One of the easiest and most efficient ways to promote your dropshipping products is through a blog.    Your blog helps attract customers to your website, establishes trust, and creates value for your product.  To illustrate what I’m talking about, take a look at Meaghan Mountford’s blog at the following address: http://chiccookiekits.blogspot.com/.

The Decorated Cookie blog is one of the classiest and most effective promotional blogs I’ve seen.  The lady who runs it regularly posts recipes and simple directions for making fancy decorated cookies.  She includes plenty of attractive photographs, and her blog is clean and well-designed.  On the side she includes clear links to purchase her book or visit her shop.  At the shop she sells cookie-decorating kits to make the projects on her blog.

Why is Meaghan Mountford’s blog so effective at selling her products?

1. She provides something of value for free

People visit her site for the free recipes and directions.  They subscribe to her blog, visiting time and time again to see the new posts, and they send the links to friends.  Maybe they don’t buy her cookbook or her decorating kits the first time they visit, but they keep coming back to see the new recipes and eventually she hooks them with a super cute mustache cookie-cutter or a fondant set and they make a purchase.

2. She establishes trust and professionalism

Meaghan obviously knows what she’s talking about.  Her cookies are attractive and professional and her impressive credentials are posted in her bio, so you believe her when she says you should use this particular cookie scraper or that particular food coloring.  Oh, they happen to be for sale on her website?  Well then I guess I’ll buy them.

3. She creates a bond with the customer

Meaghan’s blog is well-written, warm, and inviting.  By reading her articles you come to know a little bit about her and to like her.  She includes a few personal details, like the fact that she has a two-year old son, and soon you want her to succeed, you want to give her your business and recommend her to friends.  But remember, she always maintains her professionalism.  Mentions of kids and cats = good, details about your husband’s vasectomy = too much information.

4. Her blog is full of keywords and attracts inbound links

If you type  the words “cookie decorating blog” into your Google searchbar, The Decorated Cookie site is the first one that pops up.  Getting your website to the top of the search engine response pages is one of the most important things you can do to bring in business.  Why is Meaghan’s website at the top of the list?  First, because she has plenty of relevant keywords in her blog posts, and second because her blog attracts inbound links.  Inbound links are when a website posts a link to yours, and they’re very important for search engine optimization (SEO).  How can you get inbound links?  By having valuable content on your website that people want to share.  Most people probably link to her site so they can pass along her recipes and tips.  I linked to her because she’s such a great example of e-business marketing.  Either way, it helps her SEO.

How can you create a successful blog for your dropshipping product?

Obviously products that are craft or project-oriented are easy to create a blog for.  Cake-decorating, rug-hooking, pottery-painting, wood-working, jewelry-making, and sewing all fall in this category.  However, you can create a blog like Meaghan’s around almost any product.  All you need is a subject you can write educational articles on, and that could be anything from fishing to chess to fitness to parenting.  The important thing is to write quality articles and to post regularly so people keep checking back.  You provide something of value – information on how to deal with a tantrumy toddler or how to find the perfect diaper bag – and in return people are motivated to purchase your baby carriers or  maternity clothes or toddler toys.

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Most people who start selling online would rather dropship than wholesale.  Dropshipping requires little to no money upfront and involves little risk as you don’t have to buy stock or carry an inventory.  Dropshipping is particularly convenient for items with varied demand; Christmas decorations, school supplies, Halloween costumes, etc.  – you don’t want to stock them year-round when the majority of your sales happen during a particular period.  Dropshipping works for most products.  However, sometimes, with certain items, it isn’t an option, and you’ll only waste your time trying.

photo credit: snorp

When is dropshipping not an option?

1.Certain industries do not yet have a established dropshippers. Most products are available for dropship, but certain specialty products are not.  For instance, I have not yet come across any leather-working dropshippers.  I’m not saying they don’t exist, but I haven’t been able to find any yet.  There are wood-working dropshippers, and dropshippers for hobbies from quilting to scrapbooking, but there seems to be a paucity in that particular niche.

2.Certain brands refuse to dropship. Apple is my perennial example: they won’t dropship, period.  You’ll only waste your time trying to find legitimate Apple products for dropship.  Your options are to sell Apple accessories, or knock-off i-products.

3.Dropshipping doesn’t always work for small, cheap items unless you are selling them in bulk. If you want to dropship batteries, you won’t be able to sell single packs because the processing and shipping outweighs the value of the item.

4.Dropshipping can be difficult with product lines that need to be consolidated in orders. If you are selling products from a variety of dropshippers and people are buying a variety of products, you may have this problem.  Imagine you are selling organic food: if you have one or two great dropshippers that provide your whole line or organic foods, it’s not an issue, but if you have a dozen different suppliers and your customer orders a typical grocery order, they are going to get a dozen different packages shipped to their door.

photo credit: KirrilyRobert

5.Profit margin issues can kibosh dropshipping. Some products are relatively expensive, but their profit margin is not large.  When operating on a narrow profit margin, you may have to buy wholesale in order to make sufficient profit.

6.If you don’t live in the United States, you may find dropshipping difficult. Dropshipping is a much more developed marketing system in the US than it is in countries as close as Canada. US-based dropshippers often don’t ship outside and the country and frequently require tax ID numbers and Social Security numbers that foreigners can’t provide.  If you want to dropship but you don’t live in the US, you might have to take one of the following options: sell only to people living in the States, purchase from an Asian supplier who doesn’t care where they ship to, or build your business around a dropshipper in your country even if you are not particularly interested in their product (what I mean is, if you find a great Australian dropshipper for surfboards or tandem bicycles, that might have to be your product, even if your heart was set on gardening supplies).

You can also consider a hybrid of dropshipping and wholesale. If you want to sell, say, ballroom dance supplies, and you’ve found dropshippers for costumes and makeup, then dropship those items and purchase your ballroom shoes wholesale.  This system works particularly well if you can get the variable items dropshipped and the steady-selling, uniform items wholesale.  Items you sell less of, or that come in various colors, styles, and sizes, you’ll definitely want to dropship.  Other items that are easy to store, sell steadily, and only come in one or two “types” or forms are more easily wholesaled.

photo credit: zabara_tango

Dropshipping is still the preferred option for most people new to online sales, and the intention of this blog is not to dissuade you from dropshipping.  In many ways, it’s a fantastic system.  But I want you to be aware that dropshipping doesn’t work for every product, so you might to have to be flexible and switch product ideas if you don’t want to buy wholesale.

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Blogs on how to write blogs – how very metatextual!  As I’m sure you’ve noticed, getting a blog added to your dropshipping website is one of my favorite hobby-horses.  I am a blog-ophile; I love everything about them, simple as that.  Since I already told you why you should add a blog to your website, now I’m going to give some tips on how to write it.  Though it’s undeniable that blogs can bring in traffic, aid in SEO, provide valuable content, and impress visitors, not everybody is a budding Sei Shonogan, and a blog of even the most general kind might be difficult for you to pull off.  But if you keep it simple and informative, it’s hard to go wrong.

8 Essential Blog-Writing Tips:

Tip #1: The Title Is Your Hook

Your title is a 5-10 word encapsulation of your article.  It should be concise and attention-grabbing.  But most importantly, it needs to have your main keywords in it.  I could probably have thought of a snazzier title for this blog, but I needed to use the keywords “Blog”, “Dropshipping” and “Website” so people searching for that content would be able to find it.  Thus, though “Beat Shakespeare At His Own Game” might have been more interesting, you wouldn’t be sure what the article was about.

Tip #2: Focus On Value

The most important thing to remember is that your blog needs to contain valuable content.  Misanthropic musings on why Wendy’s employees can never remember to leave the onions off my burger may be amusing, but that is the extent of their value.  Since you’re selling a product, your best bet is to write an instructional blog related to that product.  If you’re selling wedding favors, then write a blog on wedding planning.  Every single post doesn’t need to be about wedding favors specifically; you could write articles on How To Choose Your Caterer, New Dress Styles For Spring, 10 Ways To Save Money Without Sacrificing The Wedding Of Your Dreams, How To Pull Off A Theme Wedding…the possibilities are endless.  As long as your target keywords are in the title and article, the blog doesn’t need to be about wedding favors specifically (though the more often you can reference your products, the better).  Just think, “What do I wish I knew about weddings when I was planning mine?”  Think back to all the questions you’ve ever had about fishing, cooking, diecast cars… You can include a section on your website where people can submit questions, or you can write blogs based off comments you receive.  Don’t be afraid to do some research so you can write knowledgeably about topics you’re not exactly an expert on.  Include product reviews, interviews, articles, and tips.  All that matters is that you provide information of worth, things that other people don’t know but want to know.  Real value is vital so people will read your blog and provide links for other people to find your dropshipping website.

photo credit: soapylovedeb
photo credit: Corey Ann

Tip #3: Grammar Counts

Not everybody is a great writer, and you don’t need to be to provide valuable information.  But don’t be lazy in your writing.  Nobody wants to read a rambling, disjointed article.  Spelling and grammar mistakes make you seem unintelligent and even sketchy: the very opposite of the knowledgeable, dependable, professional image your blog is supposed to promote.  It’s worth it to have somebody proof-read your blogs.  Remember, blogging may be the modern journal, but that’s not the purpose YOUR blog is supposed to serve.  Your blog is more of a newsletter/extended billboard to promote your company and your products.  If you are totally incapable of writing a coherent post, then pay somebody else to do it.  Trade secret – writers are cheap.  You could easily find someone to crank out coherent articles for about 20 bucks a pop.

photo credit: Sarah_Jones

Tip #4: Balance Personal And Professional

I like blogs with a little personal touch.  If you want to mention that you used the new Nikon rangefinder (which you happen to sell on your website) on your last golfing trip in Arizona, I think that perfectly blends a friendly detail about yourself with relevant information on the performance of the product.  Adding humanity to your business is a good thing – you want people to relate to you and trust you.  Your blog is a way to add a face to your dropshipping business.  However, there is such a thing as too much information.  Never include personal information that would compromise your image of professionalism, and make sure the bulk of your content is industry-related, not tidbits about your cat Binky.

Tip #5: Create A Signature/Bio Section

This is something I don’t have with my blog, and probably should.  The bio section aids with that homey touch I was just talking about, and is especially important if you’re an expert in your field.  If you’re selling gourmet coffee on your dropshipping website and you happened to have worked on a coffee plantation in Costa Rica, put that in your bio section.  If you’re selling car detailing kits and you used to be a NASCAR driver, put that in!  The bio section can include any relevant education/experience, or something as simple as “Barbara has had a passion for porcelain dolls for over 30 years, having received her first Belgian Princess doll on her fifth birthday.  She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two sons.”  You also want to include a link to your website in your bio: if an article submission site picks up your article, they probably won’t allow outbound links inside the content, but may in the “signature” or “bio” section.

Tip #6: Use Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is the act of using social influencers, social media, and online communities to promote your product.  (Social Media Optimization or SMO is a set of methods for generating publicity through these venues).  Basically, SMM is a way of promoting your blog by encouraging people to talk about it and share it.  It’s the modern form of “word of mouth” advertising.  Instead of the “ladies who lunch” discussing your website, you want people to pass it around on message-boards and social sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to add links to services such as Digg, Reddit, and Del.icio.us.  On Digg people share articles and “vote” on them.  The most “Dugg” articles (most popular) end up on the front page the site, which would bring you more traffic then you can imagine.

photo credit: Photo Mojo

Tip #7: Have A Content Goal

Post on your blog regularly.  If you can’t write a new article every day, make sure you add one at least once a week.  It’s imperative that you’re consistent with your blog, or you’ll lose regular readers accustomed to checking back for the new tip.  You also need fresh content to keep your search engine rating high.  If you can’t manage a big long article, then write a short tip, blurb, or news item.

Tip #8: Accept Comments And Reply

Most blogs have a feature where you have to accept comments before they’ll be visible to everybody else.  So the question is – do you believe in censorship?  Honestly, though I try to accept every comment, once in a while I’ll get one that I just trash.  I’ve gotten comments that weren’t comments at all, but rather a string of gibberish with a link at the bottom.  I also got a rather profane message the other day that I chose to ignore (I might have responded in kind, but “poohead” wasn’t a legitimate email server the last time I checked).  Comments are great because they allow visitors to carry on a dialogue, almost like a message-board.  It’s also a great way for you to communicate and bond with customers, and address their needs.  When you accept and respond to comments, it all works to build your SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  That being said, I think a tiny bit of discretion goes a long way in keeping your blog professional.

Blogging isn’t a passing trend, and it isn’t going away anytime soon.  Adding a blog is extremely beneficial to your dropshipping website, and if you’ve never thought of yourself as a writer before, I say now is the time to start.

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Who wouldn’t love a job where with a few clicks of the mouse you can make money from home, attired in your favorite Van Halen t-shirt and your rattiest boxers, sipping hot cocoa or maybe something a little more naughty (who’s to judge?).  Of course, it’s not quite that simple.  You can definitely make money selling products online, but you’ve got to do your research first.  If you think you’re going to buy your lakehouse dropshipping iPods, I’m afraid I have bad news for you.  Apple doesn’t dropship the iPod.  And you probably won’t do so well selling it on eBay either.  So how do you choose the best products to sell online?  You listen to me of course, your resident know-it-all.

• Tip #1: Profitability.  Your product needs to have the potential to make money.  Even if you’re dropshipping or selling on ebay and you don’t need to invest in a huge inventory, time is money, and you have to make sure your product is worth your time.    Pick an item too cheap, and your profit margin will be tiny.  You’d have to sell a hundred bars of soap to make $20.  But if your item is too expensive, it’s much more difficult to sell, and relies more heavily on the image of security your company has cultivated.  Thus, while luxury items like fine wine or diamonds can certainly be sold online, through your website or on ebay, you’ll probably want to wait until you’ve developed a positive customer rating with the BBB or on ebay.  A good rule of thumb is to stick to products in the $30-150 range, or even more conservatively, in the $40-60 range.

• Tip #2: Shipping is King.  Consider carefully the hassles of shipping your chosen product.  First, if it’s heavy and bulky, it’s going to be expensive to ship.  Even if you’re dropshipping, that price is going to be built into the cost.  If the item is awful to move, or impossible to find, people may be motivated to pay a heavy shipping fee.  Otherwise, consider products that will be cheap and easy to ship, and sturdy enough to arrive at their destination in one piece.  Ironically, in an Ernst and Young  study of internet sales, they found that shipping costs were the number one concern of 53% of the people polled, with the chance of having your credit card number stolen only a distant second at 19%.

• Tip #3: Check the Market.  Here you’ve got two schools of thought: sell the product that is the most searched-for, or sell the product that is the least searched-for.  I say, forget both those ideas.  The former will send you into a saturated marked, and the latter into no market at all.  Instead, look for a product that people have a lot of interest in, but that is not readily available to them at the corner store.  If your product is in-stock locally, make sure the local selection is poor.  For example, one of our Wholesale Match customers made a disgusting amount of money dropshipping belt buckles.  Why were belt buckles an excellent choice?  Because they’re a niche market.  They include a wide range of prices to appeal to every wallet, they’re cheap to ship as well as non-fragile, and while you can find them at your local mall, the selection there is limited.

One final caveat: when possible, build your business around a dropshipper or supplier.  I don’t care  if you love photography and you’ve always wanted to sell cameras online.  If you find an amazing dropshipper or supplier for fishing gear, than sell fishing gear!  Ultimately, you’re in it to make money, and the sooner you find the product to sell online that’s going to provide you with the highest profit margin, the sooner you can start spending your days in your boxer shorts, or better yet, taking your beloved camera on a little field trip to Honolulu.

photo credit: jm3

Uncategorized, dropshipping, make money online, pricing and profits, selling products online

Owning a dropshipping business is a great source of income, but many have become to realize the benefit that additional resources can provide for their site.  For example, affiliate programs can be a great addition to your dropshipping site if used correctly.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when considering affiliate programs for your dropshipping business:

1. Keep an Eye on the Competition: Make sure that the affiliate programs you include on your site would not take business away from your dropshipping business.  This could happen if the site carries similiar product lines as yours, has more competitive prices, carries more name brands, etc.  The key is to pick an affiliate program that sells products that are unrelated enough from your site that those customers would still purchase something from your site, in the event that they are directed to the affiliate’s page.
2. Avoid an Eye-Sore Overload! It is important to go easy on the affiliate programs when looking to earn profit from your dropshipping site.  Have you ever been to site that is so overloaded with affiliate banners that you can’t tell what the main site is even there for?  These types of sites are an extreme turnoff for viewers and will drive away customers.  Keep the affiliates to a minimum.

Affiliate programs can provide a great stimulus to your dropshipping business by generating extra traffic to your site.  By following these simple tips above, you can avoid common mistakes online business owners often make.  Wholesale Match is dedicated to helping you succeed in the e-commerce sphere.  Use our dropshipping directory to search for dropshippers, wholesalers and affiliate programs to add to your online business.

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Creating a home based business can seem like a daunting task for many people.  It is difficult to transfer your great ideas for a business into a reality!  Because we know how difficult this process can be on your own, Wholesale Match offers a wholesale free trial for new customers, which gives you access to many useful tools.

Here are some features of our site that will greatly aid you in your endeavor to start a home based business:

Dropshipper Directory: With this innovative grid design, you can search for dropshippers, wholesalers, and affiliate programs with just one click.  The database is constantly updated, so you know that you are getting the most accurate information possible.  Just recently we have upgraded the searching options to included countries, making it easy to search for only UK based dropshippers, or US based dropshippers.

eBay Education: Many successful people start out their home based business endeavors with eBay sales.  These educational videos will teach you basic and advanced skills that you can utilize when selling on eBay.

Daily Deals: Use your newfound eBay knowledge with our Daily Deals page to create the ultimate home based business.  This page offers dozens of new clearance and sale finds for a great variety of online products.  Here is an example of a great deal that we have found and listed for our customers.  These deals are all available when you sign up for the wholesale free trial.

Buy.com has the D-Link DPH-50U Skype USB Phone Adapter for $9 after $11 instant discount and $10 mail-in rebate (expires 5/31/09), which is 70% off the $30 list price. Shipping is free.  The D-Link Skype USB Phone Adapter allows you to make and receive Skype calls with a landline phone. You can even conference landline and Skype calls together, or set up a call waiting system if you’re on the phone.

$200 in Day: The $200 in a Day video series combines our eBay videos with the Daily Deals to show you how to price your products on eBay to make up to $200 in a day.  This is a very unique feature that teaches you how to set your price, find great deals, and use them to make an awesome profit.

The wholesale free trial is available for new customers, and gives you access to all of the above services for seven days.  This is such a great opportunity for those looking to start a home based business, because we will impart some of our expertise on selling products online to you with absolutely no obligation.

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