It's Not Too Early To Market for the 2013 Holiday Season

Is it too early to start thinking about the 2013 holiday season? I don't think so. The holiday seasons are one of the most crucial times for an online business that wants to obtain higher sales. It's not enough to send out a post every now and then, or to tweet a few things every couple of weeks. Bringing in the holiday sales through social media means being persistent and carefully guiding traffic towards the sales page or website and not just at the end of the year.

While major retail chains are bringing in the holiday dollars both online and offline, there's still plenty of room for businesses to wrap the rest of consumers in through social media outlets.
For those that plan to actively seek customers for this coming holiday season and want to put their best sales foot forward, or for those who are not sure where to get started, here are a couple of steps that can be taken to ensure your business receives the most profit:

Engage Your Customers As anyone whose put their business out there in the online world of social media already knows, it can take some serious time and effort to gain a loyal and consistent following. Be efficient by finding an online tool that allows you to send the same message through each social media outlet, maximizing marketing capabilities and minimizing time spent doing so. Be honest with each message that's put out there, and stay away from looking like a company that just wants the customers cash. If possible, try and promote or talk about other relevant ventures or topics, to appeal to a larger audience.

Build The List Building a list of emails and names should be the first thing on your mind considering the upcoming holidays. These emails and names could easily be converted into conversions, sales and returning customers. And because customers who have already purchased from your business are valuable resources, it can be a good idea to offer them generous discounts or savings.

Website Revamp A part of being well prepared for this busy time of year means making sure the website that is associated with the social media account, contains all the necessary elements to bring in the most sales. Try to add as much new content as possible. This is a great time seek out product reviews and recommendations. Later in the year, you can try to give the website a temporary holiday cheer by adding in Christmas colors and reminding everyone that Christmas is near. Meanwhile, make sure there's a designated spot on the website for the opt-in email box, and make sure it's clear and visible for everyone to see.

Go Mobile Many webmasters continue to underestimate mobile shopping, and it's causing them to lose out big. For those trying to squeeze in every possible sale, it's vital that their content be visible through mobile devices. Be sure to measure and track the performance of sales that come through mobile devices. If things turn out better than expected, then this would be an excellent indicator that it's time to stay just as focused on mobile devices and mobile optimization. eBay and Amazon have versions on their websites that are designed to be easily viewed on mobile devices. If you have another online store, check with your provider to see if it is mobile-device-friendly.

Building a customer base and successfully marketing your business is something that cannot be achieved during the last few months before the holiday season begins. Start now. Deploy a few of these tips or all to help build your customer base for the upcoming holiday season. Over the next few months, I will share more details and other tips to help you and your business be more successful!

Let's have an incredible 2013!

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How to Prepare for eBay Holiday Selling - Part 1

How to Prepare for eBay Holiday Selling - Part 2

How to Prepare for eBay Holiday Selling - Part 3

How Kraft Foods Made a Mortgage Payment for me in 2012

Some Amazon sellers are skeptical that groceries are a lucrative product to sell on Amazon, and rightly so. I discovered the grocery category to be quite profitable because of the consumable nature of food items. Buyers will purchase multiples of the same item, return to restock, and I am able to build my grocery business around what my local stores offer. I much prefer a product that I can restock for an indefinite time rather than having to discover new items each time I want to sell something. I can figure out a product once, replenish it hundreds of times, and create a steady stream of income. Furthermore, there is always something new and improved, a different flavor, scent, or product offering every time I go grocery shopping. Not only can I replenish what I already know is working, but it is very easy to find new products that will work based on what I have learned about selling other items.

The first mental stumbling block is the question, "Why would anyone even buy groceries on Amazon? Why not just go to the store and get them?" I certainly can't speak for every grocery buyer, but I have paid attention to feedback comments and shipping addresses and drawn a few conclusions. I notice that many grocery items go to large cities like Manhattan, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. I believe the city dwellers enjoy the convenience (both time and physical effort) of having groceries shipped to their door. I also see larger multipacks (6-8 of an item bundled together) going to more remote locations in states like Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Alaska. I am wondering if these products that I can easily find are not so easy to find in other states. I have checked Google Maps to see where these products are being shipped, and many times it is a resort, game ranch, national forest, campground, or bed and breakfast. I am wondering if small businesses in these industries are using Amazon as their food supplier and taking advantage of the Prime shipping. Finally, about 35% of my grocery items go to APO/FPO addresses. Obviously, our military service personnel and their families enjoy their Prime accounts and like to order goodies from the USA. (Hint: Think microwaveable foods, items that won't spoil in the heat, and are portable in backpacks.) Bottom line: Don't assume everyone, everywhere has access to what you see every day in the grocery store.

I wanted to share my experience in 2012 selling a few grocery items and let you be the judge. Here are a few screen shots of some keyword searches I ran on my completed sales from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.

I sold a variety of food products made by Kraft. The average profit per item is $5.35 (average cost per item is $2.86). This screen shot shows 184 orders, but actually 228 Kraft products sold because some of those orders included more than one unit. My total profit on grocery store items made by Kraft in 2012 was $1,219.80. My mortgage payment is $1,002 - so Kraft products paid my mortgage once plus $219 left to pay my car insurance one month.

I had 87 orders for grocery items with "vanilla" in the title. Many of these orders also contained multiple units.

I had 151 orders for grocery items with "cinnamon" in the title. Many of these orders also contained multiple units. Based on this information, I can deduce that cinnamon is a popular flavor and I am always on the lookout for more cinnamon flavored items that will work.

I had 174 orders for grocery items with "cake" in the title. Many of these orders also contained multiple units. And none of the cake items were Hostess products. I did not sell any Hostess products on either eBay or Amazon. (Hint: These items are not prepared cakes!)

I had 117 orders for grocery items with "cereal" in the title. Many of these orders also contained multiple units. I sell cereal in both single units and multipacks of 3-4 boxes. Cereal comes in about a million variations and is a very popular food product, so this category always presents opportunities.

I had 109 orders for grocery items with "salt" in the title. Many of these orders also contained multiple units. You can get more basic than salt, right?

On some of the Amazon selling groups, you will see sellers complaining or criticizing the sale of groceries. First, they can't believe buyers actually buy groceries online. I have just disproved that theory. One downside to selling food products is that buyers cannot return them if they are not happy with the purchase. Amazon does not accept food returns - so the refund is given to the customer and sellers do not get the food product back. I can live with that. I have no problem selling a $3 box of cereal for $12.50 for a profit of $6 - 100 times - and have to refund 2 or 3 buyers a month. The $600 profit is totally worth the loss of a few boxes of cereal. Works for me.

Add-On status can hurt you if you are selling groceries, but there are workarounds. I have learned to make my bundles larger, and therefore more expensive, so they don't go into Add-On status. I have also learned to sit tight and wait if another seller's low price drags an item into Add-On status. They will get frustrated, drop their price lower and eventually sell out, and they usually don't return. Sometimes I am the only seller left on the listing and sales then resume at my original price point. (Learn more about Add-On status here.)

I want to encourage you to give grocery items a try on Amazon. Don't believe everything you read on networking groups - let's face it, a lot of people just go there to complain. You can get sucked in to all that negative drama, or you can follow others who make it work. I am proof that this works and you can make a good living doing it. In fact, I can't go to the grocery store anymore to pick up personal items for my family without either restocking or discovering new items to sell. It is almost too easy.

If you are interested in personal coaching to learn how to add grocery items to your Amazon inventory, contact me at eBaycoach @ yahoo.com for more information. I can teach you how to do this in just a few lessons over the phone. Once you discover how to make money selling groceries online, you won't mind running out for milk or bread anymore!

Sign up for my Amazon Grocery Class here and learn how to use the resources available in your area (grocery stores!) to make thousands of dollars on Amazon every month.

Happy selling!

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SBA Revamps Website to Help Entreprenuers

Recently the Small Business Administration or SBA has upgraded the way they do business online, with the introduction of their user friendly browsing tools specifically designed for emerging business owners. These tools will allow them to add to their customer base while expanding on their recruitment of new employees. The SBA Learning Center has simplified it's search catalog, so that anyone can use it therefore spending less time going through loads of pages to find specific instructive videos or classes that they are searching for. The SBA has become 'a one stop shop' for emerging business owners to do everything from creating their business plan to quickly finding out the exact information they need to market their business.

Business owners can enjoy SBA's affiliate partner resources which include access to e learning material for their businesses from other third party colleges and organizations. The great thing about these SBA affiliated programs is that business owners will have access to both the tools as well as friendly counselors who are their to assist with any questions that may arise. It's a win win situation for all! Being that the internet is so cost effective for start up business marketing and attracting a loyal following globally, both the SBA and their affiliate partners are committed to training business owners on the most current social media applications that are being used for business.

The site now offers:

Online Classes

Tips for Disaster Planning and Recovery

Step-by-step Help For Creating a Business Plan

Marketing Planning Tips

Connection to Local Counselors

Event Calendar for Local Events

If you have questions about structuring your business or what licenses and permits you need, this is a good place to start.

Visit SBA.gov, for help.

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What a Teenager Can Sell on eBay

Some of you may be aware that my oldest child graduated from high school in 2012. She has had some extra time to help me with my eBay and Amazon business, and is doing an internship to learn this business. One way to teach her eBay (as with all my students), was to have her sell her own unwanted and unneeded items for practice. Just for fun, I had her keep a journal of all the items she sold that were already here in our home and therefore did not have an inventory cost.

I was really surprised to see the total profit (from April - December) was just shy of $1,000. ($912.51 to be exact.) Keep in mind that I have been selling on eBay since 2003 and Amazon since 2008. I thought I was staying on top of selling everything "sellable" in my home. I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the things she successfully sold that I had overlooked. Sometimes it takes someone with a different perspective to uncover new and interesting information. After a few successful sales, this industrious young lady was looking through every drawer, cabinet, and closet in the house with iPhone in hand looking up values on the eBay app. Here is what she found and profit from each sale:

These totals may not seem impressive, but this is good money for a teenager. She pays her own car insurance, cell phone bill, buys her own gas, her own clothing, and pays for her own entertainment (eating out, movies, etc.). Those dollars and pennies add up over time! While some of her friends are complaining about not getting enough hours at their fast food and retail jobs, she is working as much as she can to save money and be independent.
 
I have also been teaching her how to purchase thrift store items for resale, and am proud to say she is making several hundred dollars a month, on her own, without my assistance. She is already selling on consignment for her friends and has built her eBay account to 100 feedbacks in just a few months. She has also learned to ship internationally, which is really pretty easy, and has shipped to over 2 dozen countries already. Shipping internationally is the #1 way to increase your eBay sales without any extra work or expense. Check out my eBay International Shipping Tutorial here.)

Selling on eBay is a skill, and I think a very valuable skill for our young people. We live in a world of abundance and our culture is all about "accumulating." What if we could teach more kids the skill of reselling? The could learn to be more self-reliant early in life and use the resources around them along with technology to be self-sufficient. Yeah, I'm pretty proud!

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