Online commerce growth was already trending upward before the pandemic. According to Forbes, the pandemic accelerated its growth by 4 to 6 years. Selling services and products online has become essential. Here are 5 important elements to consider in order to substantially increase your business revenue through e-commerce.
1. Create a website (and continuously update it)
It may seem obvious, but many businesses still don't have a website or have let theirs fall into disrepair. No matter what product or service you sell, a high-performing website is essential to keep revenue flowing into your bank account. Nowadays, digital marketing is crucial to continue acquiring online customers and keeping your finances healthy. Remember that you're competing with thousands of businesses trying to reach the same customers as you!
A website with attractive content and products, a smooth shopping experience, and a secure, proven payment system are elements that build trust with your customers and facilitate the purchase process.
2. Create an irresistible offer and stand out
Beautiful packaging will never beat a well-crafted, irresistible offer. On the web, it's even easier to compare offers. Highlight your strengths and don't be afraid to build an offer that would be difficult (or even absurd) to refuse. Here are some examples that increase your chances of closing a sale quickly:
- Promote your strengths compared to the competition
- Offer free shipping
- Propose multiple payment options
- Offer a gift with a product purchase
- Put an expiration date on an offer
- Offer a guarantee
- Provide an exceptional shopping experience
- Offer a discount
Be creative, but most importantly stand out from others, because a boring and uncompetitive offer goes completely unnoticed on the web.
3. Be first in search results
Having a website is a good start, but now you need to attract visitors! If you have little or no budget for advertising, the best way to attract potential buyers is to create content that truly adds value to your customers. This will help you stand out in Google search results.
The goal is to make your business appear in the top search results when a potential customer searches for your services or products in your region.
Hundreds of criteria are taken into account by Google to rank you in search results. Here are some crucial tips to stand out:
- Optimize your website for mobile. Find out if your website is mobile-friendly using Google's mobile-friendly test.
- Create your business profile on Google My Business to be easily found on Google and Google Maps.
- Create useful and relevant content for your customers. Discover what people are searching for with Ubersuggest. Also look at what keywords your competitors are using with tools like ahrefs.
- Be mentioned by other websites that have authority with Google. To check the authority of websites, use this tool created by Moz. You'll get a score between 0 and 100, with 100 being the best score (for reference, google.com has a score of 95).
- Have a sustained online presence by staying active and publishing engaging content regularly.
Standing out in search engines requires work and technical knowledge. Start by making sure your content is interesting and addresses the issues and questions of your target audience.
4. Advertise online
The communication platforms you use always depend on your target audience. You need to reach them where they are. The two most mature platforms are Google and Facebook.
An effective way to drive visitors to your website is to pay for advertising.
Google Ads allows you to buy keywords to display your webpage in the top search results.
Facebook Ads allows you to target your customers very precisely in order to push them offers that are most relevant to them. Exclusive articles are a type of content that performs well on Facebook—it's a great way to attract clicks.
There are multiple communication channels that can reach your future buyers like Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blogger, and more. Google and Facebook remain the leaders in online advertising.
5. Maintain the relationship after the sale (even online)
Make sure to collect contact information like phone numbers and emails from your customers. Don't lose sight of a satisfied customer who might buy again or recommend you.
After the sale, maintain your relationship with your customer and share value-added content with them, such as tips for getting the most out of the product or service they purchased. At the same time, propose complementary services that might interest them. A golden rule is to always deliver value before proposing your services, so you prove that you can help… by actually helping!
A satisfied customer will become an excellent ambassador. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask for a referral when you're confident they were satisfied with the service provided.
Get ahead
Consumer habits evolve over time, but they always need your products or services. You just need to reach them where they are: online!
If you take the time yourself or ask a specialized company to implement the points mentioned above, you'll have a head start over your competitors.
