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By 2020, global online sales are estimated to reach up to 4.48 trillion US Dollars.
While that means that online shopping is one of the biggest activities us humans enjoy, it also means there is a lot of competition from other retailers.
So, how can you increase sales without having to keep creating offers and discounts, or spamming everyone with the usual tactics?
Landing page
Do some thorough keyword research and create a landing page devoted solely to the product or service you want to promote most. It doesn’t have to take long, and it can pull in rapid results if done correctly. Keep it free from any distractions, and include strong call to action (check out this example). The keywords will let you become discoverable for people who are on the search for something exactly like what you are offering, so be sure to niche down to get the best performing keywords for your landing page. There many options for landing pages now, including Instapage, to make the process easier and more cost effective.
Media and influencers
Wouldn’t it be great to see a large flurry of sales come in after an influencer has been talking about your product and now lots of people want it? Well, it’s more possible now than it ever has been! Consumers have been known to trust influencers more than celebrities because they feel more of a connection to them. Soon as there are so many, you are sure to find the perfect match for your business. It’s a win win for both parties, the influencer has new content from a great brand (yours), and you get some new fans. Take the time to choose the right influencer/s to approach to make sure they are suitable otherwise it could be a waste of time and resources, especially if you had to pay any fees. You could gain more exposure and sales by getting some product reviews from YouTubers, bloggers and online media outlets.
Optimize
Ensure every element of your site and social media is optimized with keywords for visibility. Images need to be optimized too by using keyword and/or brand name in the alt text and image name. Check that your meta description and urls are also optimized for new discovery through search. Run a speed test on your site to make sure loading is fast. If it takes more than a few seconds, you may lose potential customers as easy as that.
Funnel
Whether you are a fan of sales and marketing funnels or not, there is no disputing the fact that they work to bring in extra sales even while you sleep. They don’t have to be hard work, but they do require some valuable content. Not all buying behaviours are the same. Not everyone will follow the funnel in the same way regardless of what you put in there, but you can create a trust quickly, so that the customer or client ends up at the end of the funnel already feeling like they know you. Wouldn’t it be great to have visitors that are ready to buy? You don’t need any sales talk because they loved your content now they are ready to purchase. That’s what funnels are designed to do in the background while you run your business.
Ads
Sounds obvious and you have probably heard how entrepreneurs are making bajillions from using Facebook ads, but when done correctly, they do work. There are numerous places to publish ads, so analyze where is best for your business and start there. If you go for Google Adwords, keyword research is absolutely essential. Always check every element of the ad before placing so you ensure not to waste any budget. If the ad doesn’t bring in results, edit the ad and/or rethink its placement.
Conversion
Imagine two people selling the exact same product but one sells way more than the other… The product doesn’t always sell itself. A vendor could stock a popular product but if the messaging is all wrong, the website is slow, the process through checkout is too long, or buttons don’t work correctly on your site, then the conversion rate will always be lower, with a few clicks they will be on the competitor sites. Define your USP and your value proposition and keep that in the forefront of your mind when making efforts to increase conversion. Monitor your bounce rate and exit points, so you can make necessary changes, then monitor again and compare results. A simple tweak could make all the difference to sales. Is your CTA strong enough? Is it easy to complete payment? Without having to guess the answer to what converts your customers best, try some a/b testing and analyze the outcome. Consider using our chatbot development services to build a chatbot solution that will be triggered when a user stays a few seconds on your landing page. You can configure the chatbot to invite the user to get a free quote or get answers to frequently asked questions. Remember to set up the chatbot to collect their email, so they get into your sales funnel.
Before you get cracking on some of these, there is one more thing to remember… Never get so caught up in trying to increase traffic that you forget about dealing with a potentially large influx of customers. Are you fully prepared, is your customer service team prepared? There is nothing more damaging to a brand than several hundred (or thousand) unhappy customers because there was a mix up, or lack of communication from your side. Under promise and over deliver is one way to keep customers loyal and advocates of your brand or service.
