It’s Monday again and a new week starts. Today we are retaking the topic of how to start an online business. This is the final post of this series. During the first one, we talked about how to define an online business and during the second one, we talked about how to create the platform of an online business.

Once our business is up and running, what else do we have to do to make a success out of it? Stay with me, this is probably the most important part!

5. Be the expert that everyone wants to work with – working on your reputation

This isn’t something that you’ll achieve from the very beginning. The key is to work towards this aim, day after day.

You have to build a community that trusts you and loves what you do. And what do you have to do to build this community? I would like to share my experience.

When I started blogging for Circa Lingua back in July 2014 (time flies, eh?) I don’t even know the purpose of this blog. I talked about logos because I was working on my logo during June 2014 and I thought that everything I learned about that topic could be useful for the rest of my colleagues. And this is what happened during the very first month, when my blog was born:

From 0 to 525 visits. It may not seem a lot, but it was enough for me to realize that the content of my blog reached 155 people out there, people that were interested in what I was doing. And I thought to myself, I can’t stop now… I can’t let these 155 people down. They trust me, they like what I write and my pieces of advice. That’s why I keep on writing during the following month. And then, this happened:

 

In only one month, these 155 people turn into 239. Taking into account that back then I had two part-time jobs and my online business, for me, this was great. 239 people that stopped by my website to read what I was writing. And that’s what keeps me writing day after day.

I wasn’t thinking about earning money or get subscribers for my newsletter, I was just thinking: “how can I help those people that care about Circa Lingua?” For me, they were the most important aspect of my business, and they still are, and they will be. Because this little (but so big at the same time) community that I have managed to build over the years is the essence of my business. And that’s why I will always try (at least try) to offer them the best content and services.

So my humble piece of advice here is: “Be yourself and care about people that care about you and your business. Don’t just sell products, but think how to add value to your audience.”

• Be active. Talk to people and ask them about their needs, what they expect from you and your business. Take their opinion into consideration. Help them.
• Over the years, you will gain experience and will become an expert on what you do. Make the most out of this expertise and develop your business. Your audience will appreciate it.
• Don’t try to make the big step from the very beginning. Most of the times, it won’t work like that. Take small steps and split main objectives into smalls ones that will lead you to your goal.

6. Make it personal and follow-up

One of the most common complains within the business world is the fact that clients are mere numbers or a voice behind a telephone.

At this point and if you have been following this series of posts, you will have realised that clients are real people with real needs. And we should treat them like that.

You can do it in different ways, but what it works the best for me is my newsletter. Through my newsletter, I ask my audience about their progresses and what I do to improve my content and services for them. I think it’s the best way to go a step beyond and make it even more personal with your audience.

I already talked about it in this post. The key is to make each of your reader feel that is unique.

7. Work on your post-purchase phase

The first sale is the most difficult one. People still don’t know if your product or service is worth it, so they tend to be cautious in first place. However, once you get that first sale, your business will start generating income.

However, is that it? A potential client contacts us, you sell your services, and it’s done. Does it really work like that?

It shouldn’t. If your client is happy with your services, why does your relation end after the first sale? Most business people care too much about this first sale and forget to work on a post-purchase phase that adds value.

Happy clients are a very valuable asset for our business. They’re already aware of the impact that our services have and will be willing to keep buying from us. However, they’re not going to do it, if we don’t act and do something to get that second sale.

That’s why it’s so important to work on the post-purchase phase. What can we do?

• We can offer new products or services related to that first sale and that add value to it. For example, in my case, I offer copywriting services. They add value to my marketing translation services. So clients that already hired me for a translation specialised in marketing could be interested in my copywriting services. What technique do you use? Share it with me and add a comment below telling me your secret!
• Offer deals and coupons. You can offer different deals to your loyal clients through your newsletter. If you know that they are interested in a specific product, they will be likely to hire you again. That’s a good way to regard loyalty among your audience.
• Invest in your training to offer new services that are of interested for your audience. That’s what I’m working on right now. (Can’t wait to show you my new project!)

I hope you have enjoyed this series of blog posts. These are steps that work the best for me and I really hope that they work for you as well. I know this can be a bit overwhelming, (believe me, I’ve been there!) but if you devote your time to implement them, it will be worth it at the end of the day.

I’d love to know if you’re going through the steps and if you’re noticing any changes in your business. Please, leave a comment explaining your experience or telling me what you thing about this series!

 

Follow me on:

Feedly | Newsletter | Feed | Facebook | Twitter