7 Tips To Help You Sell More Products Online
Posted On March 31, 2015 by
Small and large businesses alike are all looking for ways to expand product sales online. As technology continues to evolve, it’s crucial for those of you who want to stay up with eCommerce trends to be savvy in implementing new techniques that will help attract buyers to your website and online stores. Here are some key suggestions to assist you in growing your business in the world of eCommerce.
Website Optimization
This is about knowing the technical aspects of running an online business and how it plays into attracting more buyers to your website. First and foremost, it is important that your URL and titles in your website are set up correctly to direct traffic to your website. Each page should include relevant keywords related to the content in that page. It is also important to make sure you create a dedicated page for each product so Google and other search engine web crawlers recognize and see each page as relevant to that product. This way, any potential buyers who search online for that specific product have a better chance of seeing your site rank higher in the organic search.
Shopping Carts
If you’re using a shopping cart, it should be easily accessible to buyers and should not include anything that would deter your buyers such as long contact or sign up forms. If you’re product is digital it should be easily downloadable in as few clicks as possible.
Consider a third party selling platform like Shopify or Ebay for example. This will enter you into a wider pool of sellers that customers already entrust and broaden your reach exponentially. The other advantage is that using their shopping carts will alleviate you the cost and trouble in implementing your own.
Professional Photos
Make sure to take great photos. High quality photos online is a huge plus! This goes a long way in lieu of customers being able to physically hold a product in their hand. Hiring a professional photographer to take clear, vivid photos of your product from all angles can give a clear sense of the product to the buyer. Think of restaurants who use photos in their takeout menus. Most people would rather order from a restaurant that has photos that make the food most appealing. The same principle applies with other products online.
Social Sharing
Including social embeds on your sales page is important these days so customers can easily share products they really like on their favorite social networks. What better way to sell your product than to let your happy customers share their positive experiences online with others. Make sure also to encourage feedback from your customers. Another great way to add credibility to your product is through testimonials that you can post on your website. Send an email follow up to your customers directly to ask them to post a review so you can feature the best ones on a testimonial page.
Content Is Still King
Regular blogging is a great way to stay connected to your potential buyers online. This is the new age of creating brand loyalty. To keep their interest consider your audience and the most relevant information that interests them to keep them coming back for more. Tie your blogs into your products without “selling” them. Take a look at the keywords that are attracting people to your blog. Follow trending topics on Google Plus or Twitter see what you may be able to tie in to your next blog. Curate or create specific posts and shares that relate to each separate social media platform since one group might have varied interests to the other or communicate differently.
Be Engaging
Get on social media yourself and ask your readers what topics they’d like to see featured. Use infographics or videos to spice it up a bit and consider featuring contests and giveaways intermittently to engage your audience. Add an interactive element asking them to send in their favorite photos or videos that relate to your product. If you have a loyal following, reach out to them with @mentions, on topics you think they’d truly be interested in. Pose discussion questions or host a Google Hangout where you can talk about issues of day. The more your followers get to know you, the more willing they are to trust and buy from you. Offer them the after purchase option at checkout to sign up for your newsletter so you can continue to build a long lasting relationship with them.
Consider Cross Promoting
If you sell a product like dog food, it may make sense to also feature other dog products like fun or unique dog food bowls your buyers would also consider purchasing at checkout. This adds more value to your customers’ purchases. Victoria Secret demonstrates this their brand. When you add an item to your shopping bag on their website, instead of taking you to the shopping bag page, you land on a cross-sell page. You are reminded of exactly what item you added to the shopping bag, but you are immediately shown additional items from the same category to keep you browsing leaving you the option of checking your shopping bag at any time. This keeps the customer still engaged with the shopping process with the opportunity to exit to the shopping bag anytime they are ready.
Another good example of this is selling in the form of a bundle like Amazon when they offer you a deal to purchase three similar items to be packaged and sent in one order. It can also be offered in the form of buy two get one free offer. There are many examples of how cross selling can be utilized to increase your business and value to your customers.
Whichever options you choose to implement to increase your online visibility, the more creative you are with them the better. With online retail predictions expected to be on the rise over the next several years, you want to do things that make your products stand out from the crowd. Perhaps you may want to garner the attention of niche buyers with whom you can build a long term authentic relationship. Bigger will not always be better as connecting with customers in specific categories who repurchase from you on a frequent basis just may be the formula for success in what might become a widely fragmented marketplace.