Every business owner strives to increase sales and grow their business. No matter how small or large a business is, if there is no steady flow of sales and conversions, it would not last. As the world is getting a digital makeover, competition in the marketplace has become intense and it has become daunting to retain the business.
Considering these challenges, we are here to share some effective tips to improve your online business sales in 2018.
- Set measurable goals
A plan without a goal means nothing. It is imperative to set specific, measurable and achievable goals. Have a reliable web analytics software program such as Google Analytics or the like to monitor these goals. Also, make sure that these goals are realistic enough to attain.
- Build a secure website
EV SSL Certificate is a must for every shopping website. If your website does not have a security certificate, your customers will not be able to trust you and it will hinder your sales. Make your checkout process smooth and safe for your subscribers. It is a good idea to display the trust seal on your website so that your customers would not hesitate to buy from you.
- Have an engaging sales copy
If you are aware of “inbound methodology”, you would understand the concept of persuasive marketing. Talk about the benefits of your products rather than features. Write an honest and interesting sales copy that resonates well with the prospective customer. Do not use too much of technical jargon and talk about the pain points or challenges of your customer rather than a boring interruptive sales pitch.
- Create buyer personas
If you want to execute contextual marketing, you ought to create buyer personas. This will help you in promoting relevant offers that can encourage more sales. Aim to determine your target audience, their basic needs and challenges they might be facing. Segment the similar target groups together and optimize your marketing strategy accordingly.
- Consider the buyer’s journey
It is inevitable to take into account the buyer’s journey of the one you are selling to. If the individual is still in the awareness stage, it would be futile to send a rate card. Instead, you can introduce them to your brand and let them know what to expect from you. It is important to follow the marketing triad: sending the right message to the right person at the right time. Once you master this tactic, you are sure to get maximum sales for your business.
- Design your marketing material suitably
Whenever you design your marketing material, be it print media, online advertising, email, website or social media, follow the visual hierarchy. This means that the most important information should be at the top followed by the copy and call-to-action button. Always include your contact details and physical address so that the readers can easily get in touch with you.
- Display customer testimonials
Your customers will always believe what a peer has to say about your products or services. Considering this human tendency, showcase your testimonials and product reviews written by your customers. Word of mouth from your satisfied customers can work more effectively than any sales pitch ever can. Recommendations by your existing customers never go wrong.
- Use urgency appeal
To encourage instant sales, create a sense of urgency by promoting limited-time offers. Most of the customers are very responsive to incentives and discount offers. This tip proves to be of great help during holiday season when your customers are on a shopping spree and would not mind splurging their money.
- Highlight your money-back guarantee
More often than not, your customers refrain from making a purchase because they are not sure of the quality of the product. Give them a money-back guarantee in case they are not satisfied with the product. Doing so will alleviate their fear and relieve them of the objection of purchasing, thereby driving more sales for you.
- Offer enough payment options
Studies have shown that many customers abandon the cart because they are unable to make the payment in the limited options. To make sure that this does not happen with you, have enough payment options that can cater to all kinds of customers.
- Have necessary landing pages only
Giving too many landing pages confuse the customers and ultimately they would end up buying from someone else. Providing too many choices hampers the decision making in the customers. It is not recommended that you remove landing pages altogether. You should have your respective advertisements aligned with the landing pages and these ads should be targeted to the relevant groups from the target audience.
- Consistency is the key
All your campaigns should have a consistent messaging pattern that follows the brand guidelines and conveys the same value propositions. It creates a bad impression to have an email click take you to the home page where you have to search through the website clutter to learn about the offer. As bitter as it sounds, your customers do not have time to do that.
- Apply mobile-responsiveness
Design mobile-responsive websites and emails for proper rendering across the different devices and screen sizes. You can use hamburger menus for website navigation on mobile devices. AMP can also be used for faster loading of the websites.
- Leverage social media marketing
Social media marketing is very important in the present times as your customers are mostly active on these platforms. Organize Facebook and Twitter contests, and offer free giveaways to the participants and winners. That is a great idea to build social media presence and brand visibility.
- Build remarketing strategy
Once a visitor has clicked on a PPC ad or Facebook sponsored ad, you can target them with relevant ads through remarketing strategy and encourage them to make the purchase.
Final Thoughts
Increasing online sales is not an easy task and it would not happen overnight. It takes patience and perseverance.
Follow these tips and you sales will surely soar in the coming days.