Sell Online in 3 Simple Steps
When first starting out, creating an online brand can feel daunting.
Where do I start? What do I need? Will I make money?
Lucky for you, we’ve discovered 3 simple steps to help you build an authentic brand focused on your strengths and your customers.
We’re not saying it will be easy (creating an online brand is hard work). But the ideas are simple. And if you can wrap your head around them, it will ease you into selling online, and allow you to feel more natural when managing your online presence.
So where to start?
1. Find a problem to solve
All great brands start with a problem they want to solve.
Google makes more relevant search results.
Apple makes better tools for creative people.
Uber makes it easier to find a ride home.
To create a brand that stands the tests of time, find a problem only you can solve. Start by asking yourself:
- WHAT problems around me do I want to solve?
- WHO do I want to solve the problems for?
If you already have a product, you must figure out what problem your product solves AND who it solves the problem for.
You need BOTH answers to create a strong brand that will resonate with real people.
So, find a group of people and a problem you care about.
And don’t pick them because you think you should, or you think it will make more money (trust us, the money will come). Pick something you’ll be willing to stick with when the going gets tough. No business is smooth sailing and you don’t want to burnout before you get to see any money. So focus on something you care about.
Get honest about your strengths and weaknesses. What are you good at? What do you like to do? What do you do better than anyone else?
While you can learn most skills, there are some that already come natural to you. Lean into those to find a problem you’re uniquely qualified to solve.
2. Get to know your audience
Once you know the problem you want to solve, and who you want to solve it for, you’re 60% of the way there.
If you can condense the answers to both questions into 1 short sentence, then you’re about 80% of the way there.
Which means the next big step is getting to know your audience.
To start, ask yourself:
- What do I already know about the people I’m trying to help?
- How would the people I’m trying to help describe the problem I’m trying to solve?
- Where can I learn more about the people I’m trying to help? Where do they meet / have conversations / learn their craft?
Think deeply.
This is where you identify
- channels where the people you’re trying to help engage with others, and
- channels where you can best solve problems for the people you’re trying to help.
Armed with these channels, you have a cheatsheet for where to continuously engage with and learn more about potential customers.
3. Start creating online content
Now, for the easy part.
Once you know your audience, what problem you want to solve, and where to learn more about each, you can start creating content that caters to potential customers.
Plug yourself into the channels you identified above.
Create a website. It allows you to clearly say who you are and what you do, while showcasing the best parts of your brand front and center.
Create social media accounts. Most modern conversations happen on social media. Figure out what social media your audience tends to be on and start documenting what you do.
Going to train some clients? Take a picture of you and your clients.
Working on a new drawing? Record yourself while you’re sketching.
Answer a question for a client? Share that information with your audience (they probably have asked the same question).
Be a part of the conversations your audience is already having on social media.
But also know that social media isn’t the only way to share content with your audience online. You can:
- Write blogs that share more specific information about your customers’ questions
- Create email newsletters to share important resources with people who care about specific topics
- Run Facebook or Google Ads to put your offer directly in front of customers.
Essentially, wherever the people you are trying to help are, you should be too.
Plug yourself into the current conversations.
Provide value for people’s problems.
And watch your sales increase!