Once upon a time, back when your parents were young teens, they didn’t have access to the level of technology available today. Imagine life without Google or a mobile device!! Luckily, you don’t have that problem. Instead, your challenge is to figure out which of the myriad of online tools to use to build and market your entrepreneurial business. Check out these key tips:

Get a web presence
Since most people looking for a specific product or service will Google it on their mobile device, their first point of contact will be your website. Make sure it has plenty of information and images, and that it’s well planned and responsive, so it adapts the way it displays according to the device being used to view it. Google also gives extra points for responsiveness, boosting you up the rankings.

Use social media
Your social media presence is your voice out in the world. If your target market is other young people, find out what the latest trends are and link to those, then if your story is good enough, it may even go viral.

Facebook and Twitter are quick and easy ways to keep people informed of the latest developments in your business. Also keep an eye out for other popular apps, like these:

  • Add text to videos and images then send them to contacts via SnapChat – see how SnapChat celeb storyteller Chris Carmichael does it here
  • Put your best product images on Instagram
  • Take advantage of Pinterest’s buyable pins (and coming soon: promoted pins) – see Mark Zuckerberg’s Pinterest account here
  • WeChat provides both an instant messaging service and a load other functionality
  • Stream live videos to your Twitter followers with Meerkat

Check your analytics
Stay on top of what’s happening in your social media and web presence by keeping an eye on your analytics. The basic service is free and can tell you things like where your traffic is coming from, what posts get the most hits, etc. Then you can do more of what’s working and less of what bombs.

Find out what’s hot by chatting to other young entrepreneurs at events like our upcoming Breakfast Series Grand Finale. Also check out these downloadable e-books for some great business tools (soon to be free to Teen Entrepreneur members).

Whether you’re trying to attract investment or sell a finished product, being a successful entrepreneur means educating yourself so you can use the tools at your disposal like a pro.