With over 1.1 million websites operating online right now, the digital business arena is booming. The recent pandemic has accelerated the digital economy, but its growth has been brewing for some time. While recent events may have hastened its rise in popularity, customers have been demanding a more digital experience for years. With customers spending more time browsing, researching and shopping online, the conditions for launching - and expanding - a digital business are ideal right now. As in any other industry, growing your digital business can take some planning and forethought. Whether it is ensuring you have the right resources to boost your business’ eCommerce game or protecting your business against new and emerging risks that come with business growth, here’s what you need to know about taking your digital business to the next level.
Tailor Your Email Marketing Strategy And Content
With the number of email users predicted to reach 4.3 billion by 2023, this method remains relevant for connecting with customers. Email marketing can grow your business by allowing you to promote new products/services, generate website traffic, and create opportunities for all-important customer testimonials. Customer testimonials build business credibility, which in turn shows potential customers other clients' satisfaction. Testimonials can increase conversion rates by 34 percent.
However, if your business is to harness the power of email marketing in its growth, it must be appropriately positioned for the unique market that the business serves. For eCommerce businesses, it is crucial to send the right emails at the right time - starting with an effective welcome email. If you can get customers to sign up for a business newsletter, your welcome email should kickstart the sales process. Also, once you have built an email marketing list from your subscribers and social media platforms, take the time to curate relevant content for each. Customers value personalization in every part of the customer experience - including their email interactions.
Remember To Protect Your Assets Behind The Scenes
As your digital business prepares to expand, it will need a boost in assets behind the scenes, such as new infrastructure (think delivery and production vehicles) and more manpower. However, as with all asset investments, you must remember to protect your assets from unexpected events such as theft, fire or breakdowns.
Digital businesses face increased eCommerce risks like website traffic interruptions and online security risks. While these risks can be addressed with strict security protocols and the purchase of cyber insurance, digital business owners must also remember to insure themselves against new risks that emerge during the growth process - particularly if you plan on hiring additional staff. If your growing digital business does recruit its first employees, state laws will determine whether you will be required to secure workers comp insurance, and when the law will apply. For instance, states like Alaska require any business with one or more employees to have workers’ compensation insurance. However, businesses in Texas are not mandated to have workers comp, but it is heavily recommended to protect the business from the consequences of worker injury on the job.
Expand Your Business By Expanding Your Mobile Content Relevance
Last but not least, if you want to grow your digital business, then you need to optimize your content for a mobile audience. Mobile shopping is set to overtake all others in the coming years, as consumers spend more time on their smartphones. By 2022, it is predicted that mobile commerce will grow by 68 percent, according to a recent eMarketer report. This represents a prime market for business growth.
Begin with optimizing your business website for mobile use. Aim for a responsive design that automatically adjusts to screen size, resolution, and other mobile attributes. Digital business owners should also improve their page speed. Around 73 percent of mobile users have come across websites that took too long to load, and for many of them, they ended up leaving the website. Most smartphone users expect a webpage to load in four seconds or less.
Finally, make the key information for your digital business easily visible for mobile users. Information like pricing, product description, and company contact information is vital in helping a mobile user to make a purchasing decision - which, in turn, boosts sales and company growth. Growing your digital business does not happen overnight. It takes time, a good strategy, and the ideal execution. However, with these small steps, you can begin to move forward in the right direction.
Image credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/7RWBSYA9Rro
Community manager at Visual Contenting. Jacqueline loves to talk about social media trends, new technology and how they help businesses accelerate their marketing efforts.
