Nibletz Staff
In days past, the term “entrepreneur” might have elicited a roll of the eyes, as many basically thought it was code for unemployed. However, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well these days and, not only that, but an astounding number of people have seemed to make it work. Not everyone has to work for “the man”, as the saying goes. Those with the know-how and the discipline can take their concept from business plan to launch and, ultimately, onto success. But what separates these people from those who don’t make it? Well, it’s gumption, for one, but also knowing to turn to the experts and also knowing what tools are most important and how to use them. Likely the biggest tool to use for success is the Internet, but there are ways to use to maximum its efficiency. Read on for seven Internet hacks for entrepreneurs that truly work.
1. Blogging
You might hear the term “blogging” and think “Been there, done that” but the truth is that blogging is always important in the online world. Once a website is established with the information you’d like to convey, you might let it sit there without updating it for a while. This keeps Google from picking it up. Keeping a blog updated with new content keeps Google crawling your site, which will help with your SEO standings.
2. SEO
Speaking of SEO, do it! SEO, or search engine optimization, is crucial to online success. It is basically strategies for optimizing your content in such a way that your website will come up in the top search engine listings. You can even build your business on SEO, like this drone website did. When it comes down to it, people are lazy and generally refer to the top few websites that come up in their searches. So it’s necessary to do the research on the most-searched key words in your field, how to use them without stuffing them, and then measure and hone your SEO success and strategies. You might even consider outsourcing this if you don’t have a lot of time—it’s that important.
3. Promote Yourself
If you had the initial capital to start your business, good for you. Many have to work hard to find investors and/or even start a crowdfunding campaign. No matter how you got the money to get started, however, you need to promote yourself online. Whether it’s your own efforts on social media or an outside advertising firm, you have to get the word out. And once the word is out, you can begin offering promotions that will grow the business.
4. Social Media
There’s no avoiding social media, and why would you want to as an entrepreneur? It’s basically free advertising! And with Milennials being the biggest consumers these days, it’s also the best way to reach those reaching for their wallets. This is another component that is so crucial to your success that you might consider outsourcing this as well. If you do it on your own, make sure to follow the best practices for each platform, and schedule your updates into a tool such as Hootsuite so that you can ensure no lulls in your posts.
5. Email Marketing
Gone are the days of telemarketing calls—well, if you want to be successful. News Alert: People hate talking on the phone! Email marketing is another fairly easy, inexpensive, and, most importantly, an effective way to get the word out about your business. It’s as simple as investing in a service like MailChimp. Programs like this will walk you through the process and make it as easy as 1, 2, 3.
6. Time Management
Entrepreneurs rarely have a lot of employees, as they are generally involved in startups, which means they have to work smarter—not harder. If you’re embarking on an entrepreneurial adventure, take some classes in time management. And take advantages of apps like Boomerang, which prioritizes your email for you. We all know emails are the number one time-suck and, hence, a hindrance to time management.
7. Project Management
Effective project management is necessary to keep things running like a well-oiled machine. Considering using some of your money for a team of project managers—this is a solid investment in the long run. If you have to do it on your own for the time being, take advantage of handy project management software like Asana.
Follow these seven Internet hacks as an entrepreneur and watch your business soar.
