Surely you have heard the term Live Selling recently.
You might have some questions: what is it all about? And why is it becoming popular?
Live Selling, also known as live commerce or live shopping, is a unique way of selling whereby brands promote and sell their products on a live stream. Think QVC or JTV, except you don't need a multi-million dollar studio and budget. You only need your phone, space in your house, and a product to sell.
Almost every social media platform has introduced a live option where users can join and engage with other users. Businesses capitalize on the ability to sell to their customers in real time. Sounds pretty cool, no?
Well, you can start your own live selling business too! It definitely is intimidating, but we are here to help you.
5 Things to Do When Starting A Live Selling Business
1. Pick Your Product
Take your time to decide what type of product you want to sell. Do some research. Find a supplier or manufacturer where you can get the products at a lower cost.
We can't emphasize enough on this. It may sound simple, but the products you choose to sell will make or break your business.
If you're confused, ask yourself: What are you selling? And most importantly, who is your target market (your customer)?
Doing a live show gives you the perfect opportunity to show off the features and benefits of your product. One of the reasons this method of promotion has picked up momentum is that it makes the brands seem more authentic.
Operating in multiple industries is difficult and unrealistic, especially if you're new to this and have no physical presence. Pick the product market you want to target and the kind of customers you want to sell to.
That's your first step! We know that was brief, but that's the point of this blog. To start to get you to think about what you need. More detailed blogs will be created in the future, so subscribe to our newsletter!
2. Find a Trusted Vendor
The next important step is to find a reliable supplier for your products.
A healthy and amicable relationship between you and the wholesaler you buy from is crucial. It has many benefits, like discounts on bulk orders, accommodating special or urgent orders, and more.
The quality of your products should always be high and consistent, which not all wholesalers can promise. Many new businesses struggle because the wholesaler they're buying from doesn't always provide quality products, which hurts your customer base.
What's worse, you might even get scammed if you're inexperienced. The wholesaler might run away with your money, provide poor-quality products, or products you didn't ask for. Hence, read reviews on trusted platforms before placing your order. You can even search on Google "<BUSINESS NAME> SCAM" to be sure.
If you plan to sell jewelry, oysters, or product reveals like ring bombs or jewelry bombs, check out DezLin.
DezLin is a family and US-veteran-owned business with the widest collection of product reveals, oysters, and high-quality jewelry at affordable prices, as we are the manufacturers. The best part? We ship all orders on the same day, so you can start selling faster and more consistently! After all, there’s nothing worse than being out of product when a customer is ready to buy.
Find out more about our wholesale business here.
3. Choose the Right Social Media Platform
There are many social media channels: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Amazon Live, and popular streaming websites like Twitch.
Looking at your target customers is the key to deciding which platform is perfect for your business. Once you have a detailed customer profile of your targeted segment, choose a platform where you can find these people in abundance!
For example, if your brand primarily sells to teens, doing a TikTok live might be a perfect choice.
On the other hand, there's no restriction on the number of channels one can use. An omnichannel presence has become quite popular in the past few years, giving brands more exposure and a larger pool of consumers.
However, don't get too caught up in research. You want to avoid ending up with analysis paralysis. Sometimes you need to make a decision and go with it. Then you can adjust your business model as needed.
4. Build Your Audience
Doing a live stream requires lots of effort and preparation on your part.
So if you thought this was going to be easy, think again. However, it's also pretty easy. You have to be consistent and proactive.
Just like when a brand drops a collection, the initial step is to create awareness of an upcoming launch. Try to build excitement for your launch day by letting your audience know the time and day of the drop and some details about the collection.
However, sometimes you don't have a following or audience. In this case, just put yourself out there and start marketing. Marketing doesn't have to be paid ads. It can be word of mouth, going live, and catching a few viewers' attention which can eventually turn into hundreds and thousands.
Similarly, before doing a live selling stream, try to promote it to build an audience who can join it and buy from you.
The best way to do it is to post promotional content on Stories and Feed to build awareness among your followers. For example, you could post a poll on your Instagram story and ask them what time and day is convenient for them.
5. Set Up Your Space
It's important to have a setup where you can conduct high-quality live streams.
Make sure you have a space dedicated to doing live streams. This could be a spare room in your house or a personal office.
Also, please, please, make sure your space is tidy! There is nothing worse than a sloppy background and appearance. Live selling is a more authentic form of selling, but the viewers shouldn't be focused on your dirty underwear on the couch behind you or your stained white tank top.
Next, in your space, try to have a decent camera. The better the camera quality, the better your viewers can see your products. Using a macro lens can help with small items. And you should definitely invest in a microphone for your camera. It will make a world of difference. People can let a lousy background go, but a horrible sound will be the death of your business.
There are many options, and while everything could be pricey, it's a worthwhile investment in the long run.
Keep following our blog to learn more about starting and growing your online business! These steps are just the beginning. Of course, a lot more goes into setting up a live-selling venture.