30 Essential Ideas to Drive Website Sales
Grab a coffee, take a five-minute break and see if you could implement one of two these ideas into your online business today.
1. Create a consistent message throughout your site and ensure that your website address is on all of your marketing materials.
2. Be famous for a guarantee – it helps to remove any risk of buying.
3. Become an expert in a niche market. Let your customers know you are an expert by providing valuable information.
4. Add testimonials to your website and keep them updated. There’s nothing like a recommendation!
5. Accept major payment options on your website. Think safety, security and professionalism.
6. Add credibility – ensure that you have your trading address, director’s names, contact telephone numbers and anything else that removes the thought that you’re a fly-by-night operation.
7. Wherever possible, make shipment instant.
8. Ensure that your online shop is open 24/7 – use automated tools to keep your customers informed, reassured and happy.
9. Respond to enquiries immediately. You’ll support your company’s credibility and business brand.
10. Provide a helpline. Or at least a thorough FAQ page.
11. Create a community – these days buyers expect more from a website than just a load of products to buy.
12. Offer the best search. Visitors will want to find what they’re searching for in just a few clicks or you’ll lose them.
13. Invite customers to sign up for your newsletter and make sure it’s relevant to them.
14. Make your headlines fresh and enticing.
15. Present a standard version and premium version of your product or service. Customers can then choose their price level.
16. Put a call to action on every page and make the action button is highly visible.
17. Remove clutter, make navigation easy.
18. Minimise your site load times. People hate to wait.
19. Provide links to satisfied customers with testimonials or case studies.
20. Always thank your customer for purchasing your product or service.
21. Keep your copy simple – people respond best to conversational writing styles.
22. Remember, customers will only be interested in what your product/service will do for them.
23. Capture your prospects and add them to your database – you’ll spend less time and money generating new leads.
24. Use promotions, run competitions and prize draws. They stimulate sales activity and are a great way to capture data. Make sure yours have an irresistible offer.
25. Educate your customers as to why they should buy your product or service
26. Determine what your customers want from you and surpass their expectations
27. Say sorry if you make a mistake – and rectify it immediately.
28. Make random thank you calls. Use it as an opportunity to do some market research.
29. Make the final moment memorable. Be the business with a difference – send a simple thank you notes/chocolates/samples with every order. Why not personalise your transactions?
30. Continue to keep your clients happy after the sale. Make your follow-up marketing system simple, systematic and consistent.