Jumpstart Your E-Commerce Business

2 min read

I think it might be safe to say that we are in a pivotal era of trailblazing entrepreneurs, small business owners, and timeless creatives dominating the ecommerce industry.

If you have stumbled across this blog, chances are your creative juices have ignited and you are looking to bring your product or service to an eager market. Lucky for you, there has never been a better time to create your online cookie shop, advertise your homemade jewelry, or launch your personalized fitness programs. Now let’s breakdown the start-up process.

First thing’s first – take a deep breath.

It can be an overwhelming decision to finally dip your toe into the sea of online entrepreneurship. Fortunately, the immediate gratification of the internet and social media marketing has made it an even playing field for everyone to succeed in their own corner of the market. If you are consistent, you will win.

Second step – choosing the product or service you are going to offer.

Biggest advice for this step is following your heart and trusting your gut instinct. What are your interests? What fuels your ambition? What creative outlet sets your soul on fire? Thoughtfully choosing a product or service is essential in your entrepreneurship endeavor. Think: the only way to make people interested in your brand is for YOU to be excited about your brand. Let your product reflect your passion.

 

Next is figuring out your target audience.

This can seem like a trivial task because you may ask yourself “Why can I not market to everyone on the internet?”. Simply put, no one is really your customer if everyone is your customer. Being able to narrow it down to a niche audience, especially in the beginning, allows for valuable relationships and genuine interest to form. The forefront of a successful small business is making your customers feel their business is important, their voices are heard, and their needs are met. Consumers are constantly met with decisions of where to spend their money, and having that initial customer rapport will increase the chance of their continuous business. Think: what attracts you toward purchasing from certain brands over others?

 

OK. So, we have the product and the target audience. Now for the marketing and distribution platform. Ideally, the dynamic duo of a business website (aka your store) and a social media page is recommended to gain optimal traction and brand awareness. A curated website makes the business transaction smooth and professional for all parties involved, while consistently posting content on social media platforms keeps the momentum for consumer interest. Think: no exposure, no interest, no point of sale.

 

In brief, we have established the trifecta of starting an online business. This includes choosing your product or service to put on the market, narrowing down your original target audience, and creating an online store and social media accounts to create interest. In such a fast-paced and short attention-spanned society, these steps are non-negotiables for success in the ecommerce world.

 

Building a business isn’t easy, but the only way to start is to get started!

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