In 2017 a lot of people are going to try their luck at starting their own business. Unfortunately, most of these individuals will fail. Their business idea, their plan, their hope for success and high levels of profit will all go down the drain. What they will be left with is a wasted opportunity and a passing thought to what could have been if they had made the right decision.
If you are thinking about journeying the path of an entrepreneur, don’t be deterred by the threat of failure. You just need to make sure that you don’t make the same mistakes as the ones who have come before you. Believe it or not one of the common mistakes is that these new business owners don’t make a name for themselves. They don’t let people know who they are and what they can offer. Instead, they just hope that they’ll be able to find interest without a name that people recognize. Building a business without having a brand to base it on is incredibly difficult. There will nothing to encourage people that you are right choice. That’s a problem because there are countless companies online offering the same products and services that you want to sell. If you don’t develop a brand, you’ll be lost in the shuffle. So, let’s look at how to build a solid reputation online and generate a profile people trust.
Introducing Me
The first step is introducing yourself to potential customers. To do this, you need to use social media. You can use whichever social profile you like although I’d suggest that you set up a profile on as many as you can manage. Pay particular attention to social media based around the idea of sharing pictures and videos. These are Vimeo, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest and a few others. We’ll come back to the idea of content a little further down. But it’s important you realize that video and images are more likely to be shared by your users.
When you start your social profiles, you want to set them up as a way that people can find news about your chosen industry. Don’t start promoting a product or service that you might want to offer. Remember right now you have no name to sell through and no positive ideas attached to your brand. You need to build yourself up as a trusted resource. Make sure that you keep up to date with all the news and release it through tweets or Facebook posts. You can even retweet and share info from companies that will soon be your competition.
This might seem counterintuitive, but it will help you gain the attention of their customers. Customers who will undoubtedly at least be intrigued by the services or products that you might be offering. Congratulations, once these people start following you your name will start to get recognized online. This is the first step of building up a brand.
Of course, to do this people need to know what you’re offering. As such, you should fill in your profile with info about who you are and what you do. Don’t remain anonymous and do upload at least one picture of yourself. Human nature dictates that people will trust someone more if they can see them.
Content Creation
Next, it’s time to create some content around you and your business. To do this, I suggest you set up either a blog or a website. Ideally, eventually, you’ll have both for producing and promoting content that customers will be interested in. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, let’s think about how to create some great content.
It needs to be targeted. This just means that it should appeal directly to whoever your ideal customer might be. For instance, if you’re selling baby clothes your ideal customer might be a new parent. Or, a couple that have just found out they are pregnant. Thus any content around what to expect as a parent or during labor would be relevant to them. Try to make any content that you release interesting and make sure you hit the right tone. It doesn’t always pay to be purely informative. Sometimes your customers will want a little-lighthearted relief.
A blog or website can be a massive private marketing platform online, so it needs to be attractive. This is another reason why you want to use videos, graphics, and images to sell your point. You need it to be stylish, to look modern and to feel exciting. If you don’t tick these boxes, you’ll struggle to get any attention online. Of course, you’re going to face another issue building a name for yourself. There is going to be a massive amount of competition and to examine how to cope with this we need to think about what life is like as a freelancer.
Beating The Competition
How do you beat the competition as a freelancer? Don’t forget you might be up against big businesses filled with people, experience, and knowledge. They may have thousands to spend on resources that you simply can’t afford. They could have the best search ranking in your industry while you’re little self-owned site is on page 150. How can you possibly compare?
You need to have someone in your corner, helping you fight back. Most freelancers use agencies to generate free publicity and to find potential clients. If you use a business like Boonle, you can set up a profile and become part of a community of freelance designers. Because it’s big, it’s easier for customers to find. You have a greater chance of attracting clients and making a name for yourself.
Although it’s still quite competitive eventually, you’ll gain the support of a few customers. They will then spread the word, and this will boost your online profile. Ultimately, after a couple of years, you may not have to rely on these agencies because people will know your name. You will have successfully setup a brand online that people trust and that customers want to use.
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