6 min read
How to earn your first 10 000 SEK!
Ten tips on how to get your webshop up and running
Do you dream of being successful in e-commerce? Here are our top ten tips on how to earn your first 10,000 crowns from your webshop as quickly as possible!
- Start! The very first step - and for many, one of the most difficult - is to actually take the plunge and get started. You have to dare to win and try to learn. At Abicart, you can also start up and test your webshop for free for the first month - if that's not for you, you can just quit. So, are you sitting on a good idea? Go!
- Spread the word. Of course, to succeed with your e-commerce, others need to know you exist. Why not start with a method that doesn't cost a penny - contacting and using your network? Tell family and friends, ask other acquaintances, ask them to tell others. Use the social media you're on, share as much information as you can and ask others to help you pass it on. You can also look for Facebook groups of like-minded people. Let's say you sell seed bags for home planting, join gardening groups and participate in threads, ask questions and give tips about your shop. However, keep a good tone, be humble and don't overdo the sales pitch.
- Create your own channels. Start a Facebook page for your business where you tell people about your stuff, showcase what you sell and invite everyone you know to like the page. Perhaps it would also be wise to have a page on LinkedIn? Or on Instagram? Try to figure out where your target audience is. Many people use social media to look for specific products and services, especially on Instagram this is common. So tag your posts with appropriate hashtags so that more people can find you. However, remember not to just start up a bunch of accounts on different platforms if you don't have the time or ability to keep them alive. Accounts with few updates that don't respond when potential customers ask questions will have the opposite effect - it's better to have just one specific account that you can actually manage well.
- Contact media and seek collaborations. Is your start-up business of interest to the local press? It costs nothing to contact them and tell them, if you're lucky you'll get some free media space there. Are there other players you can contact to get coverage? Anything from podcasts to others in the industry may be relevant to you. Maybe you can get a collaboration with someone like-minded where you push for each other's channels on your platforms? Or maybe you can send some free sample to some influencer? Think outside the box and remember that it's free to at least ask the question!
Organisation and order. Make sure your webshop is easy to use with a clear structure, good texts and good images. This will enhance the user experience and help you rank higher in Google's search results. Put some extra effort into making your webshop as professional as possible.
- How do others do it? Spend some time on an analysis of the world around you, and you'll be better equipped to do as good a job as possible yourself.
- How do others do it? Spend some time on an analysis of the world around you, and you'll be better equipped to do as good a job as possible. Look at how other similar e-tailers are doing and how your competitors are doing. How do they communicate? What do they do well and what do they do less well? What platforms are they on? Is there something they're missing where you could even gain ground? Also look at what words and phrases are being searched for on Google, so you know what words to use in your headlines and texts in your webshop.
Optionalise your keywords. Something that can certainly take some time, but is also completely free, is to search engine optimize your webshop. If you're brand new and starting from scratch, you're also in a golden position because you can do it right from the start. A good search engine optimised website is not only good for how you appear on Google, but often the user experience itself goes hand in hand with this. You can read more about how to search engine optimize your webshop here.
Advertise. If you want an extra boost, it might make sense to spend a few bucks on advertising. Both on social media and through Google Ads, you can get a relatively good reach within your target audience without it costing much. If you advertise correctly and smartly, you can go a long way with little money!
- Ask for references.Have you had a customer who was satisfied with their purchase from you? Ask them if it's okay if you ask a few questions and publish the answers on your website. Few things have as much marketing power as when another person recommends your product or service. If you get the opportunity to ask a few questions, be smart, ask questions that will give you the answers you want - that is, answers that will convince other customers. We're toying with the idea that you sell hand-painted glass. One worry factor for potential customers could be the delivery itself, fearing that some glass will be edge-damaged or even broken when it arrives. Then ask a question about how the satisfied customer felt about the delivery - hopefully they'll say it went really well, that the glasses were very well packaged and that they were delivered whole and beautiful.
- ask for feedback. Ask others what they think! Ask those around you to take a look at your webshop and have their say. Do they find it easy to use? Do they understand how to navigate? Does anything seem complicated to them? Try to include people who are part of your target group. In other words - if you sell dog toys, it makes sense to ask dog owners, for example. Learn from their opinions and improve on what should be improved!
