new to ecommerce

[stevieboy1101]

Hi

I'm looking at building an ecommerce site. The site will be based on engraving small metallic items. I have my eyes on an engraving machine which will be in my grasp. Im in negotiations buying an EMD.

I just wondered how other people get on making money from ecommerce sites from a standing start with no money for marketing.?
I can do the coding work myself but i'm stumped as to driving traffic especially with such a small product range.

Just to clarify im not looking to take over the world with this just make enough to make it worthwhile.

I know there is no magic wand i just wondered from people who've been successful what is the one thing that's most important to have or to do before you even attempt this.

Your thoughts.

 

[donton]

You could try sending samples to bloggers. I'm not sure what niche your products are in, but there are lots of beauty and lifestyle bloggers with lots of loyal fans/followers who could probably send a few sales your way!

Another way is to try PR - if you've not got the budget for it I guess you could try a DIY campaign. I know of a few pieces of jewellery, and a few fashion accessories, that are selling like mad because celebs are pictured in magazines wearing them. The makers are coining it in.

If I were you, I'd look to provide samples to bloggers first in order to get the ball rolling. Then when you have a bit of turnover, definitely give PR a try (there are lots of good PR people on PPH to hire for reasonable rates). You could also give PPC try, if you can find any keywords that relate closely to the items you're customising and selling.

 

[bonusmedia]

If you're talking about spending £500+ on an engraving machine, if I were you I'd start out by outsourcing the engraving work to someone else. Even if you don't make a profit you can get your site to the point where the numbers make sense and you can justify the capital outlay. This cuts down risk.

Organic search rankings are essentially free traffic. Research the basics of on page SEO for yourself and make sure you post regular, quality, fresh content. Ask for links on relevant sites, give bloggers free relevant content for a link etc.
DO NOT buy links, directory submissions etc etc - there is a lot of rubbish advice out there aimed at getting you to part with cash.

Check out how much Adwords PPC will cost you, in uncompetitive niches it can actually be quite cheap and cost effective.

 

[GotLiveChat]

Adwords is tricky to use, and can be quite frustrating. It's not as easy as it used to be to get affordable impressions. They hide their minimum bids for advertising in what they call 'quality score'. Even if there are no other competitors, Adwords will still want a hidden minimum bid to be shown.