With more and more people shifting towards the trend of online shopping, there’s never been a better time to start an e-commerce business, and if you already have one, to jumpstart it towards a profitable future. (Image Credit: Mohamed Hassan/Pixabay)
However, given the intense competition in the market, it may not be so easy to create a lasting space for your digital venture. This is where the present post comes in, offering you tried-and-tested tips to attract the upcoming wave of potential customers, avert roadblocks, boost sales performance, and promote business growth on the web. Check them out below.
Bring Your Business Site Up to Speed
Having a well-optimized website can make all the difference when it comes to business growth. Nowadays, online users have an incredibly short attention span and even tighter tolerance level. If they don’t like what they see, nothing stops them from moving away or abandoning the cart. That is why you need to modify your website with the latest technical SEO upgrades and the right copy fixes to convert prospects and bump up the revenue curve. Here are a few ways to do that:
- Unshakeable Connectivity: Before anything, subscribe to a solid internet plan to make the on-site experience impeccable. Cox internet packages have been known to offer the best speeds for minimizing page-loading time and maximizing user convenience. Even a one-second delay in site loading can reduce the conversion rate by 7%, so you need to have a stable network power at your back.
- Multi-Device Compatibility: Optimize your business website for mobile and voice search in addition to desktop, since 87% of internet users now use more than one devices to surf online. Another idea is to launch a smartphone application for your business to help mobile users access your products/services on their terms and in their own time.
- Keyword Inclusion & Analysis: Target the right keywords to rank better in the search engine results and get a ton of traffic organically, without having to spend a single penny. Keep a track of the data through tools like Google Analytics for smarter management.
- Interactivity: Use eye-popping images, attractive graphics, and easier navigation options to increase the overall appeal of your site. Invest in a sitemap to help the search engine crawl your site faster.
- Personalized Story: Write a sales copy that reflects your business’s core values, gives an honest, transparent claim, and has an approachable, straightforward style.
- Social Proof: Add customer feedback and testimonials from satisfied clients along with professional accreditations on your site to give a sense of credibility. Remember, 85% of customers trust the word of other users more when shopping online.
- Selective Offers: Show fewer products/services on the frontline to prevent the users from being overwhelmed by too many choices and bouncing off altogether. Tiered pricing with low, mid, and high-range rates will also help people to find the most suitable plan for their needs.
- Uncomplicated Checkout: Make the checkout process extremely flexible by providing several payment options and eliminating any unnecessary steps or fields. Avoid imposing a time limitation.
- Incentive Prompts: Place an opt-in pop-up carefully on your site to sway indecisive buyers in your favor. Mention free goodies, early-bird discounts, limited-edition premium offers, or other incentives to seal the deal. You can also include a sign-up option and collect emails for your email marketing strategy. Keep in mind that too many pop-ups can dissuade users.
Aim for an Omnichannel Promotion
Spreading the word about your offers and getting your voice out there is integral to business growth. How can you do that? By coming up with an effective marketing strategy. Experts recommend an omnichannel approach in this regard, i.e. the utilization of more than one promotional channel. In addition to making an email list, you can go for:
- Lookalike Facebook Audience: Let Facebook help you reach out to users who share the characteristics and values of your current customer base. Click on the ‘Create Lookalike Audience’ option, push highly targeted ads towards the newly discovered traffic, and expand your following.
- Social PR: Find local TV stations on Twitter, online news publications, Instagram influencers looking to ‘collab’ and other popular channels to enhance your business’s PR profile. This will help your site get quality votes or backlinks and enable you to develop lasting relationships.
- PPC Advertising: Get on board with programs like Google AdWords or Facebook Ads to promote your online business through paid advertising. Set up ads on the right platforms at the right time to acquire instant exposure and cash in leads.
Claim Your Local Business Listing
By registering your business in the local directories online, not only will you become easily discoverable by the people around the globe but also by the users in your area, who will see your website pop up in the search engines and maps whenever they search for a product/service nearby. This kind of exposure will help you gain local relevancy and a solid customer base.
Google My Business is a great platform for this purpose, besides YP.com or Bing Places for Business. It enables you to make a free profile, track bookings, and enter multiple ways users can connect with you, i.e. via phone, text, or physical store visits.
The Bottom Line
Your online business CAN achieve greater visibility, make better conversions, and gain more opportunities for growth this year, once you implement the tips mentioned in this post.