Business owners have you tried marketing your business online but the results are just really poor? You are definitely not alone. It is like having a physical store and everyone stands outside talking about how lovely the store looks but no one will come in and purchase. Online sales are very different from traditional sales and require a very different approach to the selling process.
With the current pandemic, everywhere you turn there is someone advocating the value of taking your business online. It is indeed good advice but the challenge for most who have attempted to do so is that no one tells you exactly how you should approach the process of selling your products and services online.
The simplest and first step is to create a business page on social platforms such a Facebook or Instagram. Here you can start a conversation and showcase your business products or services. Sounds simple enough however attracting the attention of purchasers online begins to get a bit tricky from this point. You also need to understand the value of a website and how it integrates with your social platforms to deliver online sales.
Here are a few things most advisors forget to share with you about marketing your business online.
Things you need to know about marketing your business online
You need to have a memorable business identity. An attractive professionally designed logo will help people to easily identify your business and your content online. It is recommended that you use your logo or an image branded with your logo as your profile picture across your business social media so supporters of your business can easily identify your messages and information associated with your business.
Use quality images. If you have no experience in graphic designing or photography, you may not understand the reason it is recommended that you always use high-resolution images for your marketing content. People are often attracted to content online based on the visuals presented. Attractive images attract attention. As such, you may have the most valuable information, if you do not have attractive images to suggest you have something worthwhile sharing, persons are likely to miss your message in the busy online space. Think of it as placing your most attractive item in your storefront. You need to spend time ensuring you have great images.
Provide meaningful content. Selling online is about providing meaningful content. Use your advertising platforms to inform and not simply to advocate for customers to purchase from you. Hard selling tactics very rarely work on social media or most other online platforms. Potential customers want you to share meaningful content and show that you understand their needs if you will like them to respond well to your content.
Target your content appropriately. To get the best results online you need to target your messages to your specific audience. There are millions of persons online and therefore you need to direct your messages to the right persons or your responses will be poor.
Be consistent. Online marketing demands consistency and commitment. You have to ensure that you set time aside to produce quality content that you share with scheduled frequency. Inconsistency can lead to missed opportunities as well as a breach of customer trust.
Different platforms require different message formats. Attempting to place a message in the same format across all online platforms can also contribute to poor results. You must learn which formats are best used for each of the various platforms you may wish to share your business content with. Attempting to use a long message format on Instagram is not likely to attract a good response but using it on Facebook may give you better results. You must learn your tools to use them well.
These are just a few of the many things you need to consider when attempting to sell online. Remember it is not just important to share your message. What is most important is how your audience responds to your message. Finding the key to customer response requires a comprehensive communication strategy. Dedicating time to understand how to reach the right audience online, engage and convert them will definitely impact your business sales.
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