More and more people are looking to earn some money working from home. For some, it provides a little extra cash at the end of the month beyond their day job, while for others, it becomes their main business if you know how to do it. Selling online is an accessible option for virtually everyone, but how do you sell online from home?
If you're considering it and need tips and strategies to help you succeed, how about checking out the ones we've prepared?
Choose the right product or service for you
Not just for you, but also for any clients you might have. I mean, if you're good at something, if it's not in demand, it won't be of much use to you.
Therefore, the first advice we give you is to investigate which products have high demand and low competition. This way, you'll have a niche in the market and, in addition, fewer companies that are dedicated to the same thing as you.
Try to find something you're truly passionate about and budget the costs and logistics you'll need. This way, you'll have a rough idea of the investment you'll need. Of course, not all businesses are the same; some are even free to start. Although it wouldn't hurt to invest in a little publicity to get yourself known.
Choose your sales platform
Depending on the type of product or service you choose, you may need set up an online store, go to a marketplace platform, or even use social media to sell.
All of them are fine, and you can even combine them. But when you're starting out, it's best to choose one of them (among those we've mentioned or others). For example, if what you're selling is something that can go viral and also capture attention through photos, perhaps social media will be a form of direct sales.
On the other hand, if you're looking for luxury products or services, having a website will always make you look more professional.
Establish a digital marketing strategy
A digital marketing strategy is very important because it will allow you to attract customers and sell. But to do so, you have to know how to do things.
In general, what we consider most relevant is the following:
- SEO, that is, optimizing your page's text (and also its design) so that you appear in the top results. It's not easy, as we've already told you, but you could opt for little-known or overused keywords with high search volume. This will help you climb the search engine rankings.
- Social Media. Be careful, this doesn't mean you have to be on all of them. If you're on your own, managing multiple social networks is practically impossible. So we recommend focusing on one or two at most, posting engaging content there, and investing in advertising.
- Email marketingIt's all the rage right now because it's a more personal way to communicate with customers. But you must be consistent in your emails.
Optimize user experience
In any business, whether home-based or not, you need to connect with your customers and give them the confidence and comfort they need to buy from you and, above all, to repeat business.
Therefore, Pay attention to the design of your page, the steps you need to take to buy (always the easiest ones and not many); and finally, customer service.
This last point is what will truly differentiate your company. If you're constantly attentive and quickly resolve questions, make sure customers are satisfied, or address issues so they don't have any problems, then they'll see you as someone they trust enough to buy from.
Manage logistics and shipments
At first this will be easy, but as you grow, you'll need to have a team of reliable suppliers so you can have the materials you need (or that they'll arrive in time to do your job).
Likewise, you will have to Customize shipments and offer different shipping options to customers (same as payments). This will help you appear more professional in the business.
Finally, don't forget to clearly specify your return policy. It should be clear and, above all, understandable. This way, they'll know what happens if they need to return a product or service and what the procedure is.
Plan
Selling online from home isn't easy, especially if you have a part-time or full-time job working for a company. You'll come back tired, and the last thing you want to do is go back to work.
Therefore, planning everything is the help you need to be able to manage it efficiently. Remember that You have to serve customers at all times and ensure a good user experience.
If you won't be available at all times, specify this. This way, customers can see that you're not ignoring them.
Invest some money
You must keep in mind that, at first, no one knows you except your friends and family. Therefore, selling will be complicated. But not impossible. Therefore, we recommend that you try. set aside some money to invest in advertising, whether on social media or Google.
If we had to choose one of the two, we'd say Google, but not with the full page, but with a landing page, as it will help focus the reader and get them to achieve our desired objective (give them their email address, schedule an appointment, etc.). The goal here isn't to sell, but to get something from that customer to sell to them later.
Measure and improve
When you've been in your home business for a while, you'll be able to look back and see if the strategy you follow is bearing fruit. If not, you'll have to change until you find the right one for you.
For example, if your business is giving private lessons and no one is coming to you for a subject you offer, perhaps if you switch to another subject things will change and you'll start getting results.
As you can see, selling online from home isn't difficult. Perhaps the hardest part is launching an idea that has high demand and little competition. Have you started a home-based business? How has it gone?