10 Tips to Make Money with Ecommerce
Explore different ways to make money online. Whether you want to launch a side hustle, create passive income streams, host a passion project, or run a more advanced business model, there are many ways to utilize eCommerce to bring in income and revenues.
With more ways to make money with eCommerce than ever before, the tips we are about to share are what anyone can use to find the right online selling opportunity for their unique circumstances and aspirations.
If you aren't sure where to start or want to grow what you already have, here are the best tips to make money from eCommerce.
Start a Website
If you sell products online, test your market first. You can sell on social media, such as Facebook Marketplace, or open an Amazon store. There is no need to pay for a web designer and start a website before your revenues justify it.
Some businesses make tens of thousands of dollars annually without a website, operating strictly through social media and platforms like Amazon.
Publicize, Advertise, and Create Noise
Let people know you exist. Write guest blogs for other companies. Promote yourself on social media by speaking and posting on topics relevant to your brand.
Consider partnerships with other brands online or offline to promote your name and products. Think outside the box and prioritize brand awareness.
Manage Ecommerce Fulfillment with a Third Party
Instead of fulfilling orders alone, which costs time, effort, and money, sign up for third-party ecommerce fulfillment services. With third-party fulfillment, they handle inventory, sorting, packing, and shipping on your behalf. It's a low-cost model that allows you to focus on growing your business while leaving the logistics of operations to experts.
Fine-tune Your SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a series of tactics to drive organic traffic to your online store. The keywords you use matter no matter how you run your eCommerce store. Keywords are used in search queries.
Choose the right keywords, and the right audience will find you. Read more about SEO keywords, where to put them on product pages, and more. This will build momentum.
Invest in Social Media Marketing
Social media is the biggest sales generator in eCommerce. Invest in creating unique social media content aligned with your brand's tone. Have an active, engaging profile. Develop it into a customer service channel.
Foster a community. Launch social ad campaigns that target new customers and bring your product to new eyes. Monitor those costs and optimize your social media campaigns as you go along.
Leave Reviews for Customers
Build your product review count. Respond to negative reviews. Thank you for the positive reviews. Incentivize people to write a review by offering a discount code.
Reviews and conversations around your brand and its products are key to making money on social media, your website, or another platform. However, remember that some platforms have strict guidelines for review incentives.
Make Sure You Know Your Competition
Look at who's making the most money in your category, service area, among your target demographic, and in the eCommerce landscape. See what you can learn from them.
Look at their marketing and how they're presenting products and see what you can apply their approach to yours. While your identity differs, always learn from others and take wisdom.
Invest in Developing Markets
If you have multiple products, know what's selling and what isn't. Cut products that aren't cutting it to save on costs or re-engineer them to make them marketable. Next, look at underserved and developing markets. Find out more niches to serve with new products.
Create add-on accessories to best-selling products, complementary products, and products that can be easily plugged into what you're already doing in your business.
Make Your Brand Affiliate-friendly
Affiliate marketing involves obtaining a link from a brand to promote your products or services on their website, social media, and elsewhere. Anyone who makes a purchase using that link receives a percentage or kickback.
This business model means others promote, sell, and earn commissions for every sale. For you, this means no additional work and can lead to more sales.
Maintain a Regular Cost Evaluation
To make money and keep it, you have to control expenses. Regularly evaluate what you're paying suppliers and manufacturers for packaging and shipping logistics.
By cutting down on costs here and there, an eCommerce business can save a lot of money and retain more revenue. Also, if you use a third-party fulfillment service, they may already use cost optimization strategies.