With the rise of the e-commerce industry today, it’s no secret that people are also looking to sell online. The demand for products from these platforms is constant, and it’s very convenient to sell online compared to when you have a physical location. 

Given these advantages, it only strengthens that you should try to follow these tips for leveraging your sales and marketing online.

Here are some of them:

1. Identify your audience and craft content that appeals to them

When you’re selling on Amazon, one of the most important things you’ll need to get your message across is to identify who your customers are and craft content that appeals to them specifically. This can be tricky, but it’s worth all the time and effort when you see an increase in your conversion rates. 

How to know who your target audience is?

When creating content, you should first be familiar with your target audience and market if you want to succeed in online marketing. This way, you can ensure that you’re devoting your energy in the right direction. 

Knowing who your target audience is can help you create content that they will be interested in. The more relevant the content is for them, the more interested they are to read it and could influence them to purchase your items. With that, here are some helpful tips on how you can identify who your audience is:

a. Analyzing your customer base

You can use Google Analytics to see which pages get the most hits and you know what topics are popular among your customers. This is a free tool, and it lets you segment your audience based on location, demographic information (age, gender), interests (type of content they like), search engine data (keywords that brought them to your site), and website behavior (bounce rate). This way, you can figure out who exactly is your target audience and create relevant content based on that information.

b. Leveraging social media

If you have just recently launched your e-commerce business, it might take you quite some time to get all the data that you’ll need to get customers. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have any way of knowing who your audience is!

You can always try a different method for identifying who your customer base is. One of these strategies is through social media. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to create custom audiences depending on user behavior. 

You can also create lookalike audiences if you don’t bring in the number of leads you need. It may take you quite a while to figure it out, but it’s definitely worth it in the long run!

c. Understanding your competitors’ marketing strategies

You can also use Google Trends to understand what content is trending in your industry, so you know how it should be done. But the best way to know your audience is through your competitor’s marketing strategy. 

Although some business owners would contest that looking at how their competitors are doing is one of the common seller mistakes one can make, it’s easy to deal with them and it will bring you some useful insights you can apply to your business.

You can find out more about their product promotion methods and see if that will benefit yours as well. This way, you’ll have a better idea of who you’re up against and how to improve on it.

d. Deciding on your product’s category

Aside from identifying who your target audience is, it’s also important to know how you can fit in each Amazon category so you can improve the visibility of your business products. Always choose a product to sell after knowing its demand and competition. Identify which categories are easier for new FBA Amazon sellers, so you don’t waste too much money on listing fees. 

2. Quality content is key to a successful e-commerce strategy

In building an online brand, you’ll need to focus on your product reviews. The e-commerce industry is already crowded with tons of similar business products, and it can be daunting even to decide what to sell. So it would be best if you stood out from the rest by providing quality content so your customers will have an easier time trusting you. 

It’s also wise to aim for customer satisfaction to boost your online credibility. It might take some time and effort on your end, but the more trustworthy you are to your customers, the more likely they are to purchase from you. 

Make sure that the posts are relevant to what you’re selling so customers won’t get confused about what kind of brand ambassador you are. For example, talk about how others are using your products or services, or talk straight up about the benefits they get whenever they buy from you. Make them feel special because they’re getting exclusive discounts, freebies, or even gifts.

Remember that you need to be consistent with your posts, though. If you only post once a day on Facebook, don’t do it again the next day because this will confuse people about your brand ambassador. People expect things to be happening “now,” so make sure that all posts are within the same time frame of each other, especially if these are planned for future events.

3. Optimizing product pages will attract more customers

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is not limited to Google rankings only. You also need to learn how to optimize your Amazon Seller Central account so you can increase traffic and conversions on your page. Always focus on building content with high value so people won’t mind sharing it with others through social media. 

You can also link your product pages to other parts of the web to have a wider audience who can see what you’re offering. This will help boost sales because people would want to make side-by-side comparisons.

4. Leverage social media platforms to share your content and reach a wider audience

Consider listing your products on social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest. It takes a lot of time and effort to generate leads and increase sales, but it’s worth the results when you see how much interest you’ll get in return. 

Look for ways to share content by using hashtags so people will start searching for them. This is also ideal when you need to rank high on Google search engines because people would find your business page more easily.

Don’t just limit your content to you talking about your products! You can make your posts engaging by simply asking your audience to comment on what they’re looking for in a perfect product or what they love about your products. When you do this, you’re hitting two birds at once – you have a post that your customers can interact with, and you get to know their thoughts about your products. 

5. Optimize your website for search engines so potential customers can easily find you online

We live in a digital age where more and more people are looking for businesses through web searches. Therefore, you need to make sure that you optimize your website to show up on top of Google search results when someone is looking for something in particular. If you do this, there’s no doubt that your business will gain credibility fast because people will see you as an authority in your niche.

Here are some other tips on how you can optimize your websites for search engines:

a. Regularly post high-quality content

Regularly posting on your social media accounts can also rank high on the search engine results pages. Google and other search engines favor brands that have compelling content that will be relevant for a long time, so always keep this in mind when you’re formatting your posts.

Always remember that Google wants to see engagement from its users. So if people are clicking on your links often and it gains a lot of likes, then there’s no doubt that you’ll have a higher ranking next time someone does a web search looking for something related to what you posted. Also, pay attention to the kind of comments people leave behind because it’ll give you an idea of how interested they were in what you put up.

b. Use alt tags with your keywords

Some of the images that you use on your website should have alt tags so Google can read them. Fill them with keywords relevant to the contents, but try not to overdo it because less is more. If you’re using descriptive words more than three times, it’s usually best to replace some with synonyms or remove them altogether.

Google also pays attention to the content on your site’s meta description. This tells people what you have posted and why they should click on your link instead of your competitors’. Make sure that this tag has specific details about what people will find once they land on your page.

c. Make your website link-worthy

You can use your site’s content or social media presence to attract links to your site. This is the easiest way for people to find out what you’re offering because it’ll appear on top of Google search results without doing anything at all. 

It also helps if you put a lot of effort in engaging with other brands through comments and likes but make sure that whatever you post is relevant to their contents since Google deems this as spamming.

6. Use an effective call to action on your website and social media pages

It’s a good idea to add a contact us page on your site so people will have an easy time reaching you. You should also place calls to action (CTA) that tell them what they can do next, such as buy now or get started here. This way, customers won’t get confused and will convert because there is no doubt about what you’re offering and how it would benefit them.

If you’re not sure how you can make a good CTA, check out some of these tips:

• Start your sentences or phrases strong.
• Be aggressive but put zero pressure on your audience.
• Create a sense of urgency.
• Insert these CTAs after providing a piece of very long information.

7. Make it easy for customers to purchase your products or services online

You must give your customers the convenience for them to buy from you. It will take some time before you can see results, but it’s worth the wait when people start trusting what you’re offering because it’s easy to use. 

Make the “Add to Cart” symbol and the whole checking-out process as seamless as possible. Ensure that your stocks are updated and always answer customer inquiries.

8. Use email marketing to stay in touch with customers and promote special offers

Email marketing is still one of the best strategies around. You can use this to promote new products or services, special promotions, run contests, and the like. As long as you have your customers’ permission before sending anything out, they will appreciate hearing from you and may even buy something on impulse because they feel connected with your brand.

As a consumer yourself, you’ve probably received numerous emails from brands you’ve purchased from before. Unfortunately, these emails tend to be marked as “spam” emails or those that go directly to the trash. 

Don’t let this happen! See to it that you send out personalized emails if you can. You can initially capture your readers’ attention with a good email title and first line. Make these lines as intriguing as you can!

9. Use paid advertising platforms to reach a wider audience

Google Adwords is a great place to start if you want to increase your website’s traffic. Just make sure that you have a clear objective in mind so you’ll be able to track everything and know whether or not your ads are successful.

Don’t just settle for one platform, though, because other options are available. Facebook Ads, for instance, is great for building relationships with customers because it’s more personal compared to other platforms. You can even style it according to people’s likes, which helps save money on ad placements.

If you’re selling on Amazon, there are available advertising functions on the platform. For example, you can use Amazon DSP to advertise your products on and off Amazon. This is a great feature to use since you can target where your customers are, regardless of whether they’re on Amazon or not.

10. Work with influencers in your industry to promote your products or services

Influencer marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies to get your content in front of more people because there are already people who are trusted by your target audience. It’s free, too, which means that you don’t have to pay influencers so that they can promote or review your products or services.

Build relationships with them instead and give them what they need so they’ll be willing to help you out. Just remember not to follow their accounts so that you can send direct messages about promoting your brand since it’ll be the opposite of what the whole point of influencer marketing is all about.

Final Thoughts

Selling on any e-commerce platform is not an easy thing to do. You should expect to encounter some problems and learning curves you have to address along the way. Although it will take you quite some time to figure it out, it’s worth doing in the long run. The twelve tips we’ve outlined above are some ways how you can make content marketing easier for you. Just make sure to follow these steps and see what works best for your business!

The post Content Marketing and E-commerce: 12 Tips for Maximizing Online Sales appeared first on Tech Web Space.

Just by looking at all these responsibilities, you surely have a lot to do. Many will have no other choice but to trust a shipping partner to lend a helping hand. Even though these services aren’t free, there are affordable options out there. All it takes is to be practical with what you and your target market needs, and the most appropriate budget for your business will follow.

We’re here to make your shipping money go a long way with the best courier for your products. At the same time, we want to help when it comes to building your brand by starting with the shipping aspect. If you’re looking for leads, then this is it because we will be discussing how you can save money on shipping fees and what you can do during negotiations with your shipping partner.

Shipping and Money

Most small businesses and start-ups will struggle with finding the best shipping operations; the most common fear is that they’re overpaying for services that might have been offered at a cheaper price through another company. Other times, online sellers fear that they might lose customers if their shipping partners do not qualify as a consistent and high-quality delivery system.

It shouldn’t be intimidating at all to check which shipping partnership is the most practical choice. Before you sign the agreement form or contract, here are a few things which you should keep in mind to save more with shipping:

1. Match your delivery requirements and fees with the shipment

• Get to know the small business specialist of each shipping service provider
• Present your interests and compare them with the shipment requirements
• Have a middle ground between you and the shipping partner by agreeing on matters such as package size, value, mode of weight measurement, and so on
• Give an overview to your business staff and share a communication channel for mutual understanding of the shipping agreement

2. Implement a transportation cost charge-back policy

• Establish a sense of transparency with your customers and let them know when they will be paying for shipping costs and when they will be shouldered by the company.
• Make sure that the shipping company lets you offer premium services and special discounts then display a comparison between it and standard services (e.g., same-day delivery for premium vs. a 4-day waiting time for standard delivery).

3. Make use of a postage meter

• Familiarize yourself with the postage meter: it should look like a portable machine that comes with a scale used for weighing packages, assessing how much postage costs, while also printing shipping labels.
• Understand how this system works so that mailers can accurately estimate the weight of your product packages. This will avoid additional costs or over-postage issues.

4. Regularly track your carrier performance

• Keep a scorecard or documentation that tracks service and cost. This will be a form of note-taking and can be discussed with your team.
• Use the scorecard to examine the pickup, delivery, and customer care response with clients, shippers, and other business channels.
• Discuss if your shipping partner is open to this kind of setup.

5. Know when you should be consolidating your shipments

• Think about working with a freight consolidation company if your shipments frequently weigh between 150 to 20,000 pounds. This will combine your shipment with other shipments to build a full truckload.
• When your truckloads are less than this, it will still be charged as a full truckload. On the other hand, when the container load seems to be higher than the usual truckload then you may have to deal with additional expenses.

Negotiating Your Shipping Money

There may come a time when your shipping money may not fit the services offered by the shipping provider you’re eyeing to work with. As shocking and disappointing as it sounds, there’s still a chance to tweak the agreement and turn it slightly towards your business’s favor. All you need to do is to negotiate effectively.

Give your potential shipping partner the chance to know more about your product’s specifications, your shipping history, and other possible factors that align with both your goals and their goals. With this approach, they may have reconsiderations. As you talk about your business, don’t forget to discuss the expectations you have for the following variables:

• Box size for your products
• Secure packaging types
• Product origin and destination
• Product dimensional weight

To make your negotiations even more effective, you need to realize that not all shipping companies will shut their doors on you. For as long as you maintain your professional approach and internalize a can-do attitude, then you can productively negotiate. Should you need to adjust most of the agreement to your company’s framework, we’ve provided some strategies in ecommerce. Take a look at our list and see how this helps in reaching agreements that are compatible for all parties.

1. Never compromise yourself: This includes your convenience and backlogs.
2. Have a designated time to discuss: There is no need to stretch out the period to know the direction of your agreement with the shipping company.
3. Present your shipping data: Talk about your shipping history, product volumes, and other important information concerning your offerings.
4. Hire a parcel shipping consultant: This applies to businesses that are short on staff that can adequately handle shipping-related questions and decision-making.
5. Find any hidden charges or fees: Know exactly what you are getting into before you think about signing the contract provided by your shipping partner.
6. Research on your shipping investments: Have an international shipping guide and ponder on what it is that you seek and classify as an ‘exceptional’ shipping solutions company; perhaps your interests do not match with the values of the shipping partner you are considering.
7. Never make the first shipping offer: Let the shipping company introduce you to their framework and ask for further details of each. This way, you’ll find out how you can save with the most preferable shipping option for your brand.
8. Inquire for any volume discounts: Some shipping companies prefer businesses that ship in bulk instead of a couple of packages. The best part is that some of these shipping companies may offer exclusive discounts per batch.

It’s not easy to find cheaper shipping solutions that do not compromise quality, but it doesn’t mean that it is impossible. Once you’ve done your part in the negotiation process, your priorities will fall into place.

Did this article help you realize more about what you can do with your shipping money? Let us know what you think by sharing your thoughts in the comments below!

The post How to Save Money on Shipping? Here Are Some Tips for You to Know appeared first on Tech Web Space.

There are ways for you to get your money back from Amazon, though there are also Amazon reverse logistics services out there that can do it for you. However, it is a good idea to know how reimbursement works, so read through this article to learn about the common areas where order failure happens.

When Can Amazon Give You a Reimbursement?

Both you and Amazon may be unaware that there are reimbursable costs over time. If you have no idea how it’s possible, here are the different situations wherein Amazon can give you a reimbursement.

Order Errors

Order errors are one of the most common causes of an Amazon FBA reimbursement. There are times when Amazon may not recognize some errors, like when excess products are sent to customers. Why would the customer return the extra item if that is beneficial to them?

Better detect the errors from your end. Start by checking your inventory. Review your order details so you can raise concerns to Amazon.

Lost Inventory

Sending items to Amazon warehouses may lead to a few missing units from your inventories that are not attributed to recent orders. If you have big inventories, there’s a high chance that the missing numbers were transferred to another inventory. As early as possible, you should take a look at your inventory reports and be the first to find out.

Damaged Inventory

Aside from lost FBA inventories, another common situation for a possible Amazon FBA reimbursement is a damaged item. It may happen during the order fulfillment proper, or through carriers during the process of delivering customer returns.

These are some instances where Amazon FBA will provide a reimbursement:

• Products lost and/or damaged in the fulfillment center
• Damaged and/or lost items going from the fulfillment center to customer
• Damaged and/or lost shipments while in transit to fulfillment centers for FBA
• Missing items in fulfillment centers for the past month (30 days)

You can always check the details of the damaged items in your Amazon seller central account. Just check your damaged inventory report, and you can already see it there. As a seller, you must also be vigilant with these situations and know if your items are up for Amazon’s reimbursement. There are times when Amazon takes accountability for reimbursing your money when an employee accidentally damages the item. However, there are also cases wherein you need to check and file a claim to process your FBA reimbursement.

Customer Returns

Although Amazon is in charge of the customer returns and refunds for FBA sellers, there are times when they fail to process these transactions. One of these issues includes the customers getting away with their refunds, and not returning the products. However, Amazon doesn’t always follow the rules. For some instances, customers obtain a refund even if they fail to return the items.

These are just some of the customer return issues:

• Refunded but not returned – When a customer gets a refund without sending the product back to the seller.
• Replaced without returns – When a customer gets a replacement for the product, but the initial item was not returned to the seller.
• Returned but not listed in inventory – When a customer was able to return the item, but the inventory wasn’t updated.

It is evident that customer returns are a part of any e-commerce business, but still, Amazon must know of any issue so you can get your money back. Amazon handles customer returns and refunds for FBA sellers.

FBA Fee Errors

Amazon FBA fees may also play a role in your Amazon FBA reimbursement. There are different types of FBA fees, and these include: commission fees, storage fees, long-term storage fees, and shipping fees, and you can be overcharged from these. You must keep track of these at all times as they also change depending on your selling category, as well as your items’ size and way of storage.

The Amazon FBA Reimbursement Process

If there are different situations wherein Amazon FBA reimbursements happen, then there are also different ways for you to process them.

Do-It-Yourself Reimbursement

Reimbursing items on your own without anyone’s help is considered to be the cheapest way for an Amazon FBA reimbursement. However, things may go wrong, become time-consuming, or become costly to your business.

Unless you are an expert in understanding Amazon’s reports, reimbursing on your own may not be a good idea.

Amazon FBA Reimbursement tools

Using automated reimbursement service tools is also a good way to claim reimbursements on Amazon FBA. These service tools offer data analysis and the entire reimbursement process if you also provide the following:

• How much you are willing to spend
• How much time you have
• How much trust you put in the service

Receiving Virtual Support

The last option is to seek help from an Amazon expert that also offers Amazon FBA reimbursement in their services. In this way, you’re able to outsource all the work — from downloading reports to making claims on seller central.

The best thing about virtual support is that your partner team can do all the repetitive tasks. You can also customize the workload, depending on the work you choose to outsource. They can help with analysis of data on claims, and submit reimbursement cases themselves, and more.

Final words

Given all this information, it’s very evident that the Amazon FBA reimbursement process is a tedious job that takes a lot of time and patience. And as an FBA seller, you are also entitled to reimbursement, as you provide money for Amazon. Although mistakes happen all the time, it’s still best to protect your business with the help of automated tools to make the job less difficult.

The post A Definitive Guide on Mastering Amazon FBA Reimbursement appeared first on Tech Web Space.