How to grow business online: Free tools & strategies

An online business entails everything from digitally purchasing a service or product to payment and shipping.

There is a plethora of online businesses, and the probability of venturing into an already saturated market is high. As the e-commerce field continues to expand, so will the competition, and you must be able to keep up with new trends and strategies to grow your business.

How to grow your business online for free

Starting an online business is as easy as it gets but building a successful online business requires effort and this is mainly by building a strong online presence.

If you are seeking to grow your business, increase awareness, attract more customers, stand out amongst your competitors, and increase revenue, there are certain growth strategies you will have to implement.

I have outlined proven growth strategies to set your business apart and stay ahead of the curve in 2024.

Research: before starting an online business, it is essential to conduct market research to ensure you are not diving into an already saturated market.

It is ideal to find a growing niche that will still be relevant in the future. Upon finding your ideal product or service, identify how you can add to or differentiate yourself from your competitors.

If you are interested in the jewellery business, for example, you could specialize in selling dainty or minimalist jewellery.

How to grow business online: Free tools & strategies

This is going to help reduce your competition and although minimizes your audience, attract a specific target audience – those interested in minimalist jewellery only.

If you already have an online business, it’s crucial to constantly research to keep up with trends in your niche as well as find out what your competitors are doing or not doing. This can help you keep up and stay on trend.

Marketing: Every business needs a winning marketing strategy. This is a vital step in growing your online business – by building both a digital and physical strategy.

Knowing your target audience helps shape your strategic direction. If your target audience is Gen Z or Millennials, knowing the right type of content marketing to use and the right platforms to use will help your business grow. Video and influencer marketing, for instance, are very popular with Gen Z.

So if they are your target market, the use of influencers and platforms like TikTok and Instagram reels are more appropriate.

Utilize social media: social media is the hub of digital marketing. It is also the easiest and most popular means of growing your business, and it can cost you zero cents to build a robust online presence.

Build your business account on platforms relevant to your business type and target market. Have a strong social media strategy embedded in your marketing plan. This also includes creating a consistent and engaging content plan.

You can also make use of paid advertisements to create custom marketing campaigns to reach your specific target audience. These platforms also provide insights and analytics to inform the performance of your marketing campaigns which can be used in strategizing future campaigns.

Build and optimize your website: Having a website is a crucial aspect of growing your business. This can generate revenue for you while you sleep or attend to other business needs, thus making it essential to fully optimize it.

Ensure your website is visually pleasing and user-friendly; this is what attracts customers and makes them stay.

Also, ensure your online store is mobile-friendly as a majority of online shoppers make use of their phones. Be sure to provide a user-friendly experience by making the entire process as smooth as possible, from adding to the cart to checking out and shipping.

Including live chats, about, and FAQs are also effective ways of communicating with customers by providing information and reducing the number of inquiries that may be received.

SEO: The use of search engine optimization can help increase your brand’s visibility in search results. This can simply be optimized by consistently using relevant keywords in social media posts, content, websites, blogs, etc. This can help make your brand more visible and help it reach potential customers.

Use Email marketing: Harnessing the power of e-mail campaigns can be very beneficial to your online business. From sending information concerning new products or offers, upcoming sales, discounts, cart reminders, etc to existing or potential customers, email campaigns are a proven strategy for building customer relationships and generating leads.

Collecting customer details can be however difficult but there are many ways of doing so through email forms, pop-ups on your websites, etc.

But be sure not to spam your audience else they may unsubscribe from your mailing list. Keep it to once a week.

Google Ads: Google is the most used search engine globally. Everyone is most likely to use Google whenever they are looking for information, a product, a website, or a business.

Have you ever tried searching for a particular dress and it lists a variety of product images, prices, websites and other details? Imagine the positive outcome of such ads with customers ready to buy and all you need to do is give them a reason to purchase your item.

This is also an incredibly cost-effective way of marketing as you pay for your ad only when a customer clicks on it.

Customer Reviews: Reviews are a crucial part of online businesses, as customers rely on feedback from others to determine their purchasing decisions.

We are all guilty of checking reviews before buying. From checking item ratings, and textual reviews to pictorial/video reviews, buyers can be greatly influenced by these factors.

One cost-effective way of doing this is by asking for reviews from customers.

In-depth reviews from long-term users can also be published on the homepage of your website to build a convincing landing page.

Publishing data and figures that show the success of a product with customers can also help establish trust and boost brand familiarity.

Another is through paid influencer marketing to gain the trust of your target audience and generate leads that can turn into sales.

Irresistible Offers: A bonus-proven strategy for growing your online business, is making offers customers can’t resist. A customer always chooses the business with the best offer be it a discount, promotion, free shipping, loyalty offers, lower price, exclusive access, etc.

You can implement this strategy after you’ve built a steady profit margin and can afford to make these offers without losing much.

Conclusively, growing an online business in 2024 can be difficult, especially in an ever-evolving field. However, utilizing the right strategies and technologies, such as social media, digital marketing, customer reviews, etc can lead to significant growth in your online business.