Increasing sales through online shopping sites

If you are a startup or a small enterprise and you want to sell your products using the online platform, you can promote them on your site and provide an option for site visitors to purchase them there. However, you can move your products faster if you make them available in top online shopping sites.

Before you embark on this direction, you have to review the site, its security features and partnership agreement, as well as the advantage and relevance of such to your brand. Once it has fulfilled your requirements and standards, you can begin featuring your items on your chosen shopping site or sites. But there are a few things you have to keep in mind to get more visitors and prospects to your page.

Write clear descriptions and catchy titles

Your description must be able to inform readers of the features of your product and how it can become a solution to a problem or situation where your item can fill in the need. Do not try to sound hard sell though, but be sincere in stating your offerings. You can include a call-to-action to motivate visitors to do something after reading about your product.

Use nice and attractive photos

Graphics and images are better than a thousand words. People can immediately see how your product looks like and how they can use them through photos. Invest in good product images that can attract people to your page. Make your photos easily searched online by putting tags and captions.

E-mail and engage your buyers

Take the extra step and engage your customers by communicating with them through email. Establish trust and build positive relationships with them through constant updates and fast turnaround on inquiries and complaints.

Follow-up on leads

Build your database of inquiries and convert visits into sales. Follow-up is key to completely closing a transaction. Check out concerns and assist prospects so that they become repeat customers.

Give discounts and special deals

Putting your product photos and description on an online shop may not be enough to bring in sales. With several vendors and many other products available in every online store, you have to compete for attention and gain the trust of site visitors. Coming up with discounts and special deals can put you on the homepage and featured portions of the online shopping site.

Utilise product reviews

When buyers are satisfied with your product and customer service, they will promote your brand and leave positive reviews. But don’t shy away from unfavourable comments. The best way to approach that is to respond sincerely and communicate well with disgruntled customers.

Promote in other sites

Even if your product is on your website and the online retail sites, you still have to strengthen your presence on the internet by using social media marketing and targeted sites. Check out blogs, vlogs and popular accounts of social network influencers. You can send them samples or tokens to feature your product on their sites.

There are plenty of options and opportunities for you even when you are only starting your venture. It is best that you scan the industry and study carefully the various online shopping sites that may lead to increased sales. If you are not too familiar with the terrain, seek help from experts or fellow entrepreneurs who have experience in this area. Attend learning events and seminars, such as those offered by EO Melbourne, and expand your knowledge on business, particularly in using e-commerce.

How to drive traffic to your site

You set up your website and social media accounts, then expect people to visit them on their own. However, creating them and leaving them at that are not enough to reach your audience. You have to come up with some activity and engagement to let them know and draw them to your site.

Acquiring new customers and strengthening your relations with your existing ones involve an active pursuit online. Your internet presence has to be felt by your target market through strategic actions that will encourage them to visit your website. Before you launch any online marketing campaign, you have to ensure that your site has valuable content that will keep your visitors to come back and share it with others.

Now, how do you drive traffic to your site? Read on the following strategies that can help you with your site traffic.

Organic search

Every minute, millions of searches take place online. Your site can land in the first pages of search engines if you include the right keywords in your content. Internet users now use longtail keywords to narrow down search results, which you can employ in your site. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the activities that site owners do to draw visitors. Even when algorithms change, it is important that your content is rich and images are properly tagged, without engaging in black hat tricks. Explore web directories and listings and see how they can contribute to your site’s searchability.

Social media

The popularity of social media has gone unnoticed by site owners and managers that it has become central in online marketing. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube and Reddit have become vital in linking and sharing sites, engaging customers and forming communities. Because social media platforms vary depending on usage, culture and trends, you have to customise your content accordingly. Tapping on the influence of online personalities also help in gaining credibility and authority to your brand.

Paid Ads

Advertisements are no longer limited to broadcast and print media. Brands turn to websites, search engines and social networks in placing ads. The likes of Google Adwords, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Sponsored Posts, Youtube Ads and Twitter Ads are also gaining the public’s attention. Other brands even get into advertisements promoted in online games. The good thing about ads online is that you can target your audience based on internet behaviours and site visits.

Referrals

Sites with high visitor rates can help boost traffic to your site through linkages. There are different ways to drop your site’s URL in sites with good domain authority. You can do this through link exchanges, guest posts, comments (as the first commenter) in blogs, and forum or Quora interactions. Of course, you have to select the sites where to put your site’s URL, as they must align with your brand and industry. Other methods are through webinars and article marketing, where you seed writeups to article banks, newsletters and syndication sites.

Email marketing

The best way to retain customers and constantly communicate with your existing audience is through email marketing. When they subscribe to your site, they can receive updates, announcements, news and stories about your brand. It is also helpful to always put in your email signature a link to your site.

Direct traffic

When people are more familiar with your site, they can simply type it in their browsers for reference. Make sure that you always put your site’s URL in your business cards, marketing materials, advertisements, presentations and the like. Having a domain name that is easy to remember is necessary to make it top-of-mind among your clientele.

With increasing site traffic, you can nurture visitors and convert them to become your loyal customers. Apart from these strategies, consistency is key in attracting more people to your site. You have to come up with fresh content regularly and update the information posted there. Moreover, you have to keep yourself abreast with the latest trends and news so you can align your strategies with whatever clicks with your target market.

Building an online community for your brand

The advent of social media has provided brands and businesses with a new way of communicating with their customers and loyal patrons. If before, the way of reaching out to them is through telemarketing and e-mails, engagement with them is taken to a different level with the growth of online communities. Having an online community is not as simple as talking to an audience. There is a dynamic exchange of ideas and opinions that allows customers to be more involved in the brand.

Creating a community allows your consumers to interact with you and share their feedback, stories and insights in a faster and bigger scale. While it is good in building relations with your stakeholders, it also opens up a window for negative reactions, which is why it is something you have to consider very seriously for your business. Before you decide to utilise this strategy, you have to determine first if an online community is something that you need because it takes a lot of effort and commitment to maintain one.

With a community of customers – loyal or disgruntled – you have direct access to their feedback and insights, which you can use for research and development of your products, services, or business, as a whole. It’s also an avenue for you to clarify or address any problem or concern. Knowing that you are listening to them also lessens frustrations from your customers. By establishing an open line of communication with your consumers, you can generate repeat customers and even turn them into your brand ambassadors that can bring in new ones through word of mouth.

But building an online community is easier said than done. Whether you create a forum, host it in your site, or use any of the social media platforms, there are tips to guide you on how to start and strengthen a community online.

1.) Content is king

Having informative and interesting content will hook your existing members and even drive new members to your online community. It should keep your audience engaged through facts, stories and questions. Remember that it’s not a one-way street. It’s not just you talking. It’s also an avenue for your audience to participate and voice out their opinions. You can even generate your content from your members. That way, they feel more connected to your brand.

2.) It’s all about value

Starting an online community is just a small percentage of the big picture. Sustaining it takes a lot of hard work. Members stay in the community when they find value in it. They may get new information regularly, voice their opinions, find gratification or earn new friends along the way. You have to form a special relationship with your community because trust is a key ingredient in keeping it together. Respond fast to queries or concerns in a tactful manner.

3.) A mine of expertise and ideas

Since an online community is composed of human beings, it is also a dynamic organism. Allow some room for your members to show their talents. Enliven discussions to generate lots of ideas. Be generous in giving affirmation to them. When there are insights or works from them that you want to use, be sure to recognise them and give them credit.

4.) Community guidelines are important

Like in any group, it is expected that there will be varying opinions, ideas and reactions. One person can react differently from another in a given situation. To avoid conflicts and install order in the community, you must set down rules and guidelines for everyone to follow. That way, members are aware of boundaries and limitations, making sure they don’t overstep on another person’s space.

5.) A community has a culture

The culture you want to infuse in your online community must reflect the values of your brand. But don’t make it too hard sell. The best way to influence the culture of your community is that you set yourself as a good example. Call out those who go out of bounds but in a non-offensive way. Acknowledge those who embody your corporate values.

6.) Let go of control

To make your community thrive, you often have to step back and allow them to take the reins of running it. You’ll be surprised at how eager they are to respond to each other’s questions, police those who do not follow the guidelines and initiate endeavours for the good of your brand.

There are more things you can do to create, develop and maintain an online community. The important thing is that you have to feel their pulse to know their needs. You can also listen to stories of business owners who have done the same. If you belong in organisations like EO Melbourne, it is a rich resource to mine lessons from the experiences of other entrepreneurs.

Regard your online community as your support base, setting a stage for them to shine and reach their full potential. It’s a give-and-take relationship that you, your brand, customers and prospects can align and help uplift each other.