How to start selling online?

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I wrote an article about Digital Marketing or in the most popular way, "Online Sales".

Of course Digital Marketing is much broader than online sales, but within the scope of this article I will use online sales so that it is easiest for everyone to understand because they are interrelated.

To sell online, you must use Digital Marketing, or use Digital Marketing to serve sales purposes.

Often when we start selling online, we are overwhelmed by the many online channels to sell.

If you already have a product, you don't know which channel will be effective for selling: Facebook, Google, Instagram, E-Commerce Platform, etc. Even each channel is divided into many different options: with Facebook, should you sell by Profile or Ads? , for e-commerce platforms, you should choose Shopee, Sendo or Lazada,...

If you don't have a product to sell, you're struggling to know which product to choose to suit your advantage.

This vicious cycle can make you confused and even lose faith in yourself.

Assured! When I started, I was the same way. In this article, I will summarize my experiences to support you in taking the right and most effective direction.

Start!

Search for potential products

Of course, if you want to sell, you must have a product. If you already have products to sell, you can skip this section. If you don't have one yet, please continue to learn some criteria for choosing potential products.

Products can be in the form of tangible direct sales or services. For example, fashion is a tangible product, you will sell directly and ship it to Customers, while Services such as Design, Real Estate,... essentially you are acting as a middleman. consulting and supporting customers in purchasing products.

My advice is don't become a grocery store that sells everything, choose a small niche to start because there will be less competition, you will also learn more deeply about that niche instead of just learning about it. scan. Of course, digging deeper will help you sell more effectively.

Some criteria you can refer to to choose products when selling online are:

• In the field you are interested in, learning about it before will be an advantage.

If you have a previous hobby or have worked in a field for a long time, you can use that niche to start your business. It will shorten the time you need to research products, customers, competitors, etc.

For example, if you are a dog lover, you can sell dog accessories or food, if you like to grow beards, you can sell beard growth aids, etc.

But the main reason I recommend selling in the field you love is because you can do it for a long time and your mind will be comfortable without the pressure of working. At the same time, you will provide a lot of useful information to customers when selling products.

For example, when selling products to support beard growth, you write about instructions, specific experiences in the process of growing your beard, articles about why you should grow a beard, images of men growing manly beards, etc.

Remember: in a sea of competitors, shoppers choose you because you solve a problem for them, not because of your product.

• The product can be easily transported.

This applies to physical products you sell directly to Customers. Ease of transportation will make shipping costs cheaper, less likely to be damaged during transportation, and easier for customers to buy online.

In the world today, you can buy almost anything online from TVs, refrigerators, cars, tables and chairs, etc. However, that is for large businesses. If you are a beginner, I think you should not start with such products!

• The need for online research easily arises.

This will apply to both tangible products and Services. Put yourself as a customer, do customers often need to search for information about that product online?

For example, when buying a house, customers will learn more about the project on Google, or go to house listing groups, etc. Or when the septic tank is clogged, users will immediately go online to search for a septic tank pump. septic tank (this is the reason why the bid for the keyword septic tank unclogging is very high - equal to a bowl of pho/click because it creates an urgent need). If your septic tank is clogged, you will have to find someone to unclog it immediately.)

• Can expand the sale of additional accompanying products.

This will help you expand your business in the future. Because of this, many people say that you should choose a broad niche at first so you can develop later.

This is not entirely true. Because initially, if you choose a niche that is too broad, you will have to confront "big guys" who have been in the market for a long time, have reputation, and have great economic potential.

To solve this you can find a super niche in which to start. For example, when I start with the field of curtains (which is already a small niche in interior design), I will start with a very small niche rather than specializing in hand-embroidered curtain products and voile curtains.

It is possible to start with a small cost, while also leaving an impression on customers that this company specializes in that product. But I can still sell other products such as rainbow curtains, bamboo curtains, etc. Then I will expand my customer base.

Regarding being able to sell additional accompanying products, I will continue to take the example of the beard growth support product above so you can follow the train of thought.

When selling beard growth products (already a small niche). You can divide it into super small niches that sell products from a certain brand first (for example Kirkland). Then, when it dominates that niche, the company expands to other companies.

After growing stronger in beard growth support products. You can expand the sale of products that support beard trimming such as scissors, razors, shavers, etc. Whoever grows their beard doesn't have to trim it, right?

Such steps will help you make more solid progress in terms of skills, finances, and understanding of the market.

Research your competitors

This is important, the more carefully you research, the more you will avoid losing stupid money. Researching your competitors is not to see what they do and then imitate it exactly, but to better understand the market and determine your direction.

When consulting your competitors, you need to find out which channel they are exploiting the most. Usually the channels they push the most are the ones that are bringing them the most results.

Always ask why they do what they do. Every time you ask that question and find the answer yourself, you will understand the market more deeply.

When most competitors have been in the market for a long time, the strategies they do, the channels they are advertising, and the way they convey information all have their reasons.

I encounter many cases where you learn about your competitors and then imitate them exactly, even with content, photos, websites,... this only makes customers remember your competitors more. If you were a customer, with two almost identical sides, would you choose the older and more reputable one or choose a new one that is an exact copy of the original version?

When researching and learning what's cool about them, think about adding more to make a difference for yourself, not just copy what they do.

To see how to make a difference, you can read the article: Difference in business or "death"!

Start with a single channel and make it as professional as possible.

When starting out, your budget is limited and you have to do a lot of work from researching the product to learning how to do it, so I recommend you start with only one channel first.

Focus your maximum resources on researching and developing that channel and making it as professional as possible. This will greatly affect the effectiveness of your sales.

That is the 80/20 principle, you need to find a channel that gives you the highest conversions with a low budget and high efficiency.

Choosing which channel to start with first depends a lot on your competitor research and reviews. You can focus on the channels your competitors are doing the best or continue reading below, I will give an overview of the channels below for you to see if they are suitable or not? This part is heavily colored by my subjective opinion and I don't know everything so it's just for reference only!

Do you really need a website?

Having a beautiful, clear website will definitely increase your reputation in the online environment. Customers will have more confidence in your shop because they consider you professional and invested, so you are not the type of shop that does business by stealing.

At the same time, having a website, you will also have your own sales channel. Save audience information for remarketing, customers can also access directly to buy products when they already know you.

You simply understand that you have your own store, controlling everything in your store.

Instead of having to sell on other people's houses like Facebook, Instagram, e-commerce platforms, so that every time they change policies or lock accounts, you can't do anything because you're on their land and have to comply with the rules of the game and make decisions. their.

But what I want to say here is, in the beginning, do you need to make a website right away? Because, making a website will take up a large portion of your costs and effort.

If you intend to use Google Ads as your sales channel, you will definitely have to create a Website.

If you sell consumer products and constantly change designs such as clothes, jewelry and advise customers via social networks, then I think you do not need to make a website at this stage.

If your goal is to get Lead (Customers leave information), or only sell 1 or a few products, you can make a Landing Page.

You can see the article “Evaluating the best Landing Page design platforms of 2019” to be able to choose the appropriate Landing Page design platform.

If you sell many products, and the products do not change designs constantly, you should create a Website to bring high efficiency and take advantage of more advertising channels. You will need a website where you can place orders, link with shipping companies, and an e-commerce platform. Please refer to these two platforms: Sapo or Haravan.

Please read the article Which platform should you choose as an online sales website? to choose the most suitable website platform for you. 

E-commerce platforms Shopee, Sendo, Lazada, Tiki...

There are quite a few people who started with e-commerce platforms, this is a pretty good free channel because currently e-commerce platforms are investing heavily to advertise and create shopping habits for consumers. However, you need to note the following points:

• Comply with the regulations of e-commerce platforms if you do not want your account to be locked.
• Facing huge price competition from competitors because most shops on the floor will compete on price, especially Shopee.
• Many customers want to buy on the e-commerce platform because of free delivery.
• Do something different from other competitors, describe the product more carefully than other shops instead of copying the exact same content.
• To reduce copying content from other shops, you can use image content. The text and images are all recorded on the image file with your copyright stamp. It can not only be presented more beautifully, but also minimize shops that like to copy identical content.
• Ask friends and relatives for feedback or borrow an account to order and leave feedback to create trust for the first buyers.
• Encourage buyers to leave feedback by leaving a request card when packing the goods to send, or giving a small gift (whether this part is effective or not depends on how you do it in a subtle way that makes the buyer have to leave a review). price no)
• Learn how to optimize product titles, how to write optimized content to make products easier to search on the platform.
• Additional forms of advertising and shop sponsorship can be used on the platforms. Each floor will have a different form of advertising.
• Participate in Big Sale programs of exchanges to increase the number of customers and create reputation for the shop.

That's what I've compiled to note for you. To be more specific, let's get started and look for more information. I don't have too much experience in making e-commerce platforms because I use a website and don't want to compete on price with other shops there.

But there are a lot of people selling very good and large orders on there. This can be a starting channel for you to sell. % may not have high profits, but you will be able to sell products for the purpose of getting customer data or selling many orders to negotiate lower import prices with suppliers.

Facebook: Profile, Ads

Selling on Facebook is still a channel used by many people because it has the largest and most popular number of users.

Sales on Facebook Profiles have cooled down a lot compared to the past because Facebook currently scans virtual accounts very closely, thus reducing the phenomenon of using tools to automatically make friends and interact like before. However, it will still be effective if you know how to apply it properly and are persistent.

Instead of using multiple accounts to make friends or spam and sell mass products, you can only use 1 or 2 accounts. Then make friends and provide quality content on Profile, share in groups to create a personal brand.

Limit posting indiscriminately about products on your personal page - this will only cause users to unfollow you and Facebook will limit the display of your post content to others.

Provide valuable content related to products, tips,... in general, content that is useful to users and do it regularly. When users interact a lot, Facebook will also understand that you are providing value to users and prioritize displaying your posts more. Little but quality.

Regarding advertising, it is extremely broad, from techniques to images, how to grab titles, to writing attractive content,...

You can see countless centers and courses from white hat, black hat to gray hat. My point of view is still how to create the most value for customers. When you create value, you will have a lasting and lasting position.

My advice is that you should buy the book Facebook advertising from A to Z by Media Z Book. This book will guide you through the necessary Facebook advertising techniques and mindset. Then you start working and experimenting instead of spending 4 - 5 million on courses, you can use that money to experience it yourself.

I just note a few things for you:

• Choose the ad format that suits your goals. You need to determine your campaign goals to choose appropriate ads such as: Conversions, Interactions, Sending messages, Leads,...
• Be careful with copyright regulations and policy violations on Facebook to avoid blocking Ads and Fanpage accounts.
• Images and videos must stand out: In the middle of a long newsfeed, users will have the habit of scrolling very quickly, so the task of the image is to make users stop in front of your ad.
• Attractive title and content: When the user has stopped before your ad. You need a catchy title and content to keep users reading.
• Using Pixel: This is important and must be done if you don't want to throw money out the window. Pixel will be the place to store your Customers, a valuable asset that you must keep and use effectively.
• Using funnels to guide customers: Every day, users encounter a lot of advertisements and brands, so there is a lot of information chaos. Therefore, not many people can make a purchasing decision right away when seeing your direct sales advertisement (especially for high-value items). You will need to take Customers on a journey to familiarize them with your products and brand. You'll have to use Facebook's Pixel and audience filtering tools to do this.
• Currently, the reach rate of Fanpage is decreasing because Facebook prioritizes displaying useful information or friends and relatives, so even if users like your fanpage, the rate of seeing the post is very low.
• Take advantage of Chatbot to interact with customers to minimize human resources and provide the information customers need as quickly as possible.

Instagram – A growing trend

Instagram was acquired by Facebook and you can also run Instagram ads through Facebook Ads Manager. However, I put Instagram into a separate section because of the difference from Facebook.

Instagram is a social network that shares images and short clips under one minute (for longer clips you can use IGTV - Instagram's Video channel with vertical format clips). Instagram is integrated with photo editing tools and filters and can only be used on phones (if you access the website on a computer, you will not be able to upload posts and send messages).

Instagram is not allowed to upload posts containing links, and limits the characters of posts so the content is not diluted and spammed like Facebook.

Because of this, Instagram's user base is under the age of 30, likes fashion, travel, and often has their own taste.

Personally, when I have been working on Instagram services for the past 2-3 years, I have seen the number of Instagram users in Vietnam increasing rapidly. Partly due to the influence of foreign trends, partly because Facebook is now so popular that parents, colleagues, and bosses also use it, causing many people to look for a more private social network.

Some things to note when you build on your Instagram channel are:

• Suitable if your product is for people 30 years old or younger such as: Cosmetics, Perfume, Food, Travel, Clothing,...
• Instagram only allows links to be placed in the Bio section (self description) or in the Stories section if your account has over 10k followers.
• You should advertise Instagram using Facebook Ads on your computer instead of advertising using the Instagram app on Mobile.
• Create a clear and attractive Bio section for yourself to increase user follow rate.
• A popular form of advertising on Instagram is shoutout - posting articles on KOLs' walls. You can choose suitable KOLs and directly send price deal messages to them. Remember to choose KOLs that are suitable for the product, don't look at the number of followers, but focus on the amount of interaction with their posts because many KOLs have fake followers, or inappropriate followers (like my im.medio Instagram account). I'm using that account, for example, I changed the name from my chihuahua lover account in a foreign market so the following is high but the interaction is very low because most of them are foreigners)
• Another form is to follow and interact with other accounts to reach them. When they find your account useful, they will follow you back. This is considered the form in which I provide service to everyone. However, at the time I wrote this article, Instagram posted blocking action (block action), so this method is currently not as effective as before.

To learn more about how to grow Instagram, read more articles: 5 steps to build effective Instagram sales for free.

Google Ads (Search, GDN)

To run Google Ads, you must have a website. If you have a Website, I think you should prioritize running the Google Ads channel first because it will be more cost-effective.

Some notes in Google Ads for you are:

• Google Search channel is the channel you should apply first because searchers are often people who already have needs, so it's easier for you to find the right target customers.
• Google has a clip teaching how to run ads on Youtube that you should watch to learn the basics.
• Keyword research is a very important step in running Google ads. So please do this step carefully to avoid paying the price in money.
• You should run long keywords that bring high conversions rather than short keywords and low conversions. You can understand that often people with high demand will search for longer keywords. And another thing is that when you are new to selling, you will not have enough budget to run short keywords because of the large amount of traffic and have to compete with rich parties.
• Divide the set of keywords into similar groups. Each group of you should create at least 3 ad samples to test. Google will automatically optimize and prioritize effective advertising samples to display more.
• It is recommended to run keywords as phrase or exact match instead of broad match.
• Continuously check the search terms that users searched for to access your Website to negate those words that are not highly effective.
• You should install conversion tracking to know which keywords are really effective because sometimes there are groups of keywords that have high click rates and low prices, but users don't buy, so they don't bring you revenue. There are groups of words with expensive bids but high purchase rates, which are still good advertising groups. You can set conversions according to your purposes such as purchase conversions, registration conversions, call conversions, etc.
• You can run display ads (GDN - Google Display Network) with image, text, trueview (video clip) formats but will consume your budget quite quickly. Only when you have run out all search channels and still have the budget should you run it. Otherwise, only run Remarketing on objects that have visited the Website but have not yet taken action!

Email Marketing

Using Email Marketing in Vietnam is almost used as email spam. Because of this, many people say that Email Marketing is ineffective and not suitable in Vietnam.

However, if you send it as Spam, of course it won't be effective because the Email will be put in the spam folder or users will not want to read a mass Email, the content will only see ads, the font will not. Red and blue, big and small, so numerous they seem to attract the user's vision. Therefore, it is natural to not understand the results.

Email Marketing will be more suitable for digital products such as Courses, Ebooks, etc. because these audiences are mostly people who often use and check Email. But you should sit down and think about whether your audience is suitable. Just because no one has done it doesn't mean it can't be done!

To do Email Marketing properly, you must collect user data and then periodically provide valuable information to users so that users get familiar with your brand first.

For example, after the user has registered, you send a welcome email, 1 or 2 days later, send more useful information, etc. Then, the sales information will be sent to the user. If they have not yet registered, they can Send an additional discount code. You can do all of this through pre-installed scripts with Email Marketing services from parties such as Mailchimp, Sendgrid, Get

To do Email marketing requires you to learn more about regulations to avoid emails being sent to Spam, how to collect email data, how to write content, etc. You can learn more information online.

I also have some notes for you here:

• Use Email Services from providers such as Mailchimp, Sendgrid, GetResponse, etc. By sending using Gmail or Hosted Email, you will not be able to send many emails and it will easily go to Spam. At the same time, they also provide the necessary tools for you to create Email lists, effective reports, create scripts,...
• There is always an Unsubscribe button at the bottom of each Email so users can unsubscribe when they do not want to receive Emails instead of reporting spam and getting stuck on the blacklist.
• Email subject is very important to stimulate users to click and view your email.
• Divide your Email list according to the issues users care about to avoid sending content that users do not want to read. Because an email open rate that is too low will also make your email address easily blacklisted.
• You can use Email Marketing to introduce new products or new promotions to customers who have already purchased.
• Users rarely subscribe to your Email List if you don't have a giveaway such as a short ebook, a small gift, etc.

Those are the main channels that you should know when starting to sell online. There are a few other channels like Zalo, Coc Coc, Tik Tok,... I will write more if many people are interested.

One thing you need to remember is that after your business has become more stable, you need to multi-channel to avoid having your business depend on a single channel. So that every time that channel fails, you still have other channels to continue maintaining your business.

Hopefully this article will help everyone get off to a good start. It's okay if it's not very favorable, those will be experiences that help you get closer to customers and develop yourself.

When I look back at the past, I see that I learned a lot along the way. I see myself making a lot of progress compared to before. Those are the best things, right?

This article is actually quite long, it's the first time I've written an article longer than 5000 words like this! Wishing you a good start in business. If you have any suggestions or questions that need answering, don't hesitate to comment below! That is also the motivation for me to continue providing more valuable content!