Internet Marketing Business Strategies

If you’ve got the itch to set up a drop shipping business the Internet has made it very easy to be one. All you need to do is set up a website and find a really popular product that’s selling like hotcakes right now and start selling it yourself — and presto, you’re successful… right?

Well, not quite so fast. You certainly can set up a successful business website with product that sell – but you have to prepare the ground for your success first.

You need to carefully think about what you want to sell when it comes to “drop ship” (also called “dropship”) products. Think about using the services of a verified dropshipping researcher before you set up your website and start selling.

Let’s take a look at just how to go about this:

1. Brainstorm

Before you set up a website, decide what you want to sell, first. It’s a good bet you’ve got some ideas perking about what you’re passionate about and what you’d like to sell so sit down and brainstorm some ideas.

2. Take Notes

Sit down and just brainstorm; what you’re looking for here is an idea list. What products are you passionate about? Which do you know a lot about? If you can’t think of “things” to note down, simply write about other passions. This will give you some ideas when it comes time to decide on which drop ship product or products you’re going to sell.

3. Research Your Product

Take a look at what people both want and need. The Internet, the newspaper, magazines — even talking to people — can all give you ideas on drop ship items people both want and need. Take a look at the idea list that you put together previously as you investigate, and add to it as necessary.

4. Determine Your Customer Base and Demand

Next, figure out what your initial customer base and demand would be for the drop ship product or products you’re considering, based upon your previous investigation and list. At first, you may not have a lot of customer contacts, but there should be significant potential that you’ll grow your customer base with a leading-edge product that doesn’t have a lot of competition out there.

5. Pick Your Niche and Product or Products

Do some tentative “picking” at this point, determining what your niche is going to be and what product or products you’re going to sell. Start small; you can always add more products later as you expand your customer base and determine both demand and supply avenues.

6. Determine Drop Ship Suppliers

Drop ship suppliers abound; spend significant time investigating these, to determine a good source or sources for the products you want to sell. Once you get a good volume going, you can also hook up via a software platform that will connect you with multiple suppliers for your product or products. If you don’t want to look for individual drop shippers you can sign up with a company that provides you the network of drop shippers.

7. Set Up Your Website

Ah ha. NOW comes the website. At this point, you’ve got everything in place, including your drop ship product or products, initial supplier(s), and a good customer base that has the potential to grow exponentially. The website is where you will actually sell those products.

8. Promote Your Business

They don’t call it “online marketing” for nothing. Many websites these days have integrated features whereby search engines like Google, etc., are notified the instant you make updates to your website. Nonetheless, make sure you get the word out that you’re actually online and ready to sell drop ship products.

9. Utilize Online Marketplaces

There are many great online marketplaces like Amazon or Ebay where you can sell your products as well. Start using these marketplaces as another channel for your sales.

Jake Sabey is an Education Specialist at Doba, whose proprietary software works with hundreds of drop shipping wholesalers to provide universal access to over 1.5 million wholesale products to online retailers.