Session 4:
Explore Business Models
Local/offline business
Online instructional business
E-commerce
ICEBREAKER!! Movie Quotes: Each student says a famous movie quote. The other students will guess which movie it is from and get a point for each correct answer. Students may use Chromebooks to research quotes for their own ideas if needed. Students may not look up answers to others’ quotes.
Intro To Digital Marketing
Video Transcription
Intro To Digital Marketing
“What type of business would you want to start?” Let’s hear your ideas, and then we’ll explore other types of business models. If you don’t know just yet, then start thinking more about your interests, skills, and talents, and we’ll start from there. Once you have an idea, let’s talk about how to start an online business with this idea?” And remember, we’re going to take this business ONLINE by building a website on WIX later in the course. You’ll learn how to promote your new business by doing something called “Digital Marketing”. What does that mean? In simple terms, it just means that you will be sharing/selling your products or ideas on the internet using a website (or on social media). We’ll teach you some really helpful ways for customers to find your business. For now, let’s take a look at some online businesses that you can start and market on your website.
Local/offline business (neighborhood/local business)
Online instructional business (online lessons, tutorials)
E-commerce (selling products on your website)
Business Models:
1. Local-Offline Business
The first business model is a Local-Offline Business where you can go into your community and provide a service, in-person and for a fee. Can you think of some examples? Here are a few: dog walking, lawn care, tutoring, babysitting, sports training, music lessons, snow shoveling, fitness support, selling water bottles, errand running, etc.
These are “offline” teen jobs, but marketing them online can help you find more customers. One way to do this is to sell on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), which we’ll discuss in later lessons. Any student under the age of 13 will require a parent to help with social media accounts. Another important strategy is building a simple website/blog and registering your “domain” name.
Your website is where you will share your knowledge, recommend products, display pictures/videos, post your contact info and prices, and truly share your unique personality.
Here are some examples of business “domain” names that are catchy and to the point;
Jen’s Pet Sitting (www.jenspetsitting.com)
Highfall’s Piano Lessons (www.highfallspianolessons.com)
Danny’s Dog Walking (www.dannysdogwalking.com)
Rachael’s Face Painting (www.rachaelsfacepainting.com)
Soccer Training Trevor (www.soccertrainingtrevor.com)
Tina’s Math Tutoring (www.tinamathtutoring.com)
Engage In Offline Marketing:
The best way to market your home/neighborhood business is word-of-mouth marketing! Tell everyone you know about your business. Tell your parents to share the business with people they know. Create business cards and flyers and hang them on local bulletin boards where allowed. Be proactive and when you see someone who fits the profile of one of your customers, don’t be afraid to approach them to offer your service/product.
2. Online Instructional-Tutorial Business
The second business model is an Online Instructional-Tutorial Business offering tutoring, lessons, or workshops all online (examples: sports skill tutorials, music lessons, art lessons, how to make something, how to do something, product reviews, etc.)
You can record short video tutorials and post them on sites like YouTube. You can also run live sessions on sites like Zoom or platforms like Google Meet with your parent’s supervision and permission. You can eventually make money by asking people to donate or even charging a fee for the video content.
3. Ecommerce Store
Another business model is the eCommerce store, where students can create and earn money selling things that revolve around their passion/interests. Whether you sell hand-made creations, clothing, or sell collectibles, this can be a great way to make money. You can even find items at garage sales or on clearance racks in stores and resell these items on your online store. This is called RETAIL ARBITRAGE. Anyone under the age of 18 will require the assistance of an adult to help set up a method for customers to pay you over the Internet. We’ll talk about this more later.