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How to win your customers’ appreciation and loyalty in 2022

Introduction

How do you feel when people appreciate your effort or contribution towards something? Indeed, you get a blissful feeling as the act shows that you were seen.

Every human usually gets this type of feeling, and your customers are not any different. We are sure that you must have heard the phrase ‘your customer is king.’ Or, ‘customers are always right.’

As a business owner, the goal is not just getting people to buy from your brand. Now, you may be keeping a confused face wondering what the goal should be.

Instead of targeting a short-term result, why not strive for a long-term effect? Yes, a customer comes to buy what you are selling, and you are getting profit for it. But, will the customer come back?

This is where we have to mention customer loyalty programs. It should be common knowledge that people are only loyal when they are appreciated.

Customer appreciation and loyalty are vital to any business, and they go hand-in-hand. It’s the year 2021, and if you think that this is not important, you are setting your business for a fall.

It is essential to understand that you are not the only one selling a particular product. With the understanding of competitors, you will agree that you need to have the edge over them.

Suppose you sell gadgets. How do you plan to have the edge over other competitors in the same niche?

The best way to do this would be through a customer loyalty program. Therefore, helping in customer appreciation and loyalty, ensuring that the customers do not shift base to your competitors.

Here are some ways to increase customer loyalty:

Ways to win customer’s loyalty in 2021

To be reading to this point, we would assume that you agree with the concept of customer appreciation and loyalty. However, over time, we hear people say that it’s hard to gain customer’s loyalty.

One school of thought feels that humans generally have a fickle attention span. With this theory, they think that it’s hard for a customer to stick to a brand.

However, we disagree with these claims. We believe that customer appreciation and loyalty are feasible through customer loyalty programs.

Also, we would say that customer appreciation is not a challenging task. Below are some concepts that you can adopt to increase customer satisfaction.

Adopt an ease-free process

It is typical knowledge that no one likes to encounter stress when going through any process, including buying. Thus, sellers need to have technicalities in place to ensure that customers experience ease.

Now, you may be wondering about the technicalities. There are many that we can list out, starting with a website or an online store.

While you may have a physical location, it is always best that you have an online store. Thus, helping those who are not in your region.

If someone has to travel before, they can buy from you; it is inconvenient. Irrespective of your excellent products, they will find a closer alternative. But you can gain their loyalty if you have an online store.

Another means you can put in place is ensuring that you have a simple website interface. If people find it hard to navigate your website, they will not come back.

Also, it would be best if you had social media pages where people can easily connect with you. When you have all these in place, it brings you and your business closers to the customers. Thus, increasing customer loyalty.

HOW TO DELIVER A WINNING PITCH DECK 

Introduction Do you know how to deliver a winning pitch deck? The process may sometimes seem easy, but many little details need your attention. This article will cover all you need to know on how to deliver a winning pitch deck. John has been searching for a breakthrough for a long time. Luckily, a friend connected him with someone who wishes to invest in his business ideas. It was a long-awaited answered prayer for John, and he could not hide his excitement. First, however, this person has asked him to prepare and deliver a pitch deck to convince them to plug into the investment. What is a pitch deck? A pitch deck is a written document that a person writes and presents to potential clients/investors, hoping to convince them to do business or have a partnership. Therefore, you know that you cannot joke around with it. Research shows that a pitch deck is not a one-size-fits-all. Instead, it would be best if you constantly tweaked it to suit your audience. In this case, to serve the investor, that needs the presentation. It is not the first time John has heard about a pitch deck, but he has never written or delivered one. Instead, he always hoped to convince people through talking alone. Now, he is seeking to know how to deliver a winning pitch deck. Are you like John? Do you wish to understand how to deliver a winning pitch deck? Then continue reading this article. Below are some tips that will help you have a winning pitch deck Always include facts When you are writing a pitch deck, you always need to include facts. It serves as the difference between a regular and winning pitch deck. Your potential client or investor may wish to verify whatever information you include in the pitch deck. Now, imagine they decide to crosscheck the data and see that it is false or does not exist? What does that say about your personality and integrity? In such a case, they will no longer want to do business with you as they will take it that you are not trustworthy. Business partners only want to work with someone they can trust. Thus, you must ensure not to create any chance for them to feel that you have a questionable character. Some people feel that using verified information is for only academic research papers. But you’re mistaken as it goes further. If you tell your investor/client that only 5% of their competitors are vital, ensure it is correct. You should never falsify information because you want your presentation to be bulky. So, if you have not started checking for information, facts, and figures related to their industry, you should start now! Use catchy elements like gifs Undoubtedly, humans have a fickle attention span. Therefore, research shows that a typical human attention span is now 8 seconds. So, now that you have this information, how do you plan to sustain or hold the attention of your investor or client while presenting your pitch deck? It is why we always advise and suggest that you add catchy elements in your presentation. Some of these catchy elements could be gifs, shorts videos, pictures, etc. What matters is that they convey whatever information you are trying to pass. Yes, you should always have these catchy elements. However, they must always sync with your content. You do not want a situation where your client cannot understand the details and your content. A winning pitch deck leaves the investor hooked and interested while you are talking. However, if your client starts checking their watch, it seems that you are not doing something right. In this case, they are getting tired and cannot wait for you to wrap up the presentation. Any catchy element that you are infusing should live up to its name. You should not use an image that is in black and white or a dull shade. Everything needs to be vibrant and upbeat.

Cutting Expenses  as A Business 

Competition Advantage In Business 

Business Growth Metrics 

5 leadership skills 

5 key leadership skills every Entrepreneur should have

How to Finance your Business.

How Businesses Can Scale the Imapct of COVID-19

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the lockdown, many businesses across the country endured one of the worst periods. Regardless of how a business is set up, many today need to review their operations and reevaluate how the business operates.

As things are slowly returning to normal most businesses have been unable to keep up with the new business market they find themselves. This is mostly due to inability of entrepreneurs to keep the financial wheels of their business turning during and after the lockdown.

The effects of the pandemic is much more devastating on startups and MSMEs mostly due to the fact that the financial reserve of such businesses are so small. As a result, they are unable to manage the fallout of this scale. The ripple effect of this shutdown has had a key impact on Nigeria’s economy, as all business sectors get affected resulting in low revenue generation due to an eventual halt/slump on the sale of products and/or services.

So, during such testing times, startup entrepreneurs will have to adapt to a new set of rules and be mindful of the following aspects to alleviate risks and to survive the slowdown caused by the impact of COVID19.

Tracking expenses against the revenue status

In this Post-Covid-19 period, one of the most important things to consider in business today is to carry out a thorough assessment of all forms of expenses, and also the total income generated. Doing this will provide a good estimate of the position of the company on a financial level. Knowing the financial position of the company, entrepreneurs can make proper plans until when everything is normalized.

Reviewing the feasibility of Existing business model

Since the occurrence of the pandemic, there has been a constant change in the market. And we all know it is not for good. As a result, we can all agree that it is time to review existing business model in terms of projections concerning revenue and expenses. Tracking financial metrics and cash flow cannot be lagging in this period considering how unpredictable the market has become. As such, entrepreneurs should review how much of an impact the pandemic has had on new sales, collections, debts, and so on.

Plan policies for Future

Provided it is still quite unclear how long it is going to take for the market and business industry to recover, entrepreneurs should make plans for all possible scenarios and outcomes. If we consider it as a 3-month problem, an instant halt on variable expenditures like hiring, marketing, travel, etc. can help. However, if the crisis continues for 9 months to a year, entrepreneurs will have to reconfigure their business strategy to reduce the variable expenses, renegotiate fixed expenses (rent, salaries, equipment lease payments, etc.), and focus only on the crucial essentials for survival.

How to Create Great E-Commerce Customer Experience

Over time, customers place much value on business relationships that address their needs and deliver a better customer experience on any device of choice. Online platforms have become the center of business relationships being nurtured or lost. A great customer experience is considered as the requisite for having a thriving digital business.

Companies devoid of this special feature could be found struggling to stay afloat in business because e-commerce customer experience is gathering momentum of making a difference in businesses.

What is E-Commerce Customer Experience?

E-commerce customer experience can be defined as the form and quality of digital experience a business delivers to a customer. E-commerce customer experience is driven by optimizing, creating, and inspiring experiences that will serve as a guide for customers through their path to purchase.

There must be proper consideration for every step of buying journey taken by customers. This involves the research pattern of products by customers, evaluation options, helpful content to aid buying decisions, product(s) selection, and post-purchase experience. Today, e-commerce customer experience has been made easy with the availability of tools and techniques used to design unique and personalized experiences for customer’s buying behavior with efficiency.

Why is Customer Experience Important?

Customer experience works to make companies more competitive and customer-centric, with the main goals of driving sales and business development.

According to RightNow, 86% of customers are willing to pay up to 25% more to get a better customer experience, and would not purchase the same business again if the experience was poor. It was also gathered that about 80% of customers abandon their purchases because of the experience they had, thereby opting for competitors who better meet their needs.

In furtherance, 65% of customers research a product online before they go to the physical store, according to Forrester/Bloomreach study, thus making e-commerce much credible than just being a sales channel.

Considering Factors to Buying a Car in Nigeria

Buying a car in Nigeria today is considered a display of comfort and wealth. This is because of the current economic situation of the country, where there is an outstretched demand for necessities than a luxury. Nevertheless, the reason behind buying a car in Nigeria is relative. It could be factored in as either a necessity, comfort, or luxury. Regardless of these demand types, one peculiar thing is that buying a car could be stressful without putting some factors into good consideration. These factors help in ensuring the process of buying a car is of zero hassle.

Here are the key factors that must be considered before approaching a car dealer to buy a car in Nigeria.

Budget

This is the primary factor to be guided with when planning to buy a car. This is because buying a car involves a considerable financial capacity, which is not limited to only car purchase but after-purchase, which is car maintenance. Hence, your budget is of great priority.

For instance, most Toyota cars are targeted towards low-income to middle-income earners, while most Mercedes Benz cars are targeted towards high-income earners.

As earlier said, the budget is not only made for buying a car, but the maintenance cost needs to be included when considering buying a car. Generally, the maintenance cost of a Mercedes Benz car is higher than that of a Toyota car.

Price Comparison

It is important to put a wide range of prices for a particular car into consideration before making the final purchase. Across all car dealer shops in Nigeria, prices of cars vary, and which gives you the opportunity of going around to have an overview of the prices of an intended car from different car dealers. Making comparisons and finding an average price of all collected prices helps in making good decisions before making the final purchase of a car.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders in the automobile industry are persons with requisite knowledge of cars. So it is important to consult this person before making the final decision of buying a car. In Nigeria, a first-time car user is bound to involve a friend, family member, or mechanic who can serve as a guide to buying a good car at a, well,negotiable price.

6 PROVEN WAYS TO RUN A DATA-DRIVEN BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

As a business owner in Nigeria or outside the country, making decisions based on data is crucial if you want to be ahead of your competitors. If your decision making is not based on data, that means it's based on assumptions and flowing with the tide – which is dangerous for the growth of your business. The word "data" can be intimidating if you're not a number person or if you're just a startup working on getting hold of what business is all about.

Data is mostly composed of numbers, and these numbers friend is the key to making informed decisions that'll see your business thrive.

Serious-minded business owners run data-driven brands, while regular business owners run their business based on assumptions.

Which type of business owner do you want to be?

According to statistics, a significant number of businesses are not data literate – which means they run their business one day at a time.

If you're reading this, that means you're one decision away from being among the serious-minded business owners who make decisions based on data and information.

If you're convinced that you want to be, here are six proven ways to get you started with owning and running a data-driven business in Nigeria.

Data is presented to us every day in every activity and interaction we have with our customers. Knowing the data that's available and what you have to collect is the first step to using data to make informed decisions.

While some data sources are distinct, others are not. Let's say you operate a business where customers get to write down their names, address, time of purchase, and goods purchased, you're getting these data directly to your database. On the other hand, when you run Facebook Ads or sit down to evaluate your typical customers, there are less obvious data sources you might not notice. These non-obvious data sources include who's buying from you or clicking your Ads, where they are coming from, and what's their gender, social class, etc.

You can make it a conscious duty to collect a particular type of data and make decisions based on these data. When you're collecting data intentionally, you have the insight needed to beat your competitors in the game.

Benefits of Internet Marketing over Traditional Retailing

Internet marketing has been able to transform the principle of buying and selling through internet growth and technological advancement. There have been huge benefits for internet marketing over traditional retailing regarding customer interaction. Also, social media played a pivotal role in this benefit. Internet marketing with an e-commerce website makes it possible for businesses to deploy a brilliant money-making strategy with zero stress and limitations.

Consumers are increasingly making the internet their best choice of buying decisions and which in turn is making internet marketing more important. According to Statista, 1.66 billion people shop online every year. Also, consumers are known to rely on the preliminary research conducted on mobile, the internet, and social media before making the final decisions on price and products.

What is internet marketing?

Internet marketing is the process of promoting a brand or business with its products and services on the internet, using tools like search marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, mobile advertising, and display advertising that help in driving traffic, generating leads, and improving sales. According to Statista (2018), 12% of all retail sales globally were made from e-commerce.

What is traditional retailing?

Traditional retailing is the process of having a small-to medium-scale business to serve the needs or wants of people patronizing a store/shop in a physical setting. Traditional retailing is also called the “unorganized” retail sector.

So having described these two concepts, what are the benefits of internet marketing over traditional retailing?

Challenges Facing Small and Medium Sized Businesses

Through the diverse experiences of investors, entrepreneurs, and merchants who have work experience across different sectors in the MSME, there is no reasonable doubt that there are clearer perspectives on some of the vital challenges that stand in the way of Micro, small, and medium enterprise. Some of these problems are general and applies all over the world, while others are restricted to specific geographical locations.

The different kinds of challenges to MSMEs are risks that have totally obliterate different businesses, or fatally paralyzed many which hardly recover from the fall. This article will provide you with the most crucial challenges which may be a huge blow to your business of not avoided or solved on time. It will also consider the different impacts which the COVID-19 has had, and the changes it is bringing into the financial sector.

The biggest challenges facing Micro, Small, and medium businesses in the industrial sector includes:

· Leadership

· Culture

· Strategy

· Having the right team

· Strategy Execution

· Making the business unique

· Systems and Processes

· Productivity

· Performance gauging

Subsequently, we will discuss each of these challenges by trying to figure out how and why they are a challenge, the risks they pose to MSMEs on a general level, as well as in a well defined environment. It is important to take note of the reasons why these challenges can be a risk for business, and the ways which they can negatively affect the business of not avoided or eliminated. This will keep entrepreneurs at alert to the possible ways to handle such challenges when they arise.

Leadership

This is one of the biggest challenges that may be a risk for any king of business, organization, and entity; not just for MSMEs. While other kinds of businesses may require people who have vast experience in a particular field, or company to take up leadership positions, this is not the case in MSMEs. Because MSMEs are usually personal, small scale business, the sole proprietors of the business usually assume responsibilities and has the highest position.

As such, being a leader in an MSME does not require any academic qualifications or prior experience in chosen venture. If there were any course on leadership for small and medium scale business, merchants and entrepreneurs would most likely pass on the chance to take it. However, the lack of the required skills to deal with people and challenges which the business can run into can be catastrophic.

There is also a mounting belief that leaders are born with the natural skills to lead people or entities; if you are not a born leader, you shouldn’t take a leadership role. That is not entirely true. While most leaders who take front roles in many business organizations might naturally have leadership skills in leading people, it can also be acquired.

There are lots of influential books about leadership in business which will definitely enlighten merchants about the concept of leadership. These books will equip merchants with the right skills and abilities to make the difference in your team.

Car Maintenance in Nigeria

Cars can be translated with a different meaning to different people. For some people, cars are luxury items to showcase the wealth and social status, while to others they are necessities to enable easy mobility or even generate income.

Regardless of the categories that people might fall in, it is important to have a proper maintenance culture in terms of basic car maintenance checklist towards cars to enhance aesthetics and guarantee optimum performance. Broadly speaking, car maintenance determines a car’s efficiency and effectiveness, which goes a long way to keeping the car in good and durable conditions.

What is Car Maintenance?

Car maintenance is the process of having a comprehensive check and safety precautions on cars’s parts and function to enable its proper operation.

Types of Car Maintenance Tips in Nigeria

Here are some car-maintenance tips that must always be put into consideration on how to maintain a car in good condition and prevent ourselves from lurking dangers.

Fix Car Problems Immediately

Procrastination is a robber of time and a killer of dreams. This applies to maintaining a car, such that putting early signs of fault to a check tends to prevent the incident of a complete vehicular breakdown or even car crash. Car problems are not spontaneous, as they don’t just pop up. Therefore, the smartest way of adhering to a car-maintenance culture is paying attention to early signs of the fault before growing into a serious problem that might even cost you more to fix.

Keep Fluids Clean

It is important to always have clean fluids flowing through all pipes in the car and topping up these fluids is also necessary. These fluids include brake fluid, engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, air conditioning coolant, washer fluid, and radiator fluid.

Engine oil is essential to keep all the moving parts of the car lubricated. Also, it must be ensured that the different fluid levels do not go low to the extent of posing problems to the overall functionality of the car.

5 BIG QUESTIONS THAT’LL HELP YOU DETERMINE YOUR BRAND’S PURPOSE

Branding is one issue every entrepreneur must face at one point in a business or another. The challenge arises because the entrepreneur will try to figure out the best way to relate to the audience to persuade them to not only choose you over your competitors but also to make you a household name. Though there are different books on business branding on the internet, there’s always this feeling that something is missing.

Every entrepreneur believes they have the best ideal and product, but the problem is always how to get the brand to connect with the desired audience.

Let’s say this entrepreneur is you, and you’re wondering why you can’t connect with your target market.

What might be the issue?

It traces down to one thing.

Being effective at selling is nearly impossible without having a remarkable brand.

You might have the best product and offer mouthwatering packages, but if you can’t communicate the actual value of your brand, you won’t succeed.

Communicating your real value can only be achieved when you understand your purpose.

A purpose is something that your company strives to achieve that’s beyond selling more products or delivering more services

· It makes your brand remarkable.

· It makes you easy to identify with and

· It makes your brand hard to be forgotten.

For you to achieve all these, you need to communicate to your audience that your company is much more than just the profit. You need to show that you have a larger purpose.

How Businesses Can Scale the Imapct of COVID-19

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the lockdown, many businesses across the country endured one of the worst periods. Regardless of how a business is set up, many today need to review their operations and reevaluate how the business operates.

As things are slowly returning to normal most businesses have been unable to keep up with the new business market they find themselves. This is mostly due to inability of entrepreneurs to keep the financial wheels of their business turning during and after the lockdown.

The effects of the pandemic is much more devastating on startups and MSMEs mostly due to the fact that the financial reserve of such businesses are so small. As a result, they are unable to manage the fallout of this scale. The ripple effect of this shutdown has had a key impact on Nigeria’s economy, as all business sectors get affected resulting in low revenue generation due to an eventual halt/slump on the sale of products and/or services.

So, during such testing times, startup entrepreneurs will have to adapt to a new set of rules and be mindful of the following aspects to alleviate risks and to survive the slowdown caused by the impact of COVID19.

Tracking expenses against the revenue status

In this Post-Covid-19 period, one of the most important things to consider in business today is to carry out a thorough assessment of all forms of expenses, and also the total income generated. Doing this will provide a good estimate of the position of the company on a financial level. Knowing the financial position of the company, entrepreneurs can make proper plans until when everything is normalized.

Reviewing the feasibility of Existing business model

Since the occurrence of the pandemic, there has been a constant change in the market. And we all know it is not for good. As a result, we can all agree that it is time to review existing business model in terms of projections concerning revenue and expenses. Tracking financial metrics and cash flow cannot be lagging in this period considering how unpredictable the market has become. As such, entrepreneurs should review how much of an impact the pandemic has had on new sales, collections, debts, and so on.

Plan policies for Future

Provided it is still quite unclear how long it is going to take for the market and business industry to recover, entrepreneurs should make plans for all possible scenarios and outcomes. If we consider it as a 3-month problem, an instant halt on variable expenditures like hiring, marketing, travel, etc. can help. However, if the crisis continues for 9 months to a year, entrepreneurs will have to reconfigure their business strategy to reduce the variable expenses, renegotiate fixed expenses (rent, salaries, equipment lease payments, etc.), and focus only on the crucial essentials for survival.

How to win your customers’ appreciation and loyalty in 2021

Introduction

How do you feel when people appreciate your effort or contribution towards something? Indeed, you get a blissful feeling as the act shows that you were seen.

Every human usually gets this type of feeling, and your customers are not any different. We are sure that you must have heard the phrase ‘your customer is king.’ Or, ‘customers are always right.’

As a business owner, the goal is not just getting people to buy from your brand. Now, you may be keeping a confused face wondering what the goal should be.

Instead of targeting a short-term result, why not strive for a long-term effect? Yes, a customer comes to buy what you are selling, and you are getting profit for it. But, will the customer come back?

This is where we have to mention customer loyalty programs. It should be common knowledge that people are only loyal when they are appreciated.

Customer appreciation and loyalty are vital to any business, and they go hand-in-hand. It’s the year 2021, and if you think that this is not important, you are setting your business for a fall.

It is essential to understand that you are not the only one selling a particular product. With the understanding of competitors, you will agree that you need to have the edge over them.

Suppose you sell gadgets. How do you plan to have the edge over other competitors in the same niche?

The best way to do this would be through a customer loyalty program. Therefore, helping in customer appreciation and loyalty, ensuring that the customers do not shift base to your competitors.

Here are some ways to increase customer loyalty:

Ways to win customer’s loyalty in 2021

To be reading to this point, we would assume that you agree with the concept of customer appreciation and loyalty. However, over time, we hear people say that it’s hard to gain customer’s loyalty.

One school of thought feels that humans generally have a fickle attention span. With this theory, they think that it’s hard for a customer to stick to a brand.

Car Maintenance in Nigeria

Cars can be translated with a different meaning to different people. For some people, cars are luxury items to showcase the wealth and social status, while to others they are necessities to enable easy mobility or even generate income.

Regardless of the categories that people might fall in, it is important to have a proper maintenance culture in terms of basic car maintenance checklist towards cars to enhance aesthetics and guarantee optimum performance. Broadly speaking, car maintenance determines a car’s efficiency and effectiveness, which goes a long way to keeping the car in good and durable conditions.

What is Car Maintenance?

Car maintenance is the process of having a comprehensive check and safety precautions on cars’s parts and function to enable its proper operation.

Types of Car Maintenance Tips in Nigeria

Here are some car-maintenance tips that must always be put into consideration on how to maintain a car in good condition and prevent ourselves from lurking dangers.

Fix Car Problems Immediately

Procrastination is a robber of time and a killer of dreams. This applies to maintaining a car, such that putting early signs of fault to a check tends to prevent the incident of a complete vehicular breakdown or even car crash. Car problems are not spontaneous, as they don’t just pop up. Therefore, the smartest way of adhering to a car-maintenance culture is paying attention to early signs of the fault before growing into a serious problem that might even cost you more to fix.

Keep Fluids Clean

It is important to always have clean fluids flowing through all pipes in the car and topping up these fluids is also necessary. These fluids include brake fluid, engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, air conditioning coolant, washer fluid, and radiator fluid.

Engine oil is essential to keep all the moving parts of the car lubricated. Also, it must be ensured that the different fluid levels do not go low to the extent of posing problems to the overall functionality of the car.

How to Develop Marketing Strategy on the Internet

There has been a tremendous paradigm shift towards internet marketing over the last few years. The great number of businesses joining the bandwagon of internet marketing with huge income coming in is a testament to this digital innovation. There are innumerable opportunities available on the internet, but it takes committed efforts and resources to make internet marketing successful.

What is internet marketing?

Internet marketing is the component of marketing that uses web-based channels to campaign a company’s brand, products, or services to its potential customers. This internet marketing strategy employed by businesses may include banner ads, Email lists, PPC (pay-per-click), and social media marketing.

Market Strategy to Develop on the Internet

Understand Your Niche

The internet has a broadband with large internet marketing field, so it is important to have a better understanding of your customer target and their wants. Many companies are known to conduct extensive consumer and market research to understand the preferences and buying behavior patterns of their target buyers. For every business, there is a target market regarding the demography of people that wants the products and services. This idea will enable you to have the best choice of keywords while using your SEO and SEM campaign.

Develop an Internet Marketing Plan

An internet marketing plan is a guide that informs all your decisions and activities at every stage of the online business. Also, the plan aids in developing and implementing better strategies with a later evaluation of the overall result of the activities. Just as the traditional marketing strategy, your internet marketing plan/strategy must highlight all the objectives and goals that must be achieved while establishing milestones in the internet business. However, it is important to have an integration of the internet marketing plan with the company’s primary business plan to ensure harmony with the business’ goal plan.

Know Your Competitors

Internet marketing has been considered competitive due to the easy way of setting up an internet business with advancements in marketing technologies. A large number of well-established businesses on the internet poses a challenge to internet marketing entrants. Knowing your competitors very well is one of the best ways to stay afloat in an internet business. This will enable you to know their strengths and weaknesses to your improved advantage.

In-depth research needs to be done where market intelligence will be conducted and information being analyzed about your competitors. Other things to put into consideration when assessing your competitors are pricing, consumer policy, products, services, and value proposition. With all these details at hand, you will be able to make good decisions and a powerful marketing campaign.

Kusnap is a credible platform that has helped entrepreneurs launch an e-commerce store with efficiency and seamlessness. Ever since its establishment, businesses have been able to move to the digital space considering the advanced technology age which we find ourselves today. These businesses have enjoyed numerous benefits associated with digital integration and inclusion such as wider exposure to target market, improved productivity, better growth rate, and so on.

However, Like many other e-commerce platform out there, sales on Digital stores on Kusnap can just happen on their own. In order to make sales, entrepreneurs are required to put in necessary effort and consider using tools that can help get your business to where you desire. It could be as simple as engaging your friends or family in your business, or as complex as using social media ads. Whatever the case may be, there must be a starting point.

While it is worthy to note that Kusnap itself employs different means to help digital stores on the platform make sales and boost profits, entrepreneurs on the platform also need to do their own part. The United effort put together will surely drive customers to your store and you will be off to a good start.

Through this article, we will take a look at different methods you can employ to start making sales on Kusnap. Along the way, you will see how you can win your first conversion and how you can build on it over time.

How long does it take to get sales on Kusnap?

This is one of the big questions most entrepreneurs ask, especially when they are just about to join the platform. This is totally normal, considering the amount of money, time, and effort invested in a business. Any wrong move could make damage and ruin everything.

To answer your question, it is important to understand that making first sales on Kusnap depends on a range of factors. These includes:

· The availability of an existing network of customers

· The age and authority of your domain (if you are buying an existing domain)

· The depth of your market research – and how your products and prices reflect your research

· How you present your products (images, product descriptions, etc)

· Attractive incentives you set up for visitors to buy from you.

Reasons MSMEs Fail

The business sector in Nigeria has seen lots of lots of changes over the last couple of years. The market has seen a much significant rise in the number of Micro, Small, and Medium enterprises (MSMEs). This is partly due to the fact that they are not so complicated to startup and run. The fact that it does not have to be capital intensive makes it an even more viable option for many of the entrepreneurs and Merchants across the country.

One thing to note, however, is the undeniable fact that as much as there is a huge influx of MSMEs in the Nigerian commercial industry today, a high percentage of them also pack up within few months of running. Actually, the rate of businesses that shut down after a brief period is so alarming, but isn’t so noticeable since there are immediate replacements for the ones who leave.

Many entrepreneurs or merchants who notice this trend might be discouraged by the fact that the ratio of MSMEs that stay above water to the ones that go under is so low. This is scary enough to deter anyone to venture and establish any MSMEs within the Nigerian market. Regardless of that fact, however, we have also seen many examples of businesses that have thrived and many have even expanded.

In order not to fall victim of these calamitous event of folding up within a few months of running a business, we are going to examine the different and major reasons why MSMEs fail. This will be an eye opener for potential investors in the Nigerian market looking to set up their business here on the home soil.

Zero/Inadequate Planning

There’s a popular saying that goes: “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail”. This principle is multidimensional as it cuts across all sectors that affect human life, relationship-wise, health-wise, business-wise, and so on. MSMEs also are not left out. A lot of businesses are launched with probably a great idea for a specific product or service which as obviously thought, would yield massive profits, but eventually crash as a result of the inadequate or lack of a solid business plan to back it up.

Let’s not fail to note that there are MSMEs that also execute their ideas with a business plan but still end up with the same fate with businesses that lacked one in the first place. This can be as a result of many factors like unrealistic projections, inaccurate info, poor data translation, and so on.

To have an effective business place, it must incorporate the following:

· Mission and strategy

· Development financing

· Financial objectives

· Sales and marketing strategies

· Competitor analysis including pricing

· Market summary

· Resource plan

· Financial forecasts (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow forecast, capital requirements, working capital)

Relevance of Search Engine Rankings on E-Commerce

Search engine rankings are very important when operating a small or medium-sized business on the internet. Tools like SEO, SEO, and SEM are some of the trusted tactics of having a wider market coverage and brand promotion on the internet. A new e-commerce website is set up with the intent of being easily found in search engines. Ranking in Google is very important because an increase in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) does not only boost the e-commerce to generate traffic and leads, it also provides the authenticity customers need to identify in your business.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization can be described as the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to a website through organic means. Organic search e-commerce SEO is pivotal to the success of any e-commerce store.

How does SEO work?

Search engines are characterized by crawlers that gather information from contents across the web. The crawlers bring the gathered information back to search engines for indexing. When an internet user types a term or keyword into the search engine, this indexed information is fed through an algorithm which in turn delivers the most relevant information possible to the user. According to Advanced Web Ranking, 67% of clicks go to the first 5 results shown in search engines. Thus, the ranking and visibility of an e-commerce website are a function of how the SEO tools are being properly used.

Encompassing Elements of SEO on a Site

1. Alt tags and descriptions.

2. Content length, uniqueness, readability.

3. Quantity and quality of links posted on the social media.

4. URL content, length, and structure.

5. Exact-match short and long-tail keywords.

6. Quantity and quality of links pointing to other pages on the website or other websites.

Some Ranking Factors for Search Engine Optimization

1. Constant production of unique contents.

2. Add keywords to image alt text.

3. Content readability with clear titles, H1s, and H2s.

4. Remove elements capable of slowing down your website.

5. Add keywords to the first and last 100 words of content on a web page.

6. Add internal links to new and relevant pages to build out the site hierarchy.

Importance of SEO

1. SEO increases organic search engine traffic. According to Databox, 90% of web pages get zero organic traffic from Google.

2. The higher your SEO score, the higher your appearance on search engines.

3. SEO increases your ranking in search results and gains more visibility online. This gives you an opportunity for potential customers to likely to click over to your site and convert.

4. It offers an engaging user experience by easily pulling the necessary information users need.

HOW TO START A RETAIL SHOP BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

A retail shop business is actually one of the oldest businesses in Nigeria today. It has been in practice for quite a while and has helped entrepreneurs in making money off the business. The business is one of the fairly easy businesses to set up as it doesn't really require any hard processes or requirements. In this business, you're in direct involvement with the final consumers and you're basically selling to them things that are essential and things they might need. Retail shops comes in different forms depending on the products sold in them but the main point is selling to final consumers. The business is one really profitable business that can fetch entrepreneurs high profits if set up well.

Just like I've mentioned, the retail shop is basically a place where consumer goods are sold or a place where most things or some of the major things needed by different consumers are sold. There are variety of products that can be sold in a retail shop and as long as the product is something with a high demand or even maybe a fair demand, then it is a good option and can definitely get in huge amounts of profit for business owners who start this type of business. Generally, retailers are individuals who are specialists in selling goods directly to final consumers. It is the main thing they do. And just like goods can be bought in bulk, it can also be bought in small quantities and this is where retail shops come in.

The retail shops, again depending of the kind of product sold, sometimes eliminate the option of going to the market by the final consumers. There are some products that are usually gotten in markets and sometimes these markets can be far and even the product to be gotten might just be in a really small quantity. With retail shops, you don't neccesarily need to go to the market as long as they sell what you want. Things like frozen food, food stuff, toiletries, confections and many more that can usually be gotten in the market are now sold in retail shops and individuals can just visit the ones nearest to them rather than go to a large market to get the same products.

HOW TO START A REAL ESTATE COMPANY BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

The real estate industry is a really big industry that is fast becoming one of the best options for business owners to invest. It is a really lucrative sector that brings entrepreneurs and people in the sector with large profits as big as millions when properly set up and depending on the properties and the place where the business is located. There are also a number of options for individuals and it is a business option for almost anybody as long as they work in the category or option that best suits them.

The real estate business typically involves providing housing facilities for individuals who are willing to get them. Housing or rather shelter is one major basic need of individuals and the real estate business provides people with the opportunity to get the kind of house they like under the best possible conditions. The business is a really lucrative one and like I've mentioned, it's a basic need for individuals so they'll surely be looking to get a house and your business will help them in securing a good place.

While providing housing opportunities might be the main part of the business, it also has a number of options for individuals willing to also get into the sector but are without sufficient capital or maybe they want to explore the options they have. The options from this industry includes building and being in charge of the properties, which makes you the landlord and the sole owner of your property. Also, there is the option of managing the properties for the landlords or property owners and lastly, you can also be an agent to help individuals get a suitable building and simultaneously help property owners get clients.

HOW TO START A PHONE AND OTHER GADGETS SALE IN NIGERIA

The technology sector is one of the biggest in the world that offers a lot of business prospects that are usually lucrative to entrepreneurs who start the business. The invention or introduction of certain technological devices have made things a lot more easier than it used to be. Things like smartphones, for instance, are very useful for almost every individual as they can easily do many things with the device that could normally take a long time and even too many complex equipments. This, of course, offers a good business option for individuals to deal in the sale of these devices as they have a very good demand for the products and this makes it a good business idea.

The sale of smartphones and other devices, just like the name implies, simply involves selling the named products and some other devices like computers, laptops, Television sets, and many more like that to customers who are willing to buy. The market for these products is quite well established and it is even becoming one of the fast rising businesses in the country today with many entrepreneurs looking at the massive potentials in the industry. The business is a really lucrative one and one that will definitely bring in huge amounts of profits if things are properly put in place and this is because of the high demand for products of that kind.

Like I've mentioned, there are variety of products that can be sold during the practice of this business and they are generally things that are in regular use by people. Phones, of course, are one of the most used things in the world and it's almost so hard to find someone who's not using it. Laptops are another thing that are quite popularly used for the business. It is also used by many people for different tasks. The two devices, phones and laptops, take a huge part of the business and other things like Television sets, Sound Systems, video games, and so on can now come into context.

HOW TO START A COMPUTER SCHOOL BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

A computer school business is one of the highly promising businesses in the country today with huge prospects of making profits for years to come. It's not really a new business but it is one that increasingly growing and gaining prominence in the country. Since the advent of technology, almost everything has become digital and the need to become aware and knowledgeable on how to operate the computer and also perform some specific functions on it is increasingly growing. A large amount of people still do not know how to operate the device pretty well and that makes the business a really nice option for business owners who want to start the business.

The business involves opening up or setting up a place where individuals will be able to come and learn and be equipped with basic skills relating to the computer. It can be set in a school format or just a regular training center. At this place, individuals can learn how to properly operate a computer or laptop and how they can go about some of the functions that the device has. Since the invention of computer, and especially in this 21st century where everyone is required to have a good knowledge of these kind of things, the need for this kind of training has become increasingly important and it offers individuals with a chance to get it done in a conducive atmosphere without any issues.

The world today, has given a lot of importance to the need to get equipped with basic computer knowledge. Most of the jobs that would normally not require the need for it have started migrating to the use of it and it has become a neccesary requirement to be a computer literate before you get such jobs. Teachers, Engineers, Bankers and almost every other profession now makes use of the device to go about their normal daily activities. This leaves individuals who do not posses these basic skills with no other choice than to learn it to be able to keep their jobs. Computers and its functions makes things very easy and that is why many companies are now applying it at their place of work.

HOW TO START AN ONLINE FOOD STORE BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

In recent times, online businesses have quite become the main focus for many entrepreneurs. An online business, not only removes the option of having a location for your business but it comes with a couple of benefits that makes starting a business online very comfortable. Many people today spend time on their smartphones or computers and the social media world is becoming even larger, making business thrive easily in the space. The online space is also welcoming for typically almost all businesses and one of such is the online food business which is still a pretty much new business and one with a huge prospect for future entrepreneurs to try

The same way a restaurant can be operated in a physical space, a similar thing can be operated online except you can't have people sit and eat online. The online business allows individuals to make orders for food made by experts and get them delivered to them without having to go out. Some restaurants run this kind of method of operating but again, with the business being online, you don't need to get a place, instead you can make the food from your home and send it to your customers who are willing to buy.

For online business owners, it eliminates the option of having to get a location where the business can operate. Food is very essential and everyone eats. While cooking might be an extremely complex and stressful chore for some, others are sometimes in positions or places where they can't cook, work maybe and with this, an online food store becomes a good option to get food especially if they can't leave their work place. All they'll need to do is to make an order and the food can then be delivered to them.

HOW TO START AN ONLINE CLOTHING STORE BUSINESS

Most businesses in the 21st century have gone from having physical stores to actually operating online. This is of course, due to the fact that options are now available that makes it easy for individuals to actively run their businesses online without any issues and also decreasing the amount of work done especially as having a physical store involves even more work than doing it online. Almost everything done in a physical store can be done online and even easier. Infact, almost all businesses can be operated online as long as it able to reach its target audience online and also provide ways they can transact business. One of the most popular businesses that is practiced online is the online clothing store business.

An online clothing store is simply a clothing store online. Clothes get to be displayed to customers, they can buy it and have it delivered to them without moving or going anywhere to get it. Even as entrepreneurs or business owners, you don't need to go anywhere or meet with the customer to get them their products. Everything is strictly done online and no physical interaction whatsoever is needed from both the seller and the buyer. The seller will of course need to get the products, and that is when they'll need to move during the course of the business.

The business is one of the most popular and profitable businesses practiced online. Clothes are worn by everyone everyday to go about their daily activities. Individuals will at one point or the other need to get clothes and rather than go through stress of looking for a physical store or a place where clothes are sold, they can just get them online. The business is a really profitable business and once the business is started and marketed well, you'll definitely start getting your customers in no time and start making the profits.

HOW TO START A LOGISTICS BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

The logistics business is one of the fast rising and lucrative businesses in the country today. Things need to be moved from one place to another and that's how this business comes into being. It provides individuals with an opportunity to send goods or products from one place to another without having to do it themselves or going to a distance to get the goods transferred. The business is fast rising and becoming one of the bright business prospects in the Nigerian business world today. The demand for the services from this business is increasing by the day and it could also make individuals who venture into it get huge amounts of profits if properly set up.

The logistics business simply involves the transfer or movement of goods or products from the point of origin to the comfort of the final consumers. It simply means helping with the transfer of a product from one of place to another.For example, if Mr A has something to send to Mr B and the both live far apart from each other, they can just hire a logistics company to send someone to pick up the product from Mr A and hand it over to Mr B without stress or having to go through any issue in getting the product to the required destination. The business is something that has been in practice for a very long time even though not for business activities.

With many businesses setting up online and having all their operations done remotely, there will definitely be need at one point or the other to get final products to consumers and in doing that, logistics companies come in handy to help sort this issue. Stores and several other types of online businesses are opening up and some of them involve actual goods that needs to be in the hands of a consumer such as food stuffs, clothes, bags and so on. To ensure easy distribution or transfer of the product in question, you'll need to hire someone who can help deliver the goods as it will be extremely stressful to do it all by yourself and even if you choose to, orders come from different places. That's how the logistics business comes in for a business like this. It is complementary to online business.

HOW TO START A GRINDING MACHINE BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

The grinding machine business is actually not a new business as it has been in practice for a while. It was something that was previously done in places where you can find markets but now, it is practiced even in household areas today with people looking to provide easy access to grinding machines rather than have people go to far distances to grind whatever it is they want. The business is quite lucrative especially if you are located in a place close to markets or a place where there is a large turnout of people. It is a fairly simple business to start and one that can bring in good amount of income for business owners who practice the business.

The grinding machine business simply involves getting a grinding machine and using it to accommodate customers requests. There are several things that a grinding machine can be used to grind and two of the most popular things it is used for are pepper and beans. Pepper is quite common when it comes to this business as it can be used to make several things but before that, you'll most likely need to have it grinded. Manual machines are available and infact, they are things that have been used in the past but they're not quite as effective in making the products get to the desired look.

The business is one that can be started in a small scale set up or a large scale one. The small scale aspect is mostly found in many domestic areas or household areas where people can just come out of their houses and get to a grinder's shop and get what they want. It doesn't really involve much as you'll only need a single machine for the business. Also, you might not require any other thing for the small scale part. The large scale part, however, is mostly practiced in markets or places close to where large quantities of pepper is sold. For this one, you'll definitely need more than one machine.

One of the main advantages of starting a business like this is because of the demand for pepper and having it grounded. Many homes today makes use of pepper for different reasons and as such they'll definitely need to grind them at some point. Also, there are other things apart from pepper that customers might want grounded and they are common things also with a high demand. Another thing is that the cost of starting the business is not expensive as a large chunk of the budget or capital is taken by the grinding machine and after that, other things you'll need are quite affordable and easily gotten in the market.

HOW TO START A FURNITURE COMPANY IN NIGERIA

The furniture sale business is fast becoming one of the biggest businesses in the country with the business having a huge potential and a chance to get entrepreneurs or business owners a good amount of income from the business. The business is not new at all as furnitures and furniture making was pretty popular in the past too as the materials were used to beautify places and add spice and style to a house setting. In recent times, the need for more quality materials has increased and the furniture making has moved from not only just making nice furniture products but also ensuring it is nothing but style.

The furniture sale business simply involves making nice furniture products and putting them out for sale for customers to get them. The business is a lucrative one and is surely going to ensure that entrepreneurs or business owners who start the business make good amount of profits from the business. The business has increasingly grown into something really popular in the business world with customers looking to get quality and well crafted pieces of furniture to place in their homes, offices, or anywhere at all.

Every home needs furnitures and not even homes alone, as furnitures are almost as important as any other thing needed in beautifying a place. It's almost impossible to not find any piece of furniture at all in homes today. Over the years, the way and style in which furniture materials are being made have changed. With inspiration from online blogs or pictures of nicely crafted products, business owners now look to give their customers new styles and designs which totally makes the setting of wherever they are placed to look really modern.

Running the business can be in two ways. You can either be in charge personally and be the chief furniture maker for your company or you can choose to just be on the sidelines and get professionals to go about the business for you. As chief furniture maker, you're a major part of making the furnitures you set out of make. You must've gotten experience or had a training on the technicalities involved in the business and how to go about it to be able to be so good that you can set up your own furniture company and be successful at it.

HOW TO START A FOODSTUFF STORE BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

Food is one of the major essentials to human living and it is a part of our daily lives. Preparing a meal or cooking, in general, involves a number of processes or stages and also a mix of several ingredients which eventually leads to the final result or rather the food you've made. These ingredients are found in markets or alternatively at food stores close to you. A food store is simply a place where you're able to get the necessary things you need to cook at home even without visiting a market. It's not really a new business as it has been around for quite some time and it happens to actually be a lucrative business as it has a really high demand for its products.

A food store business simply offers individuals with the opportunity to get their ingredients or whatever it really takes to get their food ready or make their meals, at a closer place rather than go to a main market to get them. Normally, all food stuff, groceries and more can be gotten at a main market but with food stores around, as close as your street, you don't need to go as far as a big market to get them as there's every possibility you'll get what you want at the mini market or the food store. The business is a really lucrative one as it has a large demand for its products and you'll also be able to get customers considering the level of demand.

The business can be run in either a small scale or large scale form. The small scale aspect is almost quite similar to a regular retail shop though the shop can be bigger and also the main products in this shop will be food stuffs and other basic things that can be used at home to make a meal or just regular cooking. The large scale aspect, however, requires an even much bigger place for operations. Also, the quantity of the products to be sold are much larger as compared with the small scale option. A major deciding factor for the scale of business to start with is the capital. The available capital will help you to know which one your money can cover and also if you'll be getting things in small quantities or large quantities.