Did you just set up an eCommerce store and wondering how to increase online sales for your small business? Do you wish more people would visit your website and hit that checkout button more often and make a purchase?
Setting up an eCommerce store is only the first step in setting up a business online. The real work is getting potential customers to find your website and convince them to order your products or services.
You might be thinking attracting and engaging customers requires a lot of money and investment, but that’s just not true. Boosting your website sales is a lot cheaper and easier than you think. Here are 6 easy ways to increase your e-commerce website traffic and online sales of your small business
1. Build a Social Media Presence to Make your Online Business Known
While it may sound like banal advice, social media is hands down one of the best ways to attract and engage customers, increase website visits and quickly increase sales of small businesses. Social media has become the go-to place for people to look around for inspiration, try new things and search for stores to shop from. If you do not have an Instagram account or a Facebook page linking to your eCommerce website, you might be missing out on a large number of audiences who might be interested in purchasing your product.
Now social media marketing might just not be about running paid ad campaigns. You can actually gather a lot of organic traffic without having to spend a penny. Techniques like search engine optimization (SEO), consistent posting, and active engagement with audiences on social media can help you lead traffic to your website and grow your customer base.
Build a social media presence of your brand to increase your reach by letting people know your business exists. Tell them your brand story. Showcase your product in creative ways. Use dynamic visuals to make your brand sound interesting so people are more willing to make a purchase off your online store.
Read more on branding here.
2. Seek New Customers, Secure Existing Ones by Connecting with Your Audience
Social media platforms are the easiest way to build followers and customers for your online business. One of the most underrated methods to drive sales is to build relationships with your audience. Form a positive connection with your audiences so they get familiar with your brand, and the more familiar a brand, the greater the sales. Be responsive and engaging to your social media followers. Respond respectfully and promptly to their queries to create a positive image. Actively seek interaction with your audiences through activities like opinion polls and free giveaways as greater engagement leads to more people discovering your brand. Look around for new connections and followers by commenting on posts of other similar online businesses as yours so other people with similar interests may get to know about you.
3. Attract Customers through Refined Photography
Your product’s photography matters a lot. A good photograph not only makes a striking first impression but also helps people understand and know more about your product. Invest in your eCommerce website by getting a professional photographer to take high-quality photos. Don’t just add pictures of the product alone but also include lifestyle photos showcasing how your product looks in everyday settings like home, work, or outdoors. Use videos and animations to explain your product’s features and functions. High-quality pictures and videos will definitely make your website a cut above the rest and will convince your customers to make a purchase and drive your sales through the roof.
4. Intrigue Customers through Improved Copy
Along with better photographs, your eCommerce website and social media pages should feature attractive copy in order to increase online sales small business. Get a step ahead by adding a written description that appeals to your potential customers and makes them click that ‘Buy Now’ button. Don’t just simply state your product features and functions. Outdo your competitors by using elements like emotional appeal to make customers feel good about your product and compel them to make a purchase. Explain how your product distinguishes itself from other similar products by outlining its special features. Emphasize how getting your product would add value to the customer’s life. Use the power of words to engage your customer and grow online sales.
5. Curate the Best Version of Your eCommerce Website through A/B Testing
After updating your website with improved photographs and copy, you can test if the adjustments you made are a step in the right direction. You can employ A/B tests to see if the new website would actually convert to more sales than the previous version. By comparing two versions of your eCommerce website, you can find out which version draws a more significant number of sales. You can experiment by tweaking details such as the placement of pictures and text, adding or removing sections such as product reviews, etc. until you create the final layout with the highest conversion rate.
6. Send Follow-up Emails to Chase Disappearing Customers and Abandoned Carts
Have you ever had customers who fill up their shopping cart on your eCommerce website but do not follow through with the checkout process? Now, this is a very common occurrence for online business websites and there is a simple solution to get back those customers to convert to sales.
Some customers may leave the website at the final checkout page after having entered their checkout details and simply disappear. Customers that entered their email address but did not follow through with the checkout process can be reminded of their shopping cart through a follow-up email. This way people that actually wanted to purchase your products but got distracted somehow can be converted into customers.
