Showing posts with label low start up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label low start up. Show all posts

Thursday, 18 May 2017

Make Money Online


Where ever you are and whatever you do, money is always needed to buy food, shelter and clothing as well as other important things that we need. For us to have money, we work hard to provide for ourselves as well as for our family. Some of us might engage into business to have extra income to support our daily needs.
But when it comes to business, there are hundreds of types of business that we can engage to and one of this is the online business. This is one of the most successful at the same time very competitive way of doing business.
Large companies as well as small businesses are now engaging into this business since they have found out that it is one of the most convenient at the same time less cost than the usual businesses. All you need to have is the product; own computer and internet connection and your business can run 24/7.
Search Engine Optimization or SEO plays a big part in online business. If you can drive traffic to your websites and convert prospect costumers to buy your products, it will be huge leap in your business career. Yes, everyone can start their own business as long as they have the money, but it is not everyone who comes out a winner in this business.
But creating this type of business may be simple and easy but without the basics and enough knowledge in this business, it is very complicated. Why? Online business involves a lot of techniques at the same time software to help you and your website get noticed. With a competition of up to a million, you will have a lot of problem getting noticed.
With the right tools and techniques used, you will get through the first hurdle of getting noticed. Fast Track Cash is one of the SEO tools that is used by thousands of online marketers who have been trying to get pass other websites and hopefully get noticed.
So before you start creating your websites and buy all the software you can get online, you first need to have the basic background in online business. This is not to scare you from having your own business, but this is to help you understand what really an online business is and be successful in making money online

Make Money Online Easily With No Investment


You do not need to spend a good deal of money just so you can work towards making money online. All that you need to do is consider a few ideas for getting money online without having to spend a dime in doing so.
You can always consider signing up for a writing website. There are a variety of writing websites that allow people to write about what they are interested in. People can vote on the best articles and the people with the best ones can earn money for what they do. The best part about sites like these is that you do not need to spend too much money in order to take advantage of any of these sites. There are all sorts of sites like this for you to see.
Another thing to do is to consider online survey sites. A variety of sites offer online surveys where people can be paid in cash or other rewards for offering their opinions to different companies and organisations. This can be a rewarding thing for you to see. Be sure to look around online because there are literally dozens of different sites that offer this special feature to people.
People can also work as affiliates to different types of business. You can make money by simply promoting different businesses online to other people. Many businesses offer services to people by allowing them to post links to different websites where people can buy things on other sites. This can be used to get people to become more interested in a variety of things. You can earn a good commission off of sales that are referred from your link.
It will help to know that while you do not need to spend any money to get money off of these online ventures you should know that it can take a while for you to get this money. Also, the results that you can get can be substantial in a number of cases but they are never going to be guaranteed. Still, working with something like this is a good thing to do if you want to earn money to go along with what you are already getting.
These are all options to see for earning money online with no investment. They are all easy things to handle. Just be aware that the results may not be immediate. They can still be good over time and in many cases with little effort.

Monday, 24 April 2017

5 Steps To Building A Profitable Home Internet Business In 2017


Building as profitable home internet business is not as complicated as you may think. You may be nervous about getting caught up with technical issues that seem impossible to understand. Or you might feel that you're too old, too young or too inexperienced. Or you may just not know where to start.
As long as you know what you want to sell and who you want to sell it to, you're ready to get started. Let's take a look at the 5 steps to building a profitable home internet business.
1. Get Your Website Online
With modern software and technology, building a website is not that difficult. You definitely don't have to start learning website coding or e-commerce programs. There are many online business systems that can be installed with a few clicks following step-by-step instructions. You can even outsource the whole set up if you feel that it's too much for you.
2. Get People To Visit Your Website
Your home internet businesses will only make money if you get traffic to your website. Traffic is basically the number of people who visit your website. There are two ways to generate website traffic. You can buy website traffic or you can generate free website traffic. When you buy website traffic, it's essentially paid advertising. It delivers instant results but the traffic stops as soon as you stop paying for it. So you have to ensure that you spend your money wisely. Free website traffic takes a little longer to generate, but once it starts, it can provide a regular flow of visitor traffic.
3. Provide Valuable Content For Free
It's highly unlikely that somebody will buy from you the first time that they visit your website. You have gone to a lot of effort to get them to visit your website in the first place and you don't want that work to go to waste. So, if you can obtain their email address, you can remain in contact with them. To encourage a website visitor to provide you with their email address, offer them something of value for free such a report, a discount or special offer. As long as it is relevant to your business and provides value.
4. Use Emails To Build A Relationship With Your Prospect
Email marketing is considered to be one of the most effective marketing strategies and you will need an email autoresponder. An autoresponder will automatically email your freebie when somebody requests it. It can then continue to send a pre-written series of emails to develop a relationship with your potential buyer.
5. Make Offers Or Recommendations
Email marketing is effective because you are providing regular and meaningful communications. The more value you provide, the more you will be seen as a trusted source of information. Then, when you make offers and recommendations about products and services to buy, your prospects are far more likely to buy from you because they trust your judgement.

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Wednesday, 19 April 2017

No Money to Start a Business? No Problem. Try These 5 Options.


You might be limited to a strict budget when you want to start a business, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any options. It is possible to start a business with very little money, if you have the right combination of skills, work ethic and marketing know-how.
According to Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup, “To succeed in a business project, especially one you’re excited about, it helps to think carefully about all the skills you have that could be helpful to others and particularly about the combination of those skills.”
Follow these simple guidelines to start a business when you have little to no money. Learn how to make money today.

1. Make something.

Yes, making something does take an initial cost in supplies, but oftentimes, these products can be sold for many times over their actual cost. What you decide to make is up to you, but there are several places you can sell your handmade options online:
  • Abe’s Market deals in natural and organic goods, such as lotions, candles, granola, and more.
  • Etsy is one of the largest online markets for almost anything homemade, from jewelry to wooden toys for kids.
  • Bonanza is another growing handmade marketplace, similar to Etsy. According to PC World, it boasts over 10 million visits per month.
  • eBay is one of the biggest online ecommerce marketplaces in the world, and its streamlined store options, easy checkout through Paypal, and customisable listing options make it a great choice for selling items.
  • Many business owners sell their products on multiple platforms to get the most exposure possible. It is important, however, to make sure your inventory stays updated on all sites you have a storefront on. If you want to learn about more resources for selling homemade items, check out this Lifehacker post.

2. Resell something.

If you don’t want to make anything (or you don’t consider yourself a creative person), many business owners have grown large businesses just be reselling products that have already been made. This can be done through a variety of ways or channels:
  • Drop shipping: Set up an online store and partner with drop-shipping companies that will do all the order fulfillment for you. Online ecommerce platform Shopify has a great drop shipping guide, and Tim Ferriss does a good job of explaining drop shipping in his well-known book, The Four Hour Work Week.
  • Thrift stores and garage sales: If you know where to look, you can find items at thrift stores, antique shops, flea markets and garage sales and resell them online or in your local community for more than you purchased them for. One extremely successful example of this is Sophia Amoruso, the founder of Nasty Gal. Amoruso started buying and reselling vintage and unique fashion pieces on eBay, and her company has grown to a net income of $24 million in 2011 with over 200 employees. Her book, #GIRLBOSS, is in inspiring look into how she got started.

3. Sell your services.

One way to start a business with little to no startup capital is to sell your services, instead of a physical product. There’s a huge variety of services you can offer, depending on your background and interests.
Some will require advanced degrees, such as accounting, while others require little more than a working knowledge of how it’s done (such as babysitting, lawn mowing or personal assistance).
Because you are selling your services, you will need a branding plan to make sure your name and company gets in front of the people who may need the service. Some places that are free for promoting your services include Fiverr, Craigslist, Elance, Taskrabbit and Skillshare.
It’s also useful to have a website to show examples of your work, list your experience, and blog about your industry to draw visitors. If you want to learn more about branding and online marketing, check out Buffer’s social-media blog, Hubspot’s blog, Content Marketing Institute and CopyPress.

4. Barter to get what you need.

Unfortunately, it’s extremely hard to start a business without any type of funds at all. Even creating a freelance-writing business utilising Upwork and a free Wordpress or Wix website will still require a computer to work on as well as Internet. However, there are ways to get supplies you need for starting your business without money.
For instance, if you find yourself in need of a used laptop, try to barter for it. Build a new website for a used electronics supplier, or offer babysitting services to your neighbour for their old Macbook.

5. Utilise low-cost services.

As mentioned previously, you can use sites such as Fiverr or Upwork to advertise your products and services on, but you can also use these platforms to build up your own company. For instance, many designers offer $5 to $25 logo designs (that come with free revisions). Sort by reviews and look at past examples to find a designer or service provider that matches your style.
This is a great way to get branding materials, printed items (Vistaprint and Zazzle are great places to buy personalised items), or other needed items without much cost. And for additional savings, be sure to look for coupon codes on sites such as RetailMeNot before checking out at any online retailer!
Starting a business requires ingenuity and a passion for what you are doing. Once you find yourself doing something you enjoy, you will be more likely to find ways to make it all come together.

Saturday, 15 April 2017

5 Reasons Your Online Business Needs Social Media


Marketing online continues to evolve and grow and these days social media takes a front seat in most online marketing strategies as supports the growth of business. The reasons to use social platforms to engage and reach customers are plentiful; here are 5 of the main ones.
Reason #1: Reach
Why do the managers of these sites spend countless hours planning, posting, testing, and perfecting their platforms presence online?
• There are 3 billion active Internet users and 2.1 billion of them have social media accounts.
• YouTube has more than 1 billion users, more than a 1/3 of all web users. Each and every day web visitors view hundreds of millions of hours on YouTube that generate billions of views.
• Facebook has nearly 1.4 billion users, that's 47% of all Internet users. 4.5 billion Likes are generated daily and nearly 75% of Facebook's revenue comes from mobile advertising. 936 million Facebook users login in at least once daily and 52% of marketers found a customer on Facebook in 2013.
• Twitter has 316 million monthly active users that 500 million tweets each day
• Google+ has 363 million users that hit the +1 button on 5 billion times per day
• Pinterest has 100 million users, 85% of which are women. 47% of Pinterest users purchase a product based on pins, with the average sale being $58.95. 67% of pinned content is from a business site and 82% of Pinterest users would rather follow a brand than a celebrity.
Impressed yet?
These stats are just one reason to use it to market your business that really illustrate the reach that it can have on your business, be it online and brick and mortar. Here are 4 more reasons to make social media a part of your marketing plan.
Reason #2: Building Relationships
Using it allows you to reach people at a more personal level. Many marketing experts explain that social media is about relationships building, that as a side effect brings about conversions for calls to action. When you connect with people and they connect with you, they are more likely to follow your brand and all it has to offer.
Reason #3: Show Off Your Best Content
It allows you to show off your best content, and highlight all your brand has to offer. Whether you use text, images, video, or all of the above, you can tailor your campaign to present and impress your target audience with the very best content, products, and services that your brand has to offer. Tailoring your campaign through social media allows you to meet many objectives, including, building brand reputation, customer engagement, a better customer experience through valuable information and any other goals that meet your marketing needs.
Reason #4: Steady and Reliable Traffic
Who isn't sick of fighting for organic traffic when Google keeps wiping sites off their SERPS with one after another of their ongoing updates? Social media can bring a steady, long term, reliable and ongoing stream of traffic to your sites and blogs, without having to worry that some entity will come along and wipe you out.
Reason #5: Control
One of the greatest benefits of using it is that you have full control of what is presented about your company, brand, and website to your target audience. You can tailor your marketing plan to meet specific goals and not leave anything to chance. The multitude of tracking, and testing tools available, such as, Klout, SumAll, BuzzSumo, and TweetReach, just to name a few allow you to enhance and tweak your campaigns as needed to constantly improve your efforts to boost conversions.
Bottom Line
There is no better time than now to take advantage of all these sites have to offer. If you have an online business and do not have a social media presence then you are behind the times, it's really as simple as that.
There are many expert guides online to get you started, and educating yourself on the intricate process that is social media marketing is critical to your overall success.
There is also the option of hiring a marketing expert. Take care to choose a competent professional, it will not be cheap, but may well be worth it when they bring the results your business needs to succeed.

Wednesday, 12 April 2017

How to Start a Business Online


There is a proven sequence of steps you can follow to guarantee your success when you're starting a small business online. I've seen thousands of people start and grow successful businesses by doing the following:
  1. Find a need and fill it.
  2. Write copy that sells.
  3. Design and build an easy-to-use website.
  4. Use search engines to drive traffic to your site.
  5. Establish an expert reputation for yourself.
  6. Follow up with your customers and subscribers with email.
  7. Increase your income through back-end sales and upselling.
Anyone, from newbie to seasoned online entrepreneur, can benefit from this process in learning how to start a business online.
Step 1: Find a need and fill it.
Most people who are just starting out make the mistake of looking for a product first, and a market second.
To boost your chances of success, start with a market. The trick is to find a group of people who are searching for a solution to a problem, but not finding many results. The internet makes this kind of market research easy:
  • Visit online forums to see what questions people ask and what problems they're trying to solve.
  • Do keyword research to find keywords that a lot of people are searching, but for which not many sites are competing.
  • Check out your potential competitors by visiting their sites and taking note of what they're doing to fill the demand. Then you can use what you've learned and create a product for a market that already exists--and do it better than the competition.
Step 2: Write copy that sells.
There's a proven sales copy formula that takes visitors through the selling process from the moment they arrive to the moment they make a purchase:
  1. Arouse interest with a compelling headline.
  2. Describe the problem your product solves.
  3. Establish your credibility as a solver of this problem.
  4. Add testimonials from people who have used your product.
  5. Talk about the product and how it benefits the user.
  6. Make an offer.
  7. Make a strong guarantee.
  8. Create urgency.
  9. Ask for the sale.
Throughout your copy, you need to focus on how your product or service is uniquely able solve people's problems or make their lives better. Think like a customer and ask "What's in it for me?"
Step 3: Design and build your website.
Once you've got your market and product, and you've nailed down your selling process, now you're ready for your small-business web design. Remember to keep it simple. You have fewer than five seconds to grab someone's attention--otherwise they're gone, never to be seen again. Some important tips to keep in mind:
  • Choose one or two plain fonts on a white background.
  • Make your navigation clear and simple, and the same on every page.
  • Only use graphics, audio or video if they enhance your message.
  • Include an opt-in offer so you can collect e-mail addresses.
  • Make it easy to buy--no more than two clicks between potential customer and checkout.
  • Your website is your online storefront, so make it customer-friendly.
Step 4: Use search engines to drive targeted buyers to your site.
Pay-per-click advertising is the easiest way to get traffic to a brand-new site. It has two advantages over waiting for the traffic to come to you organically. First, PPC ads show up on the search pages immediately, and second, PPC ads allow you to test different keywords, as well as headlines, prices and selling approaches. Not only do you get immediate traffic, but you can also use PPC ads to discover your best, highest-converting keywords. Then you can distribute the keywords throughout your site in your copy and code, which will help your rankings in the organic search results.
Step 5: Establish an expert reputation for yourself.
People use the internet to find information. Provide that information for free to other sites, and you'll see more traffic and better search engine rankings. The secret is to always include a link to your site with each tidbit of information. 
  • Give away free, expert content. Create articles, videos or any other content that people will find useful. Distribute that content through online article directories or social media sites.
  • Include "send to a friend" links on valuable content on your website.
  • Become an active expert in industry forums and social networking sites where your target market hangs out.
You'll reach new readers. But even better, every site that posts your content will link back to yours. Search engines love links from relevant sites and will reward you in the rankings.
Step 6: Use the power of email marketing to turn visitors into buyers.
When you build an opt-in list, you're creating one of the most valuable assets of your online business. Your customers and subscribers have given you permission to send them email. That means:
  • You're giving them something they've asked for.
  • You're developing lifetime relationships with them.
  • The response is 100 percent measurable.
  • Email marketing is cheaper and more effective than print, TV or radio because it's highly targeted.
Anyone who visits your site and opts in to your list is a very hot lead. And there's no better tool than email for following up with those leads.
Step 7: Increase your income through back-end sales and upselling.
One of the most important internet marketing strategies is to develop every customer's lifetime value. At least 36 percent of people who have purchased from you once will buy from you again if you follow up with them. Closing that first sale is by far the most difficult part--not to mention the most expensive. So use back-end selling and upselling to get them to buy again:
  • Offer products that complement their original purchase.
  • Send out electronic loyalty coupons they can redeem on their next visit.
  • Offer related products on your "Thank You" page after they purchase.
Reward your customers for their loyalty and they'll become even more loyal.
The internet changes so fast that one year online equals about five years in the real world. But the principles of how to start and grow a successful online business haven't changed at all. If you're just starting a small business online, stick to this sequence. If you've been online awhile, do a quick review and see if there's a step you're neglecting, or never got around to doing in the first place. You can't go wrong with the basics.

Sunday, 9 April 2017

7 Online Small Business Ideas For A Low Budget Startup

Work From Home And Enjoy Passive Income For Life


Day after day you drag yourself out of bed to go to a job which you probably don't even like very much, working long hours for peanuts, coping with train strikes and traffic jams on your daily commute.
Have you ever wondered if there is more to life than this? Could there be another way to earn a living?
Have you ever heard of passive income?
Passive income is where you do the work just once then sit back and let the money come in virtually on auto pilot. This leaves you with plenty of free time to enjoy life with your friends and family, take holidays whenever you want and not just for two weeks in summer, to spend your days doing what you want, not what someone else tells you to do. And to have enough money to live life on your terms.
The most reliable route to passive income is through internet marketing.
This can take several forms; Selling your own products online via a simple website which is free to set up. Promoting other people's products as an affiliate and earning commission for every sale they make. Buying the licence to ready-made digital products and having the right to sell them as your own, internationally. And many more proven methods of making a very lucrative income online.
Affiliate marketing is good for those who don't yet have an idea for their own product or the money to buy licences. The biggest marketplace for affiliates is ClickBank.com. There are literally thousands of products available with vendors paying, on average, between 50% and 80% in commissions. All you have to do is to send prospects to the vendor's website and the vendor will do the rest. A website is not essential (although it helps with product promotion) and you don't need to do anything complex in order to make money.
Product licensing is very lucrative and licenses can be bought for surprisingly little. You then have a ready-made product which you can sell worldwide. You don't even need to make any copies or post them to buyers as orders can be processed through a fulfilment house - for a very small fee they will make a copy of your product, wrap it and ship it to the customer. Leaving you with more time to enjoy life.
Just imagine being able to walk into your boss's office and hand in your notice. To see a fabulous new car and pay cash for it. To book that exotic holiday that you've been craving for years but have never had the money. To put your children through private school and university without the stress of student loans. How would that feel? What would that be worth to you?
There is work to be done initially but once it's done you can sit back and relax, knowing that everything is ticking away nicely in the background. Dream come true? No, it can be the reality. Your reality. You owe it to yourself and your family to make 2017 the year that you grab the opportunity to live life on your terms.

Saturday, 8 April 2017

5 Real Ways to Make Money Online


This has always been a great question, and there are many different schools of thought on this subject.
A person could argue products like software, eBooks, and virtual information are amongst the most marketable as they are easy to duplicate and have no shipping costs. It's true a virtual product can absolutely simplify your post-sale process, however are they truly the best overall product strategy? In my opinion it all comes down to the demand, then the numbers. Calculate what price you can create or retain a product for and then calculate what price you can sell it for while keeping in mind advertising, shipping, and other expenses that fall between those two processes.
Determine your total costs from start to finish. I wouldn't even consider selling a product or service that fetches me any less than 80 percent gross profit per unit, unless it had a great backend or up-sell strategy or some type of recurring subscription based profit model.
lf you find that managing inventory or working with suppliers and drop shippers is more slanted towards your personal experience then work with a product that feels comfortable with you, you will benefit from the familiarity. The importance of comfort might just be the most influential factor for me when choosing a product to wrap around your marketing. Many people want to sell online but have no idea what products to sell. In my experience selling something for profit alone with no personal passion can be a mistake and I have found that building an email list for marketing and growing your brand is a cheap effective way to get started quickly.
5 Products you can sell and make money using "email marketing". 
  1. Digital products and virtual services. Digital products are easy to duplicate, store, and ship digitally via email or file sharing service.
  2. Affiliate marketing programs. Many companies online look for enthusiastic individuals to resell their products or services. Scrolling to the footer of a business's website will typically link to any affiliate program if offered. You can also search for specific affiliate programs that suit your needs.
  3. Trendy products that are in demand. Great way to let product buzz and word of mouth help your cause. The Google Trends tool will show you the current trends of your product ideas based on total search volumes. This can be a great way to determine what's currently popular.
  4. Start your own business. Get creative and bring your ideas online with a website or product page selling your creations, products or services. Accepting payments is easy these days with services like PayPal and all you need to do is promote your website using email marketing.
  5. Freelance writing services, or create a blog. Writing can be an interesting and rewarding way to make money online. You can publish and sell eBooks, blog posts can generate revenue from ads or affiliate links, sponsors, or you can write about your current products for sale.
When sending email in large volumes always be sure you choose a true high volume, web-based email marketing software that can grow with your ongoing success.

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Friday, 7 April 2017

Busting the Myth: You Can't Make Money Online


Once you decide to learn how to make money online you'll quickly run into plenty of "information" written by failed internet marketers claiming you just can't do it. What you need to realise, though, is that plenty of people try to do it but never succeed. They either give up before they actually generate a profit, or they never actually figure out what they're doing.
In this article, we're going to bust the myth once and for all. You'll learn:
  1. That it's easy to monetize a website
  2. That plenty of people are buying things online, and you can earn a piece of that pie
  3. That you can make money without a website if you're willing to freelance
  4. That you can figure out how to best monetize in your own niche by researching your competitors
Monetizing Websites is Super Easy
One of the challenges with running a brick and mortar business is keeping inventory. Of course, if you're running a service business you don't have to do that, but those types of businesses have their own challenges. When you run an internet business, though, you can make money without having any inventory at all.
You can monetize your site with drop shipping, affiliate programs, or even contextual ads. All you need to do is figure out how to get enough targeted traffic to your site. That's hard to do in a short period of time. But if you're willing to stick with it for two to three years you're guaranteed to generate plenty of it!
Consider the fact that most traditional businesses operate without generating a profit for three years, and this will all start to make a lot more sense. Those businesses require their owners to take a loss during that early period. When you're running a web business you have no overhead, and therefore no loss to swallow.
Which business seems to be a better idea, now?
There Is Plenty of Commerce Taking Place on the Web
In the United States alone, $231 billion worth of business was done on the web in 2012. Forrester Research Inc. projects that to increase to $260 billion in 2013 and $370 billion by 2017. That's a lot of money. All you need to do is figure out how to get in on the action.
By setting up a website that takes advantage of affiliate programs it becomes incredibly simple. Again, you can't expect your internet business to start generating massive profits in a few short months. It may take years. But with virtually no costs other than your time, it is clearly worth waiting for.
Freelancing Opportunities Are All Over the Place
If you aren't interested in trying to start your own website, or if you've tried and decided that you're ready to give up, then you might want to look at freelancing. At the time of this writing, the following statistics are accurate:

  1. Upwork.com has 19,944 active projects in need of freelance workers
  2. oDesk.com has 41,249 active projects in need of freelancers
  3. Freelancer.com has 11,983 active projects available

All combined, that's a total of more than 70,000 opportunities for anyone looking to make some money on the web. Sure, you won't qualify for most of those projects, but there's bound to be something out there for you. If you were absolutely in a rush to make some money, you could hop on one of these sites and probably make your first dollar today.
Competitive Research is Easier When You're Running a Web Business
Figuring out what your competitors are doing when you run a traditional, real-world business can be virtually impossible. On the web, though, it's so easy that it might as well be a joke. You can use tools like Open Site Explorer to find out how your competition is generating traffic. You can also click around their site and figure out how they've monetized it.
Operating a web based business provides unprecedented access to competitive research. Perhaps those that say you can't make money online are just not cut out for running any kind of business at all. As this article has demonstrated, it's far easier to make money on the web than anywhere else.

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Thursday, 6 April 2017

7 Ecommerce Trends For 2017




Like previous years, 2017 is expected to unfold new eCommerce trends which businesses such as yours can benefit from.
In less than a month, we bid farewell to the year which ushered in an upsurge of mobile shopping, social media campaigns and cloud-based inventory management, among others.
However beneficial new trends are to one's business, expect a lot of the old ones to continue into the new year.
Here's a list of tried and tested eCommerce trends which will continue to increase your profits and improve your customers' user experience.
#1 Social Media Buy Buttons
Sure, you use Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and other social media sites to promote your products.
But have these sites helped increase your conversion rate?
If you answered "not quite", then you're probably missing a vital feature on your social media pages.
Customers prefer spoon-feeding to thinking.
They won't waste their time trying to figure out what you're selling or how to buy it.
Make all necessary information obvious to them so that all they have to do is tap on their screen or click their mouse.
For example, instead of just connecting your online store to your Facebook page, set up a buy button in the latter.
That way, they can buy an item which they like straightaway without having to go to your store.
#2 Product Videos
If you failed to take advantage of video marketing this year, list it as among your key strategies for 2017.
People are easily drawn to product demonstration videos, as watching them is the closest thing possible to touching a product.
You'll find a wide range of paid and free recording software on the Web, such as Camtasia, Jing and EZVid to name a few.
Check them out and see which one works for your site.
#3 Mobile Marketing
Mobile commerce or M-commerce will continue its upward trend.
Survey finds over 70% of consumers will shop on a website whose product and checkout pages are easy to navigate on any handheld device.
That explains why your eCommerce site should have a responsive design which works on mobile devices as well as desktop computers.
#4 Mobile Payment
Since a large percentage of online sales are expected to be made through mobile devices, chances are we'll be seeing more walletless payment schemes.
Apart from smartphones, a lot of online retailers will be receiving contactless payment through various devices that use Radio Frequency Identification or RFID technology.
#5 Cloud-based Inventory Management
Keeping count of the items in your inventory to ensure they don't run out of stock is one of the things that you should be doing on a daily basis.
If you're not yet into cloud-based inventory management, you should start looking at it for efficient tracking and updating of your inventory.
#6 Same Day Delivery
Amazon and eBay will continue to have same-day delivery in their shipping options, so it's only logical to echo them.
If you've been running your online store for more than a year, you should know by now that the customer is always king; the worst thing you can do to a king is make him wait.
So satisfy him with great service and you'll be rewarded with not only higher sales, but more loyal customers.
Remember that customers are so good at that cost-free marketing tactic called word of mouth.
#7 Fitting Data Software
Hopefully, more retailers in the footwear and apparel industry will utilise fitting apps or software to reduce their product returns.
The number one reason why customers return stuff which they purchased from your store is wrong size.
With tools like True Fit, you can provide customers information on their actual size based on the current style and size of their footwear or clothes.
There goes our list of trends to rule the eCommerce world in 2017.
Which of these have you already tried or been doing, perhaps?
Online sellers don't be left behind. Multichannel marketing is the quickest route to reach your customers. UnderstandingE offers tutorials on Magento, M2E Pro, Magmi and other eCommerce tools that allow you to sell and earn more on Amazon, eBay and other 
marketplaces.

Tuesday, 4 April 2017

10 Things You Didn't Know About Affiliate Marketing


Most people have heard of affiliate marketing, even if they haven't actually started doing it. Affiliate marketing is basically referring people to various products and services around the internet. For each sale you generate through your affiliate link, you earn a commission. The size of the commission depends on the products themselves, who is selling them and the percentage offered by the seller to the affiliate.
But what is actually involved in affiliate marketing? What do affiliates do on a daily basis? How do they earn money and how do they learn what to do?
1 An Example Of A Successful Website
There's several ways of marketing products and services online. Many affiliates create a blog first and sell products and services through their blog. Martin Lewis has a very successful website called moneysavingexpert.com. This is also an affiliate website. By creating content and helping people decide which service to use: which credit card offers to choose, the best interest rate etc. moneysavingexpert.com makes money by sending website visitors to various offers. If a sale is made through this website, the link this credited to it and a commission is made. By creating content, offering value and helping people make sensible choices, the website has built a reputation and become more prevalent over time. Google ranks the site highly in the search engines and thousands of people use it to make purchasing decisions every day.
2 How Can I Get Started As An Affiliate?
Affiliate marketing is huge. There are thousands of people already making their main source of income from the internet. To get started as an affiliate you need to learn some basic strategies and build various methods of generating traffic from the internet to those offers. A lot of affiliates start with a simple blog. Many travelers 'blog' about their travels. If you don't have a passion or interest to blog about, you can start by following an online course which will help. See my bio for more info on this.
3 How Long Does It Take To Make A Living?
Some people go into affiliate marketing with the intention of creating a second income. Some people want to make big money. Depending on how much time you can dedicate to your affiliate business, and how dedicated you are to it, is a big factor in determining your results. Results vary from person to person. With a large advertising budget and the right business model, some affiliates have replaced their living in 6-12 months. For others it can take years before it replaces their existing income. Depending on your approach, advertising budget, and business model, it can take between 3 months and several years to build it to a point where it can replace an existing income.
4 Can Anyone Do It?
One of the great things about affiliate marketing is that the technology is now available to allow anyone to build their own online business. As long as you are prepared to learn and implement that knowledge, anyone who can operate an email, can use online platforms and tools to build their own online business. The main thing you need is the desire to learn. Affiliate marketing isn't for everyone though. It does take a lot of hard work and it can take years before you are rewarded financially.
5 What Are The Pitfalls Of An Affiliate Business?
You need to dedicate some time to your affiliate business for it to work for the long term. Some people go into affiliate marketing thinking it is some magic pill which will pay them instantly in cash. Much like a job you can't expect to get out more than you put in. Affiliate marketing is performance related. This means you don't get paid unless you can successfully sell products and services online. If you don't know what you are doing it can take years to do this. You can't be a dabbler and expect to earn the big money. The big earnings are created over years of hard work. Don't expect to achieve this with only a small amount of input.
6 What Are The Best Things About Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing offers an incredible amount of flexibility and freedom. You can work an affiliate business from anywhere in the world providing you have a laptop and an internet connection. You can choose your own hours and build it up around existing work. Many people come into affiliate marketing because it offers this kind of flexibility. They can choose their priorities in life: spend more time with family, choose your working hours, travel and work abroad. No more commuting to work or working long hours for a boss you don't like.
Affiliate marketing also offers incredible scalability. A business which is local is always limited to the people who can travel to that business. An online business can be global. Using digital products in conjunction with a global reach, you can scale using tools and software to reach thousands of people through digital technology. By using automation much of the work involved with an online business can be pre-built. By building automation into the business model, you can focus your activities on reaching a larger audience through content creation and paid advertising.
7 Why Am I Struggling With My Affiliate Business?
A lot of people struggle with their affiliate businesses.This can be for a number of reasons. Firstly building up an affiliate business takes time. You need to dedicate a lot of time to an affiliate business in the first place. Only when you reach a 'tipping point' do you really start to see your progress. Many affiliates simply don't realise how much work is involved. They underestimate how much time they need to dedicate to their online business to make it work.
Paid advertising can allow you to grow your affiliate business quickly. But it costs money and you need the right products too. You can't advertise small value items with paid advertising. You won't generate enough profit to cover your advertising costs. You need a range of products and an email list to advertise through.
Content marketing takes much longer to work, depending on your chosen area of business. If you find an untapped niche to market your blog in, you can make some fast progress. However, with a competitive niche you will struggle to get noticed above all the other content which you will have to compete with. There's several reasons why you might struggle. The main one is lack of knowledge. Get the right education first and your affiliate business will move much faster.
8 What's The Best Affiliate Model To Use?
There are many different affiliate models, all offering something different to suit the individual. Some affiliates target search traffic and aim to get their content found on Google. Some create their own products and sell them directly to customers. However, having a range of products which you can sell over and over to existing customers is a great model for long term success. Selling a single item online is limited. It means you can only make one commission from each sale. By choosing membership products to promote which also offer back end sales and a built in sales team, you can benefit from monthly commissions and up-sell commissions for the lifetime of any given customer. Selling membership products is definitely a game changer when it come to affiliate marketing because you make an income from each customer, rather than a single commission. But a good model to choose is one in which you have a passion for and can keep doing for the long term. Choosing products which you have no interest in is a short sighted plan. Think about what you would like to do online to generate an income. If you choose to go with your passion, your business will last much longer, and be more successful.
9 Can I Just Sell My Own Products?
Many affiliates create their own products to sell online. However, when you are starting out it is a good idea to learn the basics of marketing first. That way you can start earning more quickly from your affiliate business. I spent a long time creating my own products when I first discovered affiliate marketing. But I didn't sell anything because of a couple of reasons. Firstly I didn't research whether my products would have a big enough demand. Secondly I didn't know how to market them. By joining a program which teaches you how to market products first, you can start making money more quickly. Don't waste time creating products if you don't know how to sell them. Marketing is a much more important skill for making money online. Once you know this skill, you can then apply it later when marketing your own products and services. Also your own products will be limited in range. By using an existing product range, you can benefit from products which are already selling. You can choose a program which offers high ticket commission, monthly memberships, back end sales and a built in sales team. Building your own products which offers all of these things not a possibility for most people when starting out.
10 What's The Point Of Affiliate Marketing?
Some people struggle with the concept of affiliate marketing.They think it sounds too 'salesy'. When I understood affiliate marketing I immediately found it appealing simply because I needed a flexible way to work around my contract work. I had to drop what I was doing at a moments notice if the phone went. This meant other jobs were awkward to juggle around. No-one wants to employ a 'flaky' employee. I wanted to work from my laptop and affiliate marketing gave me that opportunity. For many people this is the reason why they choose affiliate marketing. They can earn an income from their laptop, choose their working hours and not have a boss or place of employment. You don't have to sell directly to anyone or even talk to a customer. There is no stock to hold. Added to this, the scalability of affiliate marketing which lets you scale up to a global audience and deliver products on autopilot, makes it the best flexible business of the future.

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