Every day, brand new online businesses start up, but many times they fail just as swiftly, leaving only a small percentage that succeed. How can you ensure that you are one of the select few that will see success? Follow these tips and watch your online business flourish.
1. Respond to Visitors Quickly and Engage with Them
Don’t let potential customers have the time to slip through your fingers through a lack of contact, get back to all inquiries as soon as possible. Even if you are away for an extended period of time, make sure that there is someone available to answer inquiries, even if it is just to say that a clearer response will be given soon.
Social media platforms are the best way to engage with customers. Not only can you quickly post any type of information, you can also comment back just as swiftly.
2. Outsourcing
Outsourcing some of your tasks allows for you to reach customers with compelling tactics and strategies more quickly and more effectively than your competitor can. When you spend less time on a multitude of small tasks to focus on the larger tasks, you will be able to spend your energy working on the things that will grow your business. Outsourcing for marketing will allow your brand to approach a problem with a fresh and new perspective, and will be able to go forward with an innovative campaign.
3. Maintain Your Mailing List
Take the leap and ask your visitors to sign up for your newsletter. Provide an incentive such as a free online course or e-book that is related to your brand. You will need to respect these individuals that sign up for the mailing list by sending out a newsletter consistently, but not too often. The newsletter should only contain quality content that is relevant to readers, while providing an easy way for them to opt out if they need to. Always include sales, specials, and discounts to those on your mailing list ‒ this will ensure that they feel like they should stay on the mailing list to receive the exclusive offers.
4. Try Not to Over Optimize Your Website
Search engine optimization is how a webmaster manipulates a website to rank better in search engines. Some websites go way too far with this and will end up banned from the search results. Over-optimization will make a brand less likable and harder to read. Aim to be straightforward and direct, without a lot of fluff. Potential customers can see right through that and it will even make your brand appear less trustworthy when you over-optimize.
5. Keep Your Website Simple and Organized
Often times, in an effort to make their website stand out, businesses will over-design it ‒ which is a huge mistake. Too many flashy elements or loud music will hurt a website’s traffic. The text should be easy to read, and the website as a whole should be easily navigated. The safest choice is dark text backed by a lighter color background.
6. Social Media Marketing
Marketing through social media has the ability to reduce a brand’s overall marketing cost, it will create a voice for the brand, allow for better customer service, and build trust between the customer and the brand. It is a lot easier for a customer to visualize a person behind a brand when they are being communicated to in a casual manner. This will humanize your online business and make it easier for visitors to connect with you, and then develop loyalty.
7. Discover Your Specialty
Find out what it is about your brand that sets you apart from other businesses that are similar. Is it the type of product that you offer, or the quality of service that you provide? Whatever it is, nurture it and let your customers know that you care about it just as much as they do.
