How we can setup our business online?

Hey! We’re going to look at the first step to going digital: staking your claim online.

You’ve got lots of options for building a digital presence, including things like local listings, websites, mobile apps and social media. If you get these basics right, it could make a world of difference. These days, it’s easy for anyone to make a home online. But while a website might be the first thing that comes to mind, you don’t necessarily need to start there. Let’s say you’re a hairdresser, for example. Your first step to finding customers online, and being found online, might be to list your shop in local online directories like Google My Business. Then, when someone searches Google for hairdressers in your area, you’ll appear in the results — no website required! You could also start a Facebook page to give potential customers a glimpse into your business and what you can do, like photos or videos of some happy customers with great hairstyles that you’ve created. If this is all a bit much, don’t worry. We’ve got loads of videos here to help you explore social media in more detail.

There’s a lot you can do without a website, but at some point, you might want to build a home of your own on the web, a one-stop-shop where your customers can find everything they need to know about you online. Great, let’s get going! The most important thing to think about as you start to plan your site is what you want people to do there. For example, do you want them to ring you? If so, include your phone number prominently on every page. Perhaps you want them to find your physical shop? Well, include a map and driving directions. Maybe you want them to make appointments online? That’s a feature you can build in. Or, lastly, you might want them to actually buy products from you online, by placing an order or submitting a payment. That’s called e-commerce, and there are a range of options — from simple to more complex — that we’ll discuss in more detail in other videos.

Websites aren’t the only online homes anymore. These days many businesses create mobile apps for customers which they can keep on their smartphones or tablets.
Apps open up all kinds of digital doors — for example, you can create loyalty programmes or automatically send reminders about upcoming appointments.

Right, to be clear: If you want people to find you on the web, you need to stake your claim online.
That can be a listing in a local business directory, a presence on social media sites, a simple website or one with e-commerce, a mobile app — or all of the above.
Whatever you choose, this is the place where people find you, get to know you, and hopefully become your customers.

By now, you know how important it is to figure out what you want to get out of digital, how to establish your online presence, and start using digital marketing to drive people to your digital home.

But it’s also important to make sure that your digital plan is geared toward the long haul. Let’s go over a few ways to do that: setting realistic expectations, tracking your results and adapting to changes in technology and your industry. The first thing to remember: don’t expect too much too soon. It can take a bit of time to set up your digital presence and get noticed online.

So if you’re a hairdresser launching your very first website, your online shampoo sales probably aren’t going to go through the roof straight away.

It takes time for search engines to find you, and for you to implement and improve your digital marketing plan. So, try not to set unrealistic goals you’re unlikely to meet.

A crucial part of any online plan is to measure what you’re doing and make sure it’s working. This is called ‘analytics,’ and it can show you how people are finding your website and what they do when they get there.

We’ve got lots of videos that dive into the details of analytics, but generally, knowing where your online visitors come from can help you figure out which of your marketing campaigns are working and which ones aren’t.

If you know what people do once they’re on your website, it can help you figure out if your investment in digital is working.

For example, in your hair salon, you don’t just want people to find your homepage, you might want them to do lots of things like: watch your clever how-to videos, make appointments, get driving directions to your shop, or actually buy something. Tracking what people do on your site can help you to understand what’s working and what’s not, so you can make changes and continually improve what you’re doing. A final point to mention: it’s important to remember that the online world is constantly changing. New tools, technologies and tactics pop up pretty much daily. So a good plan combines the basic concepts that don’t change that often, with forward-thinking to keep up with the latest and greatest.

Similarly, when things change in your industry, make sure your online world is kept up to date.

Are you offering the latest hot trends in hairstyling? If hair dyes become the next big thing, you can quickly update your adverts to show customers what you can do.

To set yourself up for success online, you need to look before you leap. And don’t stop looking! A good plan will consider three things: first, know your online goals, and set yourself realistic expectations. Next, use analytics to track and measure what you’re doing and how it’s working. And last, always keep up-to-date and adapt to changes in technology and the industry you work in. If your plan tackles all these things and you stay flexible, you’ll be well on your way.