If you are trying to make your online business more successful, there are so many things you can do to ensure this. The truth is that it’s relatively easy to get this right, but you will need to make sure that you are doing all you can to make it work. In this post, we are going to take a look at how you can spread the word about an online business, using both traditional and more modern means. If you can take on board at least some of the following, you should find that this is relatively easy to achieve.
SEO
One of the most effective things you can do in an online business in marketing terms is to use SEO, or search engine optimization, to increase your online visibility. This is really a number of different methods and techniques for improving your website’s ranking, and it’s something that you are going to find really effective for making your website considerably more likely to bring in customers. You can also use it to more readily and reliably convert people to actual sales, which is of course the whole goal here.
Traditional Offline Marketing
There are also lots of traditional offline methods of marketing that you can use to spread the word about an online business – you certainly don’t have to stick to the internet when it comes to marketing the business. For instance, you can take out ads in newspaper and local magazines, or on the local radio and TV. Whatever you do, make sure that you are aiming to be visible to those people you think will actually be likely to be customers. This is targeted advertising, and it has worked for decades and decades for a lot of different businesses. It could work for yours.
Word Of Mouth
Another quite traditional method is simple word of mouth. This is something that you probably find yourself doing without thinking about it anyway, and it’s likely that you are going to find yourself able to make this work pretty easily. Word of mouth is best if you have some way of cementing it in people’s minds, so that they remember you and what you have said. A good way of doing that is to hand them a business card at the end of the meeting. Again, it’s a traditional and highly effective means of getting the word out there.
Email Newsletters
A more modern method that you may want to try too is to use email newsletters. With these, you are generally able to generate a lot of interest and you should find that you can effectively get to a place where you are actually bringing in quite a lot of new customers. Make sure that you have a good email list and that you are sending out regular, informative emails to them. With this, you should find that it can work pretty effectively all in all.
Things can often seem that bit more complex when you’re self employed, including moving home. Whereas you would normally choose to book time off of work as holiday, you’ll have to sort out your own clients and work around your schedule. You’ll need to leave more time to plan ahead and inform your clients as much in advance as possible. You will want to get the move done as quickly and efficiently as you can and need to be organised with your belongings so you can get back to work as soon as possible. In this article we’ve put together some top tips for moving home when you’re self employed.
Get professional help with moving to make it as efficient as possible
One of the first things you need to consider is to make your move as efficient as possible. This means you can get it all done in one day and get back to work and make money without delay. It’s a good idea to choose a removal company who can help you pack up your belongings in an organised fashion, move it and unpack it when you arrive at your new home. This means you don’t need the additional stress of moving alongside thinking about all your work you need to do and consider.
Organise your work ahead of time
A key element to being self employed (as you will know) is being organised ahead of time. You want to inform your clients as far in advance as possible that you’ll be taking the day off and will be unable to take calls or reply to emails on that day and the ones leading up to it or after it too. By being organised you don’t need to be stressing all day about your inbox piling up. Ensure you update your business information on your website and let your clients and business partners know your new address if it’s something they will need to know.
Ensure you know where to find all your important documents and items for work
Once you’ve moved, the last thing you want is to be searching for all your work items when you need to get back to it. Realistically, you won’t unpack everything at once, so having your work items in an easy to find spot means you won’t be stressed when it comes to working again. If your home is going to be a work in progress, it might be worth looking for a co-working space that you can rent out or working from a temporary desk somewhere until you’ve set up your home office space again.
These are just a few top tips for moving home when you’re self-employed. Moving house can be a stressful time anyway, but coupling this with being your own boss can make it even more of a challenge. What are some top tips you have for moving home when you’re self-employed? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you.
Impressing customers should be a high priority goal in your small business. After all, the more you can do for them, the more they’re going to do for you. Free word of mouth advertising, bringing in repeat custom, leaving helpful and positive reviews for other potential customers to benefit from – it all adds up in the end!
That’s why you should continually strive to improve your business in areas regarding customer experience. It’s not enough to just be professional; you’ve got to prove you’re the best business for their purposes, up to and after they’ve gone through the checkout. As such, here are the elements that matter when you’re thinking about refining the service you offer.
Where They Can Find You
The bigger your online presence, the easier you’re going to be to find. Potential customers and returning customers alike won’t have to go far to see what you’re currently offering, or to find contact details to get straight in touch with you.
Make sure this element is signposted well on your website; have your phone number or email address plainly available for all to see, and include a link to your social media profiles for easy access there too.
As the online world gets bigger, try to match this in your own respective size. For example, more and more businesses are using TikTok to bring attention their way, which was unheard of two to three years ago. Match this style and try new things in your marketing to help a customer make their way over without even needing to try.
The Usability of Your Website
Quality web design really speaks for itself. This is something you should invest in from day one, no matter the size of your budget. When someone has a smooth online experience, that’s what they’re going to expect from every facet of your company here on out. That’s a good impression, and one that’s going to make you a lot of money!
Routinely test your website to ensure customers are landing where they need to and getting the information they need from you. It’s not just about pushing products in their face, no matter how sales driven you really are. You want them to feel like spending time surfing through all your pages, and a clear understanding of UI and brand expectations will help you to create a website that feels good to use.
How You Treat Returning Customers
Do you recognise the loyalty in your current customer base? When you start recognising someone’s name on the delivery label, or you’ve taken to chatting to someone because they walk into your store multiple times a week, you should do something to reward them.
The way you treat returning customers is very important in the current shopping generation. More and more of them have little to no brand loyalty and simply shop wherever is cheapest to do so!
So when you do get someone who comes back time and time again, hand out something to make their efforts worth it. A loyalty card that provides a proper discount, or an exclusive membership card that means they can get something free every time they shop with you. The more you reward this kind of behaviour, the more your generosity is going to market your shop for you.
The Way Your Employees Act
Your employees are representatives of your business. When they’re on the job, they need to act in the exact way you want them to, give or take a bit of wiggle room. After all, the customer isn’t right every single time!
But outside of these boundaries, how can you ensure that your employees give back to the patrons that have made you a success? It’s all about the training you provide.
Acting in customer interests, being able to service the checkout with little issue, and making sure to handle customer disputes effectively are three things every employee should know how to do. If they’re the only one on shift, you want to be sure you can trust them to see the sales process through to the end.
What You Do Differently
What makes you different from the company a street over that offers the exact same service as you? This is the number one question to define your customer experience by. Why should people come to you and not them? If you don’t know how to answer that question, they never will either!
So, what makes you the better business to come to? This is where your customer experience efforts should answer. You’re simply the better place to be because you do more, and the journey from initial interest to buying a product is smooth and delightful. A customer knows when they’ve ‘got it good’, so don’t be the business that lets them down.
How You Resolve Issues
When a customer comes to you with a complaint, whether they want to return a product or let you know about an employee’s bad behaviour, how do you respond to them? What action do you take that proves you take these problems seriously, and know how to investigate?
This is the biggest element of customer service to invest in for the future. When you take the time to make amends, and hand out discipline when it’s truly deserved, you’re going to be recognised for your customer service efforts.
What to Remember About the Sales Journey
Your customers need to have the best time when they’re shopping with your business. That’s going to mean something a little different to everyone who visits your website or walks through your door, but you can still tailor your services to suit the general populace at large.
To start with, think about your accessibility, your value of loyalty, and the way your staff have been trained. These are the top three elements that make a difference to your customer service, and it’s going to be very clear in resulting reviews if you don’t make an effort for them!
