It seems that social networks and websites have only been around for a short time, but they have already captured the attention of a large number of audiences. It's hard to imagine a person from a big city who isn't on Instagram or Fecebook. At the same time, there are those who think ofhow to start an internet business from scratch There are several options.
Most of those who, however, decided to open their own business, doubt the stock algorithm. Some can't even imagine a travel map. Some ask themselves questions about which actions are most likely to lead to success and which — fail. In other words, most don't know where to start.
first, decide what direction to choose for business. Consider competition, profitability, investment opportunities. First, try to choose what you like to do. Also, think about what kind of team you need. here are some examples:
- Online store and dropshipping: if the first needs a warehouse, the second doesn't even need it. However, it will be difficult to develop: you will have to talk about its advantages over the network's mass markets. Your advantage will be a high quality exclusive product or your own production.
- blog development. You can open a marketing agency or develop your website, in the long run earning money for ad impressions. Such a business may generate passive income, but unfortunately, it will take at least a year to develop.
- Infobusiness and online coaching. The forms can be different: individual classes, webinars, schools, online courses, books and much more. To get started, you need minimum investment and maximum motivation. The demand for training is growing now, so if you provide quality information, you don't have to worry about income.
- Application development and testingcreating, buying and selling websites.
How to Start and Not Close Your Internet Business: A Startup Guide
1. Business plan
Start by creating a business plan. It is necessary both if you plan to invest your money in the project and if you want to attract investors. Without a good business plan, it is impossible to get results without making serious mistakes. It is a clear knowledge of the goals and steps to achieve it that helps to save the budget and reduce the likelihood of bankruptcy.
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So the business plan — this is the foundation. The structure of a business plan looks like this:
cover sheet, that is, a brief description of the project. You need to talk about the type of business, purpose, target audience, benefits. Also, you need to calculate how much money you need to get started, how quickly the investment will pay off, and what profit can be expected in the future.
Detailed description of the business objectives. Describe the main technologies, advantages and benefits of customers, prove the relevance of the project.
Market analysis: what is the state of the macro market and your area, is there demand for what you offer, how the situation may change in the future.
Information on ways to earn moneythat is, about products or services. It is necessary to identify the advantages of each of them. For example, if you are taking courses, you can make several access options, in addition to writing a training manual or creating a notebook with exercises.
promotion plan, that is, a marketing plan. Describe what promotion tools you plan to use, how you will position yourself, what advertising budget you expect, what the sales system will be.
Organizational and financial plans with information about the timing of implementation of ideas, costs and revenues. Provide details on investment value, cash distribution, payback periods, financial risks. To attract third-party investments, this is one of the main points.
competitor analysis, that is, a list of similar established companies. Describe its main features, advantages and disadvantages. Think about what could be done better, create competitive strategies.
operational plan, where you need to describe the details and main features to organize the activities.
2. Decide on the product and legal status
Introduce your product or service in full detail. If it is, for example, a book or a webinar, you can create them yourself. A team is needed to work on a website or an online school.
To start a business on the Internet, you need a certain legal status: it allows you to legally carry out business activities, regulates the rights and obligations of an entrepreneur. The simplest form is the sole proprietorship, where you manage the business yourself and are responsible for all decisions. For better projects, collective ownership is adequate. In this case, all partners invest money in the business and make decisions together. Finally, one of the most profitable forms is partnership, that is, legally confirmed cooperation.
3. Decide on platforms and tools
In the previous step, you examined the assortment in more detail, and in the business plan, you discovered the key characteristics of your target audience. This means that you can decide on a platform for promotion. For example, if you open an online store, also use marketplaces and Avito if your audience can be there. If you decide to monetize your blog, find additional sources of traffic.
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Once we've decided on the sites, we prescribe the main business processes. How can they be optimised? What services are needed for this? For example, autoposting tools like an SMM manager are suitable for social networks.
4. Build a personal brand
On the Internet, everyone needs a personal brand: in a highly competitive environment, it's important to be recognizable. Create a unique logo, slogan, design elements. Write texts that immediately call attention to your advantages. Also, make post templates. Finally, develop a brand book and think about which features will talk about you and appeal to your audience.
5. Develop a product and launch a marketing campaign
When creating any product on the Internet, be guided by what your audience needs and what you can offer them. For example, if you decide to take writing courses, tell us about:
- main types of texts;
- provide basic writing and editing skills;
- about ways to earn;
- share free tools that speed up work etc.
More importantly, if the product is of low quality, then no amount of advertising will help. Therefore, conduct in-depth interviews with the public, test the project before a full start. So, if everything is in order after testing, run ads.
Among the traffic sources can be social networks, website, outdoor advertising, email — newsletters, TV spots, etc. Create a sales funnel for each source and fine-tune the results. constantly think about how to promote and grow your businessand then it will bring you a steady income for a long time.