Customers can land on your website by accident or on purchase, but it’s really what they see when they get there that really dictates if they’re going to browse or go elsewhere. It’s more than if your website is colorful and engaging, and even current sales and promos might not get shoppers to stay around. Web users require onsite targeting and focus to even consider putting a single item in their shopping carts.
Ask yourself, does your website look trustworthy, with secure checkout procedures and clear-cut shipping and return policies? Does your website have a good reputation on the web or are shoppers complaining about past experiences on social media? Use an encompassing approach to online shopping engagement and all of your customer acquisition and targeting efforts will be fruitful.
What’s in It for the Shopper?
Consumers go online to shop for only a couple of reasons. First, it’s the most convenient form of shopping there is. All they need is a credit card and they can have whatever they want paid for and shipped to their homes. Second, online shopping is fast. You can’t get around a department store faster than you can get around a website. Lastly, online consumers know that with effort, they can source the products and services they want at a discount.
So, when your company is launching a promotion you really ought to say, ‘what’s in it for the customer?’ It might be swell to put your entire online store’s merchandise on offer for a 30% discount, but what if that isn’t enough? What if your shipping and handling costs still don’t make it cost-effective for the most savvy of shoppers to do business with you? Get around this issue by actually doing the math and seeing if it pays to patronize your web store.
Are Competitors Making Similar Offers?
There’s Amazon and eBay and many other online stores that have the money and resources to capitalize upon the biggest share of online shoppers. After all, the big box stores are the reason that smaller retailers must have huge advertising budgets in the first place. So, your online promotions have to be unique and even a little better to get attention. You might create an advertising campaign that appeals to a niche market or simply sell specialty products.
Whatever you do, you cannot offer the same types of promotions as your biggest competitors because it will not make you stand out. Offering the same deal is not the same as being equal. In fact, doing so may cause your company to appear to be unique. Even if a competitor makes the decision to start a similar promotion after you do, you are going to need to make yours stand out even more. Change your banners, have other videos on standby to have queued up and pay attention to how shoppers react to the last-minute alterations.
Is Your Advertising Actually Effective?
A company can spend millions on advertising and it may not make any difference at all profit wise. You have to study your business’s profit trends for an extended period to tell how well your marketing and advertising efforts are working. On the other hand, the results of a single marketing campaign can be analyzed soon after it’s done. See if your company made more gross sales after an advertising campaign. Look at whether or not more shoppers came to your website and purchased more products. Everything you need to know about your advertisement effectiveness is hidden underneath of those numbers. A single campaign can be a bust, but continued revenue losses despite putting more and more money into your advertising efforts should spell out exactly what you company needs to do next.
What Is Going the Extra Mile?
There are thousands of companies online that all sell the exact same thing. One company might move a few hundred units of a particular product while the next company is likely to move millions. The most successful online companies aren’t just the ones that are the oldest or the ones that have the most expensive website. They may or may not be the businesses that have the biggest social media presences either. The long and short of it is that targeted online advertisements work on shoppers on a psychological level. Will consumers feel like they are going to miss out on a big-time sale if they don’t go back to your website, at least every few days? Do they regularly spend more than they should because your company is making an offer that is too good to turn down?
Lastly, have your shoppers become accustomed to a level of customer service that they literally aren’t able to find elsewhere online? Some call it going the extra mile, which can consist of witty inserts, follow-up phone calls, high quality packaging, or even an online blog. Do you offer free shipping on minimal orders, even if the practice costs your company extra money? These are all moves that can make your advertisements stand out more.
If your company has what consumers want or need, they will make a purchase. Hopefully, that purchase is made with your business. Advertisements remind online users again and again of where they should be going to shop, or at least where the best sales are taking place at the present. If you’re going to send an online alert to customers in the form of targeted advertisements, make sure they hit the mark.
Consider hosting a market research panel so you can find out what shoppers really think of your company, and get insightful advice on how to make your business stand out even more. Also spend at least part of your advertising budget on retargeting online ads (you can do this using platforms like OptinMonster, who offer onsite targeting software designed to help you optimize campaigns for returning visitors) so that they don’t get stale and old to shoppers who are familiar with your website. Let each new visit be fresh and exciting as browsers see what’s new, what’s changed, and how your offerings have improved. Become more than a bookmark that internet users visit on occasion. Instead, your company can be a memorable brand that gets increased traffic, more sales, and gives an even better customer experience. With encouragement, online shoppers can become extremely loyal to their favorite retailers, make recommendations to their friends and aid in building up a positive online reputation.
What Does Your Company Offer That Is Totally Unique?
Whether you have an online business that sells handmade goods all year long, or you have a more seasonal based niche such as ugly Christmas sweaters, your business identity is what makes you unique.
Additionally, whatever form of advertisement you use should also make your company stand out. Each time a visitor comes to your website, he or she should be viewing targeted promotions and advertisements. Return visitors also have to be analyzed so that your business can be aware of trends that may be used to seize additional sales. So, figure out whether your business’s unique selling point is the fact that it has a mobile app, a cute and fuzzy mascot, unbeatably low prices, or just has a vibe and feel that is attractive to millennials. Once you know what that unique selling point is, you can carry it over into your advertising strategy.