Selling online -- a dream that's possible in this modern age. You just sit quietly in your nightgown and watch the money come to you. It seems that more and more people are doing this -- ordinary people like you and me -- but how do they do it? It turns out that if you have a good product, you're halfway there. With a little time you spend doing research to identify opportunities that exist, you can quickly join other independent entrepreneurs. See Step 1 to get started.
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Method 1 of 3: Preparing Your Business
Step 1. Research your competitors
Before you sell any product online, you need to know what and who you are dealing with. If you offer a product that's not particularly unique but costs twice as much, takes twice as long to deliver, and your page isn't easy to research, then you won't get customers. And, most importantly, define your niche. Do this by looking for gaps in cyberspace that you can fill.
- Where are your competitors located? Do they occupy a certain part of the internet world?
- What price do they offer? What's the range?
- Who or what products are the most popular? Why?
- What are your competitors still missing? How to provide a better shopping experience for consumers?
- What products might you want to use? Which products would you not use? Why?
Step 2. Perfect your product
A stunning store display means nothing when it's not accompanied by great products to sell. What can you offer? How is your product different from other products already on the market? The potential customers you are targeting have many options similar to your products. Why is your product the best? Here are some things to consider:
- Can your product be sold easily without having to be displayed? How to do this?
- What is the lowest price you can offer?
- Who is your market share? What do they expect? How to reach them easily online?
Step 3. Create a business plan
It may seem like a waste of time, but it's actually the opposite. Without a business plan, you'll end up at your parents' house, with 100 orders to ship tomorrow, but you won't have the equipment and funds to process the shipping costs. These things should be thought of from the start to prevent system failure. Start by thinking about:
- How will you manage requests? Do you have resellers? Or will you do it all yourself? What can and what can't you handle?
- How will you deliver your product to your customers? (We'll talk more about this soon).
- What about taxes and government systems?
- Have you taken into account other costs? Your domain name, page hosting services, marketing, advertising, etc.? Have you thought of everything?
Step 4. Register your company
Online business is the same as any other business; You'll need to fill out the registration and tax liability forms for your area (state, province --- or whatever you're called in) to make sure what you're doing is legal. Otherwise, you will run a serious risk, perhaps even imprisonment. No government likes its people doing illegal business, so make sure you do business the right way.
- The existing rules differ depending on the region. To make sure you get it right, talk to your friends and family members or local entrepreneurs for in-depth information.
- If you do business internationally, there may be some additional regulations.
Step 5. Use social media
Social media is the preferred mode of communication for many people around the world, and by being on these social networks, you have a way to build relationships with potential customers. However, not all social media is created equally, and if you are just starting your business, make sure you don't get overwhelmed because you have accounts on all available social media. Determine in which medium your potential customers are most likely to be, and grow your presence there. For example, if your business is a women's fashion boutique, you might be better off focusing on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. If you run a B2B eCommerce site, use LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, and FB.
Promote yourself on these social media. Talk about your shop. Show your products. Tweet photos. Update your status about ongoing promotions. Spread yourself out
Step 6. Get to know the available options
This is a challenging process, so let's get more specific. Below are three basic options for defining your online business format:
- Use a well-known marketplace, such as eBay, Amazon, or Etsy. You just have a product that can be delivered; the rest are readily available on these electronic markets.
- Use an ecommerce site to set up your business face. This is an open-source project or hosting solution that will provide your own page but everything (analytics, templates, checkout, etc.) is already prepared for you. This method is an easy medium and mediates between your need to do everything and do nothing.
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Design your own site. If you're good at HTML and CSS (or know someone you can turn to for help), do this for a profit.
We will discuss these three scenarios in more detail in the next section
Method 2 of 3: Preparing the Shop
Using Well-known Market
Step 1. Consider using a third party hosting solution
BigCommerce, 3dcart, Shopify, Yahoo! Merchant Solutions or osCommerce (to name a few) are third parties who can prepare storefronts for you (this is the second option we discussed above). They will set up your page (with lots of different-priced templates for you to choose from) and set up a format that will give you a headache, for a fee. All you have to do is choose a design, upload a product, choose a payment option, and market yourself.
- In other words, if you don't know HTML or CSS and don't want to bother with hiring a designer, this is the way to go. This method offers control that you can set yourself instead of using Amazon, Etsy, or eBay.
- You might think of this as a risk reduction tactic. If something goes wrong, then the fault is on their side and not yours.
Step 2. Sell your items on eBay
Yes, it's a bit old-fashioned, but if you're selling really unique items for a low price, eBay is still a great way to do it. You can set your own prices, view the available offers, and easily develop a good reputation. eBay is a trusted site that has been around for several years.
But because of that, eBay is also not very trendy. If you're looking for a more constant source of income, you might be better off considering another site
Step 3. If you are artistic, use Etsy
Etsy is an online marketplace for arts, crafts, and vintage items. If any of these words describe the characteristics of your product, Etsy is the right place for you. Setting up your own store and connecting with consumers is super easy on Etsy -- and the page is really popular right now.
Etsy is also a community -- if you have questions, everyone is happy to help. You can join the sales team and get involved in it however you want
Step 4. When in doubt, use Craigslist
Perhaps the fastest way to make money online is to use Craigslist (of course if you have something that someone else wants). All you have to do is write a short post in the right section and wait for a reply. Consider doing this as you analyze all the available options.
Craigslist is effective for large/metropolitan areas. If you live in a small town, chances are your posts will not be responded to
Step 5. Be an Amazon seller
Amazon isn't just a place for big businesses. Who knows? All you have to do is create a seller account, register your products, and wait for your order. Well, at least that's how the core works.
Amazon is a great site. Make sure you offer competitive prices and low shipping costs to start with. You can improve it later after you get high ratings and positive feedback
Step 6. Consider using a page like CafePress
This page is a site where you can design your own stuff. You will have a template and when someone orders something, you will make the item. You can register any item you can make. If you are not familiar with this page, explore it! Is the item you are going to offer is not yet on the market?
A free standard shop! However, you can get additional features for a certain monthly fee
Step 7. Try YouTube infomercials
Yes, Internet Infomercials. Talk Market believes that if they can be effective on TV channels, they can also be successful on the Internet. As the name suggests: videos that promote products (even though you think you already know all kinds of products on the market). Why not?!
And regarding Youtube, we think it's clear. If you look good on camera and have good sales skills, create your own channel. You might even go viral
Create Your Own Page
Step 1. Register a domain name
If you've decided to go your own route (as long as this might be easier in the long term), you'll need a domain address. Some pointers for you are:
- Use the.com site, which is everyone's standard choice.
- Avoid words that are too long, misspelled, and any words that can be confusing. The best page of all timebecauseI'msocool.com is not a good idea.
- Avoid using strips and unnecessary symbols. Potential customers may miss these signs and become confused and lose interest.
Step 2. Choose a hosting
You'll need a host that can provide you with the right tools, sufficient bandwidth and storage capacity, and support when you need help. It costs around IDR 60,000 to IDR 120,000 per month in varying quality. Some good hosting companies are DreamHost, HostGator, Bluehost, Linode, and A Small Orange. Do your research before you decide!
You may have to install a "shopping cart script." These scripts can be found for free and the right webhost can provide them for you. When you choose a host, make sure it offers a "cPanel" with Fantastico script, or, if you're a Windows lover, Ensim Power Tools. This way, third-party scripts won't run into any major bottlenecks
Step 3. Design your page
Remember when we mentioned that this would bring long term benefits? This is because in the end, you will have complete control. You can make changes, update, change hosting if you're disappointed -- in short, you can do whatever you want. Amazing.
You can also hire a designer if you don't trust yourself. Make sure you get the concept you want -- don't just accept whatever they offer you to get your page done quickly
Step 4. Get a dedicated IP address and SSL certificate
Your hosting will provide it for you, but usually you will have to pay an additional fee. A dedicated IP is usually cheap, but an SSL certificate can cost you around IDR 600,000 - a year. Why do you need this? Well, for beginners, SSL is the "Secure Sockets Layer". In other words, SSL will encrypt data and protect your customer information. This is certainly something you don't want to miss.
Domain name registration services, such as NameCheap, also offer certificates. If your hosting company is expensive, try to find other alternatives and compare. Maybe you can find a cheaper one elsewhere
Step 5. Execute marketing and advertising
You are your own boss. You hired yourself and now your job is to introduce yourself and your business. This is fun, but you have to do it all day long. To get a steady stream of consumers, you have to work hard. Here are some ideas for you:
- Be careful on your social media. Do you really have to tweet again today? Yes. The answer is yes.
- Build relationships with other bloggers. Be active in a community and start investing your credit and reputation. Especially on bloggers in a community with a certain niche (interest).
- Use Google Analytics. It's free, and you can see where your customers are coming from and what they want.
- Consider advertising on other pages. Hey, you need money to earn money.
Step 6. Have a trusted payment method
Unless your customers are old people still living in the P. O. era. boxes and checks, you will need some type of payment gateway. This is usually PayPal. Depending on your sales volume, PayPal will take a commission of 2.2% to 2.9% on each transaction. A small amount to make it easier for you to enter income.
You can get your own credit card seller account. You can also use other methods like 2Checkout or Authorize.net. Do some research on the Internet to find the most popular and best parties for your business if you are not comfortable using PayPal
Method 3 of 3: Getting Profit
Step 1. Get to know your shipping options
You already have your shop and your products, and orders come and go -- now how do you fulfill them? Turns out you don't have to leave the house every half hour! Below are two options you might consider:
- You can hire a third party to store your goods in their warehouse. They will then offer you the lowest price to ship your item and all you have to do is tell them when the order should be delivered.
- You also have a magic method called "drop ship." You have a seller who keeps the goods themselves, and you just have to pass on the customer's orders. You do have less control, but you will also save money this way.
Step 2. Take advantage of analytics services
More specifically is Google Analytics. Because technology is a great thing, take advantage of it. You can see where your customers are coming from, what they're looking for, how much time they're spending and where they're spending that time -- essentially, anything that can help you succeed. And since it's free, why don't you do it?
Let's think realistically: your store's chances of success when you're just starting out aren't great. Google Analytics will help you improve your page, making it look better and better as you analyze and analyze it further
Step 3. Have a personality
Your store will only survive if you have more than one product. Many people have a product -- you also have to define its personality. What is the personality of your store like?
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Here is an example that good:
-- Me, the Best Business Owner of All Time
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Here is an example that bad example:
"Your order has been taken care of. We are currently processing it and it will be delivered shortly. If you have any questions, please fill out the inquiry form which you can find on the 'Contact Us' tab and we may finally answer them. Good luck."
-- Automated Enterprise, Run by Robots Without Personality
See the difference? A personable, trustworthy attitude that shows you're a human will make you memorable and customers will come back
Step 4. Create email lists and newsletters
Of course, you want your brand to stay in the minds of customers. You want them to come back again before they realize they need to come back. How do you do this? With email lists and newsletters! When your customers register on your site, you will receive their email, and they can receive updates and promotions that stimulate their desire to buy your product. This is a mutually beneficial solution.
- Of course to do this you must have a promotional program! It is a good idea to provide periodic promotions and discounts to maintain consumer interest.
- Make consumers feel special. Give them a special offer based on their previous order. This will be a special bonus that sets you apart from other sellers.
Step 5. Follow up for consumers
Once the order is placed, your work is not done. It is very important to develop a relationship with consumers. Consider these things:
- Send a confirmation email for each order. Make sure you also send an email after the item is shipped. If there are any obstacles, let them know via another email.
- Ask for input! Once everything is done, send an email to ask about their experience. The more input you have, the better your business will be -- and the more word of mouth you can leverage!
- You can also follow up by giving a special offer after the first purchase. This can even make a customer a loyal customer. Show them that you care!
Step 6. Learn HTML and CSS
Although this is not 100% your obligation, there is nothing wrong with you doing it. If you have the ability to manage your own storefront, you'll be able to handle it all. If not, let someone else do it. Learning these two things will help you create a product that you believe your customers will want. Without an intermediary, things would go much faster.
