You probably spent a lot of time, money, or both to set up your e-commerce website. And you are probably trying your best to ensure that your website is attracting lots of online customers. But since you’re reading this article, your sales volume probably isn’t reflective of all your hard work.
Don’t despair. There are solutions to your sales problem. You will need to use specific tools to publicize your virtual storefront. The best marketing practices are important in the process of driving sales on your website. Keep reading for 5 great ways to be successful in boosting your online sales.
1. Yes, SEO Does Matter!
SEO (or search engine optimization) really does matter. It’s not just a marketing fad, it’s a valuable tool. SEO is how all the major search engines, like Google and Bing, send potential customers to your website. It allows you to tell these search engines what your business and site are all about to ensure that you get the right type of traffic. A 2014 study by BrightEdge indicates that 51% of website traffic arises from organic search queries which makes SEO all the more important to your website.
Utilizing SEO means that you should have a lot of web content that refers to the core features of your business. For example, if you sell customized leather jackets, then a lot of your content should refer to “custom leather jackets”. But it should not seem as if you are merely repeating the words, it should flow naturally within your content. Plus it also helps if you teach your site visitors interesting details about your product. SEO may seem hard at first, but once you understand the fundamentals, it can help on driving sales for your e-commerce website.
2. Get on Social Media and Connect
You shouldn’t merely wait for your customers to come to your website. It’s better to be proactive and use their virtual locations. It’s a lot like fishing. You need to know details about people who are attracted to your product and also discover what elements they really like.
It’s a good idea to set up business accounts on the major social media sites. Then you would look to see which ones give you the most engagement. If that top social media site happens to be Instagram, then you know that your target group is likely to be younger and prefer getting their products online.
But it takes commitment to run a successful social media platform. It’s important to make regular posts that are new and interesting. You should also respond to comments and queries. This can help to build an organic customer base for your business.
3. Try Email Marketing
It’s one thing to find your best customers. It’s another thing to keep them committed to your business. Like every other relationship, it requires communication to maintain the connection. You can set up an opt-in email newsletter that goes out to your subscribers on a given schedule. How do you get people to sign up and remain subscribed to your newsletter? One way is to give them offers that only appear in that newsletter, so they’ll be willing to open it.
There are mixed results from utilizing email marketing. However, a study from MarketingSherpa shows that 72% of customers prefer to engage companies via email. If you haven’t already, you should consider hiring an email marketing service to get you up to speed in this area.
4. Optimize for the Mobile Environment
You need to consider how your website looks on a variety of devices. Most online engagement occurs on mobile devices, so it’s vital that your site offers a good interactive experience. In fact, mobile devices have consistently accounted for approximately a third of online sales during the holidays.
Your website should cater to your mobile visitors with a responsive design that supports ease of navigation on a smaller screen. You can also beef up on links to useful details such as opening hours, contact details, and your business’ location.
5. Focus on Closing the Sale
While lead generation is a crucial part of business growth, you need to be able to convert leads into actual sales. Your e-commerce website should give buyers many payment options whenever they want to make a purchase. These options should vary across the different types of payment vehicles suitable for web sales. The more convenient and quicker it is to make a purchase, the more likely it is that your sales volume will increase.
Drive Sales Volume on Your E-commerce Website!
We’ve shared our expert advice on driving sales on your e-commerce website. Some of these strategies require significant time investment and acquiring some specific skill sets. But you can get ahead of the game by hiring professionals to help you get to that sales volume you’ve always wanted.