So, you’re starting a new business– congratulations! It is an incredibly scary yet exciting thing to decide to be your own boss. We respect you for taking the leap! We are also here to give you some advice on how to set yourself up to be successful right out the gate.
As experts in internet marketing, our team at KEY27 Marketing Oakville is looking forward to helping you thrive in the online space.
As you surely know, your online presence is as important as (if not more important than) your physical brick-and-mortar store. The internet allows you to reach potential customers that you wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. The prerogative then becomes: how do you direct their attention towards your business?
The online space is incredibly competitive, and having an air-tight strategy for your online marketing can really expedite how fast your efforts yield results. Our team has compiled a list of 10 steps we believe will set you on the path to success.
Here are, in short, the 10 steps we encourage you to take as you’re starting your new business:
1. Domain Name
2. Brand Emails
3. Corporate Identity
4. Proper Images
5. Google My Business
6. Social Media
7. Build Your Website
8. Promote
9. Automate
10. Save your access
Let’s get into details:
- Establishing yourself as a legitimate business from the get-go is imperative to building trust with your online audience. The first step in looking legitimate is buying your domain name. (If you are wondering- the domain name is the name of your website, called also an URL.) Buying a domain name is a very easy task. But, buying the right domain name for your business it’s important. Nowadays, is not as much as having keywords in the domain name. Google says they do not favor the URLs with keywords. But, sometimes, the theory and what actually it happens in reality differs. Let us help you making the right choice for your business.
- Another indicator of legitimacy is branding your emails. Sending an email from “info@yourbusiness.com” will always look more professional than yourbusiness@gmail.com. Using Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo is sometimes acceptable, but branding your emails adds an air of professionalism that cannot be achieved with any of the aforementioned domains.
- Having a clear corporate identity is key to the success of all your future marketing efforts. A strong brand identity affords you more ease when figuring out your professional graphics, logo and social media strategy. Make sure to get your original graphic design files from whomever you employ to develop those. And save them for later. There will be so many occasions you’ll need them.
- They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The images you use for your marketing are usually the first thing your clients will see. You want to make sure your images are high quality, and most importantly that you are allowed to use them(copyright). These can be purchased stock images or copyright-free and free-usage images. Save the documents showing the right to use the images. If you are not sure where the images are coming from, ask or just do not use them. Do not risk to be fined hundreds or thousands of dollars because you saved $30.
- Once you have the basics set up, you’ll need a business hub. Google My Business is a great option- it can serve as your jumping-off point from which you can branch out across social media and other websites. You want to make sure you secure your Google My Business account properly- set up 2-factor authentication right from the start to avoid any unnecessary complications. Your Google My Business account (similar the Bing account) will be very helpful to establish your presence in the Local Search. It’s not just about having the account under your control, but using it, too. There are different ways to use this account. You just need a plan and time. If you need help, contact us.
- While there are professionals running their business only through social media and apps, a website has a lot of advantages for businesses/professionals who are having long-terms goals. Technically, it’s very easy for anybody to have a website. BUT, not all the websites are useful and effective in helping the business. Avoid changing platforms and spend more money by choosing wisely. We can help making a decision about a platform and we can help build the website for you.
- Once you’ve caught people’s attention, you need somewhere to direct them in order to convert them into customers. Promote your website. Having a professional website that’s user friendly is imperative to conversion. Optimizing every aspect of your website is a worthwhile investment. Once you have a great website designed and built, it’s time to make your business know online (and offline). This can be done in so many ways that you will really need the help of an internet marketing consultant or an online marketing agency. Using Henry Ford’s words: “Stopping/Not doing advertising to save $ is like stopping your watch to save time.”
- After you’ve established systems that work, automating is the smartest way to make your online storefront work for you. You can automate processes, registrations, data management, etc. In the end, you want to automate as much as possible so you are free to work on other areas of your business. Automating processes it’s a blessing! Requires some thinking and planning and tools, but once done right and in place it will save a LOT of time and … headaches! Ask us how it can be done.
- How many times did you try to remember passwords and usernames and emails you used for different accounts? IT’s a MUST to have a secure place where you can save ALL your ONLINE accounts info! Yes, there is ‘Retrieve your password’ function, but the process it’s not always smooth and user-friendly. Why go through these emotions when with some planning, you can avoid un-pleasantries. SAVE ALL IMPORTANT INFO!
