The best feeling in the world as an online shop owner is getting that email — or proverbial ping — that signals you’ve got a sale.
Forget mail…sales are where it’s at.
That sales funnel is one of the most important aspects of your business, too.
It’s the process where potential customers become actual customers. And more customers equals more business.
So if you’re tuning in to today’s blog post, lucky you! We’re covering all the ins and outs to boost your sales and make your business a success.
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1 | Know Your Target Audience
If you think of your business and your customer base, reaching your intended audience shouldn’t be like throwing darts at a dartboard and seeing what sticks.
You should know your target audience like the back of your hand. That means creating a client avatar you can refer back to. And no, this shouldn’t be a character in a movie.
It’s what your ideal client is like…the “who” behind who is buying your products. To get started creating a client avatar, complete this checklist.
- List all the demographics you know about your client. This can include things like age, location, sex, marital status, if they have kids, education level, etc.
- Think visually. Consider finding a photo or creating a real avatar of your client. As you’re creating strategies, you can visually think back to this person so they remain at the forefront of everything you do. Google “online avatar builder” to get started.
- Create a manifesto. This is the storytelling aspect of your avatar. Whether it’s a few paragraphs or a page or two, this can give context behind the demographics your avatar is a part of.
- Consider their behaviors. Part of creating a customer avatar is knowing details and the other half is about knowing their behaviors. What do they respond to? What gets them up in the morning? What makes them click “order now”? Thinking about this information now will help you greatly down the line.
Related Post: How To Figure Out What Your Audience Wants To Read
2 | Solve a Problem
Knowing what makes people tick is a gift — and necessary if you want to boost sales. The reason most people buy what they buy is because it’s solving a problem.
Whether it’s saving time, money, or sanity, think about how your product is going to fill that void in peoples’ lives.
The next step is communicating that in a succinct way. It’s like shouting your greatness from the rooftops. It may not be comfortable at first, but the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Your customers want to know what makes you different from your competitors. And providing that education about your uniqueness and your service’s product-solving abilities will do wonders to boost sales.
Related Post: The Website Pages You Must Have if You’re an Online Shop Owner
3 | Cross-Promote Your Heart Out
Once you figure out your target audience and the problems you want to solve, the next step is cross-promotion. Chances are, if you have a customer who likes one of your products, they’ll probably like more of your offerings. But first, have an amazing landing page set up to cross-promote.
We especially recommend ChicShop, which is designed specifically for female-owned product-based businesses. This WordPress theme gives you endless customization opportunities and flexibility to showcase your products in the best way possible.
One idea is to have this upselling feature as part of your shopping cart so customers see related products as they are about to check out.
Another option is building these cross-promoting opportunities within your product pages to make seeing related products easier.
4 | Get Flashy
One of the most effective ways to boost sales? Flash sales! And we should know. This year alone we’ve boosted our sales 55% by just using this tactic alone.
Think of flash sales like a FOMO sale.
People psychologically have a “fear of missing out,” which you can use to your advantage. In addition, people love a good promotion, so combining promotion with a limited-time offer is a win-win combination.
Related Post: 5 updates you need to make to your site before your sale goes live!
5 | Build it and They Will Come
Even though we live in a digital age, people long for a sense of community. As an online shop owner, building that sense of community is a great strategic way to boost your sales.
This could mean building a community on Instagram, a group on Facebook, or a following on YouTube…there are so many ways to foster a sense of community online.
The important thing is showing your personality and humanity while fostering a supportive culture.
This goes hand-in-hand with your mission of solving a specific problem. The community you build online can be one piece in solving that problem in combination with the product or service you sell.
Related Post: 4 Tips For Creating a High-Converting Digital Product Page
6 | Lean into Email
Growing your email list is an important tactic when you’re trying to boost your sales. This is because you’re taking traffic that is already coming to your website and then converting that traffic to subscribers (and customers).
By creating an email funnel that will sell your products automatically, you are taking some of the hard work out of making a sale (which means you can spend more time on other things!).
But instead of random, repeated emails, you’re nurturing the relationship you have with your customer.
These targeted, well-timed emails build trust, authority, and education about your products or services. This leads your subscribers to eventually becoming customers.
Related Post: How Segmenting Helps Re-Engage Your Email List
7 | Embrace an Abandoned Shopping Cart
Newbie business owners may think an abandoned shopping cart is the kiss of death. But it’s actually a good opportunity for business owners looking to boost their sales.
If you have your customers opt-in to your email list, you’ll be able to send them targeted offers after they have abandoned their cart.
Maybe they forgot, got busy, accidentally clicked out of their browser…who knows!?
But what we do know is that emails targeted to these specific customers work.
Try sending them an email with a 10%-off discount for purchasing that item, and suddenly you’ve made the purchasing decision that much easier.
Related Post: How to Capture Lost Sales With a Cart Abandonment Sequence
8 | Sweeten the Deal
These days, people do not want to pay for shipping. People will even spend more money on your products to avoid paying a shipping fee.
Lean into this consumer behavior by offering free shipping when your customers hit a certain threshold (like $49).
This also promotes upselling because customers can add several of your products to their shopping cart in order to reach the threshold. And when customers have more of your products in their hands, they are more likely to keep buying from you.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to boosting your sales, a solid strategy will get you far (and make you more money!). These tips will help you get there by creating a solid foundation built on tactics that work.
