Do you have an Internet marketing strategy running concurrently with your marketing strategy?
If not, here are seven proven marketing strategies you can use to boost online sales. I am constantly amazed by the number of people I meet who have absolutely no online marketing strategy.
I am even more amazed by the number of people who believe all they have to do is buy a domain, slap a few HTML pages together (as cheaply as possible)and place them on a web host somewhere.
Then they expect search engines and prospects to find and interact with them because their site is on the web! Creating an online portal takes planning and needs to be underpinned by your business strategy.
Do you want your site or business to succeed?
Then you must have a plan of action and a fundamental marketing strategy for your online marketing. WSI-We Simplify the Internet, has the unique ability to gather and share the ‘learning’s of over 2500 Internet marketing Consultants worldwide. Creating marketing strategies that are based on fact helps fast track companies that are operating in very competitive environments.
Now, I would like to share with you some of these marketing strategies and practices –
1. Know Your Target Market or Persona
First and foremost, you must know your market. Know WHO you will be targeting with your marketing messages? Know WHO will be buying your products that you’re promoting on the web? Keep your eyes open for hot trends or products that everyone is buying.
Work with an Internet marketing specialist to allow you to find out which products are becoming hot. For example, in electronics, which products are on everyone’s wish list? Is it laptops, PCs, Smart phones or Blu-ray Players?
Find what products are being searched for in the search engines… do a check to see how many searches are made each month for your chosen product? If there is a large demand/audience/market for your product, then you have a much better chance of succeeding online.
It is a simple marketing strategy that many first time marketers ignore – please don’t. So choose your products to match the demand that is out there for them.
2. Insure you are able to target ‘buyers’ at the exact moment that they are in ‘buying’ mode.
One of the key elements to selling online is letting people find you at the exact moment they are ready to buy. These people already have their minds set on buying something when they reach your site.
This is much easier than you think! A simple way I found to do this is to create sites which target keywords related to buying… such as gifts, bargains, special deals and so on.
For example, a site on birthday gifts will obviously attract customers who are interested in buying birthday gifts. Another very simple way to boost sales.
3. Target Special Holidays as these support sales for specific items.
Along the same lines, target times when people feel obligated to buy presents for their nearest and dearest. Using special holidays like Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Back to School, Easter and all the rest.. in your marketing can be very effective.
There are occasions such as anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, graduations… when people feel they must buy something for a loved one or special friend. Targeting those occasions with your marketing can be extremely effective… people are looking for gifts and want to buy- you simply help them find what they’re looking for.
4. Place All Your Emphasis On Supplying Information.
The majority of people (around 68%) searching on the web are looking for information – first and foremost – even those who are ready to buy. They want information on the subject or product they’re searching for.
It should be your marketing strategy to provide lots of content on your site that provides them with this information. If you give solid information they will be pleased and take note of your site and a few will buy the products you recommend, but information must come first.
Even popular selling sites like Amazon.com give loads of consumer information and feedback while selling their products. Consumers want information on the products they’re buying. Supply this information and you will sell more products.
5. Target Long Tail Keyword Phrases In Your SEO.
If you’re selling stuff on the web, you must use the search engines to bring in those quality visitors and potential buyers to your site. You must also rank high in the search engines for your chosen keywords.
SEO is not easy but it is also not that hard to do. In order to rank high you must be persistent, have a six month or yearly plan… work at it over time, even years to build up your rankings.
However, there’s quicker way to get quality traffic. Instead of targeting highly competitive popular keywords, target longer keyword phrases that have little competition. For example, someone searching for a particular brand and model is more likely to buy then someone searching for a general topic.
Someone searching for “cars” compared to someone searching for “2007 Peugeot, GTI, 2lit” – the last phrase will have very few searches but it can produce more targeted searchers.
6. Build Lists of Interested Buyers.
One of my most effective marketing strategies is building lists of people who elect to receive further information. The web is a very temporary process since most people spend less than a few seconds on most sites. So it is important that you try and get them to opt-in to your mailing list, join your Twitter account, FaceBook group or follow your Blog posts… and so on.
Build lists of people who are interested in finding out more about your subject or product. This way you will have repeat visitors to your site and you will get the opportunity to sell to them again and again. If you build a trusting ‘relevant ’relationship with these contacts, they will respect your opinions and suggestions.
List building can have a very positive effect on your sales numbers so it is one marketing strategy you should definitely try.
7. Sell Things that are unique in that You Can ONLY Buy them Online .
Selling stuff that can only be bought online should do much better than selling stuff that can be bought at your local MAKRO store. If buyers can only find it online, then you will have a much better chance of selling it to them.
Therefore, marketing unique products, which are only available online can prove very lucrative. This is a very simple marketing strategy but also a very effective one. Just try it.
There are no doubt, countless other marketing strategies you can use. But using some or all of the ones listed above will help increase your online sales. Again, just try them and see for yourself.