Setting Up Your E-Commerce Store

Setting up your e-commerce store can be an arduous task. 

You work on your logo, and branding but the biggest struggle you will encounter is driving sales to your site. 

How can users find out about your products? How do you build channels to you?

First, you can invest heavily in pr agencies that hire people who used to work in media and know the backdoors and channels to get you press coverage. Not only will this drive sales, but this will also legitimize what you are doing. Once the press covers a product, the public tends to think that this overarching body is giving their blessing which is key to building brand loyalty. 

Secondly, you can build an e-mail marketing list. Start with your friends and family and work your way out. An e-mail marketing list keeps the public appraised of your product developments and other iterations. This is essential to building a loyal audience. 

Third, you can invest in online advertising platforms such as Bing and Google. You can find many websites online that will give you a $75 credit to Google to try out their adwords platform. Google is great for driving e-commerce sales since its users are actively searching for a product. Bing offers a $100 credit. They don't have the reach of Google on their search sites like Yahoo but have a fast display network on millions of sites worldwide. 

Most importantly, find a way to connect with your consumers on a personal level. It is much better to find a loyal brand advocate that will share your product among their social circles. This has a great multiplier effect in that two tell two and you move from there. Entire companies such as Spanx have been built using this sort of outreach tactic.