You may have worked hard to create a beautiful website that has many user-friendly features including an online store. Now you are wondering how all of that content is going to translate into sales.
There seem to be many steps involved before someone online will come to your site and then purchase something. The key is to create content that encourages action and can build a relationship with your visitors.
Anatomy of a Sale
It helps to break down the process of a sale to discover where the hot points are and where visits and clicks can be translated into profits.
The first step is to have people on the Internet know who you are and where you are. You can bring visitors to your website with content that is produced with traffic generation strategies, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies. For instance, you could have articles and blogs written with keywords that match common search terms. This will make it more likely that people will reach your site.
The next step is to keep visitors engaged once they are there and to encourage them to share articles and links on social media. Effective small business websites have a variety of content that includes blogs, articles and videos. The content should be unique and entertain and inform the readers so that they will spend more time on the website or share the content.
While on the website, the visitor is likely to see advertisements and become familiar with your website. Many sales are not made instantly, but are executed after someone gets to know a brand or product. Posting engaging content can create a situation of repeated exposure that can encourage sales.
Social Media and Your Website
When you see that certain visitors are spending a significant amount of time on your website, you can depend on them to share content on social media. It may be useful to reach out to these people and encourage them to like your page on Facebook or to respond to your Twitter feed.
On Facebook and Instagram, you can keep visitors informed of new products and promotions and post interesting content. Through interacting with people on these platforms, you likely to notice a group that has purchased your products or has repeatedly liked your content. You can stay in contact with these people on social media and expand your influence.
Email and Your Website
Email may seem old-fashioned compared to social media but is still one of the most effective marketing tools around. People still use email for important communication, and building an email list enables you to market products directly.
Many sales are repeat sales, so if you have emails of customers who purchased your products in the past, you can let them know about sales and other promotions. Also, your emails can help drive more visits to your website with links to new content and updates.
Takeaway
Any effective website strategy requires the interplay between social media, email, and the website. Use a comprehensive approach to increase visitors to your site and ultimately to make more sales.