How to Move Your Business Online?
Having a successful, physical shop or office away from home from which to operate your business is the ultimate dream for many entrepreneurs. You start the entrepreneurial journey with an idea of what your shop will look like, where the cash register will be. You know what your office will look like, what chair you want to sit in and how wonderful it will feel to get in the car and go to the office. Putting your business online may have crossed your mind and is even part of your plan. Not having an online presence may cost you dearly.
In our modern-day and age, it should be a massive part of your business plan from the start. If you have a well-established business that has been doing well without a truly active online presence you should not be resting on your haunches. Recent events, specifically the COVID19 pandemic, proves that having an online presence through which you can continue to get your message out and continue to do business is necessary. No business owner can afford not to move their business online. With modern online platforms and having to choose if you will focus on professional photos or business video makers, it may seem like a daunting task.
So many platforms!
When moving your business online don’t try to be all things to all people all the time. Start with the basics of what your business needs and expand your online presence from there. If you need to truly engage with your customers, have a conversation, consider a platform like Facebook where messaging and text are important. If you need to get the visuals of your business out there, why not focus on Instagram – you can share your images and still have some written/messaging interaction with your followers.
One thing that you should probably not just consider but rather take action on as soon as possible is a website. Your website can communicate your message and tell you followers, customers, or clients everything they need to and want to know all in one place. It can combine the best of Facebook with the best of Instagram and so much more. If you need to sell a product you will also have to add an e-commerce option to your website. There are various options to chose from and it doesn’t have to be a difficult process.
I have my platform(s), now what?
Once you have decided what platforms to use it is vital to keep those platforms updated. If you have a Facebook, page be sure to reply to messages quickly; interact and post regularly. If you have a website, keep the content correct and relevant at all times.
Being online and not being visible or not connecting to your audience can be just as damaging as not being online at all. Marketing gurus used to say that a message needed to be seen/heard seven times to get a customer to take action. Modern social media changes this idea a fair bit as it changed how we connect with customers and making an emotional connection is important. It will place you a step ahead of your competition. One great way to make this emotional connection is through a promotional video. Making one can seem difficult but there is an excellent online business video maker available to help you easily create content for all the platforms you engage in and effectively connect with your customers.
