Bizstartup.ie - NewsStarting an online business

“If you’re starting off a brand new business, the normal principles apply – you need to scope out what is the customer proposition, what is it they need, what are the most effective means of delivering this to the customer, and then design your online presence around that. That might involve an e-commerce proposition, or you might just initially want to use your online presence to create a market presence and brand awareness., says Mulvihill.

“It’s just as if you were building a house, you would sit down and agonise over what you really want here, what you need, what is the most you can spend.” She also suggests getting advice from others who have been there and from associations. “Talk to others to see what can go right, and what can go wrong. Do a bit of benchmarking and find out ballpark what it costs.”

Costs involved

“People imagine websites are cheap, but they’re simply as cost-effective as you scope them. Scope it out properly at the start and you won’t end up wasting money down the line. You do want a website that is flexible, that can adapt as you proceed. Look at different modules and plan your online strategy for phase 1, phase 2, phase 3.”

And don’t forget the ancillary costs, says Mulvihill. “You might decide that you’re going to invest a lot in web analytics to ensure your search optimization is on track i.e. that you’re driving plenty of traffic to the site. There’s no point in building a brilliant shop of noone knows how to get there, or that it even exists. In the same way remember you’ll need to service and maintain the site. You can’t just build it and leave it in the corner and expect it to look after itself, it’s not going to.”

Integrated marketing strategy

“The key thing is this,” concludes Mulvihill. “Don’t decide ‘here is my marketing strategy and by the way here’s the online bit of it here’. It’s not separate, it must be integrated. You want to think about all the different media through which you can communicate with your customers – some of them are more traditional, some of them are online. It’s all about striking that balance.” 

Top tips for your first online presence

• Your online strategy should be integrated with your overall strategy
• Scope out well what it is you want, benchmark costs before you plan your website
• Futureproof for later changes and additions
• Don’t forget the ongoing costs like search optimisation, site maintenance.