Know your niche.
While it may be tempting to create a website or online store that showcases all of your talents, services, and products, it's best to pick one niche and stick with it.Instead of spreading your energy around multiple projects, it makes more sense to focus on just one subject. Besides, the internet is a huge, sprawling place. Chances are if you focus on more than one thing, you'll be watering yourself down and will blend in with all of the other watered-down stores. When you start a store online, here are some things to consider:
Brand yourself.
Take your brand -- and brand awareness -- seriously. Determine your company's name and slogan, figure out your symbol or icon, choose fonts and colors, and then don't deviate from those choices. The more consistent you are with branding yourself, the better your brand building operations will go.
Update regularly.
Nobody is going to tune in to a blog or Facebook page that is rarely updated. Choose the blog platform and social media platform of your choice -- such as WordPress and Twitter, or Blogger and Facebook -- and commit to writing on the blog at least three times per week, and on the social network several times per day.
Get social.
As mentioned above, you will want to make sure you're active on social media. Today's websites and ecommerce shops are at least on Facebook or Twitter. You can also add Instagram and Pinterest into the mix, and interest your customers by asking them to submit photos of themselves that you can share.
Utilize email marketing.
Add a newsletter sign-up spot somewhere prominent on your website. Talk about your newsletter on your blog and social media. And encourage visitors to sign up by offering exclusive deals and coupons that will only be seen in these newsletters.
Make your store valuable.
Ideally your online store will meet two needs. First, you will meet the need for a certain type of product. And second, you will meet the need for a decently-priced product. Buy wholesale or shop at end-of-season wholesalers in order to pay the lowest possible dollar for your products, and then mark them up slightly lower in order to stay ahead of your competition - while still making a profit in the process.