More people than ever are starting online stores, and that's a good thing! In fact, it's easier than ever to start an online brand, even if you don't have lots of experience. As you venture into the online business world, it's vital to understand the legal structure that supports your digital brand. Platforms like LLCBuddy can offer valuable resources and guidance to help you start your journey on a legally solid footing.
Not sure where to begin? Let us break down how you can start an online brand in just seven steps.
Determine a Niche and Target Audience
First and foremost, you need to determine an industry or niche and figure out who your target audience is. Your target audience is the demographic of people most likely to buy what you plan to sell.
It’s important to determine your target audience so you:
- Know what you should spend your time making or offering
- Can tailor your marketing materials to the target audience
- Know how to set up your website
- And more.
Choose What You’ll Sell
To accomplish the above, you’ll also need to decide what you plan to sell or provide. For example, will you sell custom T-shirts? Online graphics? Will you provide an online service, like freelance graphic design or web development services? The sky’s the limit!
However, you should decide this before proceeding to the next steps, as each is contingent on you knowing what your business is about, how much will MVP cost, who you plan to make money from, and so on.
Get a Website and Choose a Name
Once you have your broad business idea and you know who you plan to sell to, purchase a website and server hosting, then choose a good name for your brand. Ideally, your brand name should be the same as your domain name, or at least very similar.
The best online brand names are:
- Memorable
- Relevant to your industry or niche
- Easy to spell so your target customers can remember them
If you find yourself experiencing a creative block, consider engaging the services of a specialized business name generator agency. These agencies employ diligent methods to identify the most suitable names based on factors such as the nature of the business, target audience, industry trends, and other pertinent considerations. By leveraging their expertise, you can ensure the acquisition of a compelling and tailored business name that perfectly aligns with your objectives.
Register Your Online Business
You’ll also need to register your online business before you can start offering products. To do that, you’ll need an EIN or employer identification number so you can process online store payments.
You'll need to register with your state's Secretary of State and business office to create your business. You can choose to be a sole proprietorship, an LLC or limited liability company, or a corporation. Most small businesses start off as LLCs for the tax benefits and expansion potential.
Set Up Your Site
Registering your business is just the start! Now it’s time to set up the website at the domain you purchased.
You can do this with easy online website development tools such as Squarespace. However, you can also hire qualified web developers and designers to create an online store for your brand from scratch. Note that this pathway does cost a lot more money, but it could result in a more professional and unique-looking online space.
Develop Ads
Comes the advertising phase of your brand growth. You’ll need to develop advertisements, like PPC ads and email newsletters, that will convert target audience members into paying customers.
This requires that you do lots of market research into:
- The types of ads your target audience members are likely to view
- The right keywords to prioritize
- And more
Of course, it’s hard to develop the right online ads and optimization techniques alone. Digital marketing agencies like GR0 can oftentimes help with this aspect of starting an online brand. Even better, they can help you master your online marketing from start to finish. Consider contacting them today to see how they can help your e-commerce business get off to the right start.
Begin Marketing Your Brand
Once you have your advertisements or emails ready to go, it's time to start marketing your online brand! Marketing is crucial so your target consumers become aware of your brand in the first place and so they know where to find your site. It's also crucial for driving traffic to your online store during big business cycles, such as during Cyber Monday week.
As your advertisements get out there, monitor their progress and performance carefully. With a little luck, you can identify the best-performing ads, then further streamline and improve your marketing for search engine optimization and conversion efficiency over time.
Conclusion
As you can see, it's more than possible to start an online brand from scratch. You can pursue your entrepreneurial dreams and run your own online store in a matter of weeks. What are you waiting for? Start following these steps and pursue your ambitions today!