EcomCrew https://www.ecomcrew.com Start and Grow Your Ecommerce and Amazon Business Mon, 13 May 2024 12:35:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://www.ecomcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/favicon-36x36.png EcomCrew https://www.ecomcrew.com 32 32 An eCommerce podcast for store owners, hosted by 7-figure store owners Mike Jackness and Dave Bryant. We cover everything in eCommerce from Shopify, to Amazon FBA. From email marketing, to Facebook Ads. Never before has there been a podcast with store owners who are so candid. Subscribe to the EcomCrew podcast today! Mike Jackness clean Mike Jackness jackness@mac.com jackness@mac.com (Mike Jackness) 2019 EcomCrew The EcomCrew Ecommerce Podcast EcomCrew http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/e/d/b/9/edb97b89fcf18835/ecomcrewpodcastmikedavepic.jpg https://www.ecomcrew.com support@ecomcrew.com San Diego, CA Twice Weekly 226445030 E550: How This Shark Tank Almuna Went From E-Commerce to AI https://www.ecomcrew.com/e550-kevin-williams/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/e550-kevin-williams/#respond Mon, 13 May 2024 12:25:30 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=57998 Kevin Williams is on the podcast today to talk about his entrepreneurial journey. From founding brands like Brush Hero to appearing on Shark Tank and finally, to diving deep into AI, we cover the lessons that he's learned through each brand and venture.  Kevin Williams is the founder of MadBrains AI, a company that specializes …

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/e550-kevin-williams/feed/ 0 Kevin Williams is on the podcast today to talk about his entrepreneurial journey. From founding brands like Brush Hero to appearing on Shark Tank and finally, to diving deep into AI, we cover the lessons that he's learned through each brand and venture... Kevin Williams is the founder of MadBrains AI, a company that specializes in AI literacy and training. With an extensive background in ecommerce, Kevin consistently provides practical tips to digital marketers on how to leverage AI for their brands.
Kevin and I met quite a while back in 2015, where Kevin held a presentation on the importance of product validation before marketing, and that's when I had an epiphany — if no one is interested in your product before you go to sell, it's not worth it.  
After years of friendship, I've decided to get him on to catch up with him and get a background of his experience as an entrepreneur. Here's some timestamps: 
Timestamps: 

* Podcast Start – 0:00
* Mike's Reason for Getting Friends on the Podcast – 0:30 
* Kevin's Product Validation Presentation and Business Model – 1:30 
* Traffic is 4x more expensive now – 2:44 
* Kevin's Patent Concept – 4:17 
* The Origins of Brush Hero – 6:28 
* Importance of Storytelling – 7:26 
* How Counterfeits Destroyed Brush Hero – 8:41
* Being CEO of Balls.co – 11:48
* “What happened to Balls.co?” – 13:59
* Diving into AI – 20:14
* “What's one thing that I should have asked?” – 28:26

The Big Takeaways
If you're in a hurry, I've listed a few of the big takeaways I personally found to be the most impactful:  

* Traffic is so way more expensive now. In 2015, it would cost 25c – 50c to buy traffic on Facebook Ads. Currently, it costs $3-$4 to buy traffic. If you want to start buying ads, it might be more cost-efficient to use a cheaper social networks like TikTok. 
* Being granted a patent is a bucket list item for most tinkerers and engineers. However, a lot of people don't go beyond that point. Partnering with a patent holder can be a good way to find products to sell on Amazon. 
* Storytelling boils down to three main points: 

*  Man – your brand or product 
*  Mountain – the big problem 
*  Getting Over Mountain – how your product solves your problem


* Online reviews have a big impact on offline sales. If your product is available in a brick and mortar store, shoppers will normally try to price-match by checking your product on Amazon and they'll run into your negative reviews. 
* Running a business that's based overseas while having staff that's based in a separate country can be very physically and mentally taxing. 
* Getting shadowbanned on your advertising account is more common than you think. It's a term that describes getting really poor performance on your advertising account, without explicit notice from the platform. 
* Balls.co suffered from their success in the influencer marketing. After receiving a lot of traffic from their influencer marketing, they were starting to be seen as an entertainment company instead of a product company. This meant that they werent getting much sales from their marketing efforts.
* All of the Fortune 10,000 companies are concerned about the implications of AI, but only 5% of them have training in place. 
* You should be leveraging AI to automate customer service. There is no reason for you to be doing first-contact customer service anymore as a business owner and AI can make this a lot easier for you. 
* Taking the previous point a step further, you can use AI to sift through previous chatlogs,]]> Mike Jackness clean 32:46 57998 How to Manage Your Amazon PPC Without Software https://www.ecomcrew.com/manage-amazon-ppc-without-software/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/manage-amazon-ppc-without-software/#respond Sun, 12 May 2024 17:01:26 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=45764 Amazon ad costs are likely one of biggest manageable expenses in your Amazon business. When you have 2 or 3 campaigns, you can easily manage them using the Ads interface. But once you get beyond this, you need some way to manage your ads in bulk. Yes, PPC Software exists, but IMO most smaller sellers …

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/manage-amazon-ppc-without-software/feed/ 0 Eliminate All of Your Garbage Amazon PPC Keywords in 2 Minutes nonadult 45764 E549: How To Get Started in Building Your SEO in 2024 https://www.ecomcrew.com/e549-getting-started-seo/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/e549-getting-started-seo/#respond Mon, 06 May 2024 14:52:59 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=57869 Jeff Oxford joins us on the podcast today to talk about the most recent Google Update, who the winners were, and how search is going to look like with AI in the horizon.

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/e549-getting-started-seo/feed/ 0 Jeff Oxford joins us on the podcast today to talk about the most recent Google Update, who the winners were, and how search is going to look like with AI in the horizon. Jeff Oxford is the Founder and SEO Director of 180 Marketing, a marketing agency that specialises in SEO strategies which cover everything from keyword research to webpage optimization.
Today, he's on the podcast to talk about the most recent Google update that happened in March. Specifically, we'll dive into the criteria that Google uses to rank websites, the winners of the most recent update, and why brand metrics plays an important role in search. 
The big takeaway here is that no matter what, keep playing the long game. When it comes to content, it's only a matter of time until your content starts making its way through the algorithm and to the audience that you're targeting. 
It really is just a matter of time. It might be an overnight viral success, or it might be a crawl towards the goal, but it's a matter of when it happens instead. 
Timestamps: 

* Podcast Start – 0:00
* Catching up with Jeff – 0:31
* Google's March Core Update – 2:14 
* Why Mike was excited for this update – 4:30 
* Playing the long term game – 6:03
* Google's update patterns – 7:40
* Mike Jackness History Lesson – 9:31 
* How Google finds cheaters – 12:23 
* Why Reddit and Quora won the last update – 14:43 
* Why Brand Metrics matter for SEO – 15:58
* How do you get started in building your SEO? – 18:13 
* Stick with it! – 20:31 
* What is Search going to look like moving forward? – 22:38
* How will Google incentivise making good content with AI in the future? – 28:11
* Learn more about Jeff Oxford – 30:39

Jeff, thanks for coming on the podcast! It was nice seeing you again, although through a virtual screen instead of in person but we'll take what we can get! 
If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com. 
Also, if you have any questions or any topics you’d like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes. 
Thanks for listening!
]]> Mike Jackness clean 34:05 57869 5 Amazon Facts You Probably Didn’t Know https://www.ecomcrew.com/10-amazon-facts/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/10-amazon-facts/#respond Mon, 06 May 2024 09:20:00 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=51012 What started as a modest online bookstore has grown into a global conglomerate that has redefined the way we shop, read, and consume content. Let's delve into some intriguing facts about Amazon that might surprise you and shed light on its incredible journey. #1: The $1 Salary CEO While CEOs of major corporations are often …

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/10-amazon-facts/feed/ 0 51012 I Tracked My Amazon Return for 3,000 Miles and Bought It Back https://www.ecomcrew.com/what-really-happens-to-amazon-returns/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/what-really-happens-to-amazon-returns/#comments Sun, 05 May 2024 08:21:52 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=53482 Have you ever wondered what happens to your Amazon returns? Earlier in the year, I bought an Amazon Basics gym bag that I needed to return. To find out what exactly happens to these returns and where they go, I stuck an Apple Airtag in it and tracked it over the next 3 months. Eventually, …

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/what-really-happens-to-amazon-returns/feed/ 2 I Tracked My Amazon Return for 3000 Miles (and Bought It Back) nonadult 53482 5 Ways to Avoid Seller Fraud on eBay https://www.ecomcrew.com/5-ways-to-avoid-seller-fraud-on-ebay/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/5-ways-to-avoid-seller-fraud-on-ebay/#respond Fri, 03 May 2024 10:02:00 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=51028 eBay stands as one of the world's leading online marketplaces. But although the platform is legit, buyers are not completely safe from seller fraud and other scams. In this article, we'll discuss how you as a buyer can be protected from eBay scams by getting to know the seller more. Understanding how to find trustworthy …

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/5-ways-to-avoid-seller-fraud-on-ebay/feed/ 0 51028 A Seller’s Guide to Restricted Products and Gated Categories on Amazon https://www.ecomcrew.com/amazon-restricted-products/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/amazon-restricted-products/#respond Thu, 02 May 2024 21:21:43 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=57939 Amazon has been called the Everything Store for good reason. But of course, you can’t really buy everything from the online platform mainly because Amazon restricts a few products and gate some categories. In this article, we’ll look at what these products are and why they are restricted. Disclaimer: Each country may have different laws …

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/amazon-restricted-products/feed/ 0 57939 How to Sell on Amazon Handmade  https://www.ecomcrew.com/ultimate-guide-to-selling-on-amazon-handmade/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/ultimate-guide-to-selling-on-amazon-handmade/#respond Wed, 01 May 2024 17:39:00 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=51041 Amazon Handmade is an exclusive marketplace within Amazon's extensive e-commerce ecosystem designed specifically for artisans and craftsmen. It provides a dedicated platform where creators can showcase and sell their unique, handcrafted products. Unlike the broader Amazon marketplace, Amazon Handmade caters exclusively to the world of artisanal craftsmanship, making it an attractive choice for creative entrepreneurs. …

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/ultimate-guide-to-selling-on-amazon-handmade/feed/ 0 51041 How to Dropship from eBay https://www.ecomcrew.com/how-to-dropship-from-ebay/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/how-to-dropship-from-ebay/#respond Mon, 29 Apr 2024 17:41:00 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=51043 Dropshipping allows entrepreneurs to sell products online without holding any inventory. In a dropshipping setup, you partner with suppliers who stock the products and fulfill customer orders on your behalf. This unique model eliminates the need for warehousing, reducing upfront costs and logistical challenges. This article provides a comprehensive roadmap for building a successful eBay …

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/how-to-dropship-from-ebay/feed/ 0 51043 E548: Making Dropshipping Work in 2024 with Pat Haggerty https://www.ecomcrew.com/e548-dropshipping-pat-haggerty/ https://www.ecomcrew.com/e548-dropshipping-pat-haggerty/#respond Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:15:13 +0000 https://www.ecomcrew.com/?p=57701 Pat Haggerty of Right Channel Radios joins the podcast to talk about dropshipping, the pros and cons, and how to succeed if you choose to start out with dropshipping.

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]]> https://www.ecomcrew.com/e548-dropshipping-pat-haggerty/feed/ 0 Pat Haggerty of Right Channel Radios joins the podcast to talk about dropshipping, the pros and cons, and how to succeed if you choose to start out with dropshipping. Well, dropshipping is still very much around. But as Amazon moved into a position of dominance, its appeal has waned. The fact that some so-called “gurus” who sell the same old 2004 dropshipping course as an “easy” way to earn millions hasn’t helped either.
However, there are those who own sustainable dropshipping businesses. 
Pat Haggerty, owner of Right Channel Radios, is one of them.
I’ve asked Pat to join me in this podcast episode to talk in detail about his business, Right Channel Radios. 
I hope our discussion didn’t only prove informative but encouraged you to look at dropshipping businesses in a different, albeit more positive light.
Pat, thank you for accepting the invite to record a podcast together. I really appreciate it, and I look forward to seeing you again in the next events. 
If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com. 
Also, if you have any questions or any topics you’d like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes. 
Thanks for listening!
]]> Mike Jackness clean 33:55 57701