No or few online sales? Difficulty attracting new customers? Business expert Angelo Vero shares with you today how you can boost your sales online.
Very often I get an email or message from clients, “My sales are down and I barely have any visitors on my website.” And when I then ask about what they have been doing, I often get the same answer: Instagram posts and stories. But the illusion that Instagram is going to solve everything, that’s what I want everyone to step away from.
Instagram is one channel you can use to do marketing and generate sales. But Instagram is unfortunately a very fickle channel that likes to play with algorithms and depends on how active your visitors are over a certain period of time. In the best case scenario you can sell a lot via Instagram, in the worst case you can sell nothing at all. And so if, like that customer, you only focus on Instagram, it’s going to be hard to make sales.
So as an entrepreneur or business that sells online, you need to work with an all-round strategy. It’s best to think about how you can reach potential customers and take them on an “adventure” through the sales funnel.
A complete marketing strategy consists of:
– Social media communication that attracts customers with compelling copy and images
– Re-marketing campaigns to win (back) (lost) customers
– Website and landing pages with customized messages per target group
– Automated newsletters according to segmentation based on click or buying behavior
– On-site pop-ups based on visited web pages
The intent of a channel like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Pinterest in this story is to fill your list with potential customers. For example: newsletter sign-ups, form submissions on a landing page, website visits that you can convert via a FB pixel into a target audience to send advertising to, …
But it’s not JUST about you!
Dump container
A big problem I see popping up all the time is that a lot of companies use their social media as a dump container for content. They cram as much content as possible onto their channels, in a desperate attempt to gain customers. But the content they throw online is often empty content. One of the thousandth photos of their new collection, or a video showing how to wear pieces. Every brand does that and it’s neither original nor inspiring. This kind of content doesn’t work the way it used to.
So what does work?
Authentic content about your company and what you stand for. Projects that you are working on and can convince your customers that your company is more than a commercial institution.
What also works is to make more content with the customers, about the customers. Nobody likes to see content from a brand that constantly hypes itself. Let others do that for you and use that social proof in your communication to show that customers are missing something if they don’t jump on the boat with you.
I recommend companies to start a Youtube channel or TikTok and share there ‘behind the scenes’, including a short interview of the model. Ask her (or him) about her favorite pieces, but most importantly ask about meaningful things like the how the pieces sit, what they think of the fabric choice, or the model. Ask her why she recommends the collection.
Use all that content to amplify your social media, but most importantly, to convince them to take action and visit your website. Invite them to be part of your community and ask them for their opinion (provided they get the pieces). Create space for dialogue and make the dialogue public. Brands that are talked about are what get customers to buy.
Wondering how you can expand your online marketing strategy or approach it in a completely different way? Then you’ve come to the right place at Blogzine Academy. Together with Cindy Van Dyck I share all my experience with our members through one-on-one coaching sessions, Masterclasses and e-books. I look forward to seeing you soon among our members!
