A lot of people want to start their own business, but most don’t know where to begin. Starting your own business online using your skills ...
A lot of people want to start their own business, but most don’t know where to begin. Starting your own business online using your skills takes a lot of time and effort, but if you have the right strategies in place it can be very rewarding to pursue. If you don’t know how to start a service business online using your skills, take a look at these eight helpful tips that will get you started on the right foot!
1) Decide on the Type of Service
When starting a service business online, deciding on your type of service is an important step. There are many options out there, but you will want to choose one that is in high demand but low supply. If there are thousands of businesses offering similar services (such as accounting), then your competition will be stiff and you may find it hard to break into those markets. On the other hand, if there are only a few businesses doing what you want to do and they’re already established, it might be more difficult for you (or impossible) to get started at all. Instead, consider trying your hand at something unique or highly specialized that not many people offer.
2) Decide on the Scope of Services
To start a service business online, you have to decide what services you're going to offer. For example, if you have web design skills, do you want to offer complete websites or are you going to stick with simpler sites and only concentrate on web page coding? Alternatively, if your skill is software coding, perhaps offering an app development service is more appealing. Taking time up front should help inform your future direction so don't skip out on defining your scope of services before starting your business. You'll thank yourself later when things are less overwhelming.
3) Set Realistic Goals
Starting your own business online is overwhelming, but it's important to set realistic goals and expectations for yourself. If you're not sure where to start, make a list of your strengths and skills. Once you have that sorted out, consider taking action on an idea or project in which you can use them. For example, if you have excellent customer service skills, reach out to your network about offering freelance consulting services on popular websites such as Upwork or Fiverr. A personal recommendation goes a long way when it comes to starting an online business!
4) Compile a List of Potential Clients
One way to start your service business is by compiling a list of potential clients. Think about who needs help with what, and where they might be found online. LinkedIn or other social networks may be good places to search for new clients. Don't worry if you're not 100% sure how you'll help them—that's what your business plan will cover (more on that in a bit). Start broad and narrow down from there. Create detailed profiles for each client and write out why they should hire you.
5) Consider Outsourcing
If you’re looking for ways to start a service business online using your skills, consider outsourcing as an option. Outsourcing can be done in various ways, but at its core it involves paying someone else (usually overseas) for services that are better performed outside of your current situation. For example, if you know how to write well and have an interest in blogging about marketing strategies for your target audience, outsourcing blogging posts might make sense. This is especially true if you would enjoy writing articles but don’t have time due to other demands on your schedule.
6) Create an Effective Sales Process
If you’re starting your own business, one of your primary tasks is selling yourself. Entrepreneurs who can successfully sell themselves will be able to use their skill set in a self-employed capacity. This might mean marketing yourself for freelance work or creating an online course that shares what you know about music, writing, art or business. To sell yourself effectively and start your new service business online, always begin with personal sales. Create an effective sales process by practicing before going live on social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn; asking family and friends if they have any questions; and finding opportunities where customers are already engaged with you online.
7) Start Building Trust and Exposure with Testimonials and Case Studies
Before you start trying to sell your services, spend some time building trust and exposure with samples of your work and testimonials from people who have used your service. This could be as simple as putting together an about us page on your website or creating a page for case studies. If you have friends or family members who are willing to say nice things about you online, link their names in there too; research shows that links from reputable sources can help improve conversion rates (by helping build trust). For example, if someone has had their website built by you, ask them if they would like their name linked into an about us section.
8) Measure Progress and Improvement
If you’re serious about succeeding in your new business,
then you need to take a detailed look at what’s working for you and what isn’t.
This can be as simple as tracking your website traffic, or setting up Google
Analytics alerts so that you know when specific pieces of content have high
search volumes. If marketing is an area where you have little experience, make
sure that you identify what is working and what isn’t with online advertising;
for example, track ROI (return on investment) per paid-per-click (PPC)
campaign. As soon as your business is making money or losing it—you want to
know right away. That way, you can tweak your marketing techniques and improve
them over time.
No comments