Week 2-MBA 6101- Starting from Scratch

 Starting From Scratch

When a new business emerges, one of the questions should be "How are we going to reach our customers?". Before the 21st century, that answer always involved some physical element, like selling products to a store for distribution or opening up a store themselves. Right now, it is easy to reach the entire world through the internet. With help from companies like Google, Shopify and Word Press, companies can start from scratch in building its website. 

The platform is determined on what the business model looks like. If a business is looking to sell products online, an e-commerce shopping cart like Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce are great options. With its plugin capabilities, the company does not need to be proficient in coding. Rather it can use templates to add product, edit descriptions and design the site to best suit its needs. In addition to company owned websites, marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy and Walmart are popular platforms to reach an audience. While the marketplace cuts into the profit margin of the sale, it can increase order volume.  For a more content-based website, WordPress is a good choice for businesses to use templates to build its platform. By having professional websites, it can increase brand awareness and build brand creditability. 

When it comes to marketing that website, there are a few different avenues to go. Using Google Ad words is a popular tactic, but it can be costly and risky if not done correctly. Other tools such as Rakuten, Netelixir and Listrak are popular for creating loyalty programs, affiliate links and driving traffic to the site. These are proactive practices to promote the website with search engines. Outside of search engine optimization, social media ad campaigns, email blasts and a digital marketing ad campaign are all ways that a business can promote itself. Instead of the old-fashioned way of marketing with newspaper or TV and radio ads, online marketing is not bound by geographical limits.