How to make money blogging?

The time has passed, when the blogs were run only for passion. Today professionals and amateurs are working on the highest content quality to reach customers expectations in order to their business growth. As a result, the interest in how to make money on blogging is huge. Here are couple factors to focus on:

• sponsored articles (using various platforms i.e WhitePress),
• affiliate network (income from the sold products),
• barter network,
• ads from the Google AdSense program,
• offers presented in social media,
• sale in your own online store.

What do bloggers sell?

It’s no secret that the influencers often earn on selling:

• gadgets,
• clothing lines,
• online courses,
• books,
• and often on commissions for items bought by customers redirected to the store from their social media.

Increasing profit with blogging doesn’t have to be based on your own brand or focusing on the existing company. Authors in various areas and subjects are experts in their field, nothing prevents their content from becoming the basis for marketing their own online store. Guides, tips, article tests and comparisons are desirable content by internet users.

Bloggers that has become known as reliable photographers or food experts, gain higher trust than the competition. This gives access to a large group of potential buyers even before opening your online shop.

 

Why it’s beneficial to start your online shop from Blog?

Although starting an online shop from a blog is not a standard procedure, but worth considering. Imagine that as the owner of a cosmetics blog, you give your readers reliable tests of products of selected brands, write about the ways of caring for particular skin type, and also inform about industry novelties. As a skilled blogger that opens an online store, you gain:

• You have extensive industry knowledge, thanks to which you gain new readers, and therefore potential buyers.
• You can easily write descriptions of products that contain reliable information asked by customers.
• You have a valuable content base that attracts to your website – including those entering from the search engine.
• It minimizes marketing costs associated with building the brand image.
• You already work in social media, and also have groups on Facebook.

In fact, you already have quite a good marketing base that will boost your sale. What’s more, the ‘know-how’ will enable you to choose the right assortment and anticipate trends for the sales season.

• The sales funnel describes the stages of the purchasing process from the very first contact with the brand to the desire to re-use the offer.
• A clear startegy division allows you to determine next steps in reaching your goals
• Focusing on the purchase funnel allows you to increase the conversion rate.

What is a sale funnel?

A sales funnel is a marketing term used to illustrate the flow of the sales process. It clearly shows that the number of customers visiting the online store is significantly greater than actually those who ultimately purchase. Clients that reach your offer are in the upper, wide part of the funnel.
However, only some of them will go to a narrower part, and even fewer of them will go to the next step. Observation of customer behavior at each stage of the purchase funnel allows to understand the expectations, behaviors, and preferences of individual groups. This analysis helps to obtain and prepare the most accurate offer for customers and eliminating factors that may affect canceling the order.

Sales funnel in planning marketing strategy is an effective practice for large brands as well as for small online stores. Although the concept is universal, each of the company will have their own target group, hence the observation will bring different results. In some industries, it is necessary to get to know and identify with the brand’s philosophy, while others will generate sales only thanks to a favorable offer.

Stages of sales funnel

Regardless of the industry in which you operate, the stages of the sales funnel will look very similar. The process is divided into 4 parts, and this allows you to plan each stage and focus on the goals specified for the selected part.

1.  Building awareness among clients

The first stage in the sales funnel is to build awareness about the existence of the brand and the presence of specific products on the market. Don’t focus on creating sales offers in this stage, rather on positive brand recognization. The goal is to make potential customers to notice your logo, the range of services or a specific products, and associate them with your brand. This will help you to reach potential customers from a group that received various information from you. So your potential clients will emerge and you will focus on them.

Let them meet you!

2. Product Interest

You were able to get customer’s attention in a first stage and what next? It’s important to provide more information about the products or service you offer.  And now it’s up to you to answer all questions and doubts. The key to success is not only the product itself but also the ability to build long-term relationships. It might be helpful to create channels in social media to provide interesting information about the products, that will absorb the potential client’s.

3. Lead generation and  finalisation of transaction

A certain group of people had bumped on your strategy, and now is your job to distinguish those who are really interested in your offer.  A sales lead is considered to be everyone (a company, a private person, or an organization) who have expressed a desire to purchase or get to know your product better. In e-commerce, it can be manifested by leaving contact details, using e-mail marketing, as well as following your Facebook account.

The 3rd stage of the sales funnel is a good moment to create a buyer persona and personalize your offer. Think how can you divide your clients into groups. Some of them you would have to convince by an additional discount, others are ready to buy but need a small encouragement to finalize the transactions.
All tools for analyzing data (including website behavior and various reactions) will help you to understand customers needs. Remember-focusing on clients needs will be the main key to a successful business.

4. After-sales service

As a result, it’s easy to forget that after-sales service is as important as all previous stages, that influenced customer’s decision to purchase.
Why it’s important? Because it has a essential effect on whether the client will return to your online shop. Concentrate on providing a good shopping experience and improving your services to a client. By focusing on people who have already used the offer, you eliminate the costs and time associated with building interest in products and trusting the online store.

 Sales funnel in practice

It’s good to check examples of sales funnels in specific stages of activities becasue it might be a valuable hint in strategic planning for your own online store. They allow to diversify communication channels for individuals and to send information that will best suit their needs. See what to use when advertising your products!

 Let them notice you!

• Presence in rankings and lists
• Blogging partnership
• Charity auctions
• Social media
• Buzz marketing.

Build interest!

• Blog content that will answer customer’s questions
• Free trainings, book guides, videos on YouTube
• Action simulations, eg in the form of animation.
• Start your post with “Do you know that …”

Sell!

• Free trial – test the Offerer online store for 14 days for free!
• Opinions of existing customers.
•  Discounts and special offers.
• A reference to interests, valued by specific groups of recipients.
• Presentation of a tailor-made offer, eg mailing containing proposed products to those that were previously viewed (if the customer agreed to such activities). We would like to remind you that the adaptation of the online store to the RODO in Europe includes, among others, the various checkboxes, thanks to which you give the possibility to accept marketing campaign).

 Enjoy over returning customers!

• Loyalty programs.
• Discount on next purchases.
• Opportunity to share opinions and comments.
•  Thank clients for the purchase

Sales funnel in an online shop

The goal of creating a shopping funnel in an online store is to increase sales. That’s why it’s important to remember that the number of visits on your website will increase the chance of higher quantity of orders.  If you have already prepared a ecommerce sales funnel for your store, try to analyze the individual steps. Keep in mind that marketing activities must be attractive from the customer’s point of view, which requires a different perspective than what you have on a daily basis.

Do not forget that in  each following stage, the number of people remaining in the shopping process decreases, so it is worth focusing on the widest possible action at the beginning. Nevertheless, it will be important to maintain the interest you have gained because, without it, not many of your goods will be purchased.

How to promote the product in the online shop?

The vast majority of online stores are focusing on selling recurrent products that consumer already know. The introduction of a new product might cause mixed feelings. Firstly, they are not familiar with the product, and secondly, there are no recommendations. As a result, instead of an expected sales boom,  we can note a drop in sales or even a lack of it!

If you think to introduce a new product to your online shop, especially for a long-term, it should be a well through-out strategy, and focusing on running a marketing strategy by using various communication channels. Make customers want your new product even before it appears in your store, and remember about the promotion. Hence, lowering the price of the product will attract more buyers, and introducing products that are trendy on the market will show high professionalism.

1. Sale new products in the online store

Pre-order is the most popular way to sell new products in the online shop. But what does it mean?  It can be described as an available possibility to purchase a product before is launched for official sale. The customer makes an order and make payment several days or even weeks before its production, and receives it on the first day of sale for a wide range of consumers. Introducing a pre-sale has very positive effects. It gives the feeling of the exclusiveness, therefore the chance that the client will return in the future increases.

What to do to make the pre-sale effective?

• Apply promotion! Everywhere you have highlighted pre-order option, put a clear information regarding the discount price.

A very good catch on customers is to give the exact amount of price reduction. However, with small discounts, it is worth using the percentage rate. It’s more attractive to use a 5% discount rather 5 euros in relation to 100 euros.

• Communicate very clearly, that the introduced offer is a pre-sale option and the attractive pricing will disappear after the product will be placed in the shop.
• Explain that the number of available pre-orders is limited. The introduced limit will increase call-to-action and will stop customers from postponing their purchase.

2. Display new products on the homepage

The homepage is a business card of the online store, and it gives the first impression to the clients about the brand. Remember to include information about the most important promotions as well as new products. When displaying new products consider to include:

•  slider,
•  pop-up windows,
•  fixed elements at the bottom, top or side of the page, for a certain period,
• add section ‘the latest added products’.

During the presentation of the selected product, focus on the distinctive graphics that will attract attention, and provide any additional technical data in the form of a transparent infographic.

3. Run a Social Media Contest

Use new products as an award in the contest, this will give the opportunity to increase their visibility. It will certainly increase the need for purchasing, and people that have not been able to win will decide to buy a product in the future. An additional advantage of the competitions is the involvement of the participants. The necessity to follow a few simple steps translates into spreading the posts, and hence the number of potential buyers increases.

4. Write blog posts about the new products

Another way to promote the new assortment is to include it in the blog posts. Information on the specification and detailed description will increase customer awareness. What’s more importantly, you can add a CTA button, which directly redirects the reader to the offer with a pre-order.

Another very significant idea is to start cooperation with bloggers. The online store may pass the product for testing based on the exchange program. Depending on the adopted strategy, you can ask the influencer to redirect its recipients to the pre-order offer after posting it in a post. Only those who have their own proprietary assortment that is not dependent on an external company and its sales plan will have the freedom to make arrangements.

5. The newsletter will help you reach existing customers

When promoting new products, it is worth using existing customers. This is a wide group that has already trusted your brand. Perhaps they have already subscribed to the newsletter and shared their data on shopping preferences. Thanks to this you will be able to reach them with the most personalized offer. If you want to create an email campaign and will increase sales, remember that the content must be attractive.

Create something that will attract clients. For example, you can send to your customer’s database an email with a special discount on a new product. Even 5 or 10% can make them feel special. In the end, only regular customers can count on the mentioned discount.

Introduce a new product and don’t worry about the sale

If you want to introduce a new product to the store, but you are worried about the demand and interest of customers, you should check the market first. A great way to check if the new assortment you want to sell will be popular is dropshipping. This is a logistic model, in which the goods are sent directly from the warehouse to the customer, and does not require purchasing goods upfront. Therefore, it offers a wide range of possibilities for testing new products.

1. Adjust your online shop

Let’s start from scratch, which is adjusting the e-store to customer requirements. Perhaps your online sales have slowed down or you want to take your shop to the next level. In order to see these changes, you have to incorporate good e-commerce practices into your business. Consider the following questions:

• What does the graphic design of your online store look like? If your branding and graphics are outdated or from the “XX century”, your customer may want to run far far away and never come back.
• Is the e-store mobile-friendly & responsive, i.e adapts to mobile devices? Remember that as people make more purchases using their smartphone and tablets, it is necessary that your website is responsive to these devices. The easier it is to reach the checkout section of your product, the likelier it is that your customer will make the purchase.
• Is the design of your online store user-friendly? Your website must be customer-friendly at every stage of the shopping experience, e.g a search engine should give appropriate hints, products should be sorted in appropriate categories, the whole store should be logically organized so the user will not get lost in it.
• Is your e-store optimized for all types of connectivity? If you have good stable servers and designed the webshop to handle all sorts of levels of activity, this will ensure that your visitors can glance through your products without any hiccups. This will ensure that your visitor makes a smooth purchase of your products at checkout ????
• What shipping methods do you offer? For example in Poland, the most popular is a courier, and parcel lockers- this is an option that must be available for your online store.
• What types of payment services does your shop offer? You must give the recipient a minimum of 3 options for finalizing the transaction: quick payments, cash on delivery or a traditional transfer.
• Have you installed the SSL Certificate? These days, it is important to build trust with your customers and ensure that their information is encrypted and protected. The last thing you want is for your customer to feel insecure about whether or not their payment information is protected before they decide to make their purchase. Get your SSL Certificate and this will never be a worry!
• How do you communicate with clients? Is your Customer Service at the highest level? You should be available during specific hours, respond quickly to messages and always be professional. Remember, customer service is key to giving people more confidence that they will receive and be satisfied with your offering.
• Are you honest? Remember, before anyone wants to spend money with you, it’s your job to build trust up front by being as clear and transparent about your products, services, and prices. Don’t ever try to hide anything, If you’re disingenuous, customers can feel it even through their mobile browsers. Honesty is the difference between a sale or an abandoned cart.

We hope you think about these questions and give yourself honest feedback. These few suggestions may be what helps propel your store to the next level!

2. Simplify the ordering process

Another step also involves the design of an online store. First of all, you should simplify the ordering process. What does this mean in practice? Ideally, the basket should consist of 2, maybe 3 steps, so it is easy for your customer to go from point A to B.

.In addition, only ask for the most necessary information for shipping/payment; otherwise, your customer may feel uncomfortable and abandon cart. What else? Do not force the customer to register in the store so that he can place an order. It is better to encourage him with rebates to sign up with a user account. Otherwise, you may have an abandoned shopping cart.

3. Add video

Let’s move to the next step, which may help increase sales in your online store. Did you know that video brings great results in e-commerce? Think about the fact that during online shopping, the recipient will not see goods “live”, and the video presentation of the product on the item card will be a good substitute to increase sales.

How else can you use the videos? In video materials, you can also show your company’s history, values, mission, and product creation process. Such visuals will build awareness of your brand.

4. Use bundling

Now something that will definitely improve your results.
In the online store, you can use two techniques: cross-selling and up-selling. The first one is based on suggesting to the client supplementary items for the main product, e.g. shoe polish.

The second one is to offer similar products that have better parameters but are slightly more expensive, such as a computer with a larger RAM memory. You can use both techniques on the product card, creating special tabs or preparing sets.

The option of entering the opinion about the assortment in the store by the recipient will also be great. Remember that positive ratings build your credibility.

5. Suggest free returns

The next technique is psychological, to increase sales in the online store-free returns. Why will this option increase the number of your orders? Because customers are often afraid that the product bought online will not meet their expectations and will differ from the presentation in the pictures.

A free return gives the client a mental comfort by knowing there is a return option, that gives the possibility to send the item back without paying any additional fees. Of course, not everyone can afford free returns, especially when some of the clients abuse this possibility.

Okay, we’re halfway through – 5 effective ways to increase sales in the online store! Read on:)

6. Promote your store

It’s no secret to anyone that advertising is a deal breaker, especially in e-commerce, where competition is incredibly huge. That’s why you should definitely promote your online store.

There are many advertising methods to choose from i.a positioning, Google AdWords campaigns, social media (including paid activities, e.g. Facebook Ads), price and opinion comparison websites, trade portals, blogs, industry websites or affiliate programs.

What is the key to increasing sales in the online store through advertising? Three things:

– Advertising strategy adjusted to the target group and industry;
– Create a strong and unique brand;
– Create valuable content in accordance with the principles of content marketing.

7. Run a shop blog

I will go straight to the point –a well-run shopping blog generates a lot of traffic in the e-store and increases sales. Why? The site where you share articles improves the visibility of your online store in Google search.

In addition, your blog can be visited by someone who is interested in a related topic but has not heard about your e-commerce. Then, with an interesting text, you will sow a seed about your brand in the mind of the recipient, which in the future can sprout and become an order ????

Writing valuable articles also works well for your clients and creates a bond. It is worth reminding people about your shop- you can do it by sending newsletters. Well talk more about it in the next section.

8. Send Newsletters

A newsletter is another way to increase sales in your online store. This method will effectively remind the customer about your offer, and of course, you must present it in an attractive way. You can find more information about effective e-commerce Newsletters on our blog.

9. Promotions and special offers campaign

Nothing helps boost sales with a little promotion or special offerings.  Many “opportunity hunters” are circling the network in search of attractive discounts. Therefore, make a promotional campaign and inform your clients about special deals.

Promote your deals on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the birthday of your online store or various holidays. You can also prepare dedicated promotions, for example, for followers from Instagram or Newsletter recipients.

10. Add free samples to the orders

This is the last step to increase sales for your online store. At this point, I want to encourage you to send customers with extra free samples. They do not have to be expensive products.

A free gift encourages customers to buy, and in addition, this increases your brand awareness and customer loyalty.

Last and final takeaway

You have just met 10 effective ways to increase sales for the online store. If you want to learn more about improving results in e-commerce, I encourage you to participate in my Ecommerce Power training.

On September 27 at 2:00 pm you can hear me in the free Webinar. Check also other speakers, it’s a huge dose of knowledge that will help you to understand better e-commerce market.

Do you want to open an online shop and you are not sure about the cost? Are you worried you do not have enough capital to start? Get to know the low-budget e-commerce solution and see how you can afford your own e-business.

1. How much does it cost to start an online store – low cost of entering the e-commerce market.

You probably read reviews on forums and wondered what are the costs to open an online shop. The good news is- you do not have to invest a lot of cash right away. All you need is focus on developing your e-business within a time.

Get rid of fears! If you create a website on a shop platform, you will limit the initial expenses spent on individual software.

First, register your domain. Some companies provide good discounts, so you can even get the first year of free domain.Then test the e-commerce software for 14 days free of charge. If Offerer software meets your expectations and we are pretty sure it will so, choose the best plan and subscribe. We have good deals for you!

We have prepared individual price packages tailored to the needs of our clients. In the beginning, in order to check how your business will develop, you can choose the basic subscription, and after a time with the development of your e-business, decide on a higher package, which will give you more possibilities. Running your own online shop doesn’t have to be expensive  ????

Check the PRICING and see for yourself that you can start a professional online store at an affordable price!

2. No additional costs related to shop configuration

An online shop for a subscription option is a perfect solution for beginners in an e-commerce market. Because you do not pay additional costs related to the configuration. Say goodbye to buying additional applications or paying for new features.

With Offerer, all the necessary integrations for your e-business are included in the subscription price. You can integrate your online store with couriers, payment systems, price comparison sites or online accountancy programmes.

Life is much easier when you do not need a programmer’s help to configure your e-store. You can handle the whole process with just a few clicks. However, if the administration panel service is causing you a problem, you can always contact our technical support.

3. Professional RWD graphic template for free

You want an online store with professional graphics, but you can not afford an individual solution? You can choose a responsive and modern graphics template, adapted to mobile devices. Use the Template Creator and easily adapt the visual setting to your design idea.

At the beginning of your e-commerce adventure, your funds are limited. Therefore, the Offerer Template Creator feature has been included in every subscription package, at no additional fees. When your store will start to bring profits, you can think about individual graphics project that will improve your brand awareness.

Read more about graphics HERE

 

4. You don’t need a programmer

Offerer store platform is user-friendly. That’s why you can easily navigate in the administration panel.

Functions are divided into logical groups, and each option has a special button with a ‘?’  to help you with navigation. Check for yourself that even without IT skills, you can manage your shop online.

Please note that the administration server, updates, and security are on our side. We are always available for you, our emergency line is available 24/7, so you can contact us whenever you need. It’s all included in a subscription package.

5. Benefits package

At the beginning of your on e-commerce journey,  it can be difficult. First, you are proud that you have your online store but with this comes an overwhelming amount of responsibilities, for example negotiating contracts or planning promotions.

In order to help you to enter the market, we have prepared a special Benefits Package. In this package, you will find attractive offers e.g Google AdWords.

Learn more about Benefits Packages HERE

As you can see, opening an online store does not have to be expensive or difficult. In the case of using the subscription platform, you limit the costs of entering the e-commerce market. You can develop your e-business peacefully over time and with low costs. And what is the cost of running a store? Find the answer below ????

6. How much does it cost to run an online store?

You have already learned about the costs of e-shop, and probably you are wondering how to plan a budget for the functioning of e-business. The cost of running an online store depends on several factors.

Remember that it is not enough to just set up a website – to make your store profitable, you should promote it intensively. The cost of doing business will highly depend on the advertising methods you choose.

Entrepreneurs beginners usually invest in positioning, Google AdWords campaigns, comparison websites, and Facebook Ads.

Another factor that determines the costs of running an online store is the type of industry in which you operate. Some e-businesses need more money in order to start.

The costs of running an online store also depend on the logistic model. The main point is whether you will have a warehouse and what fees you will pay for it.

To minimize these fees, beginner entrepreneurs often decide to run a warehouse at home and sell in the dropshipping model.

What else is important when it comes to the budget of running your online shop?  Fixed costs, such as bills for telephone or internet.

Remember it’s important to specify all expenses and prepare financial resources for the first 6 months. At this time, your e-business should start earning money, and the cost of running your online store will be balanced according to profit.

Best of luck and we keep our fingers crossed for you! ????

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us: info@offerer.com

1.  Manage product inventory

Regardless of whether you import goods from a producer or wholesaler, you should constantly look for new products. Some goods cease to be manufactured or become difficult to access.

Therefore, you should constantly monitor sales statistics and be in contact with suppliers. Make smart decisions – don’t buy an unprofitable assortment and invest in a new one.

Gold products:

Follow the principle of golden products, ie: for specific products on which you can have a high margin. It’s easy to implement into the store 100 or 1000  any products from the warehouse. The trick is to select 10 pearls that will sell very good and bring a high profit at the same time.

2. Select suppliers

Apparently, the more products in the online store, the better. If you have a wide offer and you reach the recipients’ tastes, you can generate profits.
Don’t choose blindly. For example, if you import 100,000 products from wholesalers and you will have no demand for those products? As a result, this will not drive high sales, rather to the bankruptcy of e-business.

Choose wisely! Remember to check all beneficial factors while choosing a supplier for your business. Decide to cooperate with companies that will influence your sales performance and will bring you real profits. Integrate with the warehouse only when you know that its products match your industry and wanted by the customers.

Pay attention to the price of goods, so you won’t overpay.

3. Follow the product trends

There are times when there is a ‘bum’ for a certain product. That’s why it is worth following the trends and know what goods are desirable by your target group. Even when the certain product will stop be popular, the profit will remain, and in the minds of consumers, your e-store will become an attractive website.

4. Update the information on the store’s website

Consumers are discouraged by an online store if they see outdated content. Take care of your positive image and update information on a regular basis!

If you stopped to sell a particular item, remember to remove it from the site. However, when the product is temporarily unavailable, inform about it. It is not acceptable for the store to display a banner with an outdated promotion, hence remember to delete it. The potential customer will compare prices and will think that you are unreliable, and will purchase elsewhere.

Therefore, control the content and keep updated new products and sales, even in a few short and catchy sentences.

The above tips might be obvious. However, many entrepreneurs forget about them. Do not be one of them! Take care of the development of your product base and online store. After all, you’re on the Offerer.com store platform, you can afford to succeed!