With millions of businesses competing against each other for a share of the market, it’s hard for solo-entrepreneurs to remain visible. Many feel they are not in a position to compete against large budgets and multinational organizations. Granted, you don’t have the advantage of an almost infinite cash flow or a sizable team of experts. Yet that doesn’t mean you can’t differentiate your small business and stand out from the crowd. Here are five budget-friendly strategies to establish your market presence as an online company.
#1. A postal address
You might think that your physical address is irrelevant to your business reputation. After all, if you’re proposing online services, why should you share your home address with your clients? In reality, your audience considers your physical location as proof a business is legit. Therefore, if you don’t have any commercial premises, you may want to use a virtual office address. Virtual offices can still handle all mail delivery on your behalf. Many offer a redirect service, while others have an online mailbox where you can access scanned copies of your documents.
#2. Cryptocurrency payments
Why are cryptocurrency payments so popular? They’re not the only payment method that’s growing in popularity. More and more buyers expect companies to provide a variety of payment options, including credit cards, PayPal, and bank transfers. As digital security remains a strong focus, companies that support transaction safety, such as encrypted cryptocurrency payments, are more likely to gain the trust of digitally-savvy customers. You may not be familiar with the cryptocurrency market. While Bitcoin is a known name, other digital currencies such as Diem – you can view here for more about the Facebook-launched system – and Ethereum are also worth knowing.
#3. Professional receptionists
When you work alone, you need to choose between paid-for work and potential leads. You can’t ignore calls as they could lead to further gigs. Yet, you can’t afford to fall behind on your deadlines to catch-up with queries. Some small businesses tackle the issue by publishing their workload and work capacities. However, you can also hire a virtual receptionist to handle calls and manage queries on your behalf. It’s a great way of addressing urgent queries without wasting time.
#4. Fully automated workflow
How long does it take to turn a contact into a client? Any entrepreneur would agree that it takes a lot of effort and sleepless nights. Nevertheless, we live in a digital world! Why should you maintain a time-demanding interaction with leads when you can rely on automated workflows to do the hard work for you? You can use essential email workflows to streamline your lead conversion process – check these examples for inspiration. A welcome email for new sign-ups can guide users to complete the next steps, bringing them closer to the purchase step.
#5. Multiple content formats
Diversifying your content formats serve multiple purposes. It can appeal to a broad range of users. It can also increase your ranking ability, as search engines can get to index written, video, and audio content simultaneously.
Bring your business forward in the fight for customer’s attention. Solo-entrepreneurs can shine online as much as large organizations, as long as they give themselves the means to stand out from the crowd. Are you ready to bring your digital hustle to the next level?