Ok, so you bought a premade Shopify dropshipping store. You might ask yourself, what next?
At first, it might be difficult to know how to start, especially when you are a beginner in e-commerce and dropshipping.
We got together with our team of dropshippers and compiled a list of 7 tips on how you can get started with your prebuilt Shopify dropshipping store and start earning sales as soon as possible.
1. SEO is Essential for All Shopify Ecommerce Websites
SEO is the abbreviation for search engine optimization. It refers to the process of boosting the visibility of your website when people search for it. From the definition, it is clear that its importance revolves around ensuring that when people make web searches about products that you sell on your dropshipping store, your website is one of the first results that pop up.
Basically, SEO allows you to get "free" sales from google through organic search. This is especially beneficial, since people searching on Google already have an intent to buy your product, you just need to reach them.
To improve the SEO of your website or dropshipping store, you need to edit ALT text, meta fields, do image compression, but most importantly, write helpful blog posts in the niche of products in Your Shopify store. These articles must be full of popular search terms, frequently asked questions etc. The more meaningful content Your website has, the better.
Not sure what to write about in Your Shopify Blog? A great tool to help you is Google's Keyword Planner. It lets you see what are the most popular search terms that are being used by customers inside your dropshipping niche.
SEO is the backbone of the internet searches and to take advantage, ensure that you write as many blog posts and keyword-oriented SEO-based Shopify website content on your Shopify dropshipping store .
2. Start Running Paid AD Campaigns on TikTok, Google & Facebook Ads
Remember, buying a premade Shopify dropshipping store is only the first step.
You still need to drive traffic to your Shopify website. When you're just starting, the best way to do this is to start running paid advertising campaigns on AD platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Google, and YouTube.
Don't be scared to spend money on marketing, as this is an investment and it allows you to start optimizing your AD campaigns for better results. It might take a few hundred dollars of adspend before You get Your first sale from ads. Optimize Your AD campaign as soon as you start gaining data.
Ad campaigns are also a great tool to learn more about your customers and to gain valuable insight about what works, and what doesn't.
In 2022, creative is king! Having a beautiful, scroll-stopping AD creative is the easiest, but most effective way to stand out from your competitors.
For example, in 2022, the highest converting ads are UGC video ads.
UGC video ads, or user generated content, or consumer generated marketing are ads made by real users of your products and not actors or paid advertisers.
This type of AD helps to build trust between you and the buyers, as it helps your customer easily relate to the person endorsing your products.
You can see examples of top-performing UGC Video Ads here.
To learn more about UGC Video Ads, read our in-depth UGC Marketing article here.
Thus, the rule is simple; The more you spend, the better results you will start to earn from your AD campaigns.
3. Learn From Your Dropshipping Competitors!
One of the fastest ways to learn about online commerce is by looking at your competitors, and learning from their successes and, just as importantly, their mistakes.
Look at what words they are using, how they are marketing, what creatives they are using, what landing pages they have, which selling points they are using, how they are branding themselves etc.
An important tool every dropshipper should know about is the Facebook AD library.
The Facebook AD Library allows you to directly see what AD campaigns your competitors are running, what AD copy they use and what creatives they are using. Before you create your first AD campaign, definitely use this tool.
Learn about Your competitors - Take inspiration from them and expand on their ideas by adding your own creativity. Furthermore, learn what not to do, and what throws You off about your competitors.
Remember, competition is a good thing. It's a healthy sign of a booming industry with high demand and it drives businesses forward to provide more value to customers.
4. Learn eCommerce Branding Theory
Branding is a way of creating an identity for your business or product.
Branding is what creates an emotional connection between businesses and customers.
Thus, wherever your customers see your brand identity, they know it is your business or product. When you buy a prebuilt dropshipping store, there are already some measures of branding done for you, such as brand colors, brand logo, etc.
However, branding is a lot more than that. For example, how you communicate with your customer on social media, more specifically what words You use, what abbreviations you use etc.
An example of branding that speaks very loud is that of Apple. Apart from the unique logo that the tech company uses, the minimalistic design of iPhones is one of their well-known examples of branding. You can identify an apple device from far away just by seeing its exterior.
Branding is another powerful, yet, simple way to stand out from your competitors since it's importance is often overlooked by small-minded dropshippers in today's ecommerce.
5. Work with Social Media Influencers & KOL-s! Create Your Community.
We have already mentioned that UGC video ads are advertising videos made by real users of the products. While these video ads help to drive trust with buyers, it is just not enough.
Social media influencers are people with large followings on social media platforms. Because of this large following, they can help you push word about your business or products to people that the conventional advertising efforts would ordinarily not reach.
This one is specific for Instagram, but it's a good method for driving organic sales from your Instagram sales channel.
Get Instagram influencers to tag your business account on their Instagram Story. You can then re-post it and add it on Your highlights. That way, when customers are auditing your Instagram page before making a purchase, they can look at your Highlights and there is a good chance they will want to become a part of your community.
For example, look at Cernucci on Instagram. They have done a great job with building a loving community on their Instagram page and they have set a good example for any dropshipper. You would never think that Cernucci started as a dropshipping website, yet, it's true.
Post every day, do follow-unfollow, get influencers to tag you on their story, create story highlights, uplift Your community etc.
But, how would one get Instagram Story Tags? The easiest way to get Instagram Story tags would be to contact an ecommerce marketing agency to run an influencer advertising campaign for you, however, you can also do this yourself by contacting various KOL-s in your niche and sending them Your products and an upfront payment via PayPal, Venmo or Cash App.
Apart from having these influencers push the word around about your product and business, you can also partner with them and have them appear on your website with a third party Shopify app, such as Storista. Storista allows you to showcase Instagram Reels & Instagram Highlights, such as customer reviews directly on Your product page.
Showcasing social media influencers on your website will not only help you to build social proof and customer trust on your Shopify website, but it will also help raise your conversion rate and get more sales from your ecommerce store.
6. More Products = More Sales. Scale By Adding More Winning Products in Your Niche
As you progress with your ready made dropshipping store, one of the things you will need to do is to add more products to your niche. It gives customers the room to make more choices and to spend more when making an online purchase on Your Prebuilt Shopify Store.
To add these new products, simply look for products in Your niche that have proven to sell on Aliexpress. Remember, You should not feel confined to a small niche.
Think of Your ideal customer, and think of what other products they might really need in their life that You can upsell in Your Shopify Dropshipping Store.
For example, if someone buys a diffuser, they will most likely need essential oils. This type of customer is also probably interested in scented candles and other wellness products.
When adding new products, You should look for Suppliers in the USA who provide USPS shipping and have a proven track record. You can look at the age of an Aliexpress sellers store by hovering your cursor on top of their store.
While adding new products, don’t forget to add Your profit margin. A good profit margin will keep You motivated, and it will allow you to make the changes that are required to drive Your Shopify Store in the right duration. If you think You deserve it, don't be scared to ask for more money from Your products. It will also allow You to provide more value to Your customers.
Another factor you should consider while adding new products is good product pictures. Good product pictures are important because they provide buyers with a vivid image of what they are about to buy.
Also when writing product descriptions, remember to factor in SEO so Your product pages can rank on Google Search. To do this, use Google Keyword Planner.
7. Network with Other Dropshippers and Join Ecommerce Communities Online
Surely You have heard of the quote, "Your network is your net worth".
Networking is important, since it allows you to learn from others mistakes, and to also gain insight about Your own doings. Don't be scared to ask for advice, or feedback about Your website or social media from other dropshippers.
If you are facing a problem with Your pre built dropshipping website and you're unsure how to overcome it, just ask for help online. Remember, there are thousands of people who have had the same exact problem and solved it. So why can't You?
Join communities like Reddit r/dropship, r/ecommerce, r/shopify etc. These are all great platforms filled with people in the same industry as You. Learning from other people is the fastest way to success in online business.
Summary
One of the things you have to understand about dropshipping is that you need to spend money to make more money.
Thus, do not be afraid to spend money or try new things. These are investments and doing these things help you learn about e-commerce.
Finally, you need to remember everything takes time. The more time you spend learning about online Shopify ecommerce and developing your e-commerce empire, the faster you will start earning income from your premade Shopify store. When things are not going as well as you expected, don't feel unmotivated, rather, be creative and look online for ways to overcome these obstacles.
