You could be thinking of launching your online nutrition business as an additional revenue stream, or to finally state your own nutrition business.
Whatever your reasons could be, launching an online nutrition business successfully requires careful planning and work. When it comes to small business, the internet has opened up tons of opportunity. But with it, it has also increased competition. Gone are the days when you could expect people to visit your website as soon as you open up shop. You need to build your online nutrition business for success:
Find your Niche
What are these people looking for? Are you looking to serve mothers or working moms? Or will you be serving nutrition needs of picky eaters?
What makes you unique?
If you were to search online you will find hundreds, if not thousands, of nutrition coaches online in the US. It would seem like every other person who graduated with a nutrition degree or diploma is starting their online nutrition business.
To set yourself apart, ask yourself what makes you unique. What is your unique selling point or USP? What can you offer to your target market that others are not offering? Are you filing a gap in the existing market?
To evaluate this consider your strengths and the opportunities available in the market. Connect them together to create your USP.
Develop your strategy
No business can survive without having a strategy in place. Setting up an online business isn’t enough. You need to figure out how you are going to get your target market to buy from you. Think of what you are going to sell to them. Is it a product or a service? It can very easily be both. We would recommend exploring multiple products and services and connecting them to one strategy.
Developing and working on a strategy isn’t something that anyone can do. Hiring a professional to create your strategy will offer you great long term advantage. Firstly, it will save you time and money from a trial and error method. It will also make you set a professional tone for your business right from the beginning.
Set up your online address
As an online nutrition business, you won’t have your brick and mortar shop. But that doesn’t mean you can survive without a shop. Your web address is your business address.
To set up your web address, you would need to register your name and buy a hosting plan. Some of the most popular service providers are Hostgator, Bluehost, Godaddy etc. Once your hosting service is in place, you will need someone to design and program your website.
If this is something that isn’t within your area of expertise, you will have to outsource the job to someone else. You can get your website designed and setup for as low as $500. If you opt for professionals, it will make the process easier, but will cost you more.
Starting a business will require additional funds also. You will need to access to capital to not just design and operate your website, but also when promoting and creating your business strategy. You might want to look into getting a small business loan.
If you are have a low credit score, you can still avail the possibility to getting access to a loan here.
Grow your Followers
The next step of the process is to attract your target market towards your website. With nutrition business growing in numbers online, attracting your target market isn’t going to be easy. You will have to hook them by offering a freebie.
A freebie can be an e-book, a starter kit or free consultancy. Make it relevant to the service you are offering. The freebie offers a window into your expertise for your target market.
Offer the freebie on different marketing channels. This will be your website and your social media.
Setup your social media presence
Social media is a great way to connect and talk to your audience. When it comes to social media, you have a lot of options now. There’s Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and more. In the beginning, limit yourself to one or two social media platforms.
Find out which platform your target market prefers. While Facebook is the most popular choice, Instagram gives you the option of telling your brand story visually. Pinterest is also gaining popularity and has a higher female user base. Whichever social media to choose, you should connect it with your website. If you wish to make it big on your social media, you should be talking and connecting with your audience in a regular basis.
With this setup in place, you can expect your online nutrition business to thrive within the next few months. It usually take around an year for any business to start giving returns, so don’t let any initial setback sway you away from your path.