Working from home has never been as popular as they are today. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has seen a surge unlike any other. Before virus-related restrictions, only 7% of American employees worked from their homes. During the pandemic, that number has skyrocketed to 57%.
But remote work isn’t limited to company jobs. There are other types of work you can do at home. Thanks to the internet and social media, you can earn money without leaving the comfort of your house. While running a business is easier and more accessible, it’s also more competitive. To have an online business is one thing, to run it successfully is a completely different thing altogether. Thanks to the internet, tools such as employee tracking app and social media, you can manage your employees and earn money without leaving the comfort of your house.
Here are three elements of a good home-based business:
1. Visuals Are Vital
In the era of social media, photos and videos are the main currency. And people who make great visuals are the biggest players. According to Forbes, several TikTokers earned millions of dollars within a year. Meanwhile, Instagrammers are ahead of the pack with a number of them making eight figures from paid posts.
You don’t have to make viral dance challenges or celebrity sponsored posts for your business to do well. But you do have to create great visuals. The best way to do so is by contacting pros. If you create or sell necklaces and earrings, consider hiring a jewelry retouching service. If you sell cookies and other baked goods, get a professional photographer. People can’t check out your products in person, so you have to bring them the next best thing through the screen. This is really hard to do if you don’t have a great camera or the right editing applications.
Apart from a good camera, you also need to have the latest 1080p touchscreen monitor that helps create outstanding and pixel-perfect images of your products which eventually get the highest clicks, likes, follows, and subscriptions. Here, you can think of buying from an international brand like “Desklab”, which manufactures a whole new range of 4K touchscreen monitors with huge screens, brilliant colors, and super-responsive features. The products have to look their best without being realistic and pros know how to do just that.
2. Wide Reach
The beauty of the internet is that it can reach far and wide. Someone from South America can make a funny joke online and it could make people in East Asia laugh. Because of several social media platforms, it’s never been easier or faster to reach people from other parts of the world. Business owners can take advantage of this benefit by maximizing their accessibility. You can do this by offering great shipping options.
While you don’t have to offer worldwide shipping right from the get-go, it’s best to cover as much of the U.S. as you can. This allows you to build a good customer base without alienating anyone. Plus, thanks to the popularity of online stores, there are great delivery options for home-based operations. For example, the UPS has services specifically tailored for small businesses.
3. Make It Personal
There are a multitude of options for customers to choose from nowadays. Even if you offer a niche product or service, it’s not guaranteed to succeed because there are probably alternatives online. That’s why it’s crucial for your business to stand out. One of the best ways to do that is by making your brand more personal.
When it comes to marketing, personal doesn’t necessarily mean posting things on social media like a regular person. It’s more about considering your clients’ needs and concerns. For example, in the beginning of the pandemic, companies filled peoples’ inboxes with emails about how they were dealing with the situation. The problem was that it led to subscriber churn instead of impressing clients. Put yourself in the position of your customers. During a holiday, what would you like to hear? Would you rather add to the pile of corporate emails about offers? Or would you rather get ahead of the pack and send emails ahead of time for your customers’ holiday presents?
The internet has enabled people from all walks of life to earn a living without leaving their homes. It was only just a handful of years ago when the only way to earn money at home was to sell lemonade or to have a garage sale. Now, you can design, create, and ship your products without stepping foot outside.
Of course, the big question mark is how you profit from it. Sure, it’s relatively easier now because the costs are minimal. You don’t have to rent a retail space and pay its utilities. But it’s difficult to stand out from the pack. Thousands of other people also have great ideas for a business. It’s up to you to execute. Study how successful businesses do their operations and find a way to do it your way. Make sure that your customers get a unique product or experience, so they’d keep coming back.
