As bricks and mortar businesses have struggled over the past decade, e-commerce has grown at an average rate of 20% per year. Whatever you have to offer, it pays to be in the business of online selling. And even if you’re a traditional merchant, you should be thinking about finding digital avenues for selling people your services. After all, 72% of customers conducting local searches will visit a store within 5 miles. Shoppers expect to see you online before they buy with you.

There’s never been a better time to set up a digital shopfront. But where to begin?

1. Market research

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Establish a clear understanding of who you are selling to, and why they are going to buy from you. One of the main reasons so many start-ups fail in their infancy is because they presume a market need where none exists. This is the most important thing you can do to help distinguish yourself as an online brand. Customer profiling is the backbone of this process.

Conduct keyword research, check out what people are saying on social media and scour product forums for some powerful user feedback. Using the internet to closely examine some of their pain points with existing products can help you adapt your own to better meet consumer needs in the future.

2. Check out the competition

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Often, it feels like a hopeless struggle trying to compete in a market dominated by industry monoliths (which, let’s face it, is most of them). Ask the who, where, how, what and why of competitor research:

• Who are your main competitors?
• Where are they based?
• How much are they charging?
• What is their product range?
• Why are people buying from them?

Don’t just envy your competition, appreciate what they’re doing in your space, and see if you can adapt their strategies to your own purposes. If they’ve got a product that’s working and generating brand hype, then produce your own variant. It’s not always about doing something better than the competition either.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of doing something different. Often, many of the best businesses successfully position themselves by spotting gaps in the market.

3. Build a website

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Hiring a web designer will be costly but this gives you the highest degree of customization. There are also cost-effective user-friendly site builders out there who charge you monthly fees: Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify are three of the biggest names in this space. If you’re looking for a scaled-back and inexpensive starting solution, pair a free service like WordPress with the managed hosting services of a company like Onyx.io.

4. Be prepared to fail, but fail fast

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The digital world moves quickly and so must you. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to starting your own online business and as many as 90% of all startups fail within the first five years.

You have to be prepared to take some risks along the way, but these should always be educated risks. When things go wrong, you need to quickly acknowledge this and course-correct accordingly. It’s all about judgment and using the resources at your disposal.

Running a business requires a lot of capital, dedication, and hard work. Many aspects can ensure your overall success in business, but there is one thing that cannot be overlooked. Cybercriminals are running rampant every single day and want to steal a variety of relevant data by infiltrating a business’s computer system.

There are several measures you can take to protect your business from computer viruses.

1. Install a Firewall

A firewall is essential and should be used on every computer within your business. It fights against viruses and other types of malware by filtering what traffic is allowed into your system. A hardware-based firewall is preferable to one that is software-based as it is even more reliable.

2. Buy Your Antivirus Protection

While it is always tempting to use free antivirus software, you should go the extra mile and purchase it from a reputable brand. When you invest in these programs, even if they are pricey, you are getting what you pay for as the software will be more sophisticated and better protect your computer system from all of the latest online threats.

Superior endpoint protection software can also make it more difficult for viruses to hit mobile devices used for business, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Invest in a reputable endpoint protection software for these devices.

3. Encrypt All Data

Data encryption is something you should automatically do, especially if you own and run a business. It keeps all of your company’s and customers’ or clients’ most sensitive information protected against hackers. They can gain access to this data through the use of viruses and other malware. Utilize full-disk encryption tools on all operating systems and set all your company’s computers to log off after 15 minutes when they are idle.

4. Limit Data Access

Only your employees should have access to company data. Incorporate a strict rule about this and inform your employees that they should never share login information or change passwords on company computers. You should also ensure that all computers have their own unique passwords.

5. Lock Down Your Wi-Fi Network

It is vitally important to lock down your business’ Wi-Fi network to ensure that only staff has access to it. Set the service set identifier (SSID) on your router, so your network is only visible to your staff. You should also change the Wi-Fi password every month or every other month.

6. Avoid Suspicious Links and Files

Your employees should be educated on knowing what looks legitimate and what appears suspicious when opening emails, especially those with links. If an email seems odd, they should delete it and avoid clicking a link or attachment within.

7. Make Regular Backups of Data

Regularly backing up your data is wise even if your business has never been a target of a cyber-attack. Backing up your data, particularly to the cloud, is a great way to safeguard your business if your network ends up with a virus. You can easily access your data and restore it after tackling the malware.

These are the best ways to protect your business from viruses and other malware. Invest in only the best protection software and educate your employees to remain safe. Click here to learn more about high-level antivirus software.

Did you think naming your company is difficult? Yes, it was. But, you have another task: to get the logo for your business so that to make differentiates your brands from the rest competitors. Also, it can help you to communicate your ideas and concepts with the target audience quickly. Creating a logo for your company is critical. It might be the key to your success! But it is not always easy to have the creativity to create one. Ideally, hire a designer with experience in the subject.

It will help you in researching the development of a brand that will keep your audience in mind and become unique in the market.

The professional will use design techniques and psychology, involving color, composition, concept and so on. Sounds not easy to make a logo. Thanks to the speedy development of technology, so you will not exceed your budget. There are currently more economical alternatives, such as using an app to make a logo.

Calm down: the logo can be simple.

Tips for creating an eye-catching logo

1. Know your business well – List the concepts your brand wants to convey. The logo must convey these values ​​to the customer.
2. Know your audience – Know the characteristics are, such as age group, gender, interests, and goals.
3. Graphic element – It will stand out in your logo. It can be the first letter or an icon that the customer can associate with your business.

Choose the logo color prudently

The colors of the logo are also important. They will arouse a certain feeling to affect the viewers.

Red – Traditionally, it symbolizes greatness and strength. Awakens the sensation of movement in the brain, sharpens the senses, even increasing the heartbeat.

Yellow – Also draws attention, less intensely than red. However, if used separately, it can convey the idea of ​​optimism as it is considered a welcoming color.

Green – Has excellent reference when it comes to nature and the environment. It is also able to bring sensations of balance, harmony, health, and freshness to the environment.

Blue – In general, color is associated with peace and can reduce appetite and stimulate creative thinking. It is common in corporate times, where the sense of power and confidence is enhanced by the sobriety of color.

Gray/Black/White – Simplicity is the keyword. With increasing popularity, these three colors can project a lot of value to a brand. Black is classic, with a conservative meaning of formality and tradition.

The logo font should not be ignored

A well-chosen font can highlight the advantages of your logo and brand, while an inappropriate font can evoke unpleasant associations and destroy trust. One font (or two maximum) is the best option. Do not use trendy fonts, the trends are short-lived.

Check out the sensations that some fonts convey:

Thin fonts: Lightness, refinement, precision, subtlety.

Bold fonts: Consistency, power, durability, solidity

Slanted fonts (italics): Speed, movement, direction, agility.

Well, let’s check out the best 3 logo makers you can use to finish this task.

DesignEvo

With 10,000+ templates and an extensive collection of design elements, DesignEvo is a simpler site that may be an ideal tool for those who don’t have much experience with creation. It is also great for creating logos quickly, as its tools are straightforward to use.

Other than that, the site can be used for free, but you have to pay if you want to download the high-resolution images.

DesignMantic

DesignMantic is another excellent choice for creating your company logo. It allows you to enter the company name and choose your business filed. This helps the software offer logo templates that best fit the company.

With a template selected, you can change and add what you prefer. This helps to have something more personalized and unique.

UCraft

UCraft offers even more template and icon options that you can use to customize and make your logo completely free easily. The site has several useful tools, which are quite simple to use for those who do not have much experience in the subject.