You had this innovative idea and finally decided it was time to put it into action. Good for you. It is an exciting time, but it’s also a make it or break it time. There are some things that you must be focusing on in order for your start-up to be successful.
1) Find your target online audience
Sit down and think about who your target audience is. If it is people, rather than businesses (B2C: business-to-consumer), consider age, gender, marital status, socioeconomic status. If it is businesses that you’re targeting (B2B: business-to-business) think about industry, size, location, and price sensitivity. Mold your product to your target audience. It is easier to plan ahead and create your product and business based off of your target audience rather than after your business has been unsuccessful. However, making changes along the way is always necessary.
2) Content. Content. Content.
Everyone has heard of the overused saying “content is king.” Create consistent, superior content and post it on your site. This is vital to an online business. 70% of people say that content marketing makes them “feel closer” to the sponsoring company and 60% say it makes them feel more positive about the company after reading content. It improves SEO and will increase traffic to your site. Only post interesting content that will make people want to click on it, read it and then learn more about your business. Posting boring content will help no one. High-quality content ensures visitors will return and refer others. About 80% of consumers would rather get company information from a series of articles rather than an advertisement.
3) Invest in a website designer & content management system
You have this cool idea and just need a cool website to go with it. A website is your “make it or break it” these days so go to a company that you can count on. Especially if your website will need a shopping cart feature as well as other e-commerce features, you need to have a reliable, experienced website designer. If you are going to be updating posts and content regularly you should use a content management system. There is no need to rely on a designer to do every update for you; that is what programs like Word Press are for. They make it easy for you do everything yourself once it is set up.
4) Invest in a mobile site or responsive web design
As of January according to the Pew Research center, 58% of American adults have a smartphone and 42% have a tablet. Also, 34% of cell phone users go online mostly using their phones instead of using another device. We are in the age of smart phones and tablets. Soon enough smart watches and smart glasses will be commonplace. According to a study by the International Data Corporation, 80% of smart phone users go on their phone within 15 minutes of waking up. Your website must be easy to use from these devices or people will just go to the next one. In January of this year, mobile devices accounted for 55% of the Internet usage in the U.S. topping Internet usage from desktops for the first time. A mobile site is a great investment. However, a superior investment is a responsive site. Responsive web design is a “one size fits all” approach and works by using media queries that tell the site how big your screen is and then adjust to fit it. Mobile sites will be a waste of money as technology develops, but responsive websites are here to stay. Another option is creating an app for your business! The more convenient it is for someone to get to your site the better it is.
5) Make a plan & follow it
You can never plan too much when you’re starting your business. Talk to others with successful start-ups. Be sure to invest in the right things, things that will make you money, like a website. Don’t just dive in before you know how to swim, plan ahead. Adjust your plan as you learn from your mistakes and successes.
Once you decide it’s time to find a website designer be sure it is a company you can depend on. Consider a responsive site or an app. Motionborg is your one stop IT solution. Visit motionborg.net today or call (954) 441-1049 today for a free quote.
Rebecca Hunter
MOTIONBORG, Inc.
Technology Consultant at MOTIONBORG
With a natural passion for technology, he is always on the search for next great invention to test out and play with. Enjoys sharing his thoughts and knowledge with others through blogging. Helping business owners on how to better utilize technology to their advantage has become the true meaning of success and life.