You’ve probably heard of the term “digital nomad”. Those that pursue this lifestyle change mobile lifestyle and work remotely, often taking on contract work where they can. This is something that appeals to many, as it is now possible to work remotely and be available for client work across the globe. With the right skills and preparation, a digital nomad’s lifestyle is full of adventure and excitement, and can be very rewarding. If you’re passionate about marketing and blogging, you could potentially make a living from home, traveling the world and being paid to share your expertise.

While this is a tantalizing option, it comes with certain challenges that you need to address before you can truly pursue this type of lifestyle. Chief among them is finding a steady stream of income, something that is not easily achieved by a solo-preneur or small business owner. For that reason, this article will discuss some of the things you need to consider when doing business online, particularly if you are based in or are planning to set up shop in Fort Lauderdale.

1. Set Up A Business Account

First and foremost, you’ll want to make sure you have a business account with one of the major payment processors. Without this, all of your sales will likely be processed manually, through a payment gateway like PayPal or Square. While these are more convenient for the end user, doing business this way requires a lot of manual work, which can be extremely time-consuming. Having a business account with a payment processor will also ensure that all of your transactions are recorded, providing you with greater traceability and business continuity.

2. Build Skilled Manuscript

The second thing you’ll want to do is establish yourself as an expert in your field. There are various ways to do this, but perhaps the most effective and least invasive is to simply build up a portfolio of your best work. You can take this in a multitude of ways, whether you write a blog post, create a podcast or write an e-book. The goal is to demonstrate your expertise in your field, and convince potential customers that you are the person to go to for advice or to actually do the work.

3. Decide Whether To Set Up Shop In A Local Or Regional Location

Depending on your business model and the kind of work you’ll be doing, you might decide that a regional or local shop is the way to go. For example, if you are writing a blog post on luxury travel and you want to be able to visit potential customers in person, you could potentially set up shop in a smaller city, or even in someone’s home office. This might be a more convenient option for you, as you could potentially travel to larger cities that are more akin to hubs, and establish yourself as an expert in your field. If your business requires you to be physically present at the location, there needs to be a clear benefit for you in terms of customer acquisition and engagement, otherwise, this probably isn’t the best option for your business.

4. Develop A Loyal Audience

Once you’ve established yourself as an expert in your field, the next step is to develop a loyal audience. This is a bit more difficult than it sounds, as it requires you to be consistently engaging, interesting and valuable. If you can do that, you’ll be able to build a base of engaged followers who’ll hopefully become raving fans and advocates for your work. To succeed here, you’ll have to be put in the position to consistently offer value, whether that is helping someone solve a problem, or offering advice that will help them improve their life or business. This is something that many online marketeers and entrepreneurs fall foul of, as they see this as a quick fix to make money, without regard for the long-term relationship they might be creating with their audience. Instead of using your website as a quick fix to make money, you should instead see it as a source of value and inspiration to continue creating more content that is valuable to your audience.

5. Test The Idea Generously

It’s important that you conduct extensive testing when developing any new idea or concept. This is even more crucial when doing business online, as you don’t exactly know how people will react to what you’re presenting. For that reason, it might be a good idea to test your business idea or concept with a handful of customers, before embarking on a full-fledged launch. Testing allows you to discover any kinks before you put out a product that you’re planning to sell to the general public. When doing business this way, it’s not always easy to tell what’s going to end up being a flop, and what will end up being a success. However, by taking the time to test your idea or concept, you’ll be able to find the answers you’re looking for, and make adjustments as necessary, before you put out a product that you’re hoping to sell.

6. Establish Brand Invisibility

Once you’ve determined that setting up shop online is the right move for your business, the next step is to establish brand invisibility. Simply put, you don’t want anyone to just walk up to you and think “apple pie” when they see your name. For that matter, you don’t want them to just think “pie” when they see your name either, as that might make you seem like a baker who specializes in that kind of food, when in reality, you might be more of a tech expert. To really establish brand invisibility, you might want to consider creating a brand identity, which is basically a collection of all of the things that people will associate with your brand. This could include your logo, color palette, typeface, infographics, etc. The goal here is to ensure that your brand is recognizable, but also that it fits nicely within the context of the business. If you’ve been working hard to establish yourself as an expert in your field, this might be the last thing you need to do, as going through the process of creating a brand identity will give you new-found respect from customers and potential collaborators alike. It’s important to note that if you work with a branding agency, they will be able to help you put this strategy into place and make sure that your brand is recognizable everywhere that you go, online and off-line alike. You might also decide to create an identity for your blog or website, to make it easier for visitors to find the content that they’re looking for. The key to establishing brand invisibility is to make sure that your brand is consistent, whether it is online or offline. That way, people will begin to associate your brand with goodness, rather than badness or uncertainty. With that in mind, make sure that everything you do, whether it is online or off-line, reflects that your brand is good. That way, you’ll be able to leave a positive impression on customers that you’ll hopefully convert into fans, advocates and, eventually, buyers. Establishing brand invisibility isn’t just about being able to hide your name, it’s about making sure that your brand is present, and accounted for, in every aspect of your business, whether that is online or off-line. To that end, be sure to make use of the various methods of identification that are at your disposal, whether that is via your website, social media accounts or, most importantly, your logo.

7. Don’t Forget About Local Marketing

While we’re on the subject of marketing, it’s important to not forget about local marketing. Regardless of whether you decide to set up shop in a smaller city or on a more regional basis, there’s still a large chunk of the population that you’re not going to be able to reach. To really hit the nail on the head with local marketing, you’ll want to identify key locations within a 30-mile radius of your business. The reason for this is that, typically, people that live in large cities will hunt for products that are close to home, as there are often many options available to them, while individuals in smaller towns don’t always have as many choices when it comes to getting their goods and services. If you want to really master local marketing, you should look into running radio ads and newspaper ads, as well as getting involved in local non-profits and arts organizations. All of this will help you generate leads and potential customers that are still located within a 30-mile radius of your store or business. If you don’t have the budget for these types of adverts, you might want to consider using a tool like Google AdWords, which many big-name companies and brands use to get their ads in front of potential customers.