At this point in time, nobody is unfamiliar with the world crisis. The world has gone through unimaginable change and people are still dealing with this ‘new way of life’. The business sector is no exception to this change and reports show a significant increase in the closure of traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. However, all is not lost and instead of dwelling on the uncertainty, you must consider moving your small business online so your business has a fair chance of surviving and thriving in these tough economic times.

With consumers/customers unable to visit their favorite shops or move out in general, having an online business presence is more important than it has ever been. People are still going online in order to buy their favorite products and household items. The current situation has left the consumer with no choice but to adapt, making ‘online shopping’ the new norm. Competitors have locked horns, scrambling to make changes to their businesses so that they can retain and gain customers. Moving your business online can help bridge the gap between you and customers, in turn, generating much-needed revenue to keep your business operations going.

If you’re a businessman/woman, making a transition from a brick-and-mortar business structure or a novice just planning on starting an online business, you will have a bunch of questions in mind, like, how to set up your business online? or how to take a small business/company online? Read further for tips to take small business online

Let’s get down to the basics of Online Business:

How to get your Business Online?

Setting up an online business does not have to be complicated, there are a lot of suggestions and answers to this question, however, the key is to focus on some of the more crucial areas, for example:

Look to the e-commerce giants:

Before going through the technical aspects of setting up a business, let’s go through something that most sites or blogs won’t tell you. If you’re new to the online world of business or if you are a small business owner, it’s a bit unrealistic to expect to take on Amazon or eBay right away. These giant companies have been around for a long time and they have a solid chunk of the online market. The goal is not to beat them but to gain inspiration from their way of accessing and dealing with customers. Take a look at their online network marketing techniques, see how it works, and learn from it. Instead of competing for a share of the market, carve out a niche, or even use the seller programs of established companies to help launch your own website. As far as your lucrative online business is concerned, taking a page out of their book could help in more ways than one. After you do some research you can move on to the next step.

Buying a Domain Name:

Domain name selection is the very first step to moving your business online. For the most part, your domain name and your business name should be the same. To buy a domain, search for the name of your business through any domain buying platform. Some platforms allow you to buy and manage a custom domain. You can also use these domain buying platforms to search for alternative names if your business name is already taken.

Setting up your website:

Once you’ve registered your domain name, the next step is to start building your website. A crucial step in setting up a website is choosing a platform where you’ll be able to host its content. You will have to consider your expectations for selling online before you decide which platform or software is best for your business.

For example, if you offer landscape design services, you should consider starting a blog where you can share ideas or give tips on the subject. This will help establish your business and gain credibility while giving you the opportunity to take bookings online.

But if you plan to sell a product(s) through your website, you’ll need to sign up for an ecommerce platform. There are platforms which are super easy to use and set up. Just create an account on said platform and you can start building your website right away.

When you figure out what you want to achieve with your online business, you can choose the type of platform that fits and brings you closer to your goals.

Develop an Online Maintenance Plan

It's easy to get a little excited when you’re planning on moving your business online. A lot of people set up websites but neglect maintaining them. It's great to have all the interesting features, but being consistent matters as well. There is no logic of making a website that you don’t plan on using or maintaining in the long run. Prices and product/service descriptions will need to be added and updated constantly. Old/outdated information will need to be removed and new information will have to be updated on the site. You must also set up regular intervals for maintenance and website checking or you run the risk of turning away customers with outdated information and broken links.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

You’ve probably heard this term being used a lot nowadays when it comes to doing business online. Although it sounds complicated, it’s fairly straight forward. We live in a digital age where most of our information is gained from social media; why not turn this to your advantage? By using social media, you can significantly improve your business/company. Here are some of the benefits:

Advertise your brand: having a presence on social media makes it easier for customers to find and connect with your business. With the millions of people using social media today, your business/company has an opportunity to reach new audiences. Social media platforms are a great place to tell your brand’s story and help people understand what your business is all about.

Customer insight: A large amount of data is generated by active users on social media. By engaging with your followers, you can learn more about your customers, like where they like to spend their free time, what their interests are, and most importantly, what they think about your business, you can also keep track of competitors. This can help you work on strategies for advertising and messaging.

Customer Service: A social media presence enhances the customer experience; the importance of social media in customer service today, can’t be understated. When they have a query or complaint, a customer appreciates having the option of connecting with the company they do business with.

Sales and Lead generation: Social media can be a highly effective tool for generating leads and processing them through the ‘buying cycle’. With a combination of organic tactics and paid ones, social media marketers can extend their reach and generate more leads. B2B sales teams can use social listening and convert those leads into sales.

Keep it trendy: The possibilities of using social media to your advantage are many. Sharing casual posts about your business on Facebook or Instagram would also make your business seem trendy and keep you in the loop with tech savvy clientele.

Save money on advertising: a key aspect for any business person is to make money and save money. Social media can do that for your business, for example, just $5 or lesser will help you reach 1,000 people on Facebook. When you factor in the cost of engagement, loyalty, brand-building, and so on, the savings just pile up.
Now that you understand the many advantages of social media for a small business, the possibilities are endless.

Configuring Online Payment:

Once you have gone through the other steps mentioned, you must make a decision on how you want to accept payments for your products/services online. For a business to succeed in the long run, it is vital to building trust with your customers. So, try to make the payment process as simple as possible on your site. Most of the businesses add hidden costs on their products/services that are not clearly mentioned on their price list, this could shatter your customer’s trust in your business and there are chances that they would turn to your competition in the future. An easy to use and popular mode of payment is PayPal. Check it out and keep things simple.
Remember to keep things simple. You may be new to the world of online business and your customers may also be new to the world of online shopping, so don’t overwhelm them with complex websites.

Bonus Tip to do Business Online

With your whole business moving online, you may want to move your ‘business accounting system’ online as well, check out the SaasAnt website and go through the list of products. There are products to suit all your accounting needs and would help you make your business more efficient by saving you time and money on hours of manual work. Having software like that would complete the cycle and make your business a true ‘online business’.