online sales optimization

How do you draw attention to the product or service you sell online? How do you attract the right audience, drive them to your site and then increase your chance of converting visitors into buyers? Some of these tips are bound to help grow your online business.

The internet has made it possible for practically anyone to become an online entrepreneur. If your product or service is sufficiently unique and is of reasonably good quality, this is part of the battle won. However, you also have to reach the right audience and ensure that potential buyers turn into actual customers.

Think about the type of customer you wish to attract

Think long and hard about who is going to buy your product or service: age, geographical location, income group, gender, interests, buying capacity, decision making are some aspects you want to look at. Position your product in a way that your message reaches the intended audience.

Your value proposition

Why should they buy from you? What sets you apart and how will you deliver value for the money spent? How is your product unique or different from the hundreds of others out there? Catch the eye of a potential buyer by speaking of something interesting and hinting at more to encourage them to click and visit your sales page or website.

Enhance visual appeal

Not only do you need to offer a good product, you also need to make it look good. Invest in quality images or use some tips from the experts to capture high-quality images with your Smartphone: sufficient light, an attractive backdrop, image stabilization and so on. Ensure that more people see images of your most unique and attractive products to capture their interest.

Be found

Three words: Search Engine Optimization! How do you make sure that your website comes up on the first page when people ask Google a question? You need to know what people are searching for: find out about keywords and search terms that are associated with your product and ensure that your web copy has been optimized with those terms. There is no point in selling a great product if people cannot find it when they are searching for it.

Indians love discounts!

That is certainly true, but it’s not as simple as offering X% discount. Try tiered pricing; research shows that buyers gravitate towards mid-priced items. Using relative pricing also helps improve overall revenues. Also offer bigger discounts when more quantities are purchased so people are tempted to buy more. Make it attractive to commit to that all-important first purchase: offer extra discounts, a free gift or free shipping to sweeten the deal.

Focus on your buyers

Once a potential buyer is on your sale page, make the experience as pleasant as possible. Make your site visually appealing and professional looking, but also ensure that your website loads quickly and completely. Make navigation easy and intuitive. Simplify the buying process. Don’t have a long, tedious form to fill out. Permit guest checkout, but clarify that signing up brings certain benefits. Streamline checkout by minimizing the number of steps involved and maximizing the payment options.

Leverage social media

You simply cannot afford not to have a social media presence. A Facebook page and Twitter handle are a must. Creating amusing and interesting content for your product – content that people are likely to share – is a great idea too. Be there, update regularly and make it worth their while to ‘like’ your page and follow you.

Be responsive

If someone gets in touch via social media, respond promptly and satisfactorily. Not doing this sends out a don’t-care, lazy message about you and your product. Apologize as required, set things right and try to offer some redress for the problem that a customer faced. Good customer service is vital if you wish for return business.

Optimize for handheld devices

Create an app or optimize your website for handheld devices, which is what most people use these days for their online shopping. On second thoughts, optimize for handheld devices; don’t make people download a separate app for you. Many buyers resent that and may skip making a purchase if it requires an app download.

Encourage feedback

It was word of mouth that worked in the old days, and it still works. Encourage buyers to drop off positive feedback on social media or as a product review. Incentivize this if need be. This looks good and also builds trust.

Look at retaining customers

Provide support and establish a rapport with your buyer. Encourage people to sign up for a newsletter so you can inform them about sale events, discounts, new product launches and so on, so that a buyer is tempted to revisit your site and make another purchase based on an attractive offer as well as positive past experience. If possible, start a loyalty scheme that lets buyers earn points for each purchase that they make, so that the buyer chooses to buy from you rather than a competitor selling a similar product.

Look at creating a relationship with your buyer; make the investment now for future payouts!