If you’re a teacher, you already have all the tools you need to start your own online business. You have a specific subject that you’re an expert at, the ability and knowledge to teach others, and the willingness to push through hurdles and become flexible and adaptable to reach your goals.
The best part is, the digital world is now filled with tools that can help people begin an online business to earn a steady side income. With this in mind, read on for our top 7 actionable tips so you can get your online business started this week!
1. Choose Your Topic
You’ll first want to focus on a single topic that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about. For instance, if you’re an art teacher but find that your main passion is portrait photography, you’ll find a need for this kind of knowledge online.
Before you jump in, we recommend you do some research beforehand. When you search for your topic online, what are the kinds of websites that come up? Is there anything you can do that would differentiate yourself from these competitors?
Write down any and all of your ideas.
2. Consider Your Audience
Once you have a topic idea in mind, you’ll need to consider who your audience will be, or more commonly known as your target market. The best way to do this is to create a customer avatar.
You’re essentially creating a character that embodies your ideal customer. Give them an age, a name, an annual income, and whether or not they’ve been to college. Are they working, or retired? Do they have children or pets?
Although some of these questions may seem unnecessary, the more detailed you are, the better you’ll be able to market to them. For instance, if you know your target market is working moms in their 30’s, marketing your online business in the middle of the afternoon when they’re still working is probably not a great idea.
3. Establish a Brand
Now that you’re aware of your topic and audience, you can begin creating a brand. The brand of your business is able to concisely describe what your business does and what it stands for concisely, through consistent visuals and language. Here are a few items that go into a brand:
- Logo
- Color palette
- Visuals
- Typography
- Tone
Remember that not only should your brand describe who you are and what you do, it should also be attractive to your target market.
4. Find Your Platform
Next, you’ll need to figure out where you want to host your online business. Of course, this largely depends on the kind of services or goods you’re offering. Running an online course is becoming more and more popular because you can record and create classes and then host your videos online for people to subscribe to.
Although there’s a lot of work upfront in order to create compelling video course content, it will essentially run itself once you market yourself. Some popular online course hosting sites are:
- Udemy
- Teachable
- Thinkfic
- Kajabi
- Skillshare
- WizIQ
- Alison
If you’re selling a product or consulting service, consider hosting your website on a platform such as WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix. These sites offer a lot of flexibility and customizability, yet you’re not required to have coding or web design knowledge to create a beautiful and functional website.
5. Set the Price
One of the hardest parts of creating an online business is getting your prices right. Far too many business owners undersell themselves because the possibility of someone actually purchasing their services or goods seems impossible in the beginning.
Consider tiered pricing structures for your goods or services. If you find that your target audience is purchasing one tier more than another, or there’s a higher demand for a certain service or product, you can incrementally adjust your pricing structure to suit the demand.
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6. Create a Mailing List
Whether you’re creating an online course or your own website, you’ll want to begin gathering subscribes for a mailing list. It’s a great way to offer incentives and education for new customers who are still learning more about you. You can also stay in touch with loyal customers better and offer rewards.
7. Gather Reviews
Last but not least, never forget to gather reviews from your happy customers. Sites such as Udemy have a review section already built-in, but you’ll also want to create your own Google Business page and encourage customers to add their honest reviews there, as well.
A mailing list comes especially in handy because you can ask your customers directly for reviews. However, remember to do this with timing that makes sense, such as after they’ve bought your course or products and have had a week or so to experience them.
Creating a Successful Online Business
If you’re a teacher that’s ever considered creating an online business, now it’s the time to do it. The services offered online enable you to create a website in as little as a few hours without any coding or web design knowledge. Moreover, you’ll be creating a side hustle and possibly another full-time income through a topic that you’re passionate about.
Want to learn more ways to improve your teacher life? Check out my shop of printable fun activities to help engage your students!
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MJ