You’ve started an online business, gotten a few leads, and maybe even your first sale. 

Congrats!

These first few steps are huge milestones and cause for celebration. 

But what next?

How do you turn these first few results into ongoing success for your online business?

Here are 4 basic steps to help you keep your business growing.

Watch The Numbers

Before you can strategically make your business better, you must know how your business is doing. 

As a beginner it will be easy to keep track of things like the number of sales and amount of revenue. 

But there are important numbers that aren’t so obvious that play a huge role in making sure you are getting the sales and revenue you want. 

We call these numbers “KPI’s” (Key Performance Indicators).

These numbers reflect your costs and conversions throughout each step of your customer journey and show you where there is room to improve. 

By watching these numbers closely, you’ll be more aware of whether your business is actually making money or losing money and more importantly WHY.

(Here’s some tips from Keala to help you track the right numbers in your business)

Test New Things

Once you are aware of the numbers and tuned into how your business is performing you can begin to make changes to increase your return on investment. 

While there are dozens of details in any business that can help improve your results, here are a few basic areas to consider:

Audience – Who are you targeting your ads to?

Is this the best audience for your product?

Is there another audience with a greater need for your product?

Can you narrow down your audience for a more powerful conversation?

Do you need to broaden your reach and try new angles?

These questions can help you find the best audience so that you are putting your offers in front of the folks who are most likely to buy.

Creatives – Images and videos used throughout your business are often referred to as “creatives”.

As you review your KPI’s, consider changing creatives to help you get more engagement and increase conversions.

Your creatives should resonate with your target audience and show that you understand their problem and how to solve it. 

Copy – Arguably the most impactful element to consider is your messaging:

The ideas your communicating through the written word and the way you express them to your audience.

So you come across as cold and factual, or like a genuine human being they can relate to?

Are you spewing facts and features about your product, or are you telling the story of how their life will be better when they get what you are selling?

Taking the time to hone in on the right message to your audience can help increase your conversions and in turn your profit.

User Experience – If your customers are having a poor experience when trying to learn more and possibly buy from you, this will obviously hurt your return on investment.

Make it as easy as possible to buy from you.

Check your page designs and make sure they are simple and give clear direction to keep your leads and prospects from getting confused.

One Thing At A Time

It can be tempting to want to overhaul your business with new ideas, especially if it is not performing well. 

Here’s why that’s a bad idea:

Say you did completely overhaul the way you bring in new customers with your online business. 

That would mean that there are dozens of changes being made at the same time. 

Maybe you decide to change your creative, your copy, and your page design throughout your funnel. 

Maybe you see a slight change in your KPI’s, but you need to continue fine tuning to get even better results.

How do you know what to keep and what to continue tweaking?

By changing multiple elements at one time, you lose sight of which change is creating a more positive result. 

Taking your time to test one area at a time gives you a sound strategy to constantly improve and move the needle forward until your business is giving you the results you want.

Trust the Numbers

Numbers don’t lie.

You can imagine your KPI’s like the gauges in an airplane.

Just like the information in the cockpit can help a pilot to make adjustments and ensure a safe flight, your KPI’s will give you the data you need to make adjustments in your business and ensure your success.

If your Key Performance Indicators are telling you that something isn’t working, then it’s probably wise to make a change. 

It can be a struggle to let go of an idea that was close to your heart, especially if you are a creative person. 

But remember: your business is not a showcase for your creative ideas. 

Your business is a means to create profit by serving others. 

When the numbers are telling you that you need to do a better job at serving others, then you owe it to yourself and your customers to make a change.

Conclusion

Reaching goals with your online business is a process. 

It can take time, but as long as you have a plan you will eventually get there. 

Remember to keep an eye on Key Performance Indicators throughout your business so that you are aware of how you are performing. 

Don’t be afraid to test new things and make tweaks to improve your numbers at each stage of your funnel. 

As you make changes, do your best to change one thing at a time so that you know what works and what does not work.

Your job as a business owner is to solve a problem for your customer. Trust the numbers to tell you when you are on track or when you need to make an adjustment. 

Following these 4 Basic Steps will help you start optimizing your online business for greater success. 

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What else would you like to learn about along your journey?

Drop a comment to let us know what you’d like us to write about next. 

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