The primary goal of any business is to provide exceptional service and increase online sales. You want your clients to know that you are the go-to person for certain products and services. You want to build trust and ensure they willingly market your business to their friends, colleagues, etc.
However, when it comes to attracting more customers, countless people get stuck. They don’t know where to begin or how to go about it. So, if you are one of them and want to increase revenue and make the most of your efforts, read on.
Here are some practical steps to help you achieve precisely that:
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REVAMP YOUR SITE
Your website is the best marketing tool you have. It is the most effective way to help customers understand your business and decide whether or not to get involved. So, the design should look the part. Make sure it looks professional and represents your brand well. Setup your landing page to inspire action and help users to familiarize themselves with your product or service. Implement the best practices, retain attention, and keep site visitors on your page.
Advertise your best product or offer on your homepage and make sure it’s the first thing a user sees when visiting your site. Add a personal call-to-action to inspire action. For example, if you are selling office equipment and offer a massive discount on printers, highlight that and add “Get yours now” as your CTA.
Use high-res images to show-off your products and capture attention. Add as many as you like but don’t overdo it. Reduce image sizes with TinyPNG to improve site speed. Test site performance by going to webpagetest.org and entering your site URL. You will get feedback on all the important aspects of your website. Such as identifying what’s slowing it down, whether or not it’s secure, etc. You will also get recommendations on how to solve stated issues.
Remember to create a simple navigation structure when designing your website to help potential customers find what they are looking for. Add live chat to quickly respond to inquiries and give them the best experience.
Prove the legitimacy of your business by adding links to your social pages. For example, your Facebook profile, LinkedIn page, Twitter account, etc. This builds trust, helps you to build authority, and shows prospects you have been in business for a while.
Next, focus on the remaining sections of your site. Such as your ‘About’ page, ‘Services’ page, ‘Pricing’ page, ‘Contact’ page, and so on. Use compelling language throughout your pages to turn users into customers. Give them a reason to make a purchase.
After setting up your site and making sure everything is as it should be, optimize it for SEO. Rank high on search engines and increase website traffic. Implement the best SEO practices and get results. For example, use meta keywords and descriptions on your content. Use the best SEO software such as SEMrush or SEO Monitor.
Make sure your site is responsive before the final launch. Keep users on your website longer and give them the best experience despite the device they are using. Make sure your site, blog, or store is mobile-friendly. Test its responsiveness on PageSpeedInsights or Browserstack.
GENERATE LEADS
Once everything is in place, focus on the most important part; generating leads. You want more people to know you are in business and turn first-time customers into long-term clients. The best way to achieve this is by networking with the right people. Use word-of-mouth to advertise your product or service. Tell your contacts and ask them to tell their contacts about your new offer.
Network with like-minded individuals on social media. Become an active member of the business community. Join groups and participate in them.
Use cold calling. Identify people who are interested in what you are selling and advertise your product. Send emails, direct messages, or call. Mention how you found them and explain how your business can help with ABC. Use convincing language and highlight what they’ll benefit from it.
A lot of people neglect this step because they think it is ineffective and a complete waste of time. Nonetheless, it isn’t. Many businesses have found long-term clients through cold pitching and continue to do so. So, add it to your list.
BUILD YOUR MAILING LIST
Use email marketing to get the most from your efforts. Build a targeted mailing list and ensure you appeal to subscribers’ needs. Ask your existing followers to sign up for your newsletter and get access to the latest news, promotions, upcoming events, and so on. Advertise on your blog, social networks, as well as your site.
If you have loyal blog followers you can quickly and easily build your mailing list. Tell them what they will get from the daily or weekly emails you’ll be sending. Motivate them to subscribe by including exciting offers. For example, free access to premium content, community membership, as well as other features that are available to subscribers only.
Create a sense of urgency and add a simple CTA in your emails for convenience and ease. For instance, if you have a limited offer or if your product is quickly flying off the shelves, say “This offer is available for a limited time only. Take advantage of it by acting now” or “We have sold over 1000 products and only have a few remaining. So, grab yours now” and then add your CTA. Personalize your emails and make the recipient feel like it was written specifically for them. This is how you capture attention and connect at a personal level. Include the recipient’s name, mention their previous purchase or activity on your site and thank them for subscribing to your mailing list. That small gesture can go a long way.
You can also ask happy clients to join your mailing list and give them a reason to.
OFFER DISCOUNTS AND GIVEAWAYS
People love freebies so use that to your advantage. Offer giveaways to attract them to your product or service and keep them coming back. Post about it on your social pages as well as your GMB page. Add value to your free offers and make sure they meet a specific need. Don’t just offer giveaways for the sake of it.
Spend as much time perfecting your free product as you would on the paid version. If you are offering free service to clients, put in your best efforts and do an incredible job. This is the best way to market yourself and get first-time clients to trust you.
Offer a 30 % or 50 % discount on certain services and products to get more people invested in your business. The best way to go about this is by offering discounts on your most valuable product or on-demand service. Mention how many people have benefitted from it, how prospects will benefit, and highlight the unique features. Convince them that they don’t want to miss out and present your offer in such a way that they will want to give it a try.
Offer a money-back guarantee to show the level of confidence you have in your product and accelerate buying decisions. Emphasize the most important and stand-out features. Mention statistics where applicable. Say “Thousands of people love and favor our services because we are the best in town” or “Countless business owners prefer our product because it affordable, easy to use, and gets the job done in no time.”
Guarantees encourage customers to not only trust what you are selling them but willingly get into business with you. So, use them on your marketing campaign.
WORK ON YOUR PRICING STRATEGY
Help potential clients make fast buying decisions by guiding them through the entire process. Recommend certain products or service packages and highlight the benefits attached to them. A lot of people prefer to spend their money on what the business owner highly recommends or what other customers are buying and find useful. So, add numbers to your recommended products. Highlight the most popular product or package choice. Mention how many people have experience with it as well as what they loved about it.
Offer different options. Give your customers the flexibility they need and allow them to choose what they want. Use bundling. For example, divide your main service into different services. Identify customer needs and cater to them. For instance, if your client wants a website for their business, offer related services as well to make their lives easier. Create a logo for them, offer web hosting and email hosting, or search engine optimization.
Have different packages to meet different needs. Come up with an effective pricing strategy that caters to clients’ needs despite their budget. Create one for high-paying customers as well as those working with a tight budget. Offer value to both classes to encourage reviews and develop lasting relationships
Inspire them to continue doing business with you by including an interesting offer on their next purchase. For example, say “Get 25% off on the same package on your next purchase” or “Get a free surprise bonus the next time you buy any of our products.” This will pique their interest and keep them coming back.
SIMPLIFY THE CHECKOUT PROCESS
Half the people who visit your site or store leave without purchasing because of how complicated the entire process is. So, simplify the checkout process to turn your next site visitor into a client. Avoid adding too many links, pages, or stages toward the final purchase. Keep all checkout details on one page. For example, ask for important details such as the customer name as well as email and credit card details.
Give your customers different payment options. Optimize your website and add as many payment methods as you can. This is because you have different people with different preferences visiting your store. Some of your clients may prefer using credit cards while others are more comfortable with Google wallet payments. So, ensure you cater to all of their needs by giving them various options. Include the most common payment methods as well as, such as, PayPal, visa cards, and Stripe, and make it easy for them to get to the final checkout point.
Remember, the longer you keep buyers on your page the higher the chances of them changing their minds. So, avoid it.
ASK FOR REVIEWS
Increase traffic and revenue by asking for customer reviews. Once someone buys your product, send a thank you email and ask them to share their experience with others. They can post it on your site, blog, or social pages. However, to make things easier, ask them to respond to the email and talk about their experience with your service or rate it. Mention how valuable their review is, how it’s going to help someone else, as well as how it will help you grow your brand.
Once you get positive reviews and comments, add them on your website, Google My Business profile, blog, as well as other social media pages. Attach client images to testimonials on your website to convince potential customers that your reviews are authentic.
FOLLOW-UP ON YOUR CONTACTS
Next, focus on building meaningful and long-term relationships with your clients. Find out whether or not the client enjoys your product. Send follow-up emails and ask about their experience. If you get a reply, focus on the next step; advertise related offers or announce updates. Say “We are glad you are enjoying ABC and are thrilled to inform you that you can upgrade to the premium version at 50% off the normal price” or “If you loved our product, please check out our new offer that comes with ABC” and mention distinctive features.
You can also reach out to old clients or individuals who once showed interest in your business but never got back to you. Go through your business emails and identify them. Write down the contact details of all the people who once inquired about your service or product and get in touch with them. Call or send a persuasive message. Talk about your offer and mention their inquiry. Emphasize available discounts as well as upcoming promotions and add a clear call-to-action to encourage them to try out your new product.
USE CONTENT MARKETING
Use content marketing to build authority, raise brand awareness, increase traffic to your store, and boost sales. Gain loyal followers by building authority and becoming the ideal source for certain information. Come up with an effective content marketing strategy. Create useful and interesting content that your target audience needs, loves, and interacts best with. Identify your ideal customer, their pain points or challenges, and offer solutions.
Offer advice on common issues, share the latest news or trends within your niche and provide practical answers to questions. Retain and grow your audience by sharing unique, valuable, and well-structured posts. Use video, audio, images, and tweets to keep things interesting.
Use DIYs, how-to guides, infographics, cheat sheets, and so on to boost engagement. Create a blog to connect with your audience and help them understand your business better. Have an effective strategy that will help you to gain loyal followers, retain them, and attract new ones. Avoid posting promotional content over and over. Show your readers you care about their growth and want to help them meet their goals by sharing useful resources and providing helpful information that has nothing to do with your product or service.
Add promotional posts when you build trust and have a decent following.
EXPAND YOUR REACH
Go beyond your target audience and reach out to the untapped market. You never know who is going to take interest in your service or product. So, expand your reach and incorporate ads into your marketing and sales strategy. Use Google Ads, social media ads, pay-per-click ads, or mobile advertising.
Invest in online ads to increase revenue and speed up results. Add ads across relevant social media platforms, on your YouTube channel, and so on. There are countless platforms to run your ads on. Go with the ones that work best for you. Use effective methods to grab attention and ensure your ad stands out. If you are using image ads, add a professional image and CTA. If you go with video ads, tell an inspiring story. For example, use Instagram Stories to tell your story and showcase your product. Add a clear call to action for more clicks and to direct users to your store.
Remember, the best way to get results from your efforts is by advertising more on platforms that your target audience spends most of their time on. Identify their favorite platforms and run your ads on them. This can greatly increase your chances to turn browsers into customers.
BONUS TIP
Keep track of your performance by using analytics software such as Google Analytics. Gain insight on how well your website, social pages, or blog is doing. Identify posts that have high engagement and use them repeatedly. Know how many shares, likes, and comments each post received and make the necessary adjustments to your content strategy.
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