Start an Online Business for $100 or Less

Setting up a new online business nowadays does not need thousands invested into it. The online world has allowed entrepreneurs to start and build businesses for far less. There are tools and apps, social networks and websites that can help you start up. Here is how you can start an online business for $100 or less.

Step 1

Set up your business brand. Branding a business shows the world that you are serious about your business. A business without a brand has no way for potential customers to recognize it. You will need a great name that catches attention, a business voice and a logo to start with. As you build your business you will find more aspects of your branding that you may wish to develop.

Your business name can come from you or there are many online tools to help give inspiration. Make sure your name is catchy and original, and most importantly, that people can recognize what services you are offering through it. An online business name should represent your products or services as it will be the first point of contact with your customers. You do not have a shop window full of products to show off your business so your name should do it for you.

Your business voice should be directed at your target audience. If you are looking for a young audience, then have a relaxed comradery and a fun voice. If you are working with an older market, sometimes a kind yet professional voice is much more important. Think carefully and keep your voice the same when you advertise and speak to customers.

Your logo should stand out from the crowd and be a simple way for your audience to recognize your business. It should fit with your name, voice and where your market lies. You can create a logo online for free at www.logocreator.io. They have a number of templates and features that make designing your logo easy and fun. While you work on your logo it’s also important to get other promotional material like business cards designed. Use a free tool like businesscards.co to come up with a design in minutes.

Step 2

Social media is the best free online platform to gain access to your target audience. Sign up for the socials that your customers use and work on making your site stand out to your potential market. Social media advertising can easily get expensive, but it can also be used for free if you are clever with it and put in the time.

Join groups and check when and what you can post. Create adverts and post to as many groups as possible asking them to visit your page or website. People from all walks of life have their own specialized groups so make sure that you think broadly about where to advertise.

You can start your own groups too, based on your business. For example, if you are a mountaineering shop, you can set up a hiking group. Post interesting content to it and build your group numbers and advertise your shop too once a week or so. You might find this a very simple way of setting up.

Step 3

Post to your own social pages and keep them active. Start a free blog on www.wordpress.com and share your posts to your pages. This boosts advertising potential and makes your page a valuable resource.

Create content that works well for your brand. If you are selling products then creating product videos and images can be a great way to advertise for free. You can also look into where your products are sourced and write about the people who make them. Give your business history and make it something people need to know more about.

Conclusion

As you have seen you might not even need $100 to start your business. Ensuring you create as much of your business for free saves your money for the things that matter. Spend some money on advertising once a month and watch how your sales differ.

Simon Rogers