Actionable Steps To Setting Up Your Business Online
In 2019, it's important to have an online presence for your brand. It's a great way to increase reach and growth, while positioning yourself for the latest business trends. Although, we know the idea of getting started online can be daunting for so many. From websites, to coding, social media, advertising, and more, where should you start? And how do you know what aspects are important for your brand - and which ones you can forgo?
Read on for our five actionable steps to get you set up and prospering in the digital world.
Online Business Plan
The first step when setting up your business online is to create a digital business plan. This will help ensure you have the resources required to meet your goals.
First things first, where you you see your brand online? Let's get started.
Creating a website doesn't have to be intimidating. At HEXONET, we have multiple website builders you can connect to through our web apps section. These website builders help take the burden of coding away, providing simple drag and drop features to create unique and impressive websites. Easily add a shopping cart option, feature explanations, blog posts, and anything else that you feel best tells your brand story.
A newsletter is a great way to keep your returning visitor percentage high. It might be a feature you choose to implement early on to help boost website visits and potential conversions.
Hiring an SEO (search engine optimization) expert could be a potential early step in your business planning, if you don't already have this skillset. An SEO expert can help with copywriting suggestions that will drive results in Google's search engine, helping you reach that coveted first place position for your business.
How large of a social media presence do you see for your brand? Research your competitors and see what platforms they put their focus on and where/when they perform best. Maybe you want to spread your efforts throughout Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, or maybe your brand performs best on Instagram because of its visual aspects. Whichever direction you choose, make sure that social media is part of the early planning process, it's an easy way to grow your online presence.
Register Your Domain Name
By now, you should have your company name chosen and ready to use online. Type in your company name, or keywords, into HEXONET's advanced domain search platform for instant results that help find the perfect domain name for you. If you don't have a name yet, then use our search platform to help brainstorm ideas!
Get creative. Using a new domain extension or a country-code extension, is a great way to show you're a forward-thinking brand, and makes you appear unique online. One of our favourite extensions for tech-related businesses is .IO. Short, easy to remember, and perfectly related to technology (input/output), this country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an easy choice.
Some tech brands we've seen implementing .IO domains include brainstation.io, a digital skill training school with campuses in Vancouver, Toronto and New York, as well as techexit.io, a conference educating technology entrepreneurs and investors on potential acquisitions, mergers, and exits.
When choosing a domain name, don't forget to add on features that help protect your website, such as an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate protects you, and your website visitors, by encrypting the data on your site - making it safe to share personal information such as passwords, banking information and credit card details. An SSL certificate makes your website more secure.
Register Your Social Media Handles
Once you select which networks you want to put focus on in your online business plan, it's time to set the plan in motion.
When registering your social media handles, remember that consistency is key. Ideally, you want to keep your social media handles identical to your domain name. HINT: if choosing a new domain extension or a country-code extension, you can use your full URL as the username on many social media websites. For example, @mydomain.io can be used as your Instagram handle, rounding out your brand and staying consistent with wording across all digital channels.
Promote and Advertise
When first creating an online business plan, it's important to include time and money into promoting and advertising your brand online. Social media engagement can be time consuming, and it may be necessary to look at hiring an employee to keep you on track as your budget affords.
Online advertising, while costly, can be beneficial for a brand looking to make their online presence known. Depending on your industry and product, you may choose to invest your budget into social media ads to drive traffic, engagement and sales, or you may choose to go the route of Google ads for a different, more direct-to-sale reach.
Performance
Finally, tracking your performance and the performance of your competitors, may be one of the most important steps when it comes to finding online success. Always be testing and always be evolving to ensure you are getting the largest return on your investment.
Keep up with the latest trends, try out new techniques, and track their performances. Note what your target audience most relates to and provide them with more of that type of content.
All good ideas begin with a domain name. Head over to HEXONET to register your perfect domain. We offer over 730 TLD options, including .IO, to get your online presence started.