How to set up a small business online

Once you’ve finished your service, it can often be hard to decide what to do next in your career. You’re probably leaving too early to retire completely, yet you might feel too mature in years to start at the bottom of the career ladder in a new industry.

You might even want more freedom after having to live the strict life of a member of the armed forces.

One of the best options for veterans looking to either earn some money or occupy their time is to set up a small business online. You’ll have the freedom to do what you want in the hours you want. If this sounds like the right path for you, here are some top tips on how to set up your small business online.

Decide what and how you’re going to sell

The two most important things to decide when starting your new business are what to sell and how to sell it. Choose a product that you know a lot about and that a large number of people will be interested in buying.

If you can, try and identify something that makes your products stand out from the rest of the industry.  For example, having high-quality affordable custom sticker labels for your product featuring your business logo.–

Once you’ve got your product, decide whether you want to create your own website to sell your products or use a service like eBay or Etsy. While these services take a fee for any sale, they are easy to set up and can often attract more customers. Once you’ve chosen your platform, make sure you take high-quality images of each image and write a clear description to accompany each item.

Attract more visitors

Once you’ve got a good range of products and a fully functioning way of selling those items, it’s important to attract as many people to that page. If you’ve ever looked for a product online, it’s highly likely that you used a search engine to find a website that sells that product. That’s why the best way to attract more customers is to make sure people can find you on those search engines. You might think your business is too small to employ outside help when it comes to marketing.

If you employ the services of a search marketing agency you could see your business’ profits grow considerably, giving you enough money to pay for any external fees and even leaving you with much more money left over at the end. Companies like clickintelligence.co.uk work with businesses small and big, creating a bespoke plan for each website. This approach increases the likelihood of customers finding your website on search engines when they’re searching for terms related to your products.

Once you’ve completed this process and are able to convert those views into sales, you’ll see your profits increase massively.

Work on encouraging repeat business

Once you’ve found those customers, it’s important to hold onto them. Depending on what you sell, it’s highly likely that those people who have previously bought from you are much more likely to purchase again. During the checkout process, ask any customer whether you can keep their email for marketing purposes. Then target these customers with newsletters advertising your latest offers and even offering them discounts for being a loyal customers.