How to Sell Your Own Products on the Internet
So you have made something that all your friends think will sell, and you want to find out where and how to do it.
Since the computer has become so common, there have been a major changes in the last few years. The internet is now a most important factor.
Like television changed the whole focus of the entertainment industry, so the internet has changed advertising and the high street. More people are now on-line and are shopping there. 30.2% of the world population is now online - 78.3% of America and 58.3% of Europe.
Local Searches for products and services - 43% of search engine users are seeking a local service for both off and online purchases.
Internet advertising is now 24% of all display advertising, the same as television. Newspaper sales are declining.
People are searching on the web -
* people with money to spend -
* people with urgent problems looking for a quick solution -
* people looking for advice -
* people wanting to buy
A search provides a list in seconds - its easy to click to a website and see if it offers
what they want. If you're not there - they wont find you!
HOW TO DO THIS
Think it through
Its important that you are happy with the whole concept of your planed sales, and that all the factors have been considered and allowed for.
You know you can make the product, but how long does it take.
Can you keep up with possible demand? People usually want things yesterday - it depends what you're making.
Can you expand production quickly - is the skill, material, and equipment readily available?
You need to dispatch your product. Find a reliable firm to package and send it on.
There may well be returns, and you need a method of handling this.
You need to keep accounts and records of taxes.
There will probably be email and phone contacts to deal with.
You need to be paid (more later).
Balance all production/delivery costs with projected returns.
Research
Look on-line at what you are making and see what the competition is like. Note the focus of their pages and the words they use.
Open a web site
This is not difficult (more later). A website is focused on potential customers. This will be your advertising and selling site, as well as providing a 2- way communication connection to your customers, which will give important feed back.
Advertising
Your website is your focal point - if you use any direct mail always include the web address. Aim to get as much publicity as you can - best of all for free. Contact the local paper, any trade magazines you have, any associations you are in.
Tell everybody, friend and total stranger - rack your brains to think of contacts to spread the word.
Look at using Facebook and twitter?
Marketing
Selling products online can be very successful, but you have to learn the best ways to do it. Internet marketing experts would generally agree on the fundamental basics.
There seems to differences of opinions in the area of SEO (search engine optimisation), largely due to the complexity of the search algorithms used, and the differences between search engines methods.
There is also a difficulty in setting up a test that yields concrete proof that a particular idea works.
One of the most important things to focus on is how to increase the amount of customer traffic to a your website. This is done in part by identifying the target buyers, and researching their tastes in goods and services - how much they are willing to spend, how they shop on-line.
A route for customer feed-back on your site, and conversations with customers can provide lots of valuable information.
Keywords
Keywords are the words used in an on-line search request. These are used by search engines to ‘rate' your page, and assign a page ranking, which will position your page in a customers search. The best rating go to the top of the first page, and so on down.
Research of your competitors sites, and high ranked pages, will reveal words that they consider important. You need to find words that are commonly used to search in relation to your product - these form a vital part of your website. You can use a Google tool (Keyword Tool) to find out how words rate in rankings and find the best for you.
Content
The search engines love ‘content' that is relevant to the search request. Many sites insert articles on other pages about subjects related to whatever the site is about. You know your subject, so write some interesting and factual articles about it, or get a professional writer to do it for you - it needn't cast the earth.
Linking
The search engines also like links to and from web sites.
You can link your site to ones you think your customers might find useful, and you can also post your articles on article sites that are in your field. They are looking for articles and will provide a link to your site. Be aware that if someone uses a link you've provided on your site, they will go away from your site, and may never return!
Membership is another way to create content on the site. This is where your site provides a space where people can send in their views, opinions and write articles themselves, which are then available for others to read and reply to.
Copy writing
In sales one of the most important things is to be able to sum up the unique aspects of your product in a way that excites others. Get the RIGHT message over quickly.
A good example of this is known as the Elevator Pitch, where you have to get your message over in the time span of an elevator ride, thirty seconds to two minutes.
The headline on a web page should be your Pitch - to get the customer to want more and read on.
Pointers to a good pitch:-
1. Match your message to your audience.
2. Solve a problem. Solve the buyer's need or problem.
3. Be clear. Test it on people first and see if they understand.
4. Be brief and get to the point. People's attention span is short.
5. Be intriguing if you can. People are always curious.
6. Be accurate. If you have facts state them briefly.
7. Be prepared to add more information for contacts and phone calls.
Website
There are basically three types of website:-
[b]Squeeze[/b] page which is a single web page used usually for one product.
It can be expanded later by adding more pages.
[b]Micro site[/b] is a website with multiple pages containing information usually about one product. Pages might be photographs, plans, detailed specifications, uses, references, contact, testimonials, and related articles.
[b]Website.[/b] These are usually extensive and used for on-line shopping stores with multiple products.
The Micro site is probably the one to go for.
Domain name
The domain name or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of a website on the World Wide Web. There are many sites where you can go and search for the name you want, all costing about the same. It is usually easier to do this on the site of whoever you decide to use as host for your site.
Hosting site
This is where your site is located and usually they have various plans depending on the type and size of the site you want. They charge for the hosting and it's worth shopping around. Most have domain name search and purchase facilities.
DIY or get a web designer
There are lots of web designers on-line and again you need to shop around, and ask questions and get prices.
There are also lots of sites online where you can design your own site from a choice of layouts. These are very easy - you don't need to know any computer code - just type in the copy you want in the pre-set areas. Add-ins like photos and video is automatic.
Most of the hosting services provide this service for free if you use them. Again, it's easier all in one place.
Getting paid
A very important thing. There are a number of websites that provide money collecting facilities for a small fee. Paypal and others charge a fee per transaction. Shopping carts(usually for multiple sales items) charge a monthly fee.
What will it cost?
This naturally depends which way you go, how big a site you plan, and how much you do yourself and how much you farm out.
I have included some payments that are recurring so you have an idea of the costs involved per month to run your site.
This section is brief, covering very few items, as it takes a lot of time to review all you might need.
On a lot of sites you really have to dig to get prices, and because of all the special offers, comparing sites is difficult (impossible!). Prices are changing all the time.
Domain names. In general these cost $16.48 (£10) per year for .com (some other domains are cheaper). Most hosting sites have search and sell, and some offer them free as part of the hosting.
Hosting is a bit of a nightmare to sort out. While sites probably do much the same thing, the presentation of the information seems very confusing. Finding out what you want to know is time consuming.
If you use a web designer you wont have this problem - he will have a few sites he knows in mind.
I have taken two sites which are well known - GoDaddy and 123, and used the figures they show. (forgive me if there are extras I haven't found).
Host Domain name Small site Medium Site Large Site
per year per month per month per month
123 $16.46 (£9.99)** $4.10 (£2.49) $7.40 (£4.99) $11.52 (£6.99)
Go daddy $8.22 £4.99)* $5.91 (3.59) $8.22 (£4.99) $15.64 (£9.49)
* special offer **free with site
Other Help
There are countless sites online that will advise on SEO, Marketing, Copywriting, Photography, Email marketing, Blogging etc., if you want or need advice.
Link to the Keywords Tool :-
https://adwords.google.co.uk/selec/KeywordToolExternal
More interesting Wood work stuff
Since the computer has become so common, there have been a major changes in the last few years. The internet is now a most important factor.
Like television changed the whole focus of the entertainment industry, so the internet has changed advertising and the high street. More people are now on-line and are shopping there. 30.2% of the world population is now online - 78.3% of America and 58.3% of Europe.
Local Searches for products and services - 43% of search engine users are seeking a local service for both off and online purchases.
Internet advertising is now 24% of all display advertising, the same as television. Newspaper sales are declining.
People are searching on the web -
* people with money to spend -
* people with urgent problems looking for a quick solution -
* people looking for advice -
* people wanting to buy
A search provides a list in seconds - its easy to click to a website and see if it offers
what they want. If you're not there - they wont find you!
HOW TO DO THIS
Think it through
Its important that you are happy with the whole concept of your planed sales, and that all the factors have been considered and allowed for.
You know you can make the product, but how long does it take.
Can you keep up with possible demand? People usually want things yesterday - it depends what you're making.
Can you expand production quickly - is the skill, material, and equipment readily available?
You need to dispatch your product. Find a reliable firm to package and send it on.
There may well be returns, and you need a method of handling this.
You need to keep accounts and records of taxes.
There will probably be email and phone contacts to deal with.
You need to be paid (more later).
Balance all production/delivery costs with projected returns.
Research
Look on-line at what you are making and see what the competition is like. Note the focus of their pages and the words they use.
Open a web site
This is not difficult (more later). A website is focused on potential customers. This will be your advertising and selling site, as well as providing a 2- way communication connection to your customers, which will give important feed back.
Advertising
Your website is your focal point - if you use any direct mail always include the web address. Aim to get as much publicity as you can - best of all for free. Contact the local paper, any trade magazines you have, any associations you are in.
Tell everybody, friend and total stranger - rack your brains to think of contacts to spread the word.
Look at using Facebook and twitter?
Marketing
Selling products online can be very successful, but you have to learn the best ways to do it. Internet marketing experts would generally agree on the fundamental basics.
There seems to differences of opinions in the area of SEO (search engine optimisation), largely due to the complexity of the search algorithms used, and the differences between search engines methods.
There is also a difficulty in setting up a test that yields concrete proof that a particular idea works.
One of the most important things to focus on is how to increase the amount of customer traffic to a your website. This is done in part by identifying the target buyers, and researching their tastes in goods and services - how much they are willing to spend, how they shop on-line.
A route for customer feed-back on your site, and conversations with customers can provide lots of valuable information.
Keywords
Keywords are the words used in an on-line search request. These are used by search engines to ‘rate' your page, and assign a page ranking, which will position your page in a customers search. The best rating go to the top of the first page, and so on down.
Research of your competitors sites, and high ranked pages, will reveal words that they consider important. You need to find words that are commonly used to search in relation to your product - these form a vital part of your website. You can use a Google tool (Keyword Tool) to find out how words rate in rankings and find the best for you.
Content
The search engines love ‘content' that is relevant to the search request. Many sites insert articles on other pages about subjects related to whatever the site is about. You know your subject, so write some interesting and factual articles about it, or get a professional writer to do it for you - it needn't cast the earth.
Linking
The search engines also like links to and from web sites.
You can link your site to ones you think your customers might find useful, and you can also post your articles on article sites that are in your field. They are looking for articles and will provide a link to your site. Be aware that if someone uses a link you've provided on your site, they will go away from your site, and may never return!
Membership is another way to create content on the site. This is where your site provides a space where people can send in their views, opinions and write articles themselves, which are then available for others to read and reply to.
Copy writing
In sales one of the most important things is to be able to sum up the unique aspects of your product in a way that excites others. Get the RIGHT message over quickly.
A good example of this is known as the Elevator Pitch, where you have to get your message over in the time span of an elevator ride, thirty seconds to two minutes.
The headline on a web page should be your Pitch - to get the customer to want more and read on.
Pointers to a good pitch:-
1. Match your message to your audience.
2. Solve a problem. Solve the buyer's need or problem.
3. Be clear. Test it on people first and see if they understand.
4. Be brief and get to the point. People's attention span is short.
5. Be intriguing if you can. People are always curious.
6. Be accurate. If you have facts state them briefly.
7. Be prepared to add more information for contacts and phone calls.
Website
There are basically three types of website:-
[b]Squeeze[/b] page which is a single web page used usually for one product.
It can be expanded later by adding more pages.
[b]Micro site[/b] is a website with multiple pages containing information usually about one product. Pages might be photographs, plans, detailed specifications, uses, references, contact, testimonials, and related articles.
[b]Website.[/b] These are usually extensive and used for on-line shopping stores with multiple products.
The Micro site is probably the one to go for.
Domain name
The domain name or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of a website on the World Wide Web. There are many sites where you can go and search for the name you want, all costing about the same. It is usually easier to do this on the site of whoever you decide to use as host for your site.
Hosting site
This is where your site is located and usually they have various plans depending on the type and size of the site you want. They charge for the hosting and it's worth shopping around. Most have domain name search and purchase facilities.
DIY or get a web designer
There are lots of web designers on-line and again you need to shop around, and ask questions and get prices.
There are also lots of sites online where you can design your own site from a choice of layouts. These are very easy - you don't need to know any computer code - just type in the copy you want in the pre-set areas. Add-ins like photos and video is automatic.
Most of the hosting services provide this service for free if you use them. Again, it's easier all in one place.
Getting paid
A very important thing. There are a number of websites that provide money collecting facilities for a small fee. Paypal and others charge a fee per transaction. Shopping carts(usually for multiple sales items) charge a monthly fee.
What will it cost?
This naturally depends which way you go, how big a site you plan, and how much you do yourself and how much you farm out.
I have included some payments that are recurring so you have an idea of the costs involved per month to run your site.
This section is brief, covering very few items, as it takes a lot of time to review all you might need.
On a lot of sites you really have to dig to get prices, and because of all the special offers, comparing sites is difficult (impossible!). Prices are changing all the time.
Domain names. In general these cost $16.48 (£10) per year for .com (some other domains are cheaper). Most hosting sites have search and sell, and some offer them free as part of the hosting.
Hosting is a bit of a nightmare to sort out. While sites probably do much the same thing, the presentation of the information seems very confusing. Finding out what you want to know is time consuming.
If you use a web designer you wont have this problem - he will have a few sites he knows in mind.
I have taken two sites which are well known - GoDaddy and 123, and used the figures they show. (forgive me if there are extras I haven't found).
Host Domain name Small site Medium Site Large Site
per year per month per month per month
123 $16.46 (£9.99)** $4.10 (£2.49) $7.40 (£4.99) $11.52 (£6.99)
Go daddy $8.22 £4.99)* $5.91 (3.59) $8.22 (£4.99) $15.64 (£9.49)
* special offer **free with site
Other Help
There are countless sites online that will advise on SEO, Marketing, Copywriting, Photography, Email marketing, Blogging etc., if you want or need advice.
Link to the Keywords Tool :-
https://adwords.google.co.uk/selec/KeywordToolExternal
More interesting Wood work stuff
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