
It’s a sad sight, even for us digital marketers, to see the highstreet devastated by Covid. We’ve seen some of the biggest retail and fashion brands disappear in front of our very eyes. We’ve seen Debenhams, New Look and most recently GAP all disappear and go online.
It’s no wonder really that these brands are going to their online model. As of January 2021, there have been 4.66 billion users using the internet!
So with brands as big as these closing their physical doors and opening virtual doors, should your business follow suit and go digital too?
Table of Contents
Considerations when taking your business online
Deciding whether to take your business online requires some consideration.
Whether you’re:
- In a position where you’re looking to close your physical shop to go online
- You want to open an online business to run alongside your shop
- You want to start a new business online
Then here’s what you need to consider:
- Who is your target audience? Will they be capable and comfortable to go online and use a website?
- How will you make money? Will you create an ecommerce website where consumers can buy products or services online?
- How will you market your business online? Going online is one thing, but how will you make sure people find you?
- Do you know where to go or how to advertise to keep loyal customers coming and help new customers to find you?
- Can you operate your online business?
- How will the online business affect your physical store and team?
- If you’re selling a product, how will you distribute to the customer?
If you know that there’s a need for your business online, then knowing where to market and how to advertise your business online can be left to the professionals… *cough* like us *cough*.
How to start an online business if you already have a brand and physical store
Starting an online business requires different steps for different businesses. Starting an online takeaway service requires more steps than starting up say a marketing agency.
However, if you have a physical shop already, then starting your online business would require, well, a website. An ecommerce website if you’re planning to sell products online.
To start a website you will need:
- A domain
- A hosting provider
- Website design & build
- Website content
Today there are many basic website builders you can use to create your own website. But if you have the budget then you will gain much better results working with a professional website designer and builder. Ecommerce websites can be difficult to build, and when dealing with money it’s not something that you want to have issues with.
How do online businesses make money?
Your online business could make money through:
- Online sales – this works if you sells products or services and can allow customers to checkout online.
- Enquiries into your service from customers – they reach out to you, you sell to them.
- Internet based services – today there are all kinds of internet based services, like TJ Creative – we offer website content, SEO and website design services.
- Advertising revenue – online advertisement is booming and if it suits your website, you could work with other brands and feature them on your website for payment.
- Subscriptions – again, depending on your business, maybe you could offer a subscription for customers to signup to online.
- Build an online marketplace – allow people to connect but you as the brand make money. A perfect example of this model is eBay.
Will my online business succeed?
Your online business has every chance of succeeding. It will require patience and hard work, but it has every chance of success. You will need to effectively market your business online through SEO (making your website appear high on Google), social media, paid ads, whatever method would help your business reach your customers.
Would you like some support with going digital?
If you do need support, please get in touch with us!
Got a question for us?
We’re just an email, call, text or social message away!