I’ve been selling online for more than five years now, so in the online world I feel like a bit of a veteran. I’ve sold downloadable products, online courses and memberships and I’ve even helped my kids to create a micro business selling subscription boxes. Sadly that last one didn’t last, which is a shame. It could have changed the world!

Not every online venture I’ve launched has been wildly successful, but some have really paid off and now I generate the majority of my income from online sales. 

My big driver to move sales online was wanting to spend more time with my family during school holidays. Whether your interest in creating some online revenue comes from necessity or a desire to diversify, there’s never been a better time to do it. 

In this article, I’m going to give you a thorough understanding of all of your options when it comes to:

• creating a basic online store with products
• taking payments online
• launching an online course

I’ve even created a step-by-step online mini course for you to follow along with in your own time. But before we start, remember that the best option for you is always the one that you feel will be the easiest to use.

E-COMMERCE QUICK WINS

ADDING A STORE TO YOUR EXISTING SITE

The easiest way to get up and running quickly with e-commerce, is to add some kind of shop functionality to your existing website. 

The two main website building platforms which enable you to easily do this, are Squarespace and WordPress.

Even the most basic SquareSpace accounts include e-commerce functionality, with a product catalogue and a shopping cart and you can add that functionality to any of their templates. 

With the second option, WordPress, you can easily add a store area to any WordPress website using the free plugin, WooCommerce, no matter which theme you are using. It’s particularly easy to do if you are using a page building tool like Divi of Elementor. Most page builders have support for popular store plugins built in.

USING ESTABLISHED SELLING PLATFORMS

If you’re looking for a quick win, obviously you can start selling straight away in Etsy or Ebay. In fact, some of the most successful shop owners I know started out on these platforms and indeed, still sell on them alongside their own online stores, because the higher volume of purchases makes it worth the commission you have to pay. 

It’s also a great way to build brand loyalty. You’ll also find that many people search on Ebay or Etsy but then take the time to find the seller’s website and buy directly from the seller. It’s a great springboard for selling online if you’d like a proven platform to take care of all of the technical details in exchange for the commission they charge.

USING A STANDALONE SERVICE

If you feel you’re ready to launch an independent online store but you’d still like the security of an established platform, then Shopify is a great option, particularly if you don’t already have a website. 

With Shopify, you can use their website builder to create a whole website, map it to a custom domain and start adding products using their set up wizard. It’s designed to be easy to use and it is. Even their basic free plan allows you to set up a simple storefront.

POPULAR PAYMENT GETAWAYS

Payment gateways refer to services that allow you to take credit card payments. The most popular services are PayPal or Stripe and nearly all stores and shop plugins give you the option of using both of them.

PayPal has changed considerably in recent years, so if you’re thinking of PayPal as a small time solution tied to Ebay, you couldn’t be more wrong. PayPal has really grown up as a payment solution and many big online businesses use it exclusively to take online payments. It’s easy to set up and most online store solutions offer a connection wizard to make the integration even easier.

I’d also like to mention Square, which is an excellent choice if you are going to manage inventory online and at point of sale.

ONLINE COURSE ACTIONS

If you’ve been offering in-person workshops or one-to-one video coaching, then now could be a great time to bring your coaching fully online and create a course.

USING A DEDICATED COURSE PLATFORM

As with e-commerce, you can use a dedicated course platform or add course functionality to your existing website. 

When it comes to teaching platforms, there are plenty of standalone options that will do the heavy lifting and help you get started quickly. 

Some of the big names include Thinkific, Teachable and Kajabi. They are simple to use. You register, choose a vanity url and are guided through a set up process to help you create your course and get ready to sell it. 

A good platform will include ways to track student progress, add interactivity and also connect to your email marketing platform. 

Advantages: It’s an all-in-one solution and easy to set up. It’s also good if you don’t have a WordPress website.

Disadvantages: All-in-one solutions come at a cost, in the form of monthly fees because you’re effectively paying to rent their software system and server space. You might also find that the design limitations are frustrating as well as accepting that you’re locked into using their platform. 

ADDING COURSE FUNCTIONALITY TO YOUR EXISTING SITE

If you have a WordPress website and you’re comfortable adding and configuring plugins, then this is going to be a quick and cost-effective solution for you. 

If you go down this route, the big name players are LifterLMS, LearnDash and, for membership sites, Memberpress. 

As with WooCommerce, it’s very easy to add a course plugin to an existing WordPress website and there are none of the high monthly fees you see with standalone platforms.

Some of the plugins do charge an annual fee, but my personal preference is for LifterLMS, which is free to install and then charges only for the add-on functionality you need. 

Also, on the plus side, you have complete design freedom and you’ll find that the most popular page builders can now be used to design lessons and courses just the way you want them to look. 

The downside? You might need to learn a little code to make things look perfect and if you want really complex functionality, the add-ons can start to add up.

WANT TO GET STARTED?

I’ve broken down all of the information in this article into a free step-by-step video course, with bitesize tutorials and downloadable layouts for WordPress to get you up and running quickly.

If you would like to grab the free course, head over to https://themarketingfix.co/learn to register.