An online store is one of the most popular options for monetizing a blog. Starting a store that’s attached to your blog allows you to sell things that are related to it. Your products might be digital products, such as downloadable documents and files, but they could also be physical products that get shipped to your customers. Whichever you choose, you need to make sure you get your online store set up properly. There are a few things to think about before you launch your store. If you want it to succeed, start considering the following essential factors.
Pricing Your Products
Pricing products can be one of the most difficult things about selling online. It can be tough to find the right price because there’s often such a big range within the same product category. Should you put your products at the lower end of the scale or go higher? How do you need to price your products if you want to ensure you make a profit? You need to do your research if you want to get it right. Decide where you want to position your products compared to any competitors you might have and in line with what your customers are willing to pay.
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Providing Customer Support
When people buy things online, they might have moments when they need to seek support. Maybe they’re not sure which product to choose, or perhaps there’s a problem with their order. You don’t have staff working in a physical store, so you need other ways of providing customer support. One option is to add live chat to website stores, which will enable your customers to get help when they need it. You could also provide customer support via email and respond when it suits you (although not too slowly).
Delivering Your Products
Of course, you have to make sure your customers receive their products. If you’re selling digital products, you need to think about the logistics of how it will be provided to your customers. Will they receive a link for an instant download? If so, where will the files be hosted? When you’re selling digital products, make sure you check the VAT rules, as it can be tricky where they’re concerned. If you’re selling digital products, you’ll have to arrange for shipping. Will you be using drop shipping or a fulfilment service, or will you be sending out orders yourself?
Leverage Your Readership
As you’re putting your store together, make the most of your existing audience throughout the process. Start by making sure you choose products to sell that make sense for them. There’s no point in selling anything that they won’t want to buy. You can also get their feedback while you’re planning your store to see what they think. Use your social media following too, as well as your email list, especially when you want to get people excited for the launch of your store.
Monetizing your blog with a store could be a great step to help it grow. But it’s important to plan before you take the leap.
