Ghost Commerce is the latest e-commerce trend that involves selling and promoting digital products through social media and content marketing.
In Ghost Commerce, sellers or "Ghost Promoters" partner with businesses that offer digital products or services to market and sell them. We recommend you check out our post on what Ghost Commerce is and how it works to learn everything you need to know before diving in.
With an abundant influencer landscape and effective social media and content marketing, Ghost Commerce has become a lucrative business opportunity for many entrepreneurs and digital creators. Keep reading for tips on how to start your own Ghost Commerce side hustle, including everything you should look for in an e-commerce brand partnership!
Working with a Reliable Business
To start your Ghost Commerce side hustle, there are a few small but important steps to take. First, you need to research brands to find a reliable business that offers high-quality products or services. Take your time to carefully evaluate different options and choose a business that aligns with your values and interests. This is a vital first step, as the success of your side hustle will depend heavily on the quality of your brand partnership.
Research and Due Diligence
When searching for brands to partner with, it is important to research and find those with a proven track record of success and a strong reputation in their industry. This will not only ensure that you are aligning yourself with a reputable company but also increase the likelihood of success for your partnership since they already know what works and what doesn’t.
Take the time to carefully evaluate the products and services of each potential partner to ensure that they align with your values and interests. This will help you to build a long-lasting and meaningful partnership that is based on shared values and goals. Additionally, businesses should be 100% responsible for all operations and fulfillment.
Moreover, it is essential to look for businesses that offer high-quality products or services that you can confidently promote to your audience. This will not only help to establish trust with your audience but also ensure that you are providing them with valuable and worthwhile products or services. By taking these steps, you can build a successful and mutually beneficial partnership with a reputable and trustworthy business.
Tools and Resources
Businesses should provide ongoing support and resources to their Ghost Promoters. This can include lifetime access to a member portal, a community forum like Discord, for Ghost Promoters to share ideas and ask questions to fellow partners, and a library of sales and digital marketing materials and resources.
With the right training and support, entrepreneurs can learn how to navigate the Ghost Commerce market and take advantage of its potential.
When looking for potential businesses to partner with, they should offer the following:
Product Training
One of the most important resources that a business should provide to its Ghost Promoters is product training. This involves educating partners about the products or services that they will be selling, including their features, benefits, and unique selling points.
Ghost Promoters should have an understanding of the products or services they are promoting so that they can answer questions, create content addressing these points, and provide accurate information.
Product training can include a wide range of materials, such as e-books, guides, and more. This helps to ensure that partners are equipped to promote products or services effectively and create high-quality content.
Sales and Marketing Training
In addition to product training, businesses should also provide sales and digital marketing resources to their Ghost Promoters. This involves educating partners and providing training material about effective sales and digital marketing techniques, including how to create compelling content, how to use social media platforms to promote products, and how to build trust with their audience.
Support and Community Resources
Support and resources are essential for helping partners to overcome everyday challenges and maximize their potential.
Look for businesses that provide a community forum, where fellow partners can engage and share tips and tricks, new strategies, and address everyday challenges. By providing a strong support system and access to valuable resources, businesses can help their partners to succeed in the competitive world of Ghost Commerce.
Checking Commission Rates
Commission rates are a crucial aspect to consider when partnering with a business for Ghost Commerce. It is important to do your research and find a company that offers competitive commission rates. This is because the commission rate will ultimately determine your profitability in the long run.
Avoiding Low Commission Rates
The commission rate is the percentage of the sale that the Ghost Promoter earns as payment. The higher the commission rate, the more incentive to sell the product.
For example, a 50% commission rate means that the Ghost Promoter earns half of every sale they make. This provides a strong incentive to sell more products or services and earn more money.
If the commission rate is too low (anything below 30%), partners may not be motivated to put in the effort. This is why it's important for Ghost Promoters to look for businesses that offer high, and un-capped, commission rates.
No Commission Cap Means Unlimited Earnings Potential
Another important factor to consider is whether the commission rate has a cap. A commission cap means that the Ghost Promoter can only earn up to a certain amount of income, even if they make more sales. This limits the earnings potential of the Ghost Promoter and can be a barrier to success.
On the other hand, businesses that offer no commission cap provide unlimited earnings potential for Ghost Promoters. This means that the more products they sell, the more commission they earn. This provides a strong incentive to work hard, create compelling content, and promote products or services effectively.
Building Your Online Presence
Building a strong online presence is key to promoting your products and attracting customers. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are ideal for engaging with your audience and building a loyal following.
Omnichannel Marketing
Omnichannel marketing is a strategy that involves creating a seamless and consistent experience for customers across multiple channels. This means that customers should have the same experience when interacting with your brand on different platforms or channels.
Omnichannel marketing is important because it helps to build trust and consistency with your audience. By creating a seamless and consistent experience, you can establish trust with your audience and build a loyal following.
Additionally, by utilizing multiple channels to promote your products, you can reach a wider audience and generate more income.
Posting Engaging Content
To attract and keep followers on social media, you need to know what they want and how to reach them. You can find this out by doing market research and checking out what your competition is doing.
Once you have a good understanding of your audience, you can start creating engaging content that resonates with them. This can include a variety of content types, such as product photos, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and lifestyle content that relates to your niche.
In addition to creating engaging content, it's also important to be consistent with your posting schedule. This not only helps to keep your followers engaged, but it also sends a signal to the algorithm that your account is active and relevant.
Posting high-quality and visually appealing content is also crucial. This can involve investing in professional photography or graphic design services or simply taking the time to edit your photos and videos to make them look their best.
Having Accessible Unique Member Link
A unique member link is a special link that is assigned to each Ghost Promoter by the business they partner with.
This link is unique to the Ghost Promoter and can be used to track sales and attribute commissions. When a customer clicks on the unique member link and makes a purchase, the Ghost Promoter earns a commission on the sale.
A unique member link is important for a few reasons. First, it allows the business to track sales and accurately attribute commissions to the Ghost Promoter. This ensures that the Ghost Promoter is fairly compensated for their efforts and helps to build trust between the two parties.
Second, without a unique member link, it would be easy for someone to steal commissions by using a different link or claiming credit for sales that they did not make. By assigning a unique member link to each Ghost Promoter, the business can ensure that commissions are attributed to the correct person.
Finally, a unique member link makes it easier for Ghost Promoters to promote products or services effectively. Instead of having to manually track sales or rely on customers to mention their names at checkout, Ghost Promoters can simply share their unique member link on social media or other platforms. This ensures that the Ghost Promoter receives credit for the sale.
Start Ghost Promoting
If you’re ready to join TheEcomStore’s Ghost Commerce program with all the same amazing benefits highlighted above, check out our Ghost Commerce Membership Program.