10 Easy Steps To Selling Products Online

It is one thing to have a product, and an entirely different thing, to be able to sell the product. Having a product is the icing on the cake while selling the products online is the cake. Before the product development, the first thing is learning the methods of selling that will elevate your profit.

Selling products online is an art that requires many different tools and skills to get the job done. Knowing the platform to use and identifying people who are interested in buying your product, also known as “leads,” represents only the first hurdle. More so, convincing them to actually buy your product requires a forward-thinking marketing plan.

In this digital age, the internet is the best way to scale your product. From making your products accessible to buyers to employing different marketing strategies, the internet comes handy.

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Easy Steps To Selling Online

Here, you will learn techniques that will help you sell online. Fasten your seat belt let’s dive in.

1.) Look For A Starving Market 

Contrary to popular opinion that you should get a product and start to look for people to buy, the way to go is to get the audience first. One of the most important things to focus on when selling online is to find a starving market. 

Don’t create a product and a business and then look for customers. Rather, look for what people want and then create a product that will solve their problem or satisfy their needs. 

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2.) Decide What To Sell

Don’t put the cart before the horse. Once you find a starving market, deciding on the product to sell will come easy. A good or bad product choice can make or mar your journey towards selling products online. 

Spend a lot of time when researching for a starving market, so that a product phase would be a walkover. Also, when choosing your product make sure you’re able to answer certain questions. 

Ask yourself:

1. What pain points currently exist in the market?
2. Do my products provide a practical solution for the market?
3. In what industries do I have experience and knowledge?
4. What would be my dream niche to serve?
5. What kind of products would I love to sell?

These questions will open your mind eye and give you a list of products or even markets that you’d love to serve.

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3.) Selling On Your Own E-Commerce Website

One of the ways to scale your small business is having a web presence, which also helps you to remain competitive. A professionally designed website makes it possible to sell your products, and it also allows you to manage your own online storefront.

E-commerce is basically the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet, the transfer of money, and data to execute transactions.

With your own e-commerce website, you have full control over the design, layout, and navigation; all of which affect the customer experience and help you sell your products.

There are easy ways to go about building your own e-commerce store. One is through an e-commerce website builder like Shopify or engaging the services of a web developer.

4.) Selling On Other E-Commerce Platforms

Leverage has always been a useful tool in scaling your online business. Building and managing your own e-commerce website can be a daunting and very challenging task especially if you’re not tech-savvy. 

Riding on the wings of those, who have been there and done that can be a launchpad to selling products online. Online marketplace eBay represents the pinnacle of third-party e-commerce sites since almost anything can be sold there. There are also the likes of Jumia, Konga, etc.

Using a third-party e-commerce platform when selling products online is one of the lowest hanging fruits, especially when you don’t have the financial wherewithal to startup yours.

More often than not, these sites tend to be free to join, and they earn their money by keeping a certain percentage of each transaction. More so, you benefit from the traffic and reputation that these large platforms already enjoy.

5.) Dropshipping

One retail strategy that helps you outsource your manufacturing and fulfillment process is dropshipping. By dropshipping, all you have to worry about is marketing and sales. Manufacturing, order fulfillment, and logistics are taken care of by the suppliers you source your products from.

Dropshipping is when you don’t have to keep your products in stock. Rather, you purchase your stock from another merchant/manufacturer who then ships it directly to your customers.

However, this model of selling products online requires arbitrage to be successful. To ensure you make a profit, you need to sell at a price that gives you a profit margin.

 6.) Pay Attention To SEO 

Well, creating a website is not enough because customers will not find your website if it’s not optimised. This is one of the reasons why you need a marketing strategy. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an important puzzle for winning the online market game. It helps you position your brand when selling products online.

Search engine optimization has to do with using keywords related to your product or industry so, when people search for those keywords on Google, your website will pop up. It’s about optimizing your website structure and content to be in sync with your brand, especially when customers search for relevant keywords on search engines. 

7.) Promote Your Brand

A great website or blog alone is not enough to bring in traffic and sales. For you to fill up your sales funnel, you need to attract people to your store and help them take the step towards a complete sales cycle.

Use targeted marketing to increase your leads. Creatively use trends to push your brand and products. Push your products via social media and join forums and online communities.

Sell as if you’re not selling. There is a skill to that; make it subtle and permeate through your customers. Be actively involved in social happenings, but don’t throw caution to the wind. Write relevant articles or blog posts on your site. Get other people to review your products on their website.

8.) Make The Purchase Process As Easy As ABC.

The attention span of internet users is on the decline by the day. When prospects visit your website, blog, or business page, make sure there are no complexities in the purchasing process. You generally have about 10 seconds to grab your prospects’ attention when they first land on your page and make sure it’s worth their while.

Don’t be a clog in the wheel of your own pipeline. Remove obstacles, and make payment as easy as possible. Use trusted payment gateways to build trust. Don’t manipulate a customer to register before buying. Reduce the buying process and try not to collect a lot of information from your prospects; I know it is tempting, but resist the urge.

9.) Social Media Marketing

Use social media as a tool to increase sales. Social media marketing, if done properly, can expand your sales funnel and help you in selling products online.

However, social media marketing isn’t a walk in the park, as there are other brands seeking the same attention you want. Therefore, you have to be strategic. Some of the most popular social media sites; Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter, have different audiences and so require different approaches. Also, avoid spamming your social media pages with your products. Be human, and civil, that’s the way to attract real customers via social media. 

10.) Make Sure Your Site Is Secure

People often buy from people they trust. Your brand has to be trustworthy; assure prospects that your site is secure and verified by trusted third parties like, especially if you are planning on handling credit card information. Your website or blog will need to be on a secure server. Use payment gateways that are secure and have the trust of the people.

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Conclusion:

In selling products online, you have to be patient. Results don’t come instantly, therefore, you have to trust the process and play the long term game when building a brand online. It is challenging but rewarding at the same time.

As an entrepreneur, selling products online should be a lifestyle, not a one-time thing. Which of these methods of selling products online are you in sync with? Let us know in the comment section below. Also, do share this content with your audience if you found it useful.

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