For a lot of business owners, the Internet can be the New Frontier of the Digital Age. Venturing into this market has its many unknowns especially for those that had never been
But does that mean that the online world is an intimidating place to start a business? No. It’s undoubtedly challenging but the perks and rewards there are considerable. In fact, it’s a marketplace where business owners of all ages can have the potential to succeed; especially those already in their 40s and above.
Why Starting an Online Business at Your 40s Make Sense
Before anything else, it’s best to understand just why it’s more than okay for you to put up an online store despite your age. As a matter of fact, you may possess certain advantages which include:
- A Bigger Network – Since you’re older, you have more connections to take advantage of. Aside from knowing more people, your interpersonal skills tend be more fine-tuned compared to those of younger entrepreneurs.
- More Experience – One huge benefit with your age is that you naturally have more experience in business which often translates to wisdom. Older entrepreneurs tend to be more practical and discerning when making decisions as opposed to younger business owners who have a tendency to dive head first into any situation.
- Discipline – Working in your industry for years has allowed you to develop a sense of responsibility when it comes to running your own business. This would come in handy since it’s easy to get complacent and lax when running an online business. A disciplined mind set can help you achieve your goals faster and help you earn more in dividends later on.
Now that you’ve understood what makes people of your age range stand out in the online business world, it’s time to actually set up the actual online business. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Find a Need
One mistake business owners do is to find their product first before the market. The better option would be the opposite and this will include identifying a problem first.
The Internet offers you a lot of channels where you can get that information. Forums are a good place to start as they give you a glimpse as to the kind of problems that online consumers tend to face. This would range from your typical online problems as well as situations that consumers have to deal with in the real world.
Also, take a look at the search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.) to identify the kind of words that people put in when looking for solutions to their problems. The information you will draw here can also be used later on when you start an online marketing campaign.
- Create a Selling Copy
Assuming that you already have a solution to a problem people have online, you must then start on developing your copy. In the world of online marketing, copy is simply the process of how you can convince people to try whatever solution you have to offer.
To simplify your copy, you must make sure that it follows a sequence which is:
- Create/arouse interest
- Identify the problem your solution answers
- Your Credentials
- Convince with Testimonials from past users
- Introduce Benefits of the product
- Make an Offer
- Give a guarantee
- Create a sense of urgency
You can add some deviations here and there depending on what you offer but your copy should get your audience interested first, curious next, and convinced last.
- Set Up Your Online Front
Since online businesses are not limited to four corners in contrast to your brick-and-mortar shop, you have a bit more leeway in establishing it. There are two ways that you can do this:
- Marketplaces – There are lot of websites out there that allow you to set up an online age and start offering your products and services there. Websites like Amazon and Facebook are great for retail businesses as they offer entrepreneurs a network to take advantage of as well as services that can deliver their products to buyers on time. There are drawbacks, though, such as having to pay for your online stall and the chance that your account is going to be suspended for the smallest of infractions.
- A Website – Having your own website allows you full control over your business regarding how it looks and how it delivers on its offers. It’s going to be labor intensive on your part as you have to pay to maintain its domain and constantly update your content to keep your consumers engaged.
Don’t worry about having to learn complex programming language, though, as there are website building tools like Wix and WordPress that can help you design and optimize your own website in just a few hours. Whatever your website is going to look like, make sure that it’s responsive, customer-friendly, and easy to navigate.
- Get Your Name Across
Once you have set established your base in the online market, the task now is to get your name across. An effective online marketing campaign is all about making your business as visible as possible. There are a few tried and tested strategies that you can use which include:
- Search Engine Optimization -Boosting your page’s rankings in the search engine pages by making it easier to spot by bots.
- Social Media -Creating your own community of loyal customers and audiences and constantly engaging with them.
- Content Marketing – Publishing content that gives readers useful and entertaining information while also linking them to your different webpages.
In Conclusion
What you have to keep in mind is that the online marketplace changes ever so often. Trying to keep up will make up a bulk of the challenge. However, if you can stick to the basics of running a business and constantly provide for the needs of your market, your online business should attract enough potential customers who’d convert and make it a constant source of considerable income for you.
