When it comes to the restaurant industry, very few business models are as honed as Chinese restaurants. They have been around forever, they are everywhere and they do tons of business. There is a lot we can all learn from Chinese restaurants and apply these tips to making any online business more successful.
If you are just starting your business, here are some great tips on how to Build a Successful Internet Service for Your Business
People Love Quality
There are a lot of online businesses out there all offering the same stuff, but only a handful truly offer a great product or service. If you want to easily compete and destroy your competition, it all starts with quality. If you can offer something of quality that no one else can offer, you will be on the track to long term success.
When people find something they love, like a great Chinese restaurant, word can travel fast. People love recommending good stuff to family, friends and coworkers. So before you do ANYTHING, make sure you start with having an exceptional product or service.
People Love Things Fast
People don’t just want Chinese food fast, they want websites built fast, logos done fast, emails responded to fast and so on. Chinese restaurants have mastered quick delivery by knowing their customers and their business. They know the busiest times of the year, the day, how quickly the average person wants something delivered etc.
You may only have a few clients when starting, but once your business takes off, you need to be ready to handle more orders from more clients. It’s important to be able to scale your business smoothly.
One example was Twitter and its web hosting. They grew so incredibly fast that they had trouble keeping their website up for a while. This obviously generated a lot of negative press for them. But they were able to overcome this fast. Learn from others and make sure you can deliver your product or service quickly.
Some businesses, such as in the printing industry, destroy their competition on delivery times alone! Another good example is PSD to HTML web design services, which are known for their quick coding and delivery times.
People Love Reviews
Another huge part of running an online business is reviews. When people are looking for a new Chinese restaurant to order from, many go right to Google and enter a local search to find listings. Reviews are used by many prospects to decide which restaurant to order from. If you have a bunch of great reviews, you will be much more likely to get more business. The reverse is also true.
It all comes back to offering a great product or service. If you do, people will naturally leave nice words for your future customers. But if you have unhappy customers, they will likely voice their concerns through negative reviews.
Try and get your customers to post reviews about your business on major platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp and so on. You should also add reviews to your own website and feature a few on your home page.
People Love Business Details
Another key thing every online business should have is details. This can include office hours, list of services offered, contact information, special features and so on. People want information when they need it! It’s easier for customers to get everything directly from your website at first glance than having to call and ask. A simple message like “we deliver” on your website can be the difference between you getting the order over your competitor.
People Love Media
Having a variety of media is becoming more important every day. Good images and videos complement your copy. For example, Chinese restaurants can vary greatly. Having pictures of the inside and outside of your business can help people choose the right place.
Be creative with your media for marketing, but also use it in a functional way on your website
People Love Information
Some people know what they want, but others need help choosing. Most Chinese restaurants have their full menus online that often include everything including drinks and prices. For other online businesses, this could be detailed information about your service. Try using the Google keyword tool or surveying your customers to figure out all the questions they may have and then answer those questions on your website.
When building your website, don’t just assume all customers are the same. All your potential customers are at different “buying stages”. Some are still researching solutions, some are trying to decide between two websites, and some are just researching prices. Research your competition to see what they have on their websites and make sure your website is an even better resource.
Writing articles and blog posts about topics in your industry is another superb way to use information as a way to generate business. If you can position yourself as extremely knowledgeable and an industry leader in your niche, it will be easy to promote your product or service. The Internet was founded on finding and sharing information and it’s still the key to success on the web today.
That said check out our handy guide on How to Repurpose Old Content on Your Blog for More Organic Traffic
People Love Deals
This may seem obvious, but people love deals. Even though it’s somewhat a cliche, many businesses fail to take advantage of it. There are plenty of ways to create great promotions and special offers that can drive tons of new business to your website. Chinese restaurants are masters of deals and are known for promotions such as lunch specials, buffet specials and even giving away free fortune cookies!
Think of creative promotions for all the popular holidays during the year and figure out some year round promotions you can rotate to help close the deal easier on sales. Plan each promotion way ahead of time to avoid problems and always have a way to track your marketing tactics so you can see which offers did the best.
Man, this post really made me hungry! Time to order some sesame chicken…
