March 2019 - Photo Direct

5 Tips For Starting an eBay Business

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Photo Direct in Education with Comments Disabled Last Modified March 27, 2019

Selling products online is often one of the first things new entrepreneurs consider as a business model. The start-up costs are lower than having a physical location and online shopping is growing. eBay is one of the first platforms that come to mind when considering selling online. After all, if it’s easy enough for anyone to sell used household items, starting a business on eBay can’t be that hard, right?

An eBay business, like any other business, comes with it’s own set of challenges. Try these five tips if your considering starting a business on eBay.

Make sure you are familiar with the platform first.

Have you ever sold or bought anything from eBay? You should be familiar with eBay if you are considering using the platform to launch a business. Make sure you understand how the auctions work, how the “buy it now” options work, and what the typical listings look like. It’s a good idea to do some shopping there yourself. As you browse, ask yourself what tempts you to buy one listing over another similar listing? The answer will help you start an eBay business off on the right foot.

Treat your business as a traditional business.

eBay is just an online sales platform — eBay isn’t going to name your business for you, decide what to sell, or set your prices. In that manner, treat your eBay business as a traditional business. While you may be selling online, you still need a name, a business plan, and a strategy for turning a profit. What will you sell? How will you make your listings stand out from the other listings on eBay? Answer those questions before you get started.

Use good product photos and well-written listings to stand out.

eBay is a popular platform, which usually means there’s often more than one listing for an item. Your business will do a lot better if you make your listings stand out — and not necessarily by paying extra fees to boost them. Make sure your product photos highlight the product well with good lighting and a simple backdrop. Use a variety of images as well. Work to write a clear, interesting product description to help encourage buyers.

Research the market and trends.

What you sell on eBay will determine a lot of your business model. Besides working to find something that you can consistently sell at a profit, make sure to do your research to find current trends. Selling a product that’s seeing a growth or limited availability will be easier than selling a product that isn’t very much in demand. Be sure to stay on top of market trends as you determine what direction to take your business.

Don’t stop growing.

Once you get started, continue to evaluate your business. Keep track of which products sell quickly and which products take a little longer. Track the changes to your products, prices and listings, so you can determine what changes are helping and what changes are hurting. Consider other platforms to sell products online to expand beyond eBay.

Starting an eBay business isn’t a get rich scheme, but it can build a long term sustainable business if you take the right steps. Follow the trends, treat your eBay business like a traditional business, and continue finding new ways to grow.

6 Reasons To Support Small, Local Businesses

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Photo Direct in Education with Comments Disabled Last Modified March 22, 2019

Sure, when you need to buy something it’s easy to just head to Amazon — but can shopping with a small business instead make your dollar go further? Shopping at local small business can improve the economy in your area, rather than padding the pockets of a large corporation. While you shouldn’t treat all big businesses as the bad guy — since some small businesses sell products on Amazon, after all — it’s a great idea to consider local businesses first. Here’s why.

Shopping local keeps more money in the local economy.

If you shop at a big box store in your town, some of that money stays in the community. But if you shop at a small business, more of that money stays in the community. A recent study found the difference is between about 43 percent staying locally or 68 percent. Shopping locally with small businesses boosts the economy more than shopping locally from a big chain store.

Get to know your community.

When you shop local, you meet more local community. This can be especially important if you’re also a business owner yourself. Shopping locally can help you network with other businesses that may in return shop at your business. Or, you may simply develop a new relationship with another local, and that’s good too.

Shopping local has a smaller impact on the environment.

Driving out of town to shop and paying for shipments from overseas creates more waste and carbon emissions. Local businesses can be more environmentally friendly, especially if the products are also produced locally. In general, shopping from local businesses has a smaller impact on the environment.

Small businesses are more diverse.

You know that one restaurant or shop in town that’s unlike any other you’ve seen? Small businesses tend to be more unique than large corporations. And the only way to keep that uniqueness going is to support that business when you shop. Keep those odd-but-wonderful mum and dad shops going with local support.

Customer service improves with small businesses.

Large businesses have big support teams — but you’re more likely to start by actually talking to a person instead of a robot when you are working with a small business. If you make a purchase at a small business and need help, chances are, you’ll get better service from that local small business — and you can easily get support in person.

Supporting a range of businesses keeps prices competitive.

What happens if the only thing that’s left are those big box stores? Then those big box stores no longer have to keep their prices low. Shopping with local businesses helps keep that business running. The more businesses that are running, the more competition there is. The more competition there is, the more likely it is that prices will stay low.

There are dozens of different reasons to shop locally and support a small business — especially if you are a small business owner yourself. Support a local business to boost the local economy, create new relationships, and more.

Launching a new product or service isn’t as easy as it used to be.

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Photo Direct in Marketing with Comments Disabled Last Modified March 8, 2019

For good or bad, those days are gone. Today, the pace of news is limited only by the speed of light. Getting attention has become extremely difficult and the attention you do get is forgotten within minutes with the unceasing flow of even “newer news”.

New tactics are required by you to get the notice you deserve. So here are some steps for a successful launch in these fickle times:

Start early. Start your outreach activities 6-8 weeks before the official launch date and then keep the news going up to, and beyond the official launch date.
Make the product or service available to important influencers as a first step. Influencers can be friendly customers, prospects, or even bloggers who have a sizable online presence. Encourage these people to use your product or service and then write review articles or posts. These folks are also great resources to talk to analysts about your offering pre-launch.
Brief industry analysts during this early phase, scheduling calls with these people takes time so do this early.
Seed the social space with “leaks.” Target people who are naturally eager to learn about your offering. For example, ‘coming soon’ tweets and ‘leaked’ photos of your product create an aura of intrigue that builds interest.
Don’t expect a “big bang” release unless your product or service is truly revolutionary. Unless you have a massive launch event planned, the official launch date should only signify the day your product is actually available.

So what are you waiting for? Take care, plan and GOOD LUCK !!

And don’t forget if you need any help Photo Direct is always here just give us a call on 1300 364 817.

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