How To Build An Online Business From Nothing
It's a great dream, and one I've had myself. But it's not that easy. There are probably millions of online entrepreneurs attempting to do this as we speak. But what makes some of them successful? How come some fail, while others succeed?
If you're in digital marketing, there is a massive opportunity for you to find a problem you can get paid to solve for other people.
Here are some tips that have worked for me, and also things I learned from the many experts and gurus out there. I should point out that this is geared towards online-only service based businesses like marketers, consultants, coaches, writers, designers, etc. You know, people who don't want to leave the comfort of their own home and work in their PJ's.
Pick Something You're Passionate About.
Don't start chasing something just because you think it will be easy or fast money. You will not achieve long-term success doing something you don't enjoy. When you're running your own business, you need to be dedicated and driven. That drive will quickly dissipate when it's work you hate doing, or just aren't good at. Don't try to become a social media manager if you hate Facebook.
Don't Get Overwhelmed With All The Knowledge.
Information overload is a real problem for entrepreneurs. There are thousands of self-proclaimed experts selling courses that will make YOU rich, for only $499. Don't fall victim to all the sales and big promises. Once you've decided what your focus, niche or speciality will be, stick to it. Sure, you may want to invest in a course or two. But don't go crazy and waste your money. Never purchase a second course until you've completed the first one. There will always be another sale. Do your research to make sure this expert really is an expert, and ignore the pushy sales tactics. I'll say it again: there will always be another expert with another great sale.
Create An Online Presence.
You will need to develop a website, and should probably start blogging and creating a social media strategy. These are not easy tasks, but they can be done at a very small cost if you are willing to invest the time. You can build a website for free, and only pay for your domain, hosting and email. You can create and manage all your social media accounts, and host your blog on your new website. You can use free programs to create nice images for your social media. This is where you need to invest the time figuring out who your target customer is, and creating content that group of people would be interested in. In order to get people reading your blog and sharing your social posts, it needs to be valuable information they want.
Look For Exposure In The Right Places.
Once you exist online, you are ready to start getting exposure. You need to find opportunities to present yourself as an authority and industry expert. You can achieve this through guest blog posting for other people, submitting articles to larger publications, and being interviewed on podcasts. It's not easy to get the ball rolling with this, but you just need to start. Compile lists of people you can reach out to and offer your contribution. You might get lots of rejection, but that's fine. Eventually people will start saying yes and you'll get somewhere. The first one is always the hardest. This also reiterates the importance of picking a business that you're passionate about. You really need to know your stuff and be dedicated in order to have the resilience to get this far.
Another way to position yourself as an industry expert is to seek out LinkedIn and Facebook groups that are filled with like-minded people, but also potential customers. Join these targeted groups and start bringing value. Never promote yourself, but start contributing by answering questions, and even posing questions to start conversations. Use the opportunity to help people and provide solutions, while simultaneously building a solid reputation as the resident expert.
Map Out Your Revenue Plan.
How are you going to make money doing this? This is a very important part. You've got the idea, you've got the knowledge, you've got a website and few interviews under your belt. Now what? It's time to prepare some kind of structure and plan to start making money. This is something that will undoubtedly change over time, but you need to start with something. If you're a website designer, put together some packages you can sell. If you're a social media manager, develop your solutions. Create clear-cut packages and articulate what people are paying for, and what benefits they can expect to experience.
Start Getting People To Pay You.
Now is the time where you do a small test and see if you can find anyone willing to pay for your service. It's kind of like a beta, only don't do it for free -- you can offer them a discount, or throw in some extra stuff to sweeten the pot. The main thing is that you want to make sure there are people willing to pay you for your service. They're getting a smoking deal, knowing that they're a guinea pig and will happily provide you with some constructive criticism. Look everywhere for these people -- hit up your friends, family, old colleagues and classmates, and even test the waters through social media. You will find people, you just need to keep looking.
Make Some Changes.
Now that you have some actual sales and customer testimonials (or complaints!) it's time to refine your plan. Refine what you're offering, what you're charging, etc. Get things finalized to the best of your ability and get ready to move forward.
It's Go Time.
You are officially ready to launch. You may have thought you launched when your website went live, or when you had your first paying customer. It's important to hold off on this until you're really, really ready. You want to have an established online presence, some media exposure that will solidify what people are hearing, and a tested and tweaked service offering.
So hopefully you're thinking -- well that's great, but how do I have a successful launch?
Now that you have a solid foundation under you, you can actually have a launch for your online business. When I think of a traditional business launch, it's always a brick and mortar retail location with cake, balloons and an ad in the newspaper. For an online business, your most important asset will be the people who have already given you their time and attention.
My suggestion is simple: create a blog post that is similar to a press release, announcing your big launch. Reach out to all the people from your initial exposure list, to let them know about your launch. Even though most of them ignored you the first time, repetition is key and you might get lucky. Reach out to anyone who did give you exposure individually. Thank them for their time, and let them know about your launch. You might even want to get crazy and do same Facebook or Twitter advertising. Pick a date and make it seem larger than life. Then, carry on -- it's business as usual!
What else can you suggest for a successful online business launch?
Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
SteveBrowneDirect
---> Every Family Needs To See This!