It’s a catch-22 if there ever was one: you want to make more money, so you’ve decided to expand your web services. You need to make an initial investment in this activity, though, which you can’t afford.
It’s not a catch-22 because there is a way out – several ways, in fact. This article looks at some effective yet budget-friendly strategies to grow your online business.
Reduce the Number of Pages
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need dozens of pages, especially if you’re just getting started. Basically, all you need is a homepage, a page detailing your services, an About page, and a contact page.
The service page should contain what you offer and how someone can buy it from you. Post a brief bio on your About page and multiple channels through which you can be contacted on the contact page.
No matter how much your business grows, always focus on what you want your website visitors to do. A small and simple site can be incredibly effective.
Create an Email Marketing List
Email marketing lets you communicate with current and potential customers directly. Email is far more effective than X or Facebook when it comes to attracting new leads.
An email marketing platform will allow you to communicate with the people on your list. One easy and affordable option is MailChimp, which lets you keep ownership of your list.
Resell Hosting
You buy hosting from a parent company, which will handle the technical side of the service. This includes software updates, security, and server maintenance. You split the original package into smaller ones and make money from selling cheap reseller hosting. It’s an easy way to expand your web services.
Businesses or individuals who resell hosting can make a profit without having to maintain their own infrastructure. They are free to set their own features and prices. The main benefits of reseller hosting include free tech support, low barriers to entry, access to web hosting infrastructure, white labeling, and easy client and content management.
Some web hosts charge a service fee and a flat monthly fee, while others operate on a wholesale basis. Still others may charge on a pay-as-you-go basis. Customers usually pay less for these packages than they would for a regular VPS.
Form Alliances With Other Businesses
Your business isn’t the only one your customers interact with. They might be working with IT professionals, accountants, marketing experts, or graphic designers. Identify the respective organizations and businesses and talk to them about how you can work together to improve your services to the end user. Check out the local chamber of commerce and industry groups for ideas.
Host Events
Events, seminars, conferences, conventions, and meetups bring industry professionals together and are an effective way to expand your reach. If you share the costs with other businesses, they won’t be as expensive to organize. Seek out event sponsors or partner with other companies. An added bonus of this approach is that more people will come and raise awareness of your services.
Inviting high-profile speakers will help. You could organize a webinar, but avoid excessive self-promotion.
Set up a Referral Program
When you set up a referral program, your partners will start sending more business your way, in exchange for which they get a discount from you. This gives them an incentive to refer business. It’s not complicated: create a webpage about the program and ask visitors how they found out about your services.
Your services might include e-commerce — for example, you’re selling development services as well as premium WordPress themes. If that’s the case, consider integrating a referral system. Google Affiliate Network and similar systems could help.
Your referral system should be as simple as possible. People will leave your page if your conditions are complicated and include lots of tiers. The principle of simplicity is equally valid for payouts. You must make it easy for people to pay you, and paying out commissions on referrals should be straightforward and seamless. Choose the fastest and easiest payment methods.
Last but not least, your potential referrers need to know what makes your service worth paying for. An easy way to achieve this is by sending out T-shirts, print materials, stickers, etc. or creating content they can use on their sites.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to grow your reach with a huge investment, but doing it on a budget is tricky. Don’t lose faith in your abilities – no great entrepreneur ever did!