Many bloggers want to grow a successful business through their blogs and it is completely possible. As your blog becomes successful and your traffic increases, you will receive requests to sell products on your blog. It might seem exciting at first, but it is important to know what you are selling. When you are new to selling products on your blog, you might want to just jump right in and start generating sales. This is a common misconception amongst newbies.
It does not mean that selling products on your blog could not lead to success. Many have done it and many more will, so why can it not be you? If you believe in the product you are selling on your blog, you stand a better chance of being successful. Anything that you are passionate about can turn into success, but the opposite also applies. When you start out, you want to avoid some common mistakes.
- No strategy
Business is all about strategy and execution. Without any strategy, you might find yourself repeating the same steps without reaching your goals. There are so many products online these days and consumers have become a bit hesitant to buy. You need to have a clear set out plan before you even launch the product on your blog. Write down what your goals are and put a timeline to it. The more products you sell through your blog, the higher your commission will be. Start seeing your blog as your business and business people always work off a strategy. When I am writing a paper, I know that the first draft is only the start. I have to proofread my paper and edit it before submitting. Apply the same rules, as if you are being graded on it.
- Absent relationship building
When you are trying to sell a product online, it is not simply about the product itself or the manufacturer. The individuals buying the product from your blog will be connecting you personally with that product. Before you get to the point of selling products to your audience, you want to have already built a relationship with them. If your readers are going to buy a product off your blog, they will most likely do so if they believe that you can be trusted.It might be worth investing in a CRM system to monitor the relationships you have with your consumers and readers. Relationship building is one of the important factors many bloggers forget about, yet it might be the most important part.
- Poor product descriptions
I see many websites use the same product description as the manufacturer does. This is just laziness and not making an effort. When you are a blogger, you have to be able to string your words together. In this moment, you are a sales person and you have to put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers. If you were on the other side, would you be blown away by a product description that sounds too technical? Before purchasing the product, the customers has to experience what it would be like if they did purchase it. Give them some kind of enthusiastic experience that convinces them that this is the product to buy. Put some personality into it. Use a cheap proof reading service or let some of your friends read through it and get their opinions.
- No keywords
The internet works like a well-oiled machine with rules and processes. You are going to have to play into the hands of the search engines if you want your blog to be found. This may be clear to experienced bloggers, but newbies often forget the importance of targeted keywords. When writing your description or article about the product, be sure to include keywords that are effective. Include these keywords as many times as possible, without keyword stuffing. You want the search engines to place your blog on the first couple of pages. Using effective keywords is the way to do it. This helps you generate more traffic to you blog, leading to more product sales.
- Lack marketing
Just because you added the product to your blog, does not mean that you will automatically be selling like a pro. Marketing is a very important part when it comes to sales. You can use a reference generator to help you come up with good references. It is important to have a marketing plan and execute accordingly. You do not have to over-complicate this process. By simply mentioning the product on social media, you have started the process. Being active on social media is a great way to put a face to a product. You do not want to bombard your followers with sales information, but adding good content to your marketing is a subtle way of talking about the product.
Here are some of the best E commerce tips to get you started:
Don’t be afraid of reviews. If you have a good product, there is nothing to fear. On the other hand, bad comments are not the worst either. A bad review is just a great way to improve your products and services. You are also giving your customers a voice, which is important for relationship building.
Commit to your price. When products aren’t selling like it should, you might consider dropping your price. In some cases it might work, but what message are you communicating when doing that? Has your faith in the product dropped or are you just robbing yourself? Stick to your initially thought out pricing structure.
Clear contact details is a must. In order for the customers to purchase from your blog, you have to have clear contact details displayed. In case something goes wrong with the delivery or the product, the customer needs to have a means to get hold of you. You also want to try and respond to all enquiries that you receive in a timely fashion.
Add a returns policy. Your plan is to make your customers trust you before they can purchase your products. Adding a returns policy is a great way of making them feel comfortable. One of the most important factors of a returns policy is to make it easy for your customers to do so. Do not have too much red tape when it comes to returns. One bad experience and your customer might never want to buy from you again.
Conclusion
Now that you are familiar with some of the common mistakes to avoid, you can move forward. There is a lot to learn about e-commerce and it can be daunting at first. Be sure to know the products or services you are selling. Become an expert in your field, so that you can identify products that are not worth your time and efforts.
You want to make sure that your customers are happy in order to have them come back for more. It only takes one terrible product or one bad experience to break your business. When you have happy customers, you also stand a chance of great word of mouth marketing as well as shares on social media. See this process as a long term plan and do not work sale by sale. You want to think about the bigger picture in order for you to have long term success.
