How to Take Your Business Online: A Guide for Solopreneurs

People who wish to manage their schedules, finances, and services often become solopreneurs and run their businesses independently. Finally, you are your boss. According to MBO Partners’ 2019 State of Independence, 82% of solopreneurs are happier with their setup than when they worked in a traditional setting.

However, this often also acts as a double-edged sword. The price for working solo means doing all of the work on your own. When operating a ship, it will be difficult for the captain to steer the vessel onto the right course while maintaining the engines below deck. That is supposedly the job of the head engineer.

In the same way, becoming a solopreneur not only means being the captain of your ship, but you also become the entire crew. You’re now responsible for conceptualizing, producing, and selling your product or service.

With the help of technology, there is a way to manage all the work you have to do in a more efficient manner. Internally, you can automate your tasks and prioritize strategy and execution. And as more people are relying on online services to make ends meet, you can engage with and delight your customers by going online.

How to Take Your Business Online

Recent technological innovations have allowed customers to make more informed decisions. With a simple search on Google, they can read news, reviews, and ratings on your brand. Marketing strategies need constant improvement as people become more informed and skeptical. Social media and search engine algorithms regularly change, keeping businesses on their toes. Now more than ever, your customers should be the focus of your marketing strategy.

Here are four ways you can use technology to keep your customers happy:

Organize and segment your client database

In today’s business landscape, it isn’t enough for solopreneurs to put up an attractive sales pitch on their social media wall and expect to close leads magically. With all of the brand messages that they will encounter in a day, you will need to personalize your messages and meet your customers where they are.

An excellent way to keep track of your clients is using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Apart from keeping all your client information in one place, you can quickly identify which one is a happy customer and which is a lead.

You can craft the right strategy for them now that you know where they are in their customer journey. Because you are also putting their information and activity online, there is a smaller margin of error.

Make use of an online appointment tool.

As a solopreneur, you are responsible for messaging leads, monitoring your sales pipeline, and jumping into calls with your stakeholders. By putting your business online, you can use an online scheduling tool and save more time for yourself and your customers. Your customers can click on the “Book Now” button on your website at any time of the day and will receive an email confirmation of their schedule. On the other side of the line, none of your appointments pile up in the same hour or will have the details mixed up in your notes.

Conversely, the money and energy you save using this tool will also become revenue. You can now spend more time getting to know your clients during calls and meeting your investors without having your mind elsewhere.

Set up online business engagements and payment portals

Setting up your business online allows you to have a wider reach. Instead of putting up a physical office and catering to the community that you are closest to, you can engage with customers from different cities, states, and even countries (if your type of business allows this).

While you can save on maintenance costs, having an online office will also keep you flexible.

In connection with the previous section, your online office can also automate your scheduling and payment systems. Because these tools and systems are available around the clock, they help your business increase efficiency.

Experiment with marketing automation

Through the help of your CRM tool, you can streamline your marketing strategy for better efficiency and engagement. You can implement anything from email automation and personalization to behavior segmentation and A/B testing. As you get to know your customers better, you can use different solutions to meet their needs.

In the long run, effective marketing automation solutions help you reach your short and long-term goals.

You don’t need to have a difficult time as you do everything on your own. As a solopreneur, you can leverage technology to streamline your work and focus on the things that matter. By finding tools to help you automate workflows and identify your customers, you’re slowly investing in the growth of your business.