How to Sell Online and Make Money
Do you want to sell online? Considering the ecomony, it's a great idea. We jumped online many years ago when things seemed mysterous, but compared to today... starting to sell online was simple. It's not so simple anymore... although it may look that way.
This is why those who start selling online today have a more difficult time connecting with potential buyers and create that stream of income. If you want to make money by selling on the Internet today, you had better have a truckload of money or a web coach who can guide you through the maze. Otherwise, you may as well light a match to the money you plan on investing in your new online business right now.
We're not trying to dampen your resolve. On the contrary, we want you to know what you're getting yourself into. That's who we are. We earned our experience when there was no roadmap. We had to change our focus and redo our content many times to keep up with the evolving browser standards and search engine requirements. We did it and good news! You can, too.
What if your website appears on Google's first page in the search results... well, visitors would flow like schools of fish swimming in the stream in your backyard, wouldn't they. Of course, there's more to it than that.
The first thing you want to know is selling online means visitors, sales and followup. It means... taking care of the people who purchase products and services from you. Put your focus here in the beginning. In other words, position your site on your buyers, not you. But that's not all there is...
- Get a web design for your business site that screams trust.
- Write original copy content, but hire a professional copywriter to edit it. You'll save money!
- Search engine optimize at least your home page, or get a SEO copywriter.
- Have a contact form that visitors can find.
- Get Constant Contact so visitors can subscribe to your mailing list. This way you can follow up with visitors as well as buyers to make aftermarket offers... and create additional sales for your business.
Add Paypal buttons at first unless you have more than 25 items to sell. Paypal is less costly than getting your own shopping cart and subscribing to AuthorizeNet in order to accept credit cards.
Even using organic marketing, you want to reserve a budget for marketing throughout the first year. Many feel elated at the site of their brand new website, and start pouring money into Google Adwords and other pay-per-click advertising. Stop. For 97%, this means money down the drain. Stop. Get help.
Know what you're doing. Placing ads online looks easy enough, but it is not. It's only easy if you have a money tree and don't care about watching your money go down the rabbit hole while you try different ad text, keywords and placements.
The amount of an advertising and marketing budget varies depending on several factors, such as what you're selling, the price point, target audience and so on. But a rough estimate might be from $100/month to $1500/month. If you think that's a lot, many site invest $5,000 per month and more. You will, too, when you have the income to support it.
Another factor in addition to available funds for marketing is how fast you want to start earning income. Marketing with no funds at all may get you to your income goal if you've got a great website... but it may take two years or more. If you need income to race into your inbox, judge the amount you invest in marketing your website accordingly. Another reason why you want experienced help. |
