How to Start an Online Business in 2019

13th December 2018

Many people daydream of ditching their 9 to 5 career to start their own business; however, few people actually take the steps to make it a reality. If you are tired of your job and believe you have what it takes to run a successful company, a new business could be the new start youre looking for come January.

If you want to ensure your success, keep reading to find out how to start an online business in 2019.

Spot and Fill a Gap in the Market

Don’t make the mistake of looking at products first and your chosen market second. If you want to attract customers in their droves, you will need to spot and fill a gap in the market. The trick is to discover people who are looking for a solution to a problem. For example:

Visit forums to review the types of questions people commonly ask and the problems they need resolving.
Perform keyword research to identify the words and phrases people are looking for, but few sites are catering to.
Analyse your potential competitors’ websites and identify the products or services they are failing to provide to their customers.

The above research could help you to develop a product or service for the market that doesn’t exist yet, or to offer a better-quality product in comparison to your competition.

Write Engaging Web Copy

Engaging copy is one of the most crucial tools in your online company’s arsenal and should direct a visitor from the homepage to the checkout. If you want to convince your visitors to learn about your products and make a purchase, you need to write engaging copy that is clear, informative and persuasive.

When writing content, your goal should be to provoke interest with an eye-catching headline, before describing a problem and detailing how your company can help to solve it. You also must create a sense of urgency using powerful call-to-actions, and you should feature testimonials to backup your claims.

Optimise Your Website for the Search Engines

Of course, it’s useless filling a gap in the market and creating a website if no-one can find your brand online. If you want to increase your presence in the search engines and drive continual traffic to your site, you need to optimise your website for Google. For example, Click Intelligence can handle every aspect of your SEO campaign, as they offer everything from on-page optimisation through to local SEO strategies.

Tap into the Power of Email Marketing

Every online entrepreneur must tap into the power of email marketing, as an opt-in list can become one of your company’s most valuable assets. This is due to the fact your subscribers have granted you permission to regularly send newsletters to their email address.

People who have chosen to opt-in to your newsletter can, therefore, be viewed as a hot lead, which is why you must develop creative email marketing campaigns to convince subscribers to buy from your business. For example, you could provide:

A discount on a product or service
Exclusive voucher codes
A sneak peek at your latest collections
A voucher on their birthday

The more attractive your email newsletters, the higher your open rate, and the bigger your revenue.