E-Commerce Dropship Sales: How to Be a Better Social Media Marketer

If you have an online dropship business or another ecommerce enterprise, you might be interested in some quick tips that will help you be a better social media marketer.

Social media marketing is huge!

More and more ecommerce entrepreneurs as well as big brands such as Coke, Starbucks, Proctor & Gamble and many others have discovered the benefits of jumping on the social media bandwagon.

Social media marketing affords a small home business the same opportunities as any of the big brands!

If you go about it right, you can help build your brand and promote your online dropship business by leveraging the awesome power of social media.

Here are a few tips to help you be a better social media marketer:

• Choose the social platform that is right for your business. Every social site does not lend itself well to every type of business. For instance, Bebo is a very popular social site that is comprised mainly of younger users. If your dropship business deals mostly in products more suitable for senior citizens; such as motorized wheelchairs and bedside commodes---you will probably be wasting your time on this particular social site.

• Don’t over-do the sales hype! This is a stumbling block and ultimate land mine for many small business entrepreneurs. Anxious to grow traffic and sales, they tout their products too much and start off on the wrong foot with other site users. Of course it’s fine to promote your business, but do it subtly and don’t make every post or tweet about what you are trying to sell.

• Make a commitment of time spent in social media marketing and don’t try to take too many shortcuts. You must realize from the outset that social media marketing, in order to be done most effectively, is going to require a certain amount of time and effort. Don’t skimp on this or your results will reflect your lack of effort.

These are just a few handy tips that will help you be a better social media marketer for your home dropship business.

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Measuring Social Media Marketing Results in 3 Easy Steps

If you have an online dropshipping business or other ecommerce endeavor, you are probably (hopefully) using social media marketing to build your brand and promote your internet business.

Although measuring the ROI, or Return On Investment, of social media marketing isn’t as cut and dried as other types of marketing strategies, it is still possible to get a pretty accurate idea of how your efforts in this direction are paying off for you.

Here are some tips to help you measure your success in social media marketing in 3 easy steps:

1. First, identify your objectives. This simply means that you should have a clear idea of exactly what you hope to accomplish with social media marketing. Do you want to gain X amount of subscribers to your opt-in email newsletter list? Do you want to increase traffic to your dropship website by a set number or percentage? Are you looking to boost sales year over year or month over month? Unless you know what you are trying to do, you won’t know whether you have done it or not.

2. Measure your results by your SERPs, or Search Engine Results Pages. If you are actively engaged in social media marketing on Facebook, for instance, and you jump to the front page in Google search results for your niche: Congratulations! It’s working! Now that Google is crawling the web for real time content, your social media content is more important than ever. If you supply a steady source of fresh, updated, relevant content to your Twitter, Facebook or other social media platform, you should see results in your search ranking.

3. Make sure that you have tied your results to your goals. In other words, if your goal was to boost traffic, then keep up with the stats on how much your traffic is increasing. If your goal was to improve brand recognition, this is much harder to measure. So, for the results that you want to track, it is best to have goals that are less ambiguous and easier to measure.

Measuring the ROI of social media marketing is a bit more challenging than many other metrics, but it can be done!

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Facebook Marketing for Beginners

Anyone with an ecommerce dropship business or other online enterprise would be wise to consider taking advantage of the awesome power of social media---specifically Facebook marketing.

If you are just starting out in a home business, the whole process of social media marketing might seem more than a little intimidating to you.

But, not to worry, it isn’t rocket science although it will require a certain level of knowledge, understanding of how social media marketing works, and a commitment to devote the time and effort required to make it work.

Social media marketing is one of the best ways you can build your brand and grow your online dropshipping business!

While there are several social sites that could be beneficial to you in terms of promoting your online business, you won’t go wrong if you begin with Facebook.

Facebook has over 500 million members and is continuing to grow each and every day.

This means that you have a huge potential audience and target market!

Based on data collected from InsideFacebook.com, there are some astonishing facts about this social media giant:

• With more than half a billion members, if Facebook was a country instead of a social site, it would be the fourth most heavily populated country on earth today.

• More than 85% of women in the U.S. have a social network profile, and 95% of said women are Facebook members.

• To date, Facebook has been translated into over 100 languages, which means it has penetrated almost one-third of the world population.

• More than 50% of all internet users who shop online have a Facebook membership.

• In its latest released quarterly report, Facebook reported a 25% increase in membership in more than 47 countries altogether, over the last quarter.

When you look at the numbers and facts alone, it makes a convincing argument for using Facebook as part of your marketing strategy.

But, there’s more!

Besides having an enormous worldwide membership, Facebook is making great strides in combining social media with ecommerce. In fact, some internet retail analysts are calling Facebook the next big online shopping mall.

Start out with Facebook marketing for your online dropship business and let it help you grow your traffic and sales!

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E-Commerce: Do You Have a Mobile Marketing Strategy?

 If you are an ecommerce entrepreneur with an online dropshipping business or other internet enterprise, have you given any though to a mobile marketing strategy?

Mobile marketing is definitely on the rise!

Here are some very interesting statistics about mobile marketing from mobiThinking: 

• Mobile subscribers are predicted to surpass 5 billion this year. That's over 70 percent of the world population and growing rapidly, led by China and India.
• By 2011, more than 85% of all new handsets sold will be able to access the internet.
•  Predicted estimates of expenditures on mobile advertising ranged from US $1.4 billion to $7.5 billion in 2009, all analysts forecast rapid growth.
•  “In the last twelve months, customers around the world have ordered more than US $1 billion of products from Amazon using a mobile device," – Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com (July 2010).
• Approximately 1 billion people are predicted to be accessing financial services via a mobile device by 2015.
•  Up to 50% of the world’s mobile subscribers might be making payments by mobile by 2014.
•  By 2015, M-Commerce, or mobile commerce, is predicted to reach US $119 billion, with Japan out front.
•  The number of people accessing the mobile Internet is growing fast and is expected to overtake the PC as the most popular way to get on the Web within five years.
• Juniper Research (August 2009) predicts that total advertising expenditure on mobile was expected to rise from just over US $1.4 billion in 2009 to US $6 billion in 2014. Of this, ad spend on mobile Internet was estimated to be US$500 million in 2009.

 These factoids seem pretty convincing as to the importance of having a mobile marketing strategy for your ecommerce business!

Here is an educational YouTube video about developing a mobile marketing strategy that you might find helpful:

 

 

Catch the wave of the future with mobile marketing and make sure you take advantage of consumers on the move to help increase traffic and sales for your home dropshipping business.

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Top Twitter Tactics to Maximize Social Media Marketing

If you are an ecommerce entrepreneur with a home dropshipping business or other online enterprise, you have probably at least thought about using Twitter as part of your social media marketing efforts, if you aren’t already tweeting merrily away!

Twitter is definitely a vital presence in the world of internet social sites, and can be extremely beneficial to anyone with an online business.

Of course, just as is the case with any other endeavor, the more knowledge you have about how Twitter works---as well as how to optimize your social marketing presence on Twitter---the better off you will be.

Here are some tactics to help you get more mileage out of your time spent in social media marketing on Twitter:  

• You are allowed 15 characters for your Twitter User ID. Use them wisely! Make your Twitter name memorable, descriptive and relevant. It should be something that makes it obvious what your online business is about.

• You are allowed 20 characters for your “real” name on Twitter. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to use your real name, which might be more than 20 characters anyhow. This is an added opportunity for you to make a statement about your ecommerce business in some way. For instance, if you have a toll fee number, you might incorporate it into your real Twitter name.

• When you are filling out your profile info for Twitter and see the space for “Web Address,” this is a golden opportunity for you to display the dedicated landing page you are using for Twitter on your website!

• You are allowed 160 characters for your one line bio on Twitter. Make the most of this space by including a link to your website and making your bio something snappy and interesting. The whole idea here is to be someone others will want to follow and learn more about!

• Post a personal picture of yourself. This is important! Twitter and other social sites are all about people interacting with other people. You can help “humanize” yourself by giving viewers a real face to put with your Twitter name.

These are only a few Twitter tactics, but if you use them well, they can be quite helpful in making the most of your social media marketing efforts!

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The Hidden Value of Social Media Marketing

If you have been using social media marketing to promote your online dropship business or other ecommerce endeavor, and been disappointed because it seems the ROI (Return On Investment) isn’t all that high---you might need to take a look at the bigger picture to see the true value of your efforts.

According to a recent report from Forrester Research, a lot of ecommerce entrepreneurs are only considering the face value dollar wise of social media marketing, which is the wrong way to look at it.

While it is true that you can measure the ROI of social networking in terms of how many Twitter or Facebook only coupons were redeemed or how many click throughs to your website originated on these social sites, the fact is that the actual value to your business goes deeper than that!

Forrester analyst and report author Augie Ray wrote this in a blog post:

“Many marketers can draw a straight line between investments in social media marketing and financial results, but many more cannot.  This doesn't mean social media marketing is ineffective; it just means that marketers have to recognize benefits beyond dollars and cents. 

Facebook fans, retweets, site visits, video views, positive ratings and vibrant communities are not financial assets--they aren't reflected on the balance sheet and can't be counted on an income statement--but that doesn't mean they are valueless.  Instead, these are leading indicators that the brand is doing something to create value that can lead to financial results in the future.”

Ray goes on to suggest that the value of social media marketing should be looked at in these four ways:

1. Financial
2. Digital
3. Brand
4. Risk Management

Ray cautions marketers to look beneath the surface for financial benefits from social media marketing that are not immediately apparent.

When looking at risk management, Ray says this:

“"This perspective is not about creating positive ROI but reducing unforeseen negative ROI in the future." By estimating the likelihood and potential cost of PR issues over time, a company could also estimate how much it might save by way of using social media.”

As for Brand, he notes that it comes down to simple measurements such as increasing brand awareness, preference, purchase intent and brand association, as well as whether or not these factors were influenced by an online business presence.

The digital aspect of social media marketing is more easily measured. Ray used the efforts of Swanson Health Products as an example, which:

“improved the visibility of its product reviews to search engines" and "saw a 163% increase in search engine traffic to product pages.”

Ray says that businesses should go beyond the monetary face value of social media marketing:

“Many marketing investments are not intended to furnish immediate financial results but instead create long-term brand value. The greatest and most valuable brands weren't created in one quarter to the next but with an eye toward building lasting relationships with customers. Smart marketers are coming to recognize the way social media marketing can deliver on those same long-term values and are building programs with strategies and metrics to suit.”

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Social Media Marketing: How to Protect Your Privacy on Facebook

Are you doing all you can to protect your privacy on Facebook while still taking advantage of its valuable benefits for social media marketing for your home dropship business or other ecommerce enterprise?

Social media marketing works. There is no doubt about that. Social sites are a prime way for an enterprising entrepreneur to promote their online business and build their brand.

Facebook, for instance, has an estimated 500 million members and continues to grow at a phenomenal rate.

So, using Facebook as part of your social media marketing strategy is good business sense.

However, in view of some recent privacy issues with Facebook, taking steps to protect your privacy might be prudent.

What can you do to help safeguard your privacy on Facebook?

Here are a few timely tips:

• Understand how the “Like” button works. If you click on the universal Like button from anywhere on the World Wide Web, you should be aware that you are authorizing Facebook to post your internet activity directly into your Facebook profile as well as your friends’ news feeds. In other words, everyone will be able to see where you have been on the internet. This could prove to be mighty embarrassing, especially for an online merchant, depending on the websites you might visit in your spare time.

• Use Facebook’s Applications and Websites privacy settings. When you visit that page on Facebook, you will see an option called “Instant Personalization.” You should UN-check the Allow button. This will opt you out of instant sharing such as the Like button and will delete your info from Facebook’s partner sites.

• Decide how much information you want your Facebook friends to be able to share about you. To tweak your privacy settings in this area, go to the Applications privacy setting page and uncheck the appropriate boxes, depending on how much you are willing to share.

You will need to keep an eye on things regarding your Facebook privacy, as more changes and new applications will probably come along in the future.

Facebook is an awesome platform for social media marketing, but you should be proactive in protecting your privacy!

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Social Media Marketing: Facebook and Privacy Issues

If you are actively engaging in social media marketing for your home dropshipping business or other ecommerce endeavor, you are probably using Facebook and might have some concerns about privacy issues on this social site.

If you are somewhat worried about your privacy on Facebook, your uneasiness might be justified.

Just a few days ago, a huge data base was uploaded to Bit Torrent that contained the names as well as public info on every Facebook user profile that was searchable.

This 2.8 GB file that was uploaded to Bit Torrent had information on over 170 million Facebook User Profiles!

This is not the first time Facebook privacy issues have been raised.

Recently, there was a problem with Facebook apps that divulged too much information and privacy settings that are confusing to say the least.

When this latest privacy issue with the data uploaded to Bit Torrent was made public, Facebook was quick to point out that the information was accessible anyway, and posed no threat to the security of Facebook members.

Here is a quote from a statement sent to the New York Times by a Facebook spokesperson:

“People who use Facebook own their information and have the right to share only what they want, with whom they want, and when they want. Our responsibility is to respect their wishes. ... No private data is available or has been compromised. Similar to the white pages of the phone book, this is the information available to enable people to find each other, which is the reason people join Facebook.”

Unfortunately, many internet users aren’t quite so unconcerned about this most recent Facebook privacy concern.

As many people have pointed out, the information might be accessible, but it isn’t organized and collated as it is in the Bit Torrent file. Having random bits of Facebook member data is one thing, but once it is all organized together---it becomes much more useful to potential scammers.

What does this mean to you?

You should tweak your Facebook privacy settings ASAP and make sure that your information cannot be harvested by all and sundry! If someone did get your Facebook information, it might not be used in a scheme to rip you off in some way.

But on the other hand---better safe than sorry!

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Social Media Marketing: Using Facebook Effectively

If you are a serious ecommerce entrepreneur with a home dropshipping business or other online enterprise, you are probably at least considering jumping on the social media bandwagon and using Facebook for marketing and building your brand.

Facebook is big and getting bigger every day!

Presently, Facebook reports having more than 500 million members, and according to Facebook research and internet analysts, that number won’t do anything but grow in the future.

In fact, along with being a force to be reckoned with in the world of social sites on the World Wide Web, Facebook has been predicted to be the next big online shopping mall, as it branches out more and more into ecommerce.

So, this is definitely somewhere you need to be actively promoting your business and building your brand!

Here are some tips to using Facebook more effectively:

If you are computer savvy enough to create an app for a great interactive game or quiz for Facebook, you should do so post haste! Internet research shows that online users like to interact, and by providing them with a fun and catchy way to do this---you might find yourself going viral before you know it.

If you are unable to create an app yourself, think about hiring a freelancer or a professional to do it for you. The cost of hiring it done would almost certainly be offset by increased traffic and business for you!

Share both ways----link your Facebook page to your website and your business blog, and vice versa. Also provide Facebook members a way to share content they like on your website or blog by adding a clickable button to share with others.

Take advantage of Facebook’s analytics to measure your efforts and monitor the success of your social networking efforts. Facebook Insights provides you with fantastic free info about how other members are interacting with your Facebook page, their demographics, who has become a fan and who has unsubscribed. This is useful information!

Facebook can be hugely effective in helping to build and promote your online business, and even more so if used wisely!

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E-Commerce: Twitter Tools to Make Life Easier

If you are an ecommerce entrepreneur with a home dropship business or other online endeavor, you are hopefully taking advantage of the awesome power of social media marketing, and might appreciate some free Twitter tips that can streamline your efforts and make life a little easier in the process!

Although social media marketing is hugely effective, it will only produce results equal to the effort you are willing to invest in it.

In other words, you can’t spend 5 minutes a day on Twitter, tweeting about basically nothing, and expect to reap rich rewards from social media marketing.

But, if you are like many or even most folks with a home business in ecommerce, you probably run your business by yourself and wear a lot of hats, so time is at a premium.

Here are some tips that will make your marketing efforts on Twitter just a little easier:

Use Social Oomph:  You can opt for a free account or a professional account. The free account has a lot of apps that will definitely save you time and effort on Twitter! Here are the free features:

• Schedule Tweets
• Track Keywords 
• Extended Profile that allows you to promote yourself better
• Save and re-use drafts
• Send automated DMs to new followers
• dld.bz URL shortening---Track your clicks
• Follow those who follow you automatically
• Vet new followers---semi automated
• View @mentions and retweets for improved efficiency
• Purge your DM box and keep it tidy
• Secure Twitter and Buzz access---no passwords
• Personal status feed---your own tweet engine
• Respect StatusNet site limits---Be nice
• Unlimited accounts at no charge

Use ManageFlitter:  Another great FREE timesaver that will simplify your Twitter marketing efforts tremendously! This one has these features and more:

• Clean up and manage who you follow.
• Find out who isn't following you back.
• Find out which inactive accounts you follow.
•  Easily search inside your Twitter stream. 

Use CoTweet: This handy FREE service is wonderful for monitoring your online reputation! Features include:

• Message Archive
• Multi-Account Posting
• Tweet Scheduling
• Click Tracking
• Rich Profiles
• Conversation Threading
• Assignments
• And More

Using these free services will help you get the maximum results from your Twitter marketing with the minimum of time and effort!

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