You have your products, you have a target audience you want to sell them to, you have set up your website, and the web store is good to go. Now you need to make a sale. And you have set yourself a target in your first thirty days.
That is no small feat if you are doing all the wrong things.
Like not promoting your product, not connecting with people and networking, and not getting on blogs or on social media to get more exposure for your business. Not doing any of these things means you will have difficulty making that sale in your first thirty days, and, in the long run, will set you up for failure.
So, you really want to make that first sale in thirty days?
The most important thing you need to do is drive traffic. Drive traffic to your website, and to your business. Let people see what you have and how much you are selling them for. Make them understand that what you have is better than what anyone else has. Convert those casual onlookers to loyal customers, by driving traffic to your business.
Social Media
Using social media to do business is now easier than ever. Social media providers even give you access to tools for business, helping wholesalers to drive traffic to their business and gain customers.
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Facebook
Using Facebook for marketing purposes is one of the biggest tools in a new wholesaler’s arsenal. Facebook is a very popular social media tool, with a wide range of users of varying age groups and backgrounds. You can provide a link to your website on your profile, join Facebook groups and forums that are related to what you do, or consist of your target audience, and post there regularly about your business. You can create a Facebook page pertaining to your business and post useful information there on prices and discounts.
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Instagram
Instagram is great for wholesale businesses that involve visuals or pictures, things that people can see and relate to. With Instagram, wholesalers can put up pictures or videos of products, and with the use of hashtags in the comments, can drive traffic to their website (with a link provided).
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Pinterest
This is an overlooked social media tool for business, a mistake lots of wholesale businesses do. Pinterest has a certain demographic of people, which is women, and businesses can appeal to them via Pinterest’s clever and fun use of boards and pins.
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LinkedIn
This is basically business social media for business people. LinkedIn has a vast array of businesses and business-minded people. You can connect with people, make contacts, and advertise your wholesale business. With a complete profile that details what you do. You can also have posts with links that inform people about what is happening in your business. Be it sales or promotions, LinkedIn is a great way to drive traffic to your business.
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Twitter
Twitter even has a version of itself that can be used for business. As far as advertising goes, Twitter is up on the list with Facebook, or even farther up. Twitter is great for reaching any demographic of people, and, with its word limit for post updates, one gets to be creative with what they write, thus gaining more exposure and followers.
Google AdWords And Google Analytics
These may seem quite tricky to use, but once you understand them, these tools will do a lot for your wholesale business. With Google AdWords, you can look up keywords that people are searching for that can be beneficial for getting your website search engine optimized.
With Google Analytics you can gauge how well your business is doing, and how much traffic you are driving by using a particular tactic. This will keep you on your toes, tweaking things here and there till you hit that specific tactic that gets you more customers and makes that sale for you.
Blogs and Bloggers
Do not underestimate the power and reach of blogging.
Your website ought to have a blog. This contains articles on topics you’re knowledgeable about. You can write about controversial articles, and write blogs on comparisons between products.
Get bloggers to let you guest post on their blogs.
You can write about topics related to your business that are helpful to the reader. You can also provide a description of your business and a link in your author’s bio.
Give bloggers products to try for free in exchange for a review. These will get you the exposure you need, drive traffic to your site, and enable you to make that first sale.
Partnerships
Form partnerships with other wholesale businesses.
These partnerships should be non-competitive and be of mutual benefit to both of you. You can hold contests online, where the prizes would be your sample products or discounts on products.
Partner with another brand with complementary products, so that you can give out samples of your products with theirs at discounts.
Go Offline
You are a new wholesale business. You need to get down and dirty to make that first sale.
It is called gaining initial traction. Get your family and friends on board with you, and let them spread the word about your business. Meet people and tell them about your products, and offer them samples.
Go to seminars and conferences and give talks or little speeches, educating folk about your business. Physically meet other business owners and discuss with them, learn from them, exchange ideas, and form partnerships.
Conclusion
With these tips, you can begin to work your way to your first sale within thirty days of opening your new business, looking at what methods are useful and which are not. With your particular brand and market in mind, you will reach that sale target and begin your journey as a successful wholesale business owner.
