How support networks can help scale your eCommerce business

What’s true about today’s hyper-connected world is that there are so many opportunities to learn from others. In order to succeed, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to scale in the international market need to take advantage of the many resources out there—networks that can help you spend less time searching for answers and more time boosting your potential.

That’s where solid support networks come in.

Save time searching for answers

As an SME, you may or may not have all of the resources or people-power to spend the time it takes to search for opportunities and answers. When you join a support network, all of the information you’re looking for — and some information you never thought to look for — is already there waiting for you. This includes:

• Important information on how to expand into global markets
• Exciting new affiliate opportunities
• Fresh branding and marketing insights
• Perspectives from top business leaders

And, oftentimes, it’s already been curated and vetted by like-minded eCommerce businesses.

Sharing data and insights for low-cost promotional opportunities

Communication in eCommerce support networks, of course, isn’t one-sided. Just as others share data and insights with you, your eCommerce business can do the same. In fact, you can exchange links with other sites to promote each other’s products, improving your search engine optimization (SEO) and leading to more sales.  

This makes such connections an easy, affordable way to help scale your eCommerce business by grabbing more eyeballs and drawing attention to who you are, what you do, and what you can offer others. It’s a way to get noticed by other businesses — and potential customers — that won’t drain resources.

As WooCurve notes, “Simply reaching out to other people will have a great positive effect on your sales and for your business as a whole.”

Top support networks for eCommerce businesses in the global market

So the question becomes: who do you reach out to, and where?

Thankfully, there’s an incredible amount of support networks available for eCommerce businesses looking to scale into international markets.

Networking events

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the landscape of event conferences and networking events, and there are still plenty of them available to attend online. At DigitalCommerce360, for example, you can watch recorded events or attend live ones on everything from roadblocks to growth to personalizing eCommerce experiences.

An added bonus of attending a live event is that you’ll likely have the opportunity to network with like-minded business owners, and forge lasting connections that could give you a competitive edge.

Social media

‍Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter — the opportunities for networking and collaboration instantaneously are limitless thanks to these and other social media platforms.

Some prominent Reddit groups (known as subreddits) where you can make connections and learn fresh insights include:

• r/Business_Ideas
• r/DigitalMarketing
• r/EntrepreneurRideAlong
• r/ecommerce
• r/SEO
• r/Entrepreneur
• r/startups
• r/growmybusiness

Some Facebook groups to join and network among include:

• eCommerce Elites Mastermind
• Ecom Empires
• Ecommerce Entrepreneurs
• Center eCommerce Mastermind

Popular hashtags to search for on these and other platforms include:

• #ecommerce
• #ecommercestore
• #digitalmarketing
• #ecommercebusiness
• #entrepreneur

Questions to scale your eCommerce business

Building a solid support network to scale up your eCommerce business starts with asking the right questions. In the groups above, you can either search for answers to these questions — or pose them yourself to other business owners.

Here are some smart questions to ask your support networks.

• How do I scale my eCommerce business incrementally and responsibly?

• What are the best marketing demographics I should expand into—and how?

• What are the biggest mistakes to avoid when expanding internationally?

• When is the right time for me to bring a brand-new product to market?

Gain extra support with a global payments partner

There’s another source out there that can be a vital part of your eCommerce business network: a global payments partner like LianLian Global.

A cross-border growth partner, LianLian Global helps international eCommerce businesses scale effortlessly, simply, and quickly. Over 1.2 million eCommerce entrepreneurs, partners, marketplaces, and platforms trust their global payment networks and customer support to achieve peace of mind when doing business in the 21st century.

Think of them as another powerful strand in your networking net.

Start scaling your eCommerce business today with LianLian Global.