2020 was a hard year for many businesses that has forced them to relook at the way they sell. For many businesses, they are now looking at or consider how to sell online in South Africa? This can be a daunting task with so much information out there, and a lot of it looks spammy! But at BRBD we believe in helping our country grow, so hopefully we can answer some of your questions in this post.
Our aim for this post is to answer the common questions we hear and see about businesses selling or wanting to sell online. We have adapted it for 2021 so that you are ready to dominate this year.
Where do I sell online?
This is probably the most common questions. Where do you sell online? Selling online is great because it can be in many different places. And often, it can be beneficial to be on more than one platform when you are starting out as it offers a greater reach, more exposure, more marketing, and hopefully more sales.
Here are the 4 common places you can sell online:
Online Marketplaces (Takealot, Loot, Gumtree)
Online Marketplaces or Online Retailers are a great way to sell your products online. Depending on the type of products you sell, there are different places to sell from General Online Retailers to Specialised online retailers, to places like Gumtree where you can sell just about anything. Each has its pro and con for you and your business.
Social Media
Social Media has a great reach and with Facebook & Instagram now allowing you to sell through Facebook Commerce. This allows businesses to tag and link products directly into pictures and posts allowing for easy purchasing.
This can be challenging to setup for some businesses as Facebook is very strict with its requirements.
Social Media Marketplaces (Facebook Marketplace)
Social Media Market places like Facebook Market place can be a great way to sell your products! It combines Online Marketplaces and Social Media. This gives you a greater reach compared to Online Marketplaces as you can link it into your Social Media Marketing.
Your Own Website
Your own website (Such as BRBD for us) gives you a lot of control and tracking opportunities! It allows you to see which products are gaining interest and adjust prices to suit the market. It also allows you to use SEO to get more sales and Social Media. It is a great central to link to all the other places.
How long until I make my first sale?
That is dependent on how established your business and the product you are selling. But with proper marketing and sales funnels you can see results within days! We like to make sustainable sales at BRBD, sales that go on and on.
But remember, that first you need a good product!
With so many ways to sell in 2021, you have a world of opportunity ahead of you! With a dedicated Social Media Marketing Agency and a good product, you can go all the way! Don’t let the woes of 2020 keep you down, succeed in 2021!