Do you now the difference between eCommerce and social media selling? Susan Friesen elaborates in her July 20 article
The Difference Between Social Media Selling & eCommerce
Over the past few weeks, I've shared some tips on improving your eCommerce website as well as some of the different ways to sell on social. This week, I'm going to help you choose whether you should focus on selling on an eCommerce store or opt for a social media marketplace.
But first, a quick refresher:
You'll have to figure out how to process transactions either way and install shopping cart software or drive buyers to a third-party site like PayPal.
Here are some of the marketplaces you can sell on:
The Differences Between Selling on an eCommerce Store & Social Media Marketplace
Now, if you're selling on an eCommerce store, you can use a combo of SEO, content marketing and paid ads to drive traffic to your products or services. Because you can use your branding and content to your advantage, this can offer a more authentic experience to your customers.
If you're using an online marketplace, it's less time-consuming. The platform is already there, and you're populating it with your images, copy and products/services. It may be easier for some small business owners to engage with their audience on a site like Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram vs. growing visitors to their website organically.
However, the competition is high. You're competing against many other brands, both big and small. Your company could get lost in the noise, so to speak.
You'll also often pay a fee to sell. For example, the selling fee on Facebook Shops is 5% per shipment, or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8.00 or less.
So what's a small business owner to do?
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READ: Your Guide to eCommerce Social Media Marketing
Your social media accounts aren't just platforms for sharing content and engaging with visitors to accomplish those goals. From Facebook to Instagram, it can be a powerful way to market your products and services to your followers.
But despite these statistics, many small business owners still don't understand the value of using these popular platforms to sell. That's why I created this guide: to not only help you understand how important eCommerce social media marketing is, but to give you actionable tips to drive traffic, leads and sales.
Read more on our website.
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Sell on eCommerce First & Social Media Second
I recommend you start out with a website that allows people to buy what you're selling on your own site. Then, as part of a bigger strategy, if it makes sense to your target audience, you can use a service like Facebook Shops to increase the size of your audience.
4 Tips for Selling on eCommerce or on a Social Media Marketplace
While there are some important differences between selling on a third-party platform or on your own eCommerce store, there are some similarities in how you should approach things.
1. Build, don't push.
Focus on building relationships, not pushing your products or services on people. You'll have to spend time nurturing relationships and growing engagement, whether that's through in-depth blog articles on your site or replying to comments on Facebook.
2. Know your customers.
There are so many questions that can help you understand your buyers. Who's your target audience? What networks are they active on? Do they leave reviews? Do they prefer to consume video content or written content?
3. Understand your website weaknesses.
You're driving potential customers to your site, so make sure it's at its best. If traffic isn't converting into leads or sales, it might not be your paid ads or product images.
Check your CTAs, look for broken links and take a long, hard look at your navigation. Also, check your Google Analytics data to learn what's working and what isn't.
4. Listen to your customers.
Whether you're selling on social media or through your website, your reputation depends on how you treat your customers. Monitor your comments, answer questions and complaints promptly and keep tabs on online reviews on sites like Google My Business and Yelp.
So there you have it: if you can, take both approaches to connecting with your target audience! These two tactics can really complement each other and be a key part of your multi-channel marketing strategy.
However, there's more to the process than buying a domain name and loading your site with products or services or creating a profile on a social media marketplace.
Hiring a professional marketing company can save you both time and money. Contact us today to learn how we've helped many small business owners succeed.
To your business success,
Susan
About the author:
Susan Friesen, founder of the award-winning web development and digital marketing firm eVision Media, is a Web Specialist, Business & Marketing Consultant, and Social Media Advisor. She works with entrepreneurs who struggle with having the lack of knowledge, skill and support needed to create their online business presence.
As a result of working with Susan and her team, clients feel confident and relieved knowing their online marketing is in trustworthy and caring hands so they can focus on building their business with peace of mind at having a perfect support system in place to guide them every step of the way.
Visit http://www.ultimatewebsiteguide.ca and download your FREE "Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Website's Profitability - 10 Critical Questions You Must Ask to Get Maximum Results".
https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Susan_Friesen/260293
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10329697
Joint ventures (JV) are a great way of leveraging expertise, experience, resources and even funding. When it comes to your business a JV can be really effective if done right, as Ash Trivedi describes:
One of the best methods for getting the word out about your product and making a lot of sales in a short amount of time is with Joint Ventures.
Joint Ventures are a powerful tool for expanding business in many areas. So, what is stopping 'you' from using this technique to expand your business?
For many new marketers, starting a JV can be a frightening task, especially when it comes to contacting other marketers.
Too often, many marketers appear to be "spamming," when they are really just seeking other JV partners. There is a correct way about finding joint venture partners and getting them to say yes to your proposal. Here's a few tips to get you started right away.
Don't use a template style letter and email all potential partners with that letter. Take the time to visit their site and make personal comments about it in your proposal. Let your future J.V. partner know that you have taken the time to contact him/her personally.
There are joint venture networks out there that can save you a lot of time emailing and not get you accused of spam. You could visit sites like J.V Gold.com and www.jvAlert.com/invite.aspx?id=2133 (that site requires an invite, so I've given you one in that link)
So now you've got access to a massive network of heavy hitters and guru marketers. What you need to do is write the best proposal possible and really over deliver for your partners. This will make your proposal stand out over everyone else's. Here's a few tips you can use;
If you have a product or service, let your J.V. partners have it for free. Let them know that as J.V. partners they can have your product for a free review. Without offering them a free review you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who is willing to endorse a product to their list which may have taken them years to build a relationship with.
Lastly, don't give up. If you can't for whatever reason join a joint venture network and you have to go emailing future partners one by one, this can get very tiring. Especially when all you may keep hearing is "no" or you get no reply at all. Well, just remember that you may have heard 100 "no's", but it only takes one "yes" from a heavy hitter to sky rocket your profits. Be patient and it will happen.
Article Source:
http://www.articlegeek.com/internet/online_business_articles/joint_venture_with_gurus.htm
LinkedIn is a great platform for business to business (B2B) sharing and has a different etiquette to other social media platforms. Effie Cinanni takes us through how and why you could be using it for your business
LinkedIn Marketing for Small Business is becoming increasingly popular because it is a fast growing platform and the world's largest professional network with hundreds of millions of users. Posting regular, valuable content on Linkedln helps to create trust between you and your connections and helps you to be seen as an expert in your field. Why does this matter? Well, those that are perceived as experts in their field are able to command higher rates and generate more business and wouldn't we all like that!
LinkedIn has a powerful built-in search function hat you can use to help you identify new contacts. The main question you should answer is - who are the professionals and potential customers you'd like to connect to? Once you have defined your ideal connections, use the search function and LinkedIn filters to locate connections based on items such as job title, industry and location.
When you 'connect' with someone on LinkedIn make sure you add a note to personalise your request. It is very important to personalise your connection requests, try to use a message that shows the context and the relevance of connecting. For instance, comment on why it might be a good idea to connect, perhaps you are in complimentary industries. Maybe you found a recent post that they wrote interesting, or you might mention something that you have in common. Referring to shared contacts within your networks is also a good place to start, as we are more likely to connect with people we have common connections with.
Get started today, start posting valuable content and growing your network.
Effie Cinanni is Founder and Director of Small Chilli Marketing a Melbourne based consulting firm specialising in small business marketing and communications. She is an Associate Member of the Australian Marketing Institute and a Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) with almost 20 years of marketing experience. Effie has provided actionable advice and assistance to small businesses across Australia, helping them to create and grow profitable and meaningful businesses.
About the author: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Effie_Cinanni/1018572
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