The Social Media Marketing Tools

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Hello Folks! Here I will be posting about the social media marketing tools that I have tried and tested. I will let you know whether they are  1) Free or Paid 2) Easy to use 3) Easy to implement 4) Good for reporting/analytics 5) Overall View So let's get started--- 1) SproutSocial--- this is a good marketing automation tool. It helps you see the messages, feeds, publish/schedule posts, and gives detailed reports on engagement on the post.  It is not free but comes with a 30-day free trial.  It is definitely worth the try. 2) Buffer-- this tool is free up to a limit. You can add 3 social media profiles for free and then you need to upgrade. It doesn't show any reports or feeds which sucks. But if you handle only 3 profiles then it can help you automate the process.  3) Zoho Social-- this tool is also not for free but comes with a free trial period. It is worth the try. This tool is better than buffer. It gives reports, helps moni
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Dropshipping

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What is dropshipping?
Drop shipping is a simple process of e-commerce sales where you as the store owner do not store any material but rather when the customer places the order you inform the supplier who then ships the product to the customer. 
So you are just running the site and ensuring a smooth transaction for the customer, in turn, making a profit as there is no storage or delivery hassle for you. You focus on marketing, advertising and managing the online presence. 


Amazon's Business Model 
It runs in a similar manner but the difference is that Amazon stores and also deliver the product to the customer. Actually, in some cases, it stores the products and in other cases, it might not. But the delivery is usually from the Amazon side. 

 The largest online retailer runs on different parameters---firstly it sells products directly, it also provides other online or offline retailers to sell their products through Amazon. It also makes money through the subscription model like Amazon Prime and e-reader, the Kindle.

 Alibaba's Business  Model
The business model of Alibaba is similar to that of eBay. It acts as the middleman for sellers and buyers through its large network of websites. The largest one is Taobao where neither the seller nor the buyer pays any commision for completing the transaction but the seller pays for internally ranking its products higher on the site, thus Alibaba gets the ads revenue similar to Google's core business model. 
One thing to note here is that Taobao is C2C and Tmall(spun off from Taobao) is B2C.
Alibaba also generates revenue from its financial arm--Alipay which is very much similar to PayPal protecting the customers in the event where the seller is unable to sell the goods. 
AliExpress is the e-commerce site that allows the small business owners to sell products online mainly to international buyers. It is B2C, C2C, cloud computing, payment service. It uses affiliate marketing to find new customers. 
What are the Pros and Cons of Dropshipping?

Pros---

Less capital is required
Easy to get started
Low overhead
Flexible location
Wide selection of products
Easy to scale


Cons--

Low-profit margins--you put less money in but you also get less money out. 
According to Fit Small Business, you can predict your income using these variables (they’re averages, so they’ll change depending on your industry and situation):
  • 20% margin.
  • 2% conversion rate.

You can then calculate a working estimate using this equation:
(Traffic x 0.02) x (Avg order value x 0.2) = Profit
Highly Competitive--since it is very easy to set up a business, the barrier to entry being absent, the competition is way too high. 
No control over supply chain---as a drop shipper you have no control over the supply chain, you are the middleman connecting the supplier and the buyer but it is you who are answerable for the timely and quality supply to the customer. 
Legal liability issues--some suppliers may be selling illegal products, but as their vendor, you are automatically complicit. 
Difficult to build a brand--in drop shipping, you are the one providing a seamless shopping experience but it's not your logo on the product and thus it is difficult to build and maintain the traffic. 
What is the best approach to dropshipping?
Market Research--it can help you test the waters for your new products.
Protection from overselling--you can fulfil the unmet demands by drop shipping them and you need not overstock the goods. 
Strategic shipping system--it helps you to test the shipping costs and facilities in a real environment before going all out on selecting a particular country or area to sell your goods. 
High maintenance products--some products cost more than others and are expensive to maintain, where it doesn't make any sense to pay for storage and shipping. You can thus dropship them. 
Where can one do dropshipping?
For dropshipping, one needs a site and a good marketing strategy. You can do dropshipping on e-commerce sites like Amazon, eBay, or Shopify.
Shopify is an e-commerce platform that helps you build the e-commerce website easily and sell the products to the customers. They also provide shipping services and allow drop shipping. 


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