Monetizing Your Blog… eCommerce in a Week

In this uncertain economy, everybody is trying to find a way to earn extra money. We all love our blogs, but they add a bit of expense to the bottom line. If you can find a way to earn a little cash to pay the hosting bill, that helps, doesn't it?

These days you have a couple of different options to pay for your blogging endeavor:

• Traditional second job (or promotion on your first job);
• Create an income stream on your blog/site.

Actually, there are some other hybrid options that include affiliate income, advertising, sponsorship, freelancing, and any combination thereof. For these purposes, let's talk about an actual store and see how that fits, ok? We will also comment on some of the others, here and there, for context (and additional options).

Justin Germino (a.k.a. Dragonblogger) has done a wonderful job of sharing how he pays the bills for dragonblogger.com. Here is an earnings report example from 2011.

You may be thinking “I don't have any products to sell, or services to offer,” but don't let yourself get bogged down in those concerns or details just yet. Instead, think about the fact that these days anybody can become an online merchant. In fact, you can have a store set up and ready for customers within a week. Yes, as little as a week!

 

SideBar: AdSense $$$

Before we talk about an online store, check out Ms. Ileane's video related to adding Adsense to your blog's search, yet another way to make some $$ on your site.

The Blog (Especially if we are talking about Amazon)

I know, you are wondering why we are talking about a blog in the middle of an article about setting up your ecommerce store in a week. Well, that is because of personal experience, and I would like to spare you the hassle.

When I set out to start an online store, my idea was to have it be the central store for all of my websites (you do NOT want to know how many sites I have!). That way, the load on the server was more centralized to just that one site, too. (If you load some of these ecommerce plugins on all of your sites on one server, it can bog down the server!). Well, long story short, Amazon did not want to approve me as an affiliate (even though I had been an affiliate for.. decades), because the site was too new. Ok, it makes sense, right?

What Amazon wanted to see was some activity on the site. It makes you ask yourself what came first, the chicken or the egg? Or the age old cart-before-the-horse deal. So, here’s the deal. If you are going to start a store that involves Amazon, it is best that you do so on an already existing site (one that is already getting traffic). That is why I have been talking about a store in conjunction with your blog ☺

But, that shouldn't be a problem, should it? I mean, this article is for the purpose of monetizing your existing blog.

That said, for those of you who many just be starting out or want to set up another site as your store, but need a blog portion to that store, we have answers. Check through this blog, Basic Blog Tips, for oodles and oodles of tips on how to set up your blog. Also, there is a site that walks you through how to make a blog and get that blog making money for you (after something like Amazon affiliate approval). I realize you may already have a blog, but sometimes it helps to go through the steps again and make sure you have caught all of them. Then, if there is anything you missed the first time around, you can enhance your other blog(s).

It is just about going through the steps in the right order, and you will get there!

Now, back to the store part… But first, check out this Amazon store maker software. I am only suggesting it because I use it. This is not an affiliate link and I don't get anything out of recommending it, except that feel good feeling of sharing 😉 The plugin that I use for my Amazon store is ProSociate, in conjunction with WooCommerce.

So, in summary, as it relates to Amazon products:

• You can add something like the Prosociate/WooCommerce plugins to your existing blog; or
• Start a new store with something like the Prosociate/WooCommerce plugins added.

No matter what your choice, the rest of this article will help you flesh out that store, adding more than just Amazon. Oh, and if you are not an Amazon affiliate, you wouldn't need the Prosociate plugin.

Here is a video from Nicole Purvy showing how to Add Products to your Ecommerce Blog with WooCommerce.

An Online Store In a Week?

Now, this isn't some get-rich-quick scheme or phony investment opportunity. It's simply a method of tapping into an existing market and making it work for you. You'll be acting as a middle-man, in a sense, finding high-quality merchandise and reselling it to consumers. This middle-man routine is something that has been done throughout the history of commerce. Technology has made it easy for almost anyone to do, and there is a very minimal investment upfront to make it happen. Your customers pay you, and then you pay the supplier, for the product and shipping.

Keep in mind, too that this is only one way to do it. There are always other options, but it is easier to talk about one way of doing it while we provide you with the “how-to” approach.

Choosing a Product

The first step is to have something to sell. We talked about Amazon, above, but now we are going to talk about the actual product, as another option.

Drop-shipping has caused a boom in other industries, so there are plenty of reputable wholesalers who carry quality products at very reasonable prices. Since there are thousands of products available for resale, you need to determine a way to figure it out for yourself.. what satisfies your dreams and desires.

Had you thought of that, as a blogger? I hadn't. I kept thinking in terms of digital products only. So, this is an opportunity for us to open our minds to more options.

Here is a simple way to narrow it down: Think of a common problem, one that a lot of people have, then find a product that offers a viable solution to that problem.

Once you have a product in mind, it is time to do a little basic math and some online legwork. Browse the product you have in mind, and go to one of the many websites that host wholesale suppliers. Check out the cost of purchasing that product. Now type that product into a search engine and see how much that item retails for, in the resulting list. If you can get it wholesale with enough of a margin to mark it up for a decent profit, while remaining competitive, you have a winner!

You should also consider how easy it is for your customers to find the same item closer to home, and the cost of shipping. If you can offer free shipping without affecting your profit margin too much, that's another perk you can pass on to your customers. Make certain to check out your suppliers for the quality of their merchandise and reputation. Most large online marketplaces, like eBay or Amazon, rate suppliers on the quality of their products and services, and on customer satisfaction.

If you don't want to mess with a blog with a store, or a new site/store, you could have one of these online marketplaces host your store and take advantage of their good reputation and built-in customer base, which will save you money on marketing. You can still connect that marketplace (i.e. eBay or Amazon) back to your site in the form of widgets, banners, links, etc.

Don't forget… You are a blogger, and you are adding a value-add to your blog/site. Use that blogger connection, socialization, engagement to enhance the wonder of your store. You already have a community/readers. Use that to your advantage!

Setting Up the Ultimate Online Store

Probably just about all of us have been surprised at what is available in online shops these days.
It used to be that people had to spend an entire day of shopping at the mall to find the things they need. Now, a lot of unique items can be had at the click of a mouse button. With the virtual explosion of e-commerce, there is no wonder people want to get a piece of the action and set up their own online shops.

Many people have toyed around with the idea of launching an online shop, and they have done a lot of research. One of the best things about having a business on the Internet is not having the overhead of a brick-and-mortar store. After people finish their research, they can start their store successfully – proven time and time again.

A person could do all of their online work, manage their inventory, and complete transactions while sitting at home in their pajamas and enjoying a latte. That isn't something that can be done as easily at the regular 9-5 job. There are a few basic steps that we can learn along the way. There are ecommerce lessons I have learned in my decades as an entrepreneur and it is great to have the opportunity to share.

Test Driving The Concept (Research)

Even if I created the best comb in the world, it would be pretty useless if my customer base was bald. It is a crucial mistake to try to sell something that buyers do not need and will not buy. I found that the best way to see if my product would work was to do a little research.

The first recommendation is to discuss your ideas with several of your friends and associates to get their honest opinion. If you cannot win them over with the concept, it would be pretty difficult to try it with strangers. You want to see if what you are trying to sell would be something they would consider buying themselves.

Since you will be having a lot of competing stores online, you should think about researching your competitions' products and see what customers are saying about the products and the competitor. It should give you a lot of crucial information about how you can market your product successfully.

Finally, give your product an initial run on your web page to see what kind of feedback you get. You can choose a reputable company that could organize a focus group to provide the data you need. This isn't necessarily an absolute (especially if money is tight), but definitely something worth considering.

Making Your Mark: Domain Name

Just like the process of store selection, there are different ways to create an online store. Fortunately one of them, an easy one, being as easy as signing up with Network Solutions!

If you need a domain name, you want to pick one that is catchy so that consumers will think of your product when they think of the store’s name. Some of the choices will be limited with a .com extension, so research your name ideas on other popular web extensions. Once you find the name and extension blend you can use, register it with a highly-recommended domain name registration service provider. The name will be yours for the next year, at the least (longer if you registered it for a longer period of time). You only have to pay a small annual fee. In some cases, you can set up a store and register the domain all in one place (i.e. Network Solutions). But, then, if you have a blog, you know all this already, eh?

BTW – Don't be discouraged if it takes a few tries. I think I had tried three or four domains before I settled on “HangouQueen.com” which not only was my domain but subsequently became my brand, too!

What Was It You Said About Hosting?

If you do not opt for an all-in-one solution (which is much easier), you will have to choose a hosting provider for your store. In many cases, that can be the same place where you registered your domain.

Some people whom I have talked to have opted for separate companies to host their online stores. In those cases, the only caveat that they mentioned was that they had to make sure that the host company registered their online store in their name so there would not be any problems in the future, concerning ownership. That, in itself, sounds confusing, eh? So, again, the easiest solution is to get your shop, domain, hosting, all in one place, all at once, if possible, making sure it is all in YOUR name.

A Few Final Steps

There are several ways to accept online payments from customers, and years ago I chose a popular online debit card system that allows customers to make payments from their credit cards directly to my Internet card account. There are transaction fees involved, and I had to supply my banking information. It is still one of the safest and secure ways of getting paid. However, more recently I have opted for an even easier (and cheaper) solution. You see, sometimes the easiest solution is to set up your merchant account with PayPal and go from there. PayPal offers so many ways to integrate with your blog and your store.

Sending out products is easy, should you choose the product type option for your store. You can pay for the services of a shipment company that stores and sends out the inventory as needed. You do not have to make endless trips to the post office. Believe me when I say, from experience, that that is a huge benefit! I used to sell my web design workbooks, and it was a pain to take those multiple trips! Of course, now I would sell my web design workbooks as digital content. 🙂

Being an online entrepreneur is a great reward in itself! And, I have actually been at it for more decades than I'd like to admit 🙂

Finally

One of the key ingredients in your online sales success recipe is passion. You have to firmly believe in what you are doing. When you're enthusiastic about your work, it's contagious, and others will follow wherever you lead. Believe in yourself, put in the necessary effort, and watch your fortunes rise.