Introducing eBay & eCommerce

There are so many ways today to create a successful online business.  You hear about them all the time - Info products, monetizing great content, etc, etc.  But I have found personally, one of the most satisfying ways has been to sell products online.  Find a really interesting and popular product line and build a store.  (Yes, I do know it’s not that simple, but we’ll get to all those details soon). 

If that sounds like you, then you are going to love what we have in store with this newly revised column!   

The New Expanded eBay & eCommerce Column

You’ve gotten to know Megan Jordan on her eBay column at eMoms.  She has been answering so many of your questions about starting and growing an eBay business with her first-hand experience.  Now, Sparkplugging has decided to expand the column to include general eCommerce topics and discussions of other platforms.  This is where I come in.  I have been running a Yahoo! Store for 2 years and built mine from scratch as well. 

We are passionate about selling products online and excited to talk to you about the ups and the downs and the how’s and the what’s.  Between the two of us, we have a ton of experience (and practically a Masters education) in selling on eBay and on Yahoo! Stores.  Not to mention keeping-the-family-happy while you build your business!

So, what are the types of things we are going to cover here? 

Getting Started in eCommerce

First, we are going to focus our attention on Getting Started.  We’ll cover topics like choosing and researching a product to sell, building your store and understanding all of the technology and tools involved. 

Getting Traffic

Once we have gotten you started, we’ll talk about getting traffic to your site. This isn’t as relevant in the eBay realm, but with other platforms once your store is live and ready, it is a little like being on a deserted island - you realize you are completely alone!!  But we can fix that with a mix of PPC, SEO & Social Marketing.  Don’t worry if these acronyms don’t mean anything to you yet . . . they will.

Conversion = Analytics + Testing

Now, unfortunately, many online retailers stop here.  “Okay, I’ve built my store (isn’t it gorgeous?).  I have a bunch of visitors coming and going every day.  Now what?  Where are my sales?” 

Does that sound familiar?  This is where the ball really got rolling for me.  Analytics, Testing & Conversion!  Without applying these tools and skills, all of the time you have taken to build your store and attract new visitors was wasted.  I don’t care how nice your site is, how much traffic you are generating - if you don’t know the details about what your customers are doing on your site, you are driving blind. And if you don’t test what is working with them, you have no idea what you might be leaving on the table.  We will discuss how to get started in analytics & testing and how to turn your new knowledge into new customers. 

Customer Management

And finally customer relationship management.  What’s better than getting a brand new customer?  Selling more to your existing customers!  It’s less expensive and actually more fun when you start to build relationships with your customers that bring them back for more.

Get Ready, Get Set, . . .

Okay, so there is a lot for us to cover.  This has been an amazing ride for me - one that I have absolutely loved, even with its ups and downs.  My husband and my kids have been along on this ride and we are having a blast!  Come and join us for more info, tips and tricks on the “perfect home business”.