“How to start an online business” should be a subject to be studied since high school in Brazil. This would help our country to form more entrepreneurs, which would certainly give us more autonomy to prosper.
However, in the meantime, you can count on e-Plus to help you with some processes. In this article, for example, you will find out about 7 supports that you can use to sell products and/or services from the internet. Keep reading!
Access and read the post " E-commerce MEI " as well. This way, you can find out if opening a small business is worthwhile to avoid unemployment.
HOW TO START AN ONLINE BUSINESS?
The first thing you need to do to start an online business is find out about the niche you want to work in.
And, more than that, you need to know the main strategies of entrepreneurship.
I recommend that you read books and internet articles on these topics.
Once this is done, there are basically two ways to proceed, they are:
1 – Starting from scratch:
Develop a business plan or start a business using the " Startup " method. Create a name for your company, design a logo, and establish an organizational culture. Formally register your company. Then, use a corporate website or online store to sell online.
2 - Via integration:
If you already have a physical establishment such as a market or store with an open company, then you can skip the entrepreneurship phase. Basically, it will only be necessary to integrate your physical store with an online store, a fanpage or other type of online sales support.
Access and read our post “ Articles about e-commerce ” as well. Discover how and where to learn more about the e-commerce sector.
7 SUPPORTS TO MAKE SALES ONLINE
Whether you started from scratch and opened a company or you already have a physical store and now want to make sales via the internet, you can use one or more of these supports (click on the titles to read more in-depth content):
1 - Landing page:
A landing page is a page that brings together sales arguments developed using persuasion and neuromarketing techniques.
These arguments, in turn, are interspersed with “Buy” buttons that, once clicked, lead consumers to a closing-payment page.
Generally, a landing page is used to sell infoproducts like e-books and online courses, for example.
2 - corporate website:
A corporate website has several pages that serve to present a company and also what it sells.
Among the main pages of a website are:
- Home: website overview
- About: company presentation
- Services: service show
- Products: product show
- Cases: customer show
- Testimonials: customer reviews
- Contact: telephones, e-mail and addresses
Most corporate websites do not have “Buy” buttons. Therefore, consumers cannot complete a purchase via self-service. In other words, consumers need to call the company to negotiate and place an order.
3 - Blog:
A blog is a system of content pages.
Each of these pages has a different title and is called a post.
The content of a post can introduce a product or service, teach how to perform a procedure, or inform an event, among other things.
From an attached contact page, readers of this type of media can find telephone numbers and other means of communication. In this way, they can order products and services from the blog owner.
In fact, in the online world, many entrepreneurs start with a blog. Only then do they expand the business to a website or a virtual store.
By the way, it's worth mentioning that we have an article here, " How to set up an e-commerce business starting with an e-commerce blog, " which addresses this very concept. Give it a read when you can!
4 - e-commerce franchise:
You become a franchisee of an existing online brand and thus start selling the products and services of that brand in your region via the internet.
In that case, the franchise system can distribute orders to regional sites.
In this way, it is avoided that someone who is in Manaus buys products from a seller of the same brand who is located in São Paulo and vice versa, for example.
Since franchises already have a well-established brand or are in the process of becoming one, you don't need to start from scratch.
In contrast, in this online business model the franchisee usually pays royalties on sales to the franchisor.
5 - fanpages:
A fanpage is a page within a social network such as Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, for example.
You can include your company name and logo on this type of page, and you can even create product pages within them (depending on the social network).
In addition, it is possible to publish posts with relevant information, product and service exhibitions.
And when a consumer wants to make a purchase, they just need to contact you via phone or messenger app.
This is, in short, one of the most rudimentary online sales supports on the internet.
6 - Google My Business:
Google Meu Negócios is a tool that allows you to create a file with data about your company, products and services and present it on the internet.
This form, in turn, is displayed in the results of searches made in the Google search engine.
In addition, it is also presented in searches made on Google Maps.
In addition to the form, Google My Business allows you to create a rudimentary website for your online business for free, among other benefits.
Then, when consumers find your business in search results, they can contact you via phone or email and complete a purchase.
7 - E-business website:
The e-commerce site, also called a virtual store, is undoubtedly the best support for selling products and services online.
It has a product catalog, product pages with “buy” buttons, product search systems, consumer communication interface, shopping cart and multiple means of payment.
All these features are integrated within the virtual store, so that a consumer can perform self-service and complete a purchase alone at any time.
Well, to set up and manage your virtual store you need an e-commerce platform.
Today, VTEX , Linx , Ciashop , and Rakuten are among the best e-commerce platforms on the market.
Access and read the post " E-commerce Brand " as well. Learn about 17 key points to build yours.
HOW TO START AN ONLINE BUSINESS: FINANCING
Every online or offline venture requires start-up capital.
So, you should look for ways to finance yours.
Here I mention two options:
1 – Bootstraps:
You finance everything with your own money.
Use, for example, your savings or what you received or will receive from your employment termination.
2 - Investors:
You convince an institution or someone to invest in your project.
The problem here is that if the deal goes wrong, the investor must be compensated.
On the other hand, if all goes well, the investor will keep a good part of the profits for him.
Know, however, that most people who open a virtual store in Brazil start with just R$ 1 of investment. It's not a big deal. So I think it's worth trying to even start with a little more than that. And you, what do you think?
Access and read also the post " How to set up an online store for tools and screws ".
