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Ideas to Boost Social Media Shares of your Blog Post Content

July 22, 2019 by Guest Author 1 Comment

Ideas to Boost Social Media Shares of your Blog Post Content

Getting a good volume of social shares can be overwhelming as the internet is oversaturated with more content.

You took a week time to craft masterpiece content. But if no one finds or shares it, then it makes no sense. Don’t be frustrated.

Either, you don’t promote your content in the right way or don’t encourage people to share it.

So, what to do if your post is not getting more social shares? Let me help you with some simple ideas to boost social media share of your blog posts content virally.

Indeed, experts like Neil Patel employ a few of these ideas and notices drastic boost in their social engagements. As you need more customers and sales, you need to leverage the power of social media.

Before getting into the tricks to improve the social media shares of your content, stay for a while. Let’s run through, how to create content that gets more social shares of its own.

Ideas to Create Content That Gets More Social Shares

So, you need social shares and followers especially to drive organic traffic to your page.

How to produce amazing content that gets shared?

The way you promote your content across the web is more significant though. Despite, does your content worth it? Does it offer valuable solutions to your reader’s problems?

Make sure your content is amazing and it deserves to reach a huge audience. Check whether you consider the below practices while creating content or not.

Present Content on Trending Topics

Are you not sure what type of topics will go viral? In the fast-paced digital world, the discussions that are trending today, disappears the very next day.

So, writing content on the topic that is trending at this moment is the key. How to find such trending topics that gets more engagements?

You are likely to use services like Google Trends and BuzzSumo to understand the subject that dominates the social networks. Even I could notice a few SEO and digital marketing blogs tweaking the topics that are trending. Here are the samples.

  • How to build an SEO Avengers team to capture your market
  • 6 Marketing Lessons to Take from Game of Thrones

Take the advantage of those trending topic’s popularity to influence your blog posts content.

Produce Shareable Content with Eye-Catchy Headlines

Headlines are not just an element to fill it up. It plays greater role in make or breaks your blog posts success. The general headlines like “top 10 on-page optimization factors” can even limit your social shares.

On the other hand, the same topic with headline “On-page Factors That You Don’t Care but Matters Most” can trigger people to click through and share.

The title that spurs, or threats people can receive more social engagements. Especially the contradictory titles can get more attention.

Then, the big thing comes, the content. Write long-form of content that attracts that lets your visitors to stay for a while.

As long as the readers likes and stays on your page, higher the interaction and social shares will be.

Include exciting images, infographics, videos and illustrations wherever necessary. Make sure your content whether text or images or videos are of great quality and adds value.

Mentions about Top Influencers

The actionable trick that I use to get more shares is leveraging the social influence of the expert players.

While writing a blog post, wherever you need to throw some examples, or screenshots, mention the good works of the top influencers in your niche.

Mention Influencers

Then, outreach the blogger writing a pleasing mail to intimate about their mention and request for a share.

Consider if your content is shared on an influencer’s social profile that has got thousands of followers. The single social share gets your job done.

Armed with this information, try publishing expert round up posts including as much as expert bloggers often (once in two or three months).

As each contributor shares the post across their social shares, it’s a milestone success.

Keep these tips alongside creating content. Further, let’s get started with the hacks to improve your content’s social shares.

Ways to Boost Your Blog Post Content’s Social Shares

Why should people share your content taking extra efforts? They don’t unless it is worth sharing.

So, it’s your responsibility to make it easy to share for your readers. It works only if your content appeals to them though. Here are the simple ways to encourage your readers to share your content.

Embed Click-To-Tweet

One of the easiest ways to get more social shares, especially the tweets is using click-to-tweet functionality. Using different click-to-tweet plug-ins, you can simply add this functionality to your content.

Indeed, by doing this, you are reminding your readers often to share your content. Here are some of the samples that I come across.

 Click-To-Tweet
Click-To-Tweet-Sample

If you don’t ask, you don’t get anything. Hence, the ultimate goal to embed this option is to ask for readers to share the content.

Moreover, it’s an invasive way not to annoy or distract your readers like CTA’s. There are people who use CTA’s to request people to share clicking on it. Most of the times, people don’t share as it’s not their top priority.

Click-to-tweet works better than CTA’s encouraging users to tweet. And, it is just a matter of minutes to have this function included.

Highlight Content To Share

There are tools to highlight a piece of text enabling reader to share it specifically.

Usually, digital bookworms have the habit of making a note of tidbits or inspiring quotes they read online. To make their job easy, why don’t you highlight such rousing text and encourage sharing it?

Highlight to share

Using such highlight and share tools, you are likely to get more social shares.

When highlighting a piece of content, social sharing buttons pops-up. People will find it painless to click to share.

Use Floating Social Icons

Scrolling or floating social buttons are essential to make customers life easy to share.

I see still most of the blogs have the sticky social share buttons at its top or bottom. It’s a big mistake and I feel that they have it for the sake.

While running through your long-form of content, at any instant, your particular piece of content might inspire your reader. By then, people don’t search for social sharing buttons to click-on.

The scrolling social share buttons offer minimalistic appearance and delights users to access it whenever required. You are not stressing readers to do so, you are just pleasing.

But, while using it, limit the number of social share icons can be surprisingly good. By limiting the sharing options you are easing the decision making with minimal choices.

It’s good enough to have Facebook, Twitter and 3 rd of your choice.

Limit social floating social icons

Integrate Blog and Social Comments

Anyways, you keep posting on your social profiles whenever you publish new articles.

When linking your article on your Facebook, your followers comments if it inspires them.

Now, you have tools to integrate those Facebook comments to show up on your blog post. It’s vice versa.

If someone comments on your blog, this will appear on your Facebook update that links to your particular blog post.

Same, you can do with Twitter tweets. While summing up, the numbers are good to see encouraging more shares.

By The Way, Don’t Annoy Your Readers

What’s more to maximize your initial social shares and followers? You are likely to use content lockers, CTA’s, pop-ups, and even more to boost your blog post’s social shares.

Content Lockers

But, the problem using those is, you are annoying your readers. They might dislike it and they won’t share your further posts. To the worst case, they might stop reading or following your blog.

For short-term success, you may try it. If you are aiming for the long-term social influence, don’t get readers on your nerves to share. Please to request sharing.

Meanwhile, keep in mind that you should ask to get it.

Final Take Away

You are not done with creating awesome content investing your efforts. Make it reachable to your target audiences.

Social networks has vital role in taking your content to reach a wider audience. For which, you need to boost your social likes, shares, tweets, comments, and followers.

Without strategic promotions, it doesn’t just happen. Make it happen with these actionable ideas to boost social shares of your blog post content.

Mike Jones, the avid blog who manages Hi Blogging offering valuable content all about successful blogging. It’s hard to blog but it’s quite exciting if doing it strategically. Mike helps you to do so. Twitter | Facebook

Filed Under: Social Media Marketing Tagged With: boost social shares, click to tweet, social icons, Social Media Marketing, social shares, social sharing icons, top influencers

10 Best Free and Premium Amazon Affiliate Plugins Going into 2019

May 1, 2019 by Guest Author Leave a Comment

10 Best Free and Premium Amazon Affiliate Plugins for 2019

Affiliate marketing has become one of the fundamental constituents of digital marketing.

Within a short period, it has gained a wide range of popularity over the marketplace around the world. 

There are tons of Affiliate programs and networks that you can be a part of as an affiliate.

Among the all other affiliate programs, Amazon affiliate is the best and extensive affiliate program in the world.

With the change in modern technology, the pattern of marketing has changed a lot.

With the use of plugins in WordPress, now things become easier for the users. The same thing happens in the Amazon affiliate program. 

Best Plugins for Amazon Affiliates

There are hundreds of plugins for Amazon affiliate program that can confuse you while choosing a quality plugin for your personal need.

To make it easy for you, I have listed 10 most compatible free and premium WordPress Amazon affiliate plugins for your better usage.

Before going into the deep, I am listing here in numbers:

  1. AzonPress
  2. Amazon Associates Link Builder
  3. EasyAzon
  4. Amazon Auto Links
  5. Amazon Link
  6. AAWP
  7. AmaLinks Pro
  8. WooCommerce Amazon Affiliates
  9. Amazon eStore Affiliates Plugin
  10. Amazon Simple Affiliate

All the plugins listed above are the most quality plugins for Amazon affiliates. Let’s take a look at the detailed observation of each plugin.

1.  AzonPress

AzonPress

AzonPress is the most intuitive premium Amazon WordPress plugin that facilitates its users to earn affiliate commission from the Amazon marketplace.

This is one of the fast-growing Amazon affiliate plugins for Amazon associates.

The most interesting part of the plugin is that once you install the plugin, it will generate auto links against each product and the plugin globalizes every Amazon link on your site.

You can get crucial features that are needed for an Amazon affiliate plugin.

You can create affiliate links for you with a tracking id and when the product information is updated regularly, it will synchronize through Amazon’s product advertising API.

Using AzonPress you can take the products links from any of the Amazon domains including  US, UK, Canada, Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, China or India etc.

AzonPress allows you multiple product tables layouts. You can create general product table and comparison table as well with versatile customization options.

You can add a various attribute to the tables that are relating to the Amazon marketplace.

Using AzonPress, it’s really easy to style your tables in various ways.

You also can add custom CSS to furnish your product tables. You will get a design mode and an edit mode for the specific table decoration.

In pricing, the plugin is one of the cost-effective plugins for WordPress users. The plugin offers three types of licenses for its users.

They are single site license, business license, and unlimited site license.

  • Single Site License – $39.00
  • Business License – $79.00
  • Unlimited Site License – $149.00

To learn more about the plugin, you can visit the official website of the plugin.

2. Amazon Associates Link Builder

 Amazon Associates Link Builder

The Amazon Associates Link Builder plugin released in December 2016.

The plugin renders an easy way to use the shortcode that enables an affiliate to advertise the Amazon products into the post content in different formats and layouts.

Using the plugin, you can add different products to the WordPress content editor form the Amazon product directory.

The plugin also provides you an admin panel that can facilitate you as a user to select up to the nine items, associate ID, ad unit template, and Amazon marketplace as well.

There are multiple attributes with the shortcodes you would handle with:

  • ‘asins’ – Amazon Standard Identification Number.
  • ‘template’ – Templates to be used to show the ads.
  • ‘store’ – This can be store ID or a tracking ID.
  • ‘marketplace’ – Specifies the Amazon marketplace.
  • ‘link-id’ – Link identifier for an ad unit.

The settings option of the plugin placed in such a way that it provides us with a list of options to make the plugin usage easy and comfortable.

There are four templates available in Amazon Associate Link Builder plugin for adding the products into the post.

In pricing, the plugin is free of cost.

You can get the plugin for free from the WordPress directly.

3. EasyAzon

EasyAzon – Amazon Associates Affiliate Plugin

EasyAzon is one of the standard plugins in the marketplace. You can easily link with your WordPress admin panel with the plugin.

In fact, you can use the plugin from any places if you have connected with Amazon affiliate program.

EasyAzon saves your time and earns more money in the  most efficient way. You can create high converting Amazon affiliate links rapidly.

Actually, the plugin lets you localize your affiliate links and makes you unable to make full use of international traffic.

You will get built-in link localizer to create global links. This tool also provides you product pop up feature to get more user engagements and conversion.

You don’t need to have any technical knowledge for operating the plugin.

The premium plugin lets you link not only text links but also affiliate links. Moreover, you will have an opportunity to create product information blocks with the call to action button.

You can get the plugin completely free. Click on the link given below. 

4. Amazon Auto Links

Amazon Auto Links

As the name implies the functionality of the plugin, you can get a clear idea just by looking at the name of the plugin.

This plugin allows you to create automatic links to your expected products that are intended to promote by yourself.

Amazon Auto Links plugin works slightly differently on your site; for instance, if you want to promote products by displaying on your site, this plugin will allow you to present them categorically on your site.

One of the most interesting aspects of the plugin is its support of 10 Amazon locales and works on JavaScript disabled browsers.

Using this plugin, you can have the widgets to insert into a sidebar area.

Moreover, Amazon Auto Links is shortcode friendly that facilitates you to add different ads to your specific posts or pages. You can define a custom button and export ads into external sites with a feed.

So, now, buy the plugin from WordPress directory for free

5. Amazon Link

Amazon Link

This is another Amazon affiliate plugin to add product links based on Amazon marketplace within your WordPress.

Your affiliate links will be tracked by the use of the unique Amazon affiliate ID.

Even, if you want to assign a country that will show by default, you can do such as the plugin’s system is compatible with the most Amazon associate programs in the various countries in the world.

Moreover, the powerful search option of the plugin allows you to locate any kind of product on Amazon and you can add links to your web pages.

There are a bunch of options available in the plugin option including My Favorites Widget, Amazon Carousel Widget, MP3 Widget, and Wish List as well. From these templates, you can use any one of them into your posts.

In addition to this, you also can generate product links using the shortcode.

The plugin is free of costs and you will get the plugin from the WordPress.Org.  

6. AAWP

AAWP

Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin (AAWP) is another most prolific Amazon affiliate plugin for WordPress users.

It’s one of the most popular premium Amazon Affiliate Plugins that works tremendously for boosting your affiliate earnings.

Using AAWP, you can do multiple tasks like product reviews, advertisements, or even simple text links that can facilitate you with easily customize the presentation of Amazon products on your website.

This is a flexible affiliate plugin that includes a wide range of features and capabilities. You can earn commission very smoothly using this plugin.

This plugin provides a sort and filterable data to you that makes things easy for you.

One of the important aspects of the plugin is its standard compatibility with most of the standard themes and it works in most of the Amazon locales.

In pricing, the plugin costs €39 for personal usage. It has 4 types of pricing plans. Here they are:

  • Personal – €39
  • Plus – €99
  • Pro – €199
  • Ultimate – €299

7. AmaLinks Pro

AmaLinks Pro

AmaLinks Pro is an Amazon affiliate plugin developed to increase your Amazon affiliate earnings.

The prime objective of the plugin is to cover all the affiliate marketing aspects of Amazon marketplace.

If you have your own blog to start earning with Amazon affiliate, you can do such using this awesome plugin.

You will get pre-built ad templates including multi-product options.

The dynamic product search of the plugin built in directly into the WordPress editor.

Using AmaLinks Pro, you can work seamlessly in the WordPress and Gutenberg editor as well.

You can add any kind of images with your preferred size from the Amazon product listing into your posts and pages.

There will have an easy customization option for adding custom buy/CTA buttons. You also can create comparison tables using the plugin easily.

In pricing, the price of the plugin starts from$47. There are 3 basic plans of the plugin. Here, they are:

  • Basic – $47
  • Premium – $97
  • Platinum – $297

8.WooCommerce Amazon Affiliates

WooCommerce Amazon Affiliates

WooCommerce Amazon Affiliates plugin is a plugin that is developed to facilitate the Amazon affiliates solely.

This is a premium plugin which is designed to make things easy in integrating Amazon affiliate links to products with your WooCommerce store.

If you are an affiliate marketer, you may need to have the latest trend of the time that would be the best catch for your readers.

Using the plugin it’s pretty much easier to work with Amazon affiliate WooCommerce platform.

You can easily import a product search according to the category and subcategory from Amazon store; you can do it easily using the plugin.

The product tables created by WooCommerce Amazon Affiliates plugin wouldn’t break even if your server gets slow.

Moreover, the plugin supports huge product variations so that you can share a super cool bird feeder in terms of all its various sizes and colors.

In addition to this, you will get 90 days cookie, synchronization with Amazon products, advanced product search options, and so on.

In pricing, the plugin costs $49.

9. Amazon eStore Affiliates Plugin

Amazon eStore Affiliates Plugin

This is one of the handiest popular plugins for Amazon affiliates.

To manage Amazon affiliate products and links on your website this could be an amazing option.

There are a number of options you can have using this plugin.

Before using the plugin, you need to get the affiliate ID by signing in at the respective affiliate account, then provide all the credential into the plugin.

One of the most important aspects of the plugin is the plugin includes a unique content spinner that automatically replaces the product information.

It also helps to improve SEO and track every individual how they are performing.

You can import products and fetch images from Amazon CDNs as well as for checkout email.

Moreover, you also can add multiple Affiliate IDs and Facebook integration.

In pricing, the plugin costs $39.

10. Amazon Simple Affiliate

Amazon Simple Affiliate

ASA 2 or Amazon Simple Affiliate is another quality plugin you can take as an Amazon Affiliate.

Its easy integration makes the user more interactive while promoting their expected products.

Using Amazon Product Advertising API, the plugin lets you make money with every sale that generates from your Amazon affiliate programs.

The plugin is on the market almost seven years going on that contains a bunch of features with an easy to understand interface.

The installation process is easy and quick. The sortable table feature an automatic update feature makes the plugin more interactive.

The support system of the plugin is awesome as they provide a dedicated support facility to its users.

The documentation and the video tutorials are really useful. Spending 20-30 minutes you will get a clear idea about ins and out of the plugin.

In pricing, the plugin cost starts at $59.

Over to You

In terms of WordPress-based sites, Amazon is a vast range of marketplace to work with and its niche is the leading market niche at the moment.

As it’s an extended marketplace, it has an enormous opportunity for the Amazon affiliates.

Using quality plugin can resolve all your hassles of Amazon Associate’s policies.

For me, if you want to have a premium one that have a bunch of advanced features, then I highly suggest you to use AzonPress plugin to boost your Amazon affiliate earnings in the best possible way.

It has dynamic options with advanced features that facilitate every affiliate to operate the process very smartly.

To be honest, if you know any plugin that works well but that’s not on the list, let me know in the comment section.

Either way, if you want to share any of your experience you can also comment in the below.

I hope the article helped you who are about to use an Amazon affiliate plugin but in a confusing state.

Sazzadul Bari is the digital marketing strategist at WPManageNinja, specializing in content writing and lead gen. He is also the man behind BlogCD, a blogging resource site for bloggers.

Filed Under: Affiliate Marketing, Make Money Blogging, WordPress Tagged With: affiliate marketing, affiliate marketing plugins, amazon affiliates, Amazon associates Link Builder, Amazon eStore affiliates plugin, Amazon Link, azonpress, easyazon, WordPress plugins

How to manage expectations and put yourself ahead of the competition as a freelance blogger in 2019

February 7, 2019 by Guest Author 1 Comment

How to manage expectations and put yourself ahead of the competition as a freelance blogger in 2019

Freelance blogging can be a rewarding and lucrative career if you’re dedicated and strategic in your approach.

As a freelance writer, one of your greatest challenges may be managing your time and your client’s expectations.

Luckily, it’s possible to conquer these hurdles in order to ensure a smooth and efficient freelancing process. 

This blog post provides some useful tips to help freelance bloggers best service their clients and put themselves ahead of the competition. 

1. Know your limits

It can be difficult to turn down work when you’re a freelancer, especially if you’ve ever experienced a dry spell.

Work can be sporadic, which can make us all too eager to say “yes” to anything that’s offered to us, even if it leads to an almost impossible workload. 

However, it’s essential to know your limits if you want to prosper within the field. 

You always want to put your best foot forward, and it’s impossible to do so when you’re overwhelmed.

Being aware of what you can and can’t do will make the process less stressful and more enjoyable for both you and your clients. 

2. Always follow through on your commitments

Deadline

If you want to thrive as a freelancer, you need to be someone who clients can count on.

If you commit to a deadline, clients should be able to rest assured that you’ll have their completed work to them at that time.

Breaking these promises can lead to strained relationships with clients, and can harm your reputation. 

According to a recent study, “If a customer is not satisfied, 13% of them will tell 15 or even more people that they are unhappy.

On the other hand, 72% of customers will share a positive experience with 6 or more people.”

In order to avoid placing yourself in a potentially unfortunate situation, follow tip #1.

If you know your limits, you won’t accept work that you aren’t 100% certain you can finish on time (and to the highest quality standard). 

3. Be honest

You will likely encounter a time during your freelancing career when, as hard as you try, you won’t be able to make deadline.

This might be because of a family emergency, a personal issue, or simply because, for whatever reason, you weren’t as productive as you hoped you would be.

Clients are people too, and plenty of them will be understanding (provided this isn’t a frequent occurrence, and provided you’re honest with them). 

Clients don’t need a long and detailed explanation—because frankly—they won’t have the time (nor the care).

Just give them a brief summary of what’s going on (don’t feel the need to include personal details), and be sure to tell them what they really want to know, which is when they will receive your finished piece. 

4. Offer a solution to conflicts

Offer a solution to conflicts

So you’re getting offered a lot of work and you really want to take it all on.

However, you know that, realistically, there’s no way you’ll be able to do your best and complete all of the work within the given deadlines.

What do you do? Take a cue from author and consultant Alan Weiss, who says to, ““Ask your customers to be part of the solution, and don’t view them as part of the problem.”

Talk to your clients about an alternative solution to the issue.

Tell them you’d love to do the work if they have some flexibility with the deadline, and see if they’d be willing to extend it until X date.

Ensure to update the deadline to a time when you’re certain you’ll have the work completed.

Lots of times clients are in positions to grant some leeway, so it’s always worth discussing potential options before turning down a job you want. 

5. Communicate and ask questions when necessary

Communicate and ask questions when necessary

Communication with clients is key to a thriving working relationship. Your clients will be curious to know how things are progressing with the work.

Wise freelancers will anticipate this, and send regular updates to ensure their clients are always kept in-the-loop. 

Additionally, it’s essential that you seek clarification about any questions that may arise on your end.

Whether you’re unsure about a brief, have a formatting query, or are just looking for information so that you can complete an invoice— it’s better to be direct and talk to the client so you can avoid wasting time and prevent any misunderstandings.

Also, be sure to respond to emails as quickly as possible—77% of customers chose speed over resolution as the best indicator of good service.

6. Stay organized 

Stay organized

Whether you’re just starting out or already have plenty of clients, it’s vital that you have a system so that you can manage your work effectively.

Keep a detailed calendar, set reminders for yourself, and ensure your workspace is orderly.

If you lose track of your work, deadlines, invoices, etc., it will result in consequences for both you and your clients.

It’s best to avoid any potential pitfalls and be sure to stay as organized as possible. 

7. Set payment terms before you begin work

You and your clients should always be on the same page, and this is especially important when it comes to payment.

Clients don’t like surprises, so clarify exactly what they can expect to see on the invoice. 

Also, inform them of the fine print: when you’ll be sending the invoice, the tax percentage you’ll charge, how many days/weeks they’ll have to pay, what types of payment methods you accept, how they can make payment, how you calculate your fees, etc.

Many people feel awkward when talking about money, but it’s an essential conversation to have for the sake of both parties, and it’s one you’ll have to get comfortable with. It’s not personal, it’s business. 

In conclusion

Freelance blogging is an exciting field to be a part of, and it can lead to a successful career for the right candidate.

Effective client management, organization, and communication are some of the most important skills a freelancer can possess. 

The above tips will help you as you work to gain more customers and provide them with the best experience possible.

Filed Under: Blogging Tips Tagged With: blogging in 2019, blogging tips, freelance blogger, freelance blogging, freelance competition

Start an Ecommerce Business – Ultimate Guide for Entrepreneurs to Kick a Digital Store

November 8, 2018 by Guest Author Leave a Comment

Start an Ecommerce Business - Ultimate Guide for Entrepreneurs to Kick a Digital Store

Business!

Freedom and the desire to erect an institution that could embellish the self esteem and add value to society has lured countless people to dare this venture (of course there is another cohort who purely takes this challenge seeking monetary benefits).

There are countless entrepreneurs who have overwhelmed the populations with their unique business ideas.

Entrepreneurs like Jack Ma, Elon Musk, and Sophia Amorous, has inspired an entire generation with their creative business models.

In this article we will discuss few key points that are necessary to look into when you aim to start an e-commerce business. 

What Entrepreneurship Means in the Startup Ecosystem

The subtle reference will be a Trestle. Supporting the whole operations and managing a diverse team.

Entrepreneurship is built around a firm belief that in near future the idea is going to pick up.

In the startup ecosystem, an entrepreneur will be forced to wear multiple hats. Be it the innovative founder to the sales wizard who chases the prospects for a slot. 

Huzzle, work around the clock, cling to an idea when the whole world rise against it (have a strong reason for the same), flatter yourself to an omnipotent so that the team could draw inspiration from you, manage the scarce resource sagaciously, so on goes the challenges.

Running a startup is a serious pursuit, and if you are passionate about the venture then you will definitely enjoy the ride.

The initial milestones (a domain that you desire, a website to list your products, etc) may keep you excited and flatter upon the victories.

So, at times when your ego is at bloom and when you adore those victories, recall the reality, it’s a just the start. You have got a lot of ground to cover.

In simple words, setting up an e-commerce store is simple. At the same time, it takes a lot of commitment and hard work to convert it into a revenue model.

As a startup entrepreneur, you need to have a resilient strategy to promote your business among your target customers.   

If you are venturing into the e-commerce world mesmerizing the sheer success displayed by a plethora of e-commerce entities then, let me remind you.

All those digital ventures have to traverse through a lot of hardships and setbacks to triumph.

At times when the situation demands, an entrepreneur would have to drift through the dark shady side of the business never allowing lethargy to creep in and compromise the pursuit.

Prerequisites to Set up an eCommerce Business

To start an e-commerce business you need to believe in the idea, the products, and the niche market you are planning to penetrate. 

E-commerce business has gained a lot of momentum in recent years. The most fascinating part about virtual commerce is that it dramatically forced business to rethink and redefine their business strategies (fast tweaking them to meet the market demand).

Most online entities are in the wake of creating a holistic marketing strategy for their customers.

Once the market started to pick up and opened a corridor of opportunities, so does invited immense challenges.

Stories were written about drop shippers, and e-commerce stores that are making huge sales a year have lured a great no: of people to try this retail model.

In most cases the initial rush force these newbie entrepreneurs to invest huge sums on tools and templates that are way up their league.

Needless to say, few end up hiring a professional web developer to create an online store.

Wait! Before you leap, explore the opportunities that are available.

Understand the Requirement

Most entrepreneurs fail to deduce their requirements. Opting a platform that offers you a plethora of features is not the best choice.

You need to understand what are the key features required to manage and efficiently run an e-commerce business.

This won’t be a challenge as there are lots of pre-built e-commerce platforms providers out there competing rationally to get the customer’s attention.

Why not try few platforms and decide which one benefits you the most. Few pre-build platforms you could try out, Shopify, Shopnix, BigCommerce, Weebly, etc.

An E-commerce Store is More than a Platform to List your Products

Your e-commerce store is your digital identity. That being said, it’s important that you forge a unique personality for your digital venture.

None of your customers wants to settle down with a quotidian experience.

Your online store should deliver the best possible customer experience. And where do you think it starts?

With your digital store.

How do you expect people to perceive your brand if they are not convenient to navigate and interact with the platform?

For example, the platform’s user interface is too confusing or the store is not designed with a customer oriented strategy.

With increasing digital penetration and a plethora of alternates to look into, the customer attention span has dwindled on a large scale.

Don’t let your platform reflect a negative influence on the solid leads that lands on your online store. Consider your target audience when designing your virtual store.

For eg: The theme/ design for an online apparel store featuring kids products differs from an online store that sells pre-owned luxury handbags.

In the case of an online boutique selling baby products the target customers (parents > mothers) are pretty concerned about the quality of the products.

On the other hand for a pre-owned apparel store, the challenge will be to reflect the authenticity of the product they sell.

The customers are pretty much worried whether its a genuine product (a pre-owned Louis Vuitton handbag can still cost your INR 50,000) or a first copy.

As an e-commerce entrepreneur, you need to have a solid plan to address the issue.

That too, if you are into the premium luxury business there is a minimum customer experience the target demography expects.

Make sure that your virtual store is ready to meet their expectation. 

Top Pre-built e-Commerce Platforms to Start With

Top e-commerce platform

Like I mentioned before there are numerous pre-built e-commerce platform providers that allows you to start an online venture with a simple signup.

Almost all of these platforms are created around a customer centric strategy. Making it a simple task.

Anyone with the least knowledge of digital technologies will find it easy breezy. Let me take you on a ride;

Shopnix Pricing Plans

  • Quicky:- INR 1000/ month (USD 14*)
  • Standard:- INR 2000/ month (USD 28*)
  • Pro:- INR 5000/ month (USD 71*)
  • Premium:- INR 10,000/ month (USD 143*)

Shopify Pricing Plans

  • Basic Shopify:- USD 29/ month
  • Shopify:- USD 79/ month
  • Advanced Shopify:- USD299/ month

KartRocket Pricing Plans

  • Essential Plan:- INR 3500/ month (USD 50*)
  • Premium Plan:- INR 7000/ month (USD 100*)
  • Platinum Plan:- INR 12,000/ month (USD 171*)

Weebly Pricing Plan

  • Starter Plan:- USD 8/ month
  • Pro:- USD 12/ month
  • Business:- USD 25/ month
  • Performance:- USD 38/ month

Volusion Pricing Plans

  • Personal:- USD 29/ month
  • Professional:- USD 79/ month
  • Business:- USD 299/ month

Top Strategies to Commercialise your Business

It should be of paramount interest that you set aside a crystal strategy to commercialise your business.

In a fast paced consumer-driven market you need to make sure that your business is positioned as close as you can.

The rewarding part of an e-Commerce/ virtual business is that you will be able to find a customer for every product catalogued.

At the same time how well you synergize and create a compelling marketing strategy could determine the success and failure of your business.

Let’s start

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO, Search Engine optimization is regarded as one of the most effective inbound strategies to commercialise a business.

If you have dabbled into the world of digital marketing then you would have realized the importance of SEO.

Primarily, search engine optimization is carried out to make sure that a website/ webpages follow a set of standard guidelines.

For eg, through SEO a digital marketer will be able to optimize the website to follow the guidelines stipulated by the search engine (say Google for eg).

Schema.org will be a fine example.

Schema.org enables a business to represent its relevance on SEPR by helping the search engine to understand the meaning behind an entity.

Schema.org includes structured data markups that allow the search crawlers to vividly understand what the website/ webpage is all about.

As an e-Commerce business entity, it’s important that you optimize all pages of your online store. Even the product pages.

There is a high chance that your product pages can rank on SERP for specific product related keywords “eg; Louis Vuitton Speedy 35 Vintage – Brown Leather Bag”.

By implementing the right SEO strategy you will get an opportunity to drive relevant organic traffic to your online store.

As an entrepreneur/ marketer you need to make sure that you are following the right SEO strategies rather follow the crowd and implementing torpid methodologies.

SEO has evolved over time. So it’s important that you keep a close eye on Google updates. Follow the best practices and try incorporating those.

Consider Google, As the leading search engine provider, Google needs to make sure that service enables people to get the best possible results.

Customer experience is placed at the centre. Every link that ranks on SERP should help add value to the reader.

So when you create a web page make sure that the page offers a unique value/ solution to the search query it ranks.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

As an e-Commerce business, you need to make sure that enough attention is given to this channel. Social channels like Facebook has permuted to an online marketplace.

Stats published on Statista.com clearly indicates that the time spent by global internet users in social media has increased.

As of 2017, the average time spent on social media is 135 minutes per day.

The figure may look alarming. But from a digital marketers perspective, it’s quite a significant number. A platform where people interact and engage frequently. 

There are countless e-Commerce entities that have leveraged this channel to build a successful digital venture.

Social media has opened a creative channel for entrepreneurs to socialize, interact, engage and build a strong relationship with their target customers.

As an e-Commerce startup, I would recommend you to start with two social channels instead of starting off with a spree (you can always expand over time).

That gives you an opportunity to understand the platform and then create a strategy that best suits the audience who engages on the platform.

Most people pursue social media as a channel to throw stuff in (whether its posts, comments, shares, etc) and expect a return.

Caution. Don’t fall for the boobytrap.

Social channels should not be portrayed as a broadcasting channel. This congested mindset could harm you more than it benefits your digital entity.

Think about it this way.

How annoying will it be if you open your social media every time and realize that there is a torrent of notifications/ posts from a business entity? 

Instead, what if you were able to build a relationship with the audience and then promote your business entity. Now you see the difference. Isn’t it.

Brand Personality Across Social Profiles

As an institution it’s utmost important that you are consistent with what you stand for and what you offer.

You need to reflect a sense of credence and reliability among people.

If you are not consistent with your brand personality then it could question the reliability of the business.

Make the Best Out of the Platform

Invest the right time to set up a Facebook account. Make sure that you start by selecting the right theme for your online store.

Facebook > Templates & Tabs > Current Template > Shopping (Select the right theme that fits your expectation)

Also, create a Facebook shop and list your products on the social platform.

Similar to it, inspect all social platforms to identify how it can be used effectively commercialize your business/ products.

Paid Campaigns

Paid campaigns are widely used by e-commerce businesses to promote their products.

Paid campaigns like Google Ads and Facebook campaigns have gained their places in the marketing hierarchy.

The best advantage of paid campaigns is that they help drive instant results.

Paid campaigns with Google Ads will give you an opportunity to push your e-commerce store to rank high on SERP.

To the least till you decide to stop investing in paid campaigns.

As Google has become the one stop destination for all your queries, positioning your business on this channel could help you build a strong identity.

Hope you do remember the place where we used the term “Keyword Matrix”. It’s time we bring it back to the light.

Review the keyword matrix and find keywords that you feel could bring revenue to your business. When selecting keywords you need to make sure to consider all factors.

Few factors being, the keywords context and intent, bid value, search volume, etc. This disciplined model will help you decide upon the keywords than to just select a few based on a hunch.

If not designed properly, paid campaigns can be extremely costly. Resulting the investment to skyrocket.

Google ads also give you a powerful option to retarget and promote your business among people who have visited your online store or has shown interest with what you offer.

It’s not that every customer will make a purchase decision on their first visit.

As a newbie business it’s a challenge to convince the customer at first and entice them to draw the pay check.    

Push Campaigns

Push campaigns have wide applications in e-commerce business. Online businesses have widely used this channel to build and maintain a strong relationship with customers.

Few great channels for push campaigns are Email, WhatsApp, SMS. While planning to start an e-commerce business this is one opportunity you could look into.

Emails are one effective channel when delivering the results with the least investment possible.

For eg: Consider that you are planning to start a discount sale. In that case, you will be able to make use of these channels to reach out to the customer and inform them about the promotional activity.

Draft a drip campaign to remind the customer detailing the benefit the user will get and why it needs to be availed at the earliest possible.

Nishant is a digital marketer by profession and blogger by passion. Nishant takes pride when it appears, that his online expeditions are adding value to people, and delighted when it touches people’s lives and help them build a career. Nishant thrives to stay update on topics related to the digital marketing, and technologies that are revolutionizing the world. Inbound marketing is one of Nishant’s forte.

Let’s Connect:- LinkedIn | Twitter

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship Tagged With: Brand Personality Across Social Profiles, Elon Musk, Entrepreneurs, Prerequisites to Set up an eCommerce Business, Set up an eCommerce Business, Social Media Marketing, start an e-commerce business, Top Strategies to Commercialise your Business, venturing into the e-commerce

How to Make Money with Instagram: A Guide with Practical Tips and Resources

October 2, 2018 by Guest Author 6 Comments

 

How to Make Money with Instagram

Instagram is extraordinary and the numbers behind this social network are incredible. Just think that it has 1 billion members worldwide!

Twitter, Snapchat and LinkedIn are still too far from this goal. Some of these probably will never reach these numbers.

As for the growth of interest of this social media, take a look at this graph taken from Google Trends:

According to these data, it is difficult to believe that the growth will stop shortly.

Good news, I would say, for social media marketers. So, the question is: can you make money with Instagram?

The answer is yes. In this post, I’ll give you some effective tips.

It’s all about your followers

You are probably wondering how many followers you need to start earning.

The answer is: “not as many as you think”. This depends on the following factors:

  • The niche of the content treated in your photos and how they are related to a specific category of products (fashion, food, beauty and fitness, for example, are the most popular niches on Instagram).
  • The level of engagement of your followers (this means that the greater the involvement of your followers in your posts and the greater the engagement).
  • The method you choose to make money (you probably did not know, but there are many ways to make money with Instagram. I’ll talk about this later in this article)

So, how many active followers do you have?

You have to know from the beginning that most businesses will partner with influencers or people with a nice following.

If you have a few followers, there are some strategies you can apply to increase the number, including immediately make your account more professional:

  • Complete your bio: Explain in a few words who you are and where you are from. You can also add a few hashtags to better identify your profile, to make it easy for users to find you. Also, include the contact information (choose a business profile, of course. Not personal).
  • Post with constancy: To increase your followers and start earning, you will have to share one photo a day (or at least, every few days). But be careful, do not publish all the pictures at once, or it will bring you exactly the opposite effect!
  • Take good pictures: Make sure the images are interesting and of the highest quality. It makes no sense to publish a poor quality photo.
  • Use proper hashtags. When you post, always remember to insert relevant hashtags. In this way, you will have the possibility to reach more users. Find the right hashtags inherent to your profile and be sure to include them in every single post.
  • Engage with your audience. Take some time to look after your followers leaving comments or liking other photos. This way, you will attract users to your profile and, hopefully, gain new followers.

Ok. Now that you have boosted the number of your following, it’s time to start monetizing your Instagram account!

Make money with affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing simply consists of selling a product with an affiliate link and taking a percentage on each sale.

This is one of the most popular methods of making money blogging, where bloggers use banners, reviews, or even sponsored posts.

You can apply a similar strategy on Instagram.

What you need to do is publishing beautiful images, focusing on the product to be promoted and generating sales with your affiliate link or simply by promoting a discount code, provided by the company. 

How does it work?

Simple, the company will give you a personalized discount code (20% or 30%).

You will have to share photos, sponsoring the company product and inviting your followers to make the purchase with your discount code.

Obviously, you will have to mention the brand, so to increase the changes to make more sales.

Start earning with sponsored posts

If you have a good number of followers, you can make money by publishing content sponsored by brands.

This of a post (can be a photo or video) that features and presents a product or a brand to your audience.

Here, you usually want to add brand hashtags, mentions, or links.

Remember, it is important that all the product you promote are inherent with your identity on Instagram.

You should prove to the brand that even without sponsoring their product, you would have bought it anyway.

You may want to register to specific platforms to find advertisers. Some recommended are:

  • ShoutCart;
  • Fohr;
  • TapInfluence;
  • GrapeVine.

Monetize your Instagram photos

Why not using Instagram for this single purpose: selling your photos?

If you are a professional photographer (or amateur, but passionate), Instagram is a great way to advertise and sell your shots to individuals or agencies.

Add a watermark and use captions to list all the details of your images.

Make sure you have an active presence, so to have a nice number of followers.

Use appropriate hashtags to attract users and try to engage with people or photo agencies.

Here are some sites where you can put your photos on sale:

  • Twenty20
  • Foap
  • 500px.

Conclusion

Instagram is the social of the moment and it is essential to know how this platform works.

As you may have seen, profit opportunities with Instagram are considerable.

About 3 years ago it was much easier to grow with this social, there was much less competition, but now that almost everyone understood the true potential of this social media with companies and ordinary people coming across the platform to look for profits.

Do not wait any longer, start building your Instagram identity now. Your competitors are not waiting for you. The more time passes, the more difficult it will be to grow.

That’s all! I hope this article has clarified your ideas on how to make money with Instagram. If you have any doubt or question, leave a comment below.

Filed Under: Make Money Blogging, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: earning with sponsored posts, Instagram, Instagram marketing, make money on Instagram, make money online, Make money with affiliate marketing, make money with Instagram, Monetize your Instagram photos

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About Jane

Jane Sheeba is the founder of Jane Sheeba Media. She shares everything about business and blogging that she learned the hard way! Don't forget to claim your FREE access to her Blogging Success Foundation Course.

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