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What online courses platform can I use to learn marketing strategies for ecommerce?

Young black male entrepreneur studying marketing strategies for his new online store. He is sat at a desk with a coffee and laptop, writing in a notebook

Having an ecommerce site allows you to keep an eye on analytics, which makes marketing strategies easier to design and implement…unless you’re a complete novice. If you’re setting up your online shop but haven’t the foggiest on how to make the most of it, then you can take a MOOC (massive online open course) to quickly learn the fundamentals. We’ve put together some of the best MOOC options. 

Udemy

Udemy is one of the largest MOOC platforms, and they have a great selection of courses on marketing strategies, with the most popular marketing courses ranging from £10-20. The price includes lifetime access to the course, so you can go back to brush up on your skills whenever you want, as well as a certificate upon completion. With a 30-day money back guarantee, they’re a great place to start, and they even have a marketing course quiz to help you choose which course is right for you!

Coursera

This is one of the largest providers of free courses out there, so if you’re on a budget, then this is the place to look! For most courses, you will have to pay extra if you want to get a verified certificate at the end, but you can view the course content free of charge and there is financial aid available if you need it. They offer a 7-day free trial to see if you like the extra features. 

EdX

EdX offers free courses from top universities and institutions. With most courses, you can access course content and discussion boards for free, but you won’t be able to view it after the course duration ends. The paid version includes lifetime access to course content as well as graded assessments and certification upon completion.

These are all general MOOC providers where you can search for marketing strategy courses, but some marketing specialist companies offer their own. Hootsuite, Hubspot Academy, and QuickSprout all offer specialised marketing courses that will give you pointers on how to increase revenue and attract more customers to your online shop. Universities also offer online courses (such as this one from University Arts London) but they’re often much more expensive than MOOCs. 

If you haven’t got your own website up and running yet, what are you waiting for? With Go Sitebuilder, you can have an ecommerce site online in just a few hours, with no experience needed. Try them out now with a 14-day free trial. 

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What’s the best online business to start in 2020?

A male and a female business owners stood in a shop looking at a tablet device. Both are wearing aprons and smiling

This is the year you start your own successful online business! You’re looking for freedom, cash flow and an escape from the 9-5 commuter grind – but first, you need to decide on a business idea. 

Start a blog and monetise it

What could you talk about for hours on end? Try starting a blog on a subject you’re interested in. It’s not quite as easy as it sounds though, as you’ll have to consistently publish content that engages users to develop a solid following. Once you’ve got this though, you can start earning money through affiliate marketing or advertising. 

Affiliate marketing is where you earn a commission by promoting products through your blog. It’s useful to have a basic knowledge of SEO and copywriting for this (here’s a good beginner’s guide from SEO Moz), and you’ll get better results promoting content that is similar to your blog to start with. Amazon’s affiliate program has a list of products you can advertise if you’re stuck for ideas. 

You can also make money by selling advert space on your blog, but to get a decent income you have to have millions of viewers. It’s a good side hustle, but don’t expect it to become your main form of income. 

Coaching and online courses

If you have a good level of expertise in a certain subject, you can monetise it! You will have to promote it yourself through a website, social media and email lists, and it’s often useful to have a blog related to your subject of expertise to give yourself more credibility. 

Online coaching involves few clients, but at a high hourly rate. It’s a quick way to start earning money fast, and you can charge premium prices – but make sure to do some market research to set your price. 

Online courses are low risk, high reward ventures. They are easily scalable and can reach a global audience, and as they don’t have a sell-by date, they can make money over time with minimal input from you. 

Ecommerce

You’ll need to do your research to find a profitable market first, with steady growth, and it’s best to keep your idea specific rather than general to give yourself an edge. 

There are lots of costs involved in ecommerce, so make sure your product costs at least £50, if not more, otherwise you might find you aren’t making any profit at all! A cheaper option is to use dropshipping, where the products are held and sent by the supplier rather than you. 

To set up a profitable and successful online business, go into something you care about and you have a good level of knowledge on. And for each of these options, a website is paramount. Try Go Sitebuilder’s simple website creator with our free 14-day trial and start your online business today! 

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How can I sell things fast?

How can I sell things fast?

Creating a successful ecommerce brand revolves around building trust and a loyal following, which doesn’t happen overnight. But if you do need to sell things quickly, we’ve put together a few tips to help you get your products off your hands! 

Price it right

First, look at products that are similar to yours on online marketplaces. On Ebay, you can refer to the “completed listings” section, which shows you what products have sold and how much they cost. This can help you evaluate both the demand for the product and the standard price. 

If speed is your priority, list the item for slightly less than other similar products, but be willing to negotiate, especially if you’re selling on an online marketplace. Everybody loves to get a good deal, so prepare to sell your product for 10-20% lower than the price you listed it. If you’re using your own ecommerce site, consider offering discount codes or having a sale section.

Description and pictures

When writing the copy for your product, think about what you would want to know if you were buying this item. If it’s second-hand, make sure to include what condition it is in and why you’re selling it, and as for any other product, include detailed specifications, any special features that will help it stand out, and what accessories come with the product. 

The pictures of the item can make or break a sale. Make sure they are clear and taken in good lighting, and if there are any issues, take a close up of these as well. This helps build trust and gives the customer a good idea of what they’re buying, whereas limited and poor-quality pictures make the product look worse than it is and suggest you might be hiding something. 

Sell more than one product at a time

If you really need to get rid of some stock, you can sell your products in ready-made packs that will encourage your potential customer to buy more than the one product they originally wanted.

Selling items quickly isn’t always easy, but if you follow these steps then you can give yourself a good chance to speed up sales on your products! If you want to try out some of these tips on your own website, check out Go Sitebuilder’s 14-day free trial and have a look at all of the extra features they offer for ecommerce sites.