Category: Online Business

A lot of startups and small-scale businesses are trying to mimic the success of multinational giants like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba by going the e-commerce way. However, what these first time businesses lack is access to resources that are needed to constantly chase growth to progress to the next level.

With a strategic approach, ecommerce businesses too can expand their relatively small operations by investing in smart knowledge management platforms. E-commerce is not only about selling products, you need to continuously keep learning as a business. A knowledge base tool can help in this exercise that you can use to get updated on a regular basis.

A number of internal e-commerce business processes can be improved with the implementation of knowledge management. External operations too can undergo a positive change as customers have access to superior content. This retains customer loyalty. On the other hand, by providing quick information, businesses can attract new customers too.

What is a Knowledge Base? 

Simply put, a knowledge base is an online library of information about service, topics, products or departments or even plain information about a business. The library functions as a source of self-help for customers. All that customers need to do is to run a search for the question and look up the relevant category to access solutions to concerns that are actionable.

If you need help with designing the knowledge base for your e-commerce business, start by including the ins & outs of select topics that your customers need the most. Publish articles related to your terms & conditions, legal department, products, services, software and hardware operations. FAQs, troubleshooting guides etc.

The idea is to enable customers to self-serve. With a knowledge base in place, they will not have to be passed around between agents and will be able to find solutions to their issues by accessing the online library of content. 

Enhancing E-commerce Business with a Knowledge Base Tool: 

A smart knowledge base tool is all that you need to ensure that your e-commerce business has a competitive edge. The next step is to acquire know-how on how to create an effective one that will help in solving problems. This is where the role of a knowledge base software comes to the fore.

As a business, you may need some help authoring software to create an effective and efficient knowledge base. Take a look at how a smart tool can enhance your e-commerce business.

Capture and Reuse Knowledge: 

By adapting a knowledge-centric approach with the assistance of a smart knowledge base, it simplifies processes such as customer support, employee training and employee on-boarding. All these processes are information intensive and require constant sharing of data by making use of online collaboration tools. business efficiency can be improved by capturing, reusing and updating the knowledge base with information like FAQs, important issues and topics, guidelines and company frameworks.

Address Relevant Issues with Teams: 

Building a comprehensive knowledge base with online access allows businesses and by extension their employees to address customer concerns in a

more streamlined manner. Team members in an organization will speak the same language, thus minimizing confusions and missteps. This will eventually lead to a greater percentage of satisfied customers.

Higher Resolution Rates of Customer Tickets: 

It does not hold any business in good stead when their customers are put on hold or are dodged with statements like ‘We will call you back’. A smart tool helps customer agents with the right answers available at their fingertips. However, if customers have additional queries, they can self-serve themselves by venturing into the right online communities to get help. This helps in easy and fast ticket resolutions.

Reduced Training Expenses: 

A strong knowledge management program makes certain that all new employees receive updated information and guidance that is consistent across levels, translating to a better work environment. This also ensures that employees do not require multiple training sessions and keeps a check on costs. 

Improves Overall Employee Productivity: 

A research study by Mckinsey states that employees spend almost 20% of their valuable time searching for the right information. With a centralized information platform via a knowledge base, employees spent less time searching for information thus accomplishing more productive work during the same time span. 

Inspires Collaboration and Intensifies Employee Engagement: 

A knowledge base can act as a singular platform where the business can make all company information available to their employees. This transparency encourages a feeling of trust among employees as they appreciate the act of being kept in the loop. This makes them more engaged and invested in the business and overall organizational success.

 

Rounding Up 

Selecting the right knowledge management software can be somewhat challenging. Fortunately, there are affordable platforms in the market that are ideal for startups and small scale e-commerce businesses. To build the best knowledge base solution for your e-commerce business, compare the services before you invest in anything in the short or long-term. Ensure that it has key features such as online document editor, branding and customization options, data security features, etc. to make the smart tool really efficient.

To take your e-commerce business to the next level, is it absolutely essential to have a streamlined knowledge base that caters to both your customers and service agents. It does not have to be a hard task to develop a kickass platform. Start today and save your customer care team from a pile load of support tickets.

About The Author:

Brayn Wills currently holds the position of knowledge management manager at ProProfs. He is responsible for creating unique and relevant content on knowledge base tools and keeping track of the latest developments in the realm of knowledge management. In his free time, he is either reading a new book or exploring offbeat destinations.

Not too long ago, business have been rooted and limited geographically. However, with the wave of globalisation, it has brought about new technologies which enables one to operate his or her business remotely. Many online business opportunities have popped up in the recent years. These opportunities are not tied to a geographical location but rather they are flexible allowing people to work in the comfort of their own chairs. This has attracted many to join the market in such freelancing work that have also been an addition stream of revenue.

If you want a piece of the pie in the new “gig economy” and earn some extra income besides your current job all you have to do is to really search through the internet to find an opportunity that matches your interest.  Unlike a brick-and-mortar business, you don’t need a lot of start-up capital. In fact, you can get many internet businesses up and running with no money at all because there are simply so many free services that facilitate the possibility. For example, you can set up a website or blog for free using WordPress. Or you can leverage a third-party site like Airbnb to rent out your houses for short overnight stays.  You use these platforms to gain customers and in exchange all you have to do is to pay a small fee to the host website. Let’s consider three top ways to start an online business and make money online with little or no cost at all.

1.Affiliate Marketing 

Affiliate an e-commerce model that you don’t have to maintain an inventory of your own products and to worry about shipping products to customers. Basically, you pick a particular area or product for your online business, and then you find an affiliate partner who has products available in that niche.

With affiliate marketing, you offer the products for sale, for example, on your blog or e-commerce website. Each product has a unique link that tracks back to your account with your affiliate partner. A prospect who clicks on the link is taken to your partner’s shopping cart for checkout. Once they buy, that purchase is recorded and you receive a commission. It varies depending on the affiliate partner, but is generally 5 percent to 25 percent, or 50 percent or more with digital information products. For example, CBD Affiliate Program offers up to 25% of commission.

What is CBD? CBD is a non-psychoactive, oil-soluble compound extracted from the cannabis plant, and is typically marketed dissolved in plant oil.

Most consumers are using cannabis in forms of buds, or oil. The federal legislation that helped legalized the industrial hemp production in the States encouraged an increase in public acceptance of the CBD-based products. (Experts have estimated the hemp-CBD market to hit 22billion by 2022.) It is a good chance to join CBD as an affiliate now to get your hands on one of the most lucrative trends in the recent times. CBD Oils are especially popular now and is set to dominate the market among the huge pie. The CBD website is relatively to easy to navigate with the different categories sorted out such as Oils, Edibles and Bath & Beauty. There is also a search filter that allows you to customize your search.

2. Online Video

You can leverage YouTube’s reach to make money online. You will need to create engaging useful content that people want to watch on a regular basis. You would need to upload multiple videos frequently, enough to sustain people’s interest and this can happen in many different areas and sectors. The sky is really the limit here so let your creative juices flow today.

You make money with ad revenue. Your first step is to create a YouTube account and start uploading videos. Then you enable monetization on your YouTube settings. Basically, this gives Google the go-ahead to include short AdSense ads with your videos. When viewers click on those ads, you get paid.

3. Blogging

If you have expertise or a passion or interest for a subject, you’re ready to start making money with a blog. There are so many sites out there which allows you to utilise on. You can also create your own site and secure your own hosting for a low price. The key is that you want to post original content that is useful to your target audience and to post on a regular basis. That is the best way to get ranked in the search engines and to also get your audience to take action. Monetising your blogs with pay-per-click ads that appear on your blog. Every time somebody clicks on an ad (which is supposed to be about a subject related to your niche), you make a few cents or more. Small amounts each time, but it adds up.

Start earning your extra income today, the opportunities are limitless and you just have to grab them especially those which are in trend like CBD Oils.

According to Business.com, returning customers spend 67 percent more, on average, than new customers. That’s why it’s so important for entrepreneurs to concentrate on turning first-time customers into loyal customers by providing outstanding customer service and good communication. Building customer loyalty requires regular, consistent effort and making new customers feel welcome and repeat customers feel special and catered to. Always bear in mind that a high level of commitment on your part reassures and renews your clientele’s faith in your brand.

Enticing new customers

The first step in building a regular and reliable clientele is to win over new customers. There are many ways to do this, but some of the most popular and endurable ones include offering new customers special discounts or free shipping, a particularly important perk for an e-commerce business model. The more positive a new customer’s initial experience, the likelier they are to come back for more. Once you’ve earned their business and have their information, you can begin the process of target and database marketing.

Stay in touch

Never assume you’ve won over new customers simply because they’ve purchased something from you. Competition is so intense, and businesses are constantly finding new ways to make it convenient and rewarding to do business with them, so you can’t take anything for granted. Create a database you can use to make your customers feel special. If you have email addresses, contact information and phone numbers, you have multiple ways of wishing customers a happy birthday or promoting upcoming sales.

Social media allows you to communicate with customers every day with the click of a button. As you engage with people on Facebook, work in tantalizing indications of a big sale or discounts, though avoid using the full-on advertisement approach too much in this venue. Instead, think in terms of fun and intriguing messages and information your customers can use to help them save money. Social media and word-of-mouth are reliable and inexpensive ways to grow your customer base.

Keep the perks coming

Your regular customers are worthy of your loyalty, so show them how much you cherish their patronage. Establish some sort of special service, whether it involves free shipping, price breaks or a reward system and you’ll encourage them to stay involved with your brand (people are reluctant to walk away from a relationship that benefits them). Offer return customers opportunities to make advance purchase opportunities that are available only to them. If you do it right, they’ll pass the word on to friends and family who will want to see for themselves.

Empower loyalists

Offer your core customers an added benefit or perk they can share with others and help create new customers. Or establish and promote a special membership group for loyal customers, something that has real, monetary value and which new customers will value and want to become part of. And empower your brand ambassadors to issue discounts or invite friends to unique sales and promotions. At a stroke, you’ll strengthen the relationship with key customers (again, everyone loves to feel special), encourage new business and generate word-of-mouth attention.

Give them what they want

Dropshipping is a powerful tool in the hands of a savvy e-commerce entrepreneur. What better way to build loyalty than to provide customers exactly what they want? Here’s where some statistical research will come in handy. Study your customers’ buying habits and do some online research concerning the hottest offerings. Once you’ve determined what’s in demand among your clientele, respond with targeted products and niches through dropshipping.

Promote through upgrades

One of the best ways to keep customers engaged is to show off improvements from time to time. There are many ways to fund business upgrades, from crowdfunding – which provides opportunities to reward contributors – to business loans, lines of credit and grants. A business that can show tangible improvements is one that’s clearly successful, dynamic and on the move – and it’s a business customers will want to be part of.

The smart entrepreneur is one who’s able to communicate to customers that the success of the business is to a large degree a product of customer loyalty. Find ways to make your return customers feel as though they have a sense of ownership in what’s happening. That way, they’re sure to stay connected and they’re more likely to bring along new business.

If content writing is among your hobbies then this article will definitely be interesting and useful for you. Now that you don’t have to be someone like Stephen King to be a writer, you can express yourself via a personal blog, with limited restrictions as compared to a popular news website or TV.

Still, a personal blog will take time and energy, and maybe you’ll have to do some things so your personal blog can actually generate income. So, today we will try to talk briefly about the most important things you must take into account if you want your personal blog to take care of your finances.

Focus on a particular niche

If you write random articles about totally different subjects, it might be harder to make your blog a platform for making money online. You must have at least one area that you really like, so focus on that and write relevant materials with added value for your readers. The key is to slowly build an audience interested in the same things as you are. Also, choose a niche which is linked to some quality products or services that are currently out there, or build your blog in a way that in the future you’ll be able to advertise your own personal products on it.          

Advertising

One stream of income could come from the advertising sector. Banner advertising is trending these days and could generate returns, in the long run, if you can get enough traffic. Marketing has gradually expanded in the online world, and that is a huge opportunity for bloggers, vloggers, or other people who managed to build their own “platforms” in the web.

Companies and platforms such as Bannerbit.com, affiliate marketing-related companies, and many others are out there and could potentially represent a good source of income if you are dedicated and if you are able to put in enough work, time and energy.

If you follow the first step (focus on a particular niche) it will be much easier for you to find ways to integrate advertising into your personal blog. By doing that you will be able to:

1. Provide valuable information to your audience;
2. Offer high-quality products or services relevant to your niche.

Finding the perfect balance among the two (so you won’t be perceived as just a guy who acts like a sales agent) is very important, that is why we mentioned building your blog so it will be attractive to a particular niche.

If your website looks dull then it is not attractive. You have to look or a bright color which resonates well with your website. Once visitors see this resonance, they will be able to relate well with your site. It is all about looking the act and that is what most visitors will be looking for when they visit your website. If it is not as attractive as the competitor’s, then you can be sure that they will not be coming back to your site. Talk to a digital marketing agency with experts on what you need to start an online business. Some of the things to watch out for include:

Allow time and resources to work before your business is a success

It does not happen overnight. Regardless of how much money or resources you have put into your online business, it will not be a success within a single day. You have to wait for everything to work or take off once you have set the right mechanisms. Even after that, you have to keep working and managing those resources and mechanisms to make sure they are in their rightful place. Use the services of a good digital marketing agency to help you stay ahead in terms of streamlining your marketing tactics.

Test everything

Do you have a new marketing strategy that promises gold? If yes, then you need to pilot it first before you can whollydevote all your resources and time into it. Anything new, or you have doubts about should be tested. If it is a new digital marketing agency or a strategy or a product or service, you should test it first. This will help you to mitigate on the adverse effects it may have on your business. At the end of the day, you will have solidified your progress and that of your business which is a long term objective.

Competition is fierce

You have to understand this before you even take the first strike. Competition is tough out there and everyone is looking to have a piece of that pie. Not everyonesurvives and those who do have to keep developing new strategies to remain relevant. As such, you need to hire a digital marketing agency with adequate tools, resources, expertise and staff to handle your marketing needs. This will assure you of a healthy and attractive growth as you move forward in your future endeavors.

Personalize your business to be customer-centered

It is not about what you want. You can build a business around your need and interests but at the end of the day, the customer wants what the customer wants. If you are not careful, you might end up losing potential customers because you chose to pursue a wrong objective. With that said, you need to build it around the needs of your target audience. Once done right, you will be able to draw a lot of traffic to your website. Carefully personalize your website theme to fit the needs and interests of your target audience and you will be on the green.