Last updated on June 29th, 2022 at 06:19 pm
Running a small business is no easy feat. You have to complete a whole host of steps to get things up and running. You need to come up with a product or service concept. You then need to put this through a development process that will bring it to life. You need to carry out market research to ensure that the product or service appeals to customers and is within your target demographic’s budget. You need to package, organise manufacturing, organise order fulfilment and more. The list really does go on. But once everything is ready to go, you still find yourself facing one further challenge – securing your first sales. These tend to be the hardest. So what can you do to achieve this? Here are some suggestions that can help you out!
Product Photography and Descriptions
Chances are, you’re selling your products online, which means that product photography and descriptions become extremely important for your brand. Customers can’t necessarily pick up, see or try out the items you’re selling, so are solely relying on your images and descriptions that you provide on your website. This means you need them to be good quality. Outsource this work to professionals. Chances are, you don’t need someone on board full time with all the employee perks to write new descriptions and take new images every so often. Instead, freelancers or agencies will do the work for you as and when required for an agreed rate.
Advertise
Another key element in securing first customers is advertising. You could have the best quality and best priced products in the world, but if nobody knows they exist and are out there, you’re not going to make any sales or profits. You need to shout about it – and this is where advertising comes into play. There are countless types of advertising to consider, ranging from TV and radio to posters and billboards, leaflets, PPC ads, Google ads and so much more. The right type to invest in will depend entirely on your business, your customers, your budget and other individual factors. Fintech is a good idea for inspiration as it’s the hardest vertical to break into. Take a look at this article about how the top fintechs got their first customers for inspiration.
Use Social Media
Social media marketing is the next big thing. You want to get your products and services where people can see them, and increasing numbers of people are spending increasing amounts of time on social media, so where better to catch their attention? There are plenty of ways to do this. Start out by creating a branded profile for your business. Here, you can show off new launches, product availability, announce sales and link to your store in your bio to drive traffic and sales. You can also collaborate with social media influencers, who have large followings matching your target demographic, and who can advertise your goods for an agreed fee.
These are just a few starting points, but each holds the potential to launch your business to success. Give them a try and see how you get on!
