Ecommerce for Dummies Smarties: Avoiding Rookie Mistakes

Jumping into the world of online commerce? Your experience may be everything you dream of, or perhaps a surprising disappointment. Like every business, selling over the Internet involves careful attention to tried-and-true strategies. Learning the ropes prior to launch will assure a smoother sailing.
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Experimentation is far more flexible when your business exists in cyberspace. Adjustments can come much faster and with less visibility than if you ran a brick-and-mortar store. But even at that, there are pitfalls to avoid that will save valuable time down the road.

Chances are you’ve been on the flip side of online selling for some time. If that’s the case, one of your most valuable resources is your experience. What does your gut say about how best to brand yourself and present tantalizing offerings with excellent service? The first order of business, in this business, is to sit down and write out a list of what has drawn you to one vendor over another. Then you move forward with help from some friends.
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Here are some links offering tips for beginners who have admired successful e-vendors, and have set a goal of mirroring their fortune:

• Research, research! Are there prolific, high-volume sites that capture your attention? Study them. Also, track down the top business marketing websites, and harness the invaluable resources of LinkedIn to peek into the styles and strategies of marketing gurus.
  
  
• Seeing is believing, and imagery will be a huge part of your game plan. Pick up some photography tips from this great source.
  
  
• It surprises no one that marketing hotshots love to market themselves, and often that includes offering no-cost seminars to budding ecommerce vendors. This site mentions 10 free courses in online media and marketing; and this one highlights six with great information on ecommerce in general.
  
  
• This fabulous article lays out the top ten “site-builders” that ease the process of setting up an online store.
  
  
• And finally, not all resources require a nose-to-the-screen approach. Check around your local community. Often marketing and sales experts will offer free seminars and meetings where invaluable tips are in long supply. One good place to find them? The Chamber of Commerce, or an old-fashioned search engine snoop. Another is your local community college.

 
Above all, your future success depends on efficient and thorough planning, market research, testing, and a solid basic knowledge of the task ahead. There are nearly infinite resources available to help you navigate the waters, and mixing a healthy dose of known winning strategies with a passionate personal vision of your ultimate brand can only give you a running start.