best strategy is to have presence on your own website and existing platforms. But we will discuss them separately in this article.
There are many existing platforms tailored to existing industries and specific niche markets. You will need to find the platform that best suits your business. In this article we will provide a top level view of two key platforms one that focuses around a product business and one that focuses on services.
Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA) & Merch By Amazon
The first website that springs to mind when engaged shopper are looking for a product – would be Amazon. With the reach and power that Amazon holds as a staple name within modern culture and the massive presence that they have online – you would be foolish not to tap into this key product placement. With 55% of American consumers stating their chosen online store would be Amazon – you can understand why we have chosen this platform as an example.
What is FBA?
So what is Merch By Amazon and FBA? Well this is the name given by Amazon to the services that they provide to businesses and individuals for the complete fulfilment of their products. All you are required to do is post your product images and descriptions on their platform. Once this is done, you will need to send your products to an Amazon fulfilment centre. Of course you will need to get accepted into the FBA platform before hand.
What is Merch By Amazon?
With Merch By Amazon – Amazon take over the responsibility of another element of your business – the manufacturing. With Merch By Amazon, all you need to do is post your product designs and they will do the rest. Amazon will require you to pay for this service once the customer has bought the product. They will print your designs onto different forms of merchandise including many different articles of clothing.
In both cases, Amazon will mange the logistics and fulfilment of your products!
Customer Service Is Key
Now these could be products you have developed or have sourced from elsewhere. No matter where the products are from – you can profit from the difference after Amazon take their fees. Of course you will be required to manage the customer service of your products so ensuring high quality products is key to your success and reputation.
With amazon you will be required to go through an initial screening to get onto their platform. After you have filled in the details they have requested and passed several security checks they will review your application. Hopefully everything goes well and you can start your journey on Amazon!
Get Your Business Online With PeoplePerHour
We could have used several websites here including Fiverr, Freelancer and many other service based marketplaces – we discussed a few of these here. With PeoplePerHour however there are a large range of services that can be listed on the website. All you are required to do is sign up to the platform and start bidding on projects that have been posted within your field. Now I make this sound a lot simpler than it actually is. Bidding on projects can be highly competitive on these platforms. This means that finding your first customer is often hard with limited reviews and presence on the platform.
However once you land the first customer often these platforms will boost you to the top of listings. This will allow you to utilize the marketing that PeoplePerHour are paying for. The more bids you are able to place, the better your chance of winning of course. Just make sure on these platforms you are charging a fair rate. Often people undercharge on these platforms and as a result the effort put into the projects often far outstrips the reward!
Final Thoughts And Next Steps
Whether you are an existing business or someone just starting out – your online strategy should be a key element of your business plan. You will need to include these fundamental elements into your sales strategy and how you will get yourself in front of your customers. Choosing the correct platforms and the development of your website is a key first step in doing this. We will discuss driving traffic to your website in another article. For now take your first steps to building a presence online and getting your products and services in front of your customers.
As always, keep improving the quality of your service, ensure that you are consistent, keep moving forward and never be scared to fail – failure is growth.
Not sure where to start with investing your time and money in assets?
Check out the Invest area of The Long Commute.
Need to free up some extra cash and gain a secure foundation before you start to invest in assets?
Check out the Saving area of The Long Commute.
Need to increase your income and build another stream of income?
Check out the Hustle area of The Long Commute.