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Post #6: Build a Foundation!


Strategizing is important when going into any battle.

Today we discuss the battle of creating a successful online business, and five of the weapons we have to achieve success.

Credibility: Make posts and do it often. Be transparent in sustainability practices. Encourage the use of word of mouth advertising among employees. Consider utilizing brand ambassadors.

Usability: If you have different services, or sell to different types of customer, tailor the experience to each of them. Do not make them sit and look for what they need, they will not stick around.  Let them choose what is relevant to them and then show them a customized experience.

Visibility:You can’t sell to people who don’t know you exist yet. Use a combination of social media, advertising, email, and SEM to reach your target demographic. Make your presence more than just selling, so they look to you even when not looking to buy.

Sellability: Show customers how the product is going to help them. Show the experience, not the specs.
Sell yourself without selling anything. Give. I personally and very susceptible to this. I have company stickers on my laptop that I take with me everywhere, not even because I like the company, but because I think they look cool. I am a free billboard. I got a free shirt from an online business and I have now told so many people about their message unprompted. Use this

Scalability: A collective combination of all of the above principals. Invest in the rest and you increase this as well.

Being as I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with my future, I’m not sure what I’ll be selling or who my target market will be.  One easy distinction is if I will be b2b or b2c. Something B2b will have to be more formal in comparison to a b2c business. Good examples of informality drawing in customers are the Wendy’s twitter, and the Mint mobile fox. These market particularly well to people in my generation, because it feels like talking to a friend. My generation is also concerned with sustainability in particular. If I was marketing to them I'd want to use something fun and informal (potentially with unprofessional words!), with lots of transparency.  If I was marketing to my Instructor's demographic, I believe maintaining a semi-informal but very respectful stance would be more productive. Something with candid honesty, but never with anything vulgar or potentially rude.  Researching is the first and last step to being successful here.

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