Do you want to sell online successfully? these 5 tips will help you do so and really flourish.
A website is a permanent representation of your brand, therefore its important to stay true to this image in everything you do. Your work will be more comfortable in many ways if you are passionate about what you do and the passion resonates with your brand.
Consider using a consistent message in all communications, steady social media engagement and constant interaction with customers to create a unique culture surrounding the brand. The moment you achieve this, you will see things falling into place. In a nutshell, traffic will increase and create a stable, loyal customer base for you to sell your products over and over again.
Now lets gets to how you can achieve this point of success by implementing this tips.
1. Build Your Brand Name
Andre Agassi, who featured in the ‘90s Canon commercials; peering rakishly over his shades said, “Image is everything.” Even though this may look to be shallow to some, it is essential when it comes to selling products online. It is important to note that potential customers will create an instant image and opinion about you the moment they get to your online store. With this in mind, it is quite clear that image is everything.
2. Be A Social Media Butterfly
Lately, building a brand and driving traffic to a website has become relatively easy due to social media. Promoting your brand through social media has become the central focus of all online entrepreneurs. In some niches, social media is the only and most important form of marketing a brand today, be it clothing, electronic, hand made items etc.
The good news is that your social media promotional page can begin before introducing the main website. Take a social media site like Facebook, today most entrepreneurs have used the platform to their advantage by visually presenting products that build an image of their brand. Therefore, opening an account and then posting business related information often is the way forward when selling physical products. It is wise to explore more and more social media sites like Instagram (part of Facebook), twitter, Pinterest and others.
Follow influential people on Instagram and twitter that will help your brand growth. Send them product information, reach out to bloggers, and consider posting on Reddit about your store. The aim is to start up a conversation about your product or brand whether it’s an industrial auctions company or a fashion brand.
The moment you get the ball rolling, you will soon see that it is not a one-way street. People will also begin following you and write about you. Do not forget to include a social media sharing button on your website that also enables visitors to share more freely. This will give users or customers an opportunity to share more about your products during a purchase. The fact is, you will find that social media marketing is time-consuming but compared to other technologies, it’s more fun and less expensive to paid ads.
3. Be Descriptive
Many customers are turned-off by vague product description details and wrongly taken images. For example, if your photos look like they were taken in a dark garage and there is no way to identify how it looks or its size; would not make anyone buy that product. Do not let this be you?
The fact is that taking and posting product images, while writing detailed product descriptions can be a tiresome task; especially if its repetitive. However, there is no way around it, and you must focus on high quality images that can connect with the audience your are targeting. Avoid writing vague information or sticking to the basics. Remember, the more information you include, the better it is for you. If there is a way you can do it that will increase customer’s interest, then you should do it and spend more time improving it until you see results.
Another thing to know is that taking the images using your phone will just not work. Even though phone cameras have significantly advanced options, they do not offer professionalism. It is wise to consider hiring the services of a professional photographer or simply invest in a good camera and learn ways to take photos that best represents your products. At the same time, the angle of the product matters, capturing images from all aspects is wise.
4. Act Fast
The truth is, the speed at which things happen online can be a curse or a blessing to you. This means that one is required to act at the right moment so that they can stay ahead of the competition. If you hesitate even for few seconds, you will be left behind. Online store owners have to always be on their toes everyday, improving their product presentation, doing outreach campaigns, maintaining their store with exceptional customer service.
Depending on your market, this can be a tough thing to achieve. The market that is very difficult to keep up with involves young adults or audience. This is because they tend to be demanding and indecisive. In other words, what works today, is not going to work tomorrow. This means that you have to update yourself on current trends and customer shift. You are forced to stay fresh without losing brand identity.
You certainly don't want to overhaul your site every other month, but you don't want things to get stale, either. This does also apply to customer service, if you do not correct problems or methods, you might end up losing a lot.
5. Have Amazing Customer Service
The goal of any business is not only to reduce expenditure cost, but also retain existing customers. One of the best ways to achieve this is by having an excellent customer service. This is particularly important when it comes to online based services. This is because, with poor service, it will take only a few seconds for them to find one of your online competitors. On the other hand, it is important to note that your online based customers can call you anytime and therefore it is wise to respond to them in a friendly manner; no matter the time.
The website or landing page is the first thing a customer will see when looking for necessary service information; for this reason, it is important to make the website easy to use. What does this mean? Well, apart from navigation, indicate your shipping processes very clearly as well as the return policy. Remember, the shipping process should be flexible and low-cost as well. Do not forget to include your contact information on the website. If possible, include a phone number that customers can talk to a real person.
This technique offers a sense of security and confidence to the customers about your business or services. If no one calls, know that it is a security. Experienced has proven that slipping little gifts into the shipment like a thank you note, or the meaning of the customer’s name; increases customer satisfaction.
When a customer has a complaint, it is easy for you to take action online compared to physically. At the same time, a dissatisfied customer can quickly write a bad review; and therefore, it is wise to avoid this by taking action immediately.
Now, how will you approach online marketing to yeild the results you need?
