The benefits of taking your business online are easy to decipher, however how you actually sell and sell successfully online are another matter entirely.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that an expertly optimized website from Web Design London would be enough to get you started in the world of ecommerce – unfortunately it’s not. Indeed, a stunning ecommerce website is only the very beginning of your online business journey.
In fact, ask your contemporaries for a good web design company and they’ll share their recommendations without hesitation. However, ask them to dish on how they’ve managed to profit from online sales and you’ll receive a completely different level of openness.
Why?
Selling successfully in the digital world is hard. It takes persistence, tenacity and a special type of creativity. It makes sense that once a business finds it magic formula for online success, they don’t want to divulge their hard-won tactics to potential competitors.
Ecommerce sales are a tricky skill to master. There are millions of ecommerce websites live on the web, so the challenge to make your business stand out is immense. However there are four powerful growth hacks you can use, that I’m going to share with you now:
- Emails are the key to returning customers
Returning customers are your first step to business success on line. After working so hard to attract your target market, once you get them, securing their email address is the best way to keep your online store at the forefront of their mind.
The difference between selling from a store front and selling online is that your customer has millions and millions of online stores from all over the world, the same click away as yours. Thus, if a user happens upon you once, make sure it wasn’t a one-off meeting, whether they buy something or not.
Use your website subscribe buttons to gather as many visitors’ emails as you can.
Once you have a user’s email address you can send them promotional emails, newsletters, offers and lots more. As you keep your business visible to them, the next time that user needs a service you offer, your store will be at the top of their list.
Once your visitor becomes a buyer, your website analytics will help you to learn more about what your customers like, how well different parts of your website are working and lots more. Remember the goal is to build returning customers who stick with you long term.
- Export brand loyalty
Once you have loyal customers – use them – they are your biggest asset. When your customers share recommendations about you, they are providing some of the most potent marketing around. Secure the services of regular customers with devices such as brand ambassadors and rewards for referrals. Make use of any opportunity for your loyal customers to leave reviews and recommendations.
Influential industry websites can provide useful affiliate marketing services whilst social media influencers can create instant FOMO, if used well. Do your research carefully.
Choose reputable influencers who are willing to give back to your business and will resonate with your target market. Don’t expect results straight away. It will take a while to develop a relationship with potential influencers and affiliate websites but eventually a mutually beneficial partnership will be easy for both sides to see.
- Blog marketing
A lively blog can be a great way to build your website traffic. Regular posts, quality content and a genuine desire to both inform and entertain can transform your website into a destination for your target market.
Don’t just blog about your products and services, blog about happenings within your industry that you think your target market will find interesting. Guides, how-tos, insider tips, top trends and aspirational ideas are always successful.
With your visitor on your site, don’t forget the all-important call to action and links to other parts of your website. Sending your blog visitor to other places on your ecommerce website can potentially turn a blog visitor into a paying customer.
- A Positive Experience Every Time
After so much effort to secure your website visitors, the last thing you want them to feel is disappointment when they arrive. Make use of website analytics to track your customers’ journeys.
Explore the success of your website navigation, analyse the products that sell best and to whom, assess how well different pages perform, evaluate the effectiveness of promotions, email campaigns, online marketing and more.
There are all sorts of innovative tools, such as heat maps, that you can use to develop a clear picture of the marketing techniques that are working well.
Ensure your website is compatible with all mobile devices, your site speeds are as good as they should be and you have useful AI tools available to make shopping more convenient for your customers.
Strive to include exciting graphic design, regularly updated content and interactive features to make your website a fun and interesting place to visit.
With these four powerful growth hacks in place, you have a firm foundation from which to build long-term ecommerce success.