Ok, it has been a full day and I just got an email on my Social Media package. I need to remember to read the fine print because I was under the impression that they would set up the social media platform, connect them to my store, and simply hand me the login credentials. Well duh, it seems it can be an issue if FB finds out so I had to do all the work, but yes, they provided me with some pictures, logos, avatar, etc., and a script for each media. Please remember to read the descriptions, I had to correct some because they did not make sense. I know I am not the best writer, but I do run stuff through Grammarly. My thought is, I would not recommend paying for the Social Media package – sorry, if I would have known or read what it all entailed, the cost is definitely not worth what you get. Why I say that is because you can find instructions on how to create a social media page online, pretty easily, for free. As for the art work, that can be found online as well
Now one thing I was not aware of, I just learned, you cannot advertise on your Business Facebook for at least 2-4 weeks, and during that time you need to post something each day, but not over doing it. It seems the Business Manager tools are not available for new accounts, so guess what I cannot follow their marketing guide, just yet. Now, I did read their marketing guide and guess what it does say that at the very beginning, this is what it says, “Facebook does not allow creating Business Manager from newly registered personal accounts. In case you never had an account with Facebook, please create one and first show some real activity there for about 3-4 weeks (adding photos and friends, joining groups, posting comments, sharing and liking pages/posts, etc). Then after a 3-4 week period, you can create a Business Manager. Otherwise, your account can be blocked.” (AliDropship Marketing Guide).
Now, if you have a personal Facebook account already you can create a business page, but the thing with me is I wanted to keep my personal FB from the business, just because that is the way I am. So if you are ok with that, then it will be quicker for you to get started.
The website navigation or editing features are not all that great, it is limited to what you can do, according to the knowledge you have so it can be a slow start even if they set up your store. I was not too impressed with the whole process, the customer service was good while they were working on your order, but once you took delivery the support that comes afterward and they mentioned so often on their website – is NO good. You will have a difficult time getting help and once they get back to you it is usually routing you to an article or possibly a video to have you do the work. It is a learning process, especially if you are a beginner, like myself. You won’t be up and selling in a day or two, I think it will be more like a couple of weeks to see the first sale. I do have to say that I am going to follow their marketing plan once I can, and for the moment I am sharing my store with family and friends – it’s a start.
Also, the exact copy site I bought was mirrored to what they say it can generate a certain amount of revenue a month – following their plan. The thing is product-wise they load it with a bare minimum, and I m confused about that because the site is supposed to be earning an X $$$ amount of revenue, but with the products they have I seriously cannot see that, but once again I will push on. Keep in mind that you will need to continuously add products to your site. Their import feature does display products by popularity so it can be easy to find products. I have been going to Amazon and seeing what their hottest products are and trying to locate them with my supplier it is a job, and I think once I have plenty of products – good products – in my store it will provide a little something for everyone. Yes, I know having a niche is important and I agree, so I am trying to incorporate top products from each popular niche – if that makes sense.
I have to say one thing about the Supplier and don’t get me wrong, I know we are having shipping issues so companies like AliExpress and Alibaba, etc., have a long delivery time – up to 60 days in most cases. So, I am using Sellvia, well let me tell you their prices do not leave enough room for profits. I say this because their prices are high and even their shipping prices on most products are high as well. If you follow their suggested retail price, it is horrendous and it will shock the visitors. I have been adjusting my prices – one by one – to maximize sales and maybe not take in that much profit, actually very little profit. Anyhow, I am still plugging away, with no sale yet, but for now, I am simply looking for top products and adding them to my store. I am desperately trying to load my store with products – good products and reasonable prices, but it is hard, we shall see. The good thing or maybe not is that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming up – we shall see. I will keep you posted on how that went and my progress.
In the meantime, thanks for stopping by, of and by the way, I am trying to get to the point where I can convert these posts to Audio using my own voice, but I am getting behind again. I have completed quite a few so they are available. As always, I leave you with this thought, “You might be able to do all the research in the world on how to start a business, but something will always come up that will snag the progress. Do not fret, don’t give up, keep pushing forward because like Thanos would say, “Success is Inevitable.” – Best of Luck