The Tribune

When you decide to make the big leap and become a business owner, you are accepting that you have a lot of learning to do. Running a successful business is not a talent that you are born, and requires dedication and concentration.

Thanks to the content and opportunities available online, setting up a business venture is much more accessible than it used to be (you can even create your own website for free). Yet there is still a learning curve that every aspiring online business owner needs to know.

To support you in this challenge, I’ve created this list of five web skills you simply have to possess if you want to achieve greatness with your business.

Many small business owners find they need to deal with these tasks all by themselves, but even if you have employees or business partners to help, you will inevitably need to understand each of them in order to plan and lead your team.

Improving User Experience

When potential customers visit your business website, they need to be greeted by an intuitive browsing flow that provides maximum satisfaction for minimum time and effort. In web lingo, this is referred to as ‘user experience’.

The idea is for your customers to experience your site in the best possible way. This involves making sure that the navigation is clear, that the texts on the site are easy to read, and that the homepage is not too cluttered with information.

Writing to Sell

A major part of every business transaction is the pitching process. In your online marketing efforts, whether on your website, your newsletters or in an ad campaign, you want to make sure that the pitch is phrased and presented just right.

Powerful, credible and persuasive texts are crucial for establishing a strong brand and successfully closing deals.

Creating Social Media Buzz

Social media is an important marketing arena, especially for new and small businesses that do not have large budgets for professional cross-media campaigns. The beauty about social media is that you can see great results by putting your creativity into action, and without spending huge amounts of money.

The first thing to do is understand which social networks are best suited for your type of business. Then move on to establish your brand on these networks and engage with your target audience. Remember, even if social media activity does not immediately translate into sales, it is still an important long-term investment in your branding.

Mastering Online Customer Care

Too often business owners neglect this crucial aspect. Effective customer care means giving your customers the full package of support. They need to feel free to contact you with questions, suggestions, compliments and even complaints.

With online customer care you have the option of offering several communication methods: E-mail, social media, online chat or contact forms.

Regardless of which ones you choose, you need to be able to commit to providing timely, adequate and personalised responses. As a general tip, you will want to stay away from the 10 things clients hate hearing most.

Performing Statistics Analysis

While it is not really a glamorous task, keeping track of your site’s statistics could hardly be more important for any business with an online presence. These stats gives you information about who your visitors are; what makes them stay and what makes them leave; how they arrived at your site to begin with and what are the most popular search terms that lead people to it.

In other words, statistics give you the key to understand your visitors’ browsing habits, and improve your website’s content accordingly. Knowledge is power. Until we meet again, fill your life with memories as opposed to regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

• NB: The columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

ABOUT THE COLUMNIST: Deidre Marie Bastian is a professionally trained graphic designer/marketing coordinator with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of the Bahamas, Nova South Eastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.