The “e” in Ecommerce: The “e”ase of Content Creation and Making Money Online

10 min read

Over the last year, when we haven’t had our faces pressed to the window when we get the “out for delivery” alert, we’ve also been finessing our talents. Our knitting hobby has become a craft your friends keep telling you to share; that jam recipe you learned to pass the time has inspired you to think bigger; and that one time you did a time-lapse of making and kilning a clay pot has folks clamoring in the comments for more.

So, here you are: Netflix has asked if you’re still watching your latest streaming obsession, but you’ve actually been wondering what it would take to turn that quarantine hobby into something else.

We’re no strangers to ecommerce, but we know it can be a little—dare we say a “smidge”?—daunting when you’re trying to figure out your next step as a content creator. We get it! It’s a big world out there. Technically, ecommerce dates back as early as the mid-70s, but when the internet went public in the mid-90s it was time to hold on for a wild ride of blogs, memes, and yeah: content creation. So, where do you fit and where do you go from here?

Let’s Break This Down: What is Content Creation?

Okay, if you’re reading this, you’re either some genus of the content creator or you’re wondering: “Hey, am I onto something here with these Harry Potter-themed toboggans?” A content creator—a.k.a you!—could be producing all kinds of wonderful content. Perhaps you are producing a physical product, like jarred no-bake cookie ingredients, watercolor paintings of someone’s puppy, or beaded jewelry. Your digital content could be an app, online game, or YouTube series.

Meanwhile, a social media content creator is kicking off the latest dance craze on TikTok, catapulting the product as an Instagram content creator, or chaining one inspiring tweet after the next on Twitter, going live on Facebook with a new song. So, yeah: a content creator can be plenty of things for plenty of audiences. That’s where ecommerce comes in.

Shorthand for “electronic commerce”, ecommerce simply refers to the selling or buying of goods and services online via data or money transfers and it is one of the highest grossing global retails money can buy, somewhere in the galaxy of trillions of earnings and profit. Tons of content creators, new or familiar to the market, rely on or operate through ecommerce daily to distribute their unique products. The community is larger than ever, but there’s always a place at the table.

You Might Be Asking Yourself…

“How do I become a content creator?” The answer is easy and challenging all at once. Many content creators have found great success and satisfaction by turning their hobbies into an available service or product for others. You can start with something as simple as a trade you may be falling in love with again or a craft that has always made you (and others) happy. Perhaps you discover a hidden talent that not only benefits you, but those around you.

Whatever the case, your first step in becoming a content creator is, well, you! That’s the easy part, because you’re already incredible and what you are capable of may surprise you, even though it’s a total no-brainer for us. Go on with your amazing self!

Where it can get challenging is in the logistics. Running a small business, even the most fledgling and refined concept, has a lot of ins and outs. Not to mention all the curveballs and grey areas in between those ins and outs. That is where an ecommerce platform can make selling your concept online much easier. You already have so much to consider on your own: your supplies, your product, your dream. Why go at it alone or leave that dream up to the unknowns waiting for you?

We know because we have been exactly where you have been. You want to choose the ecommerce platform that fits your means and your goals. Taking the plunge on monetizing and capitalizing something as personal and precious to you as your product was not an easy decision to make, but here you are! And you want to find the easiest way to start selling your products online without cutting corners, while keeping your concept safe and its integrity intact. But what does that look like?

Finding “The One”

Choosing the right ecommerce platform can feel like homework, but it is also an important step as your dream graduates to reality. You want to look for a platform that fits your budget, so you can keep delegating your funds to what matters most. Your customers’ experiences should be as pleasing as the product you are promising, so that means you also want a platform that keeps them updated on your latest inventory, sales, and other important announcements.

The right ecommerce works with you to turn the complex into the simple, that helps you take the scary out of selling online and provides the tools you need to make everything easier for everyone, no matter what your skill level might be. The ideal platform will also help you build and sync your store across your website, social media platforms, online marketplaces, and more.

Your online store depends on channels of access, marketing, and management, so keeping everything consolidated and user-friendly saves you time so you can keep focusing on your craft, your customers, and what the future can hold. We don’t want to toot our own horn here, but we at Ecwid think we have just what you would need to get started. Still, you should always investigate multiple platforms to see what the right fit is for you and your concept.

While we are proud to boast an intuitive control panel, automated marketing tools, and a thrill for supporting your process, we understand not all content creation is the same, and some will require different approaches.

To Infinity and Beyond

Let’s face it: everything is online, now more than ever.

We depended on ecommerce to keep us streaming through lockdown and kept our mouths watering when our Dashers notified us that those midnight cookies or comfort food take out orders are en route. Online shops, both big and small, boomed as we ordered quarantine necessities and well-earned impulse buys. You not only had an online support system, but you also found yourself. You were reunited with a hobby, craft, or a trade that may have been lost in the shuffle of the day-to-day.

You had the time to discover something new about yourself, to discover just what that beautiful mind of yours could do. You were and always will be destined for great heights and ideas. As a content creator, the sky is in fact the limit, but having the right ecommerce platform tools at hand can catapult you beyond that.

We have all been through a lot together over the last year. We are all emerging from this interesting time with more dreams than ever, brimming with potential and inspiration. We don’t want to face the wide world of ecommerce alone, so we’ll close with this as a last piece of advice for hitching your wagon to the right platform.

Mr. Fred Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Your dream should be as important to your platform as it is to you, so look for the folks who want you to thrive, succeed, and flourish even when it feels daunting, even when it feels scary. Look for us: look for the helpers.

Ecwid can help guide your content creating skills and practical talents into a profitable small business.

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Sep 23, 2021

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.