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Starting an online business is an exciting step in anyone’s life, however, there are certain things that have to be taken into consideration before you can just jump in and get started – as tempting as it may be, so in this post I’m going to share with you some of the things that you should consider when starting an online business so that it can hopefully be an easier step for you.
What are Your Expectations?
Having reasonable expectations from the start will ensure that you don’t get discouraged and quit when things get tough – cause trust me, they will. Realise that you are going to have to put in considerable effort in the beginning with possibly little to no gain while you are in the building phase.
I have started so many new businesses that although I have big goals for each of them, I am aware of the reality and that it might take a long time to achieve them. Make sure to have a plan in place that will allow you to change directions or reset if things aren’t going as planned and try to be patient.
What Your Niche is Going to Be
The first thing you’ll want to consider is what your niche is going to be. Your niche is simply the area of specialization that you focus on, so this could be, for example, things like if you’re a copywriter focusing on writing only for clients in a specific industry or type of copy.
It basically allows you to put yourself forward to potential clients as a specialist instead of a generalist and give them more confidence in your skill set to be able to work with you and your business if you know about the industry, product, or service that you’re focusing on.
Your Branding
Branding is something that’s very misunderstood, as everyone mainly thinks that it only has to do with things like your logo and your website, and although these things are very important from a visual standpoint to remain consistent they are not the only thing that branding is about.
Branding is basically about how people perceive you, so as well as keeping your message consistent through a clear brand strategy it’s also in part about the visual aspect that works together with the brand perception that people have of you.
You can find more information on simple tips to keep your brand consistent from both a visual standpoint and strategic standpoint through places like https://www.templafy.com/font-distribution-and-management/.
What Services You’re Going to Offer
If you’re running a service based business, then a big part of this is figuring out what services you’re going to be offering to your clients, for example if you’re running a copywriting business you may focus on offering things like website copy or you may even focus on marketing and sales materials.
There are different ways that you can go about identifying the services that you want to offer, but the main point is that you get clear on these, so that you’re not promoting different things at the same time and confusing your potential clients with different offers.
Having a clear path and plan will get you moving in the right direction faster and will make sure that your clients have a good understanding of what you do and how you do it. This creates trust and building relationships is HUGE.
What your Positioning Will Be
When it comes to running a business, your positioning is very important and is something that should be figured out from the beginning.
Your positioning basically sets the stage for the types of clients you’re going to be working with, and how you market to them. For example, is your brand going to be more of a Walmart type brand where you offer products and services at varying price points and caters to a more general market? Or are you going to be exclusive and high-end such as Prada?
You can also be somewhere in the middle, but it’s really important that you figure this out, because this will form your complete Brand and marketing messaging and it doesn’t make sense to be marketing to high-end clients if you’re going to be selling low end products or vice versa.
Are You Ready to Start Your Own Online Business?
If you are, it can be a really exciting and scary time! But if you have thought out all of these things, you will definitely set yourself up for success from the start.
I definitely think before getting started you need to know who your ideal customer is, which speaks to your ‘know your niche’ point. Knowing who you want to attract to your business, and being super-specific is the best way to create specific, targeted content that your ideal customer will love and value. Thanks for this!
Absolutely Leslie!! Its pretty difficult to have a solid business plan be successful if you don’t know who you are marketing to! 🙂
We are starting an online business. Who knew I’d be able to relate handyman stuff to online. It’s a little overwhelming but I’m excited. Great article.
That’s so awesome!! Congrats! In this day and age, anything can happen. 🙂
love all the information. You always have good information and I love reading your posts.
Thank you, Nadia! I’m happy that you found the information helpful!
These are great tips and much needed for beginners. Wish I had these when O first started LOL. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I’m glad you thought these would be helpful tips – and you are so right! I wish I had them too! 🙂
Great advice as usual, Sasha! I’m really having to backtrack and put some of these things into place for my blog. It started out as a hobby so I hadn’t really thought about running it as a business.
Thank you, Erin! It’s always good to go back and re-evaluate every once in a while. Especially if your original plan has changed.
many great tips, thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them!
Love this!
I know it seems obvious, but I’ve seen tons of clients skip the step of…knowing how you’ll make money!
You hit on it when you talk about what services you’ll provide. Tying those services back to your target market and figuring out how you’ll get those potential customers to actually buy from you is a place I’ve seen many folks get stuck.
YESSSSS! So true, Maggie! There are so many steps that often get overlooked… but knowing how you can directly help your target market is crucial to growing your business.
These are great tips. I went into blogging as a hobby, but now working on monetizing. So, I am having to backtrack some. This is helpful information for my current goals.
How exciting for you Jenny!! That’s awesome!
Thank you!! you make me go back and look at my blog with every post you write. Great tips!!!
Thanks, Laura! I learn something new EVERY DAY, so you’re not alone!! 🙂
Interesting read, really helpful tips. I believe one needs to keep a clear picture of everything, better to have software solutions such as AltheaSuite provides to match your needs. nonetheless, you should read out this article talking about online businesses, hope it helps you out; https://www.altheasuite.com/2022/05/13/4-tips-for-running-a-successful-online-business/